2015 First Citizens

Maynard Mai and Ted Damewood
2016 First Citizens

Maynard Mai Ted Damewood

Presentation Speech for Maynard Mai, Glide First Citizen 2016
Presented by John Livingston, Glide First Citizen 1991

Picture this scene: It’s 6 am, and down at the high school track it’s just getting light. A car drives up, parks, and a man climbs out. He walks over to the gate and unlocks it. Over the next couple hours, student-athletes stretch, run, throw, and jump before their first class. The man, who could be at home in bed or relaxing with his first cup of coffee, stays there with them, coaching and encouraging.

After school, at the official track practice, he’s there with the kids again. He’s not only sharing his tremendous knowledge of athletics, but he also is demonstrating what it means to be present, to give of oneself. His actions say, "You matter. I care about you."

Raised and educated in Kansas, he came to Glide in 1970 to teach math and to coach football and wrestling. In the mid-70s, he was a volunteer firemen and EMT. Back then, John Kitzhaber was our instructor as we trained to be EMTs. At his church over the years, he has volunteered as a Sunday School teacher and superintendent. To this day, he’s always available when something needs doing.

In 1974, he was head track coach at the high school, and was asked to coach cross country in the fall. That’s when he found his passion. For over 40 years, he has been dedicated to the Glide track program. In 2002 he retired from teaching and official coaching, but he kept on as a volunteer coach. 14 years later, he shows no sign of stopping. He says, "I still enjoy being around kids."

In addition to morning and afternoon practices, he attends every track meet, both home and away. He’s got a photographic memory of the events and can tell you from memory who did what. He also has kept 40 years of records for the top 10 events.

It’s impossible to estimate the number of volunteer hours he has devoted in the 14 years since his retirement. A conservative estimate of afternoon practices alone is 3000 hours. When you add in morning practices and all the meets, you could easily double that.

What he gives our youngsters is far more than just athletic knowledge. He has always been a mentor for the kids in the track program. For example, he teaches them how to set and go after goals. He and the athlete agree on a goal, and when it’s reached, he buys the student a milkshake, paid for out of his own pocket, to celebrate the accomplishment.

Some kids lack good examples at home, but he serves as an example of what it means to be not just a good athlete, but a good person. He’s consistently there to support them. He’s available if they need to talk. His gifts include extraordinary patience, humor, and caring. He is way more than a coach.

And in return, they love and respect him. When he retired, about 80 of his former student-athletes showed up to honor him at the official celebration. When his athletes, now grown and moved away, return to visit Glide, they make sure to find time to see their coach.

He is also well-loved by school staff and other community members. His colleagues describe him as dedicated and passionate, saying, "He represents everything that makes Glide the best place on the map." He has been described as full of grace, a guiding light, an institution.

No wonder that the school community has acknowledged his importance to the school by giving his name permanent honor. It is inscribed on the Wall of Fame in the ticket lobby, and the annual Glide invitational track meet, where he spent all day today, was renamed in his honor in 2008.

Now the entire community wishes to recognize everything he has done and continues to do in over 40 years of serving our community and guiding our youth. His name is engraved on the plaque of our most esteemed citizens. Please join me in honoring Maynard Mai, Glide First Citizen 2016!

Presentation Speech for Ted Damewoood, Glide First Citizen 2016
Presented by John Livingston, Glide First Citizen 1991

Twenty years ago, the volunteer fire department got a new recruit. Born and raised in Glide, he was fresh out of school. Over the years he added skills and levels and titles: Firefighter I. Certified Pumper Operator. Certified Emergency Vehicle Technician. (That means he repairs the rigs.) Licensed EMT.

When we think about the fire department, many of us think about the time volunteers spend responding to calls, saving lives and property. Last year, that call came 440 times – day and night, during family dinners, during birthday parties, on holidays. What we tend to overlook is the enormous amount of time and effort it takes to make sure that when that call comes, all the people are skilled and knowledgeable and all the equipment is ready and working.

Each certification requires time in class, time studying, time taking qualifying exams. Add to that maintaining his skills -- every volunteer trains at the station 2 hours every Monday evening. Add to that, time inspecting, repairing and maintaining vehicles. The department has 8 vehicles to keep in tip-top shape.

3 years ago he became Deputy Chief, and now he is Chief. Add in board meetings and out-of-town conferences. He gets paid for administrative duties only -- personnel issues and preparing the budget. Everything else is still volunteer hours. It’s impossible to calculate how many thousands of hours he has given over the past 20 years.

For two decades, he has demonstrated hard work, dedication, and compassion. He has great communication and listening skills. In chaotic emergency situations, his leadership provides direction for the rest of the volunteers. We are truly lucky to have in our midst such a capable person protecting lives and property on the North Umpqua.

Many people don’t know that as much time as he spends at the fire station, he also manages to spend enormous amounts of time at the elementary school. Quite often you’ll find him in the library. He shelves books and does other jobs. After school, children assemble there and he helps get them to the right parents or bus. The kids love him because of his warm, easy-going nature.

Twice a year the library has book fairs. Picture a child coming in with a fistful of change. He helps her count it out, then goes with her around the room helping her choose books she can afford with the money she has. Because of his help with the book fairs, the school has broken records in sales, which not only puts books in children’s homes but also buys more books for the school library.

He volunteers for many other annual school events. As you’d expect, he’s the one who pulls together the Fire Safety program. He’s also the lead volunteer with the health screening that every child goes through at the beginning of each school year. Without him, it simply couldn’t happen. He also volunteers with the dental lab, twice a year. Some of these kids have never before seen a dentist, so that program can be life-changing.

He also helps out with the annual bikeathon-walkathon, and with the Celebration of Literacy family fun night, where he does some of the cooking. He’s a man of many talents!

No one could estimate for us how much time he spends volunteering at the school, because every time you turn around, he’s doing something else. If he has free time, he goes over to the school. If they need something done, they call him up. He’s been a fixture at Glide Elementary since at least 2008, racking up well over 1000 volunteer hours. Teachers and children both have benefitted from his dedication, initiative, generosity and caring.

Whether at the fire station or the school, this man is truly committed to serving his community. Please join me in honoring Ted Damewood, Glide First Citizen 2016!