DVFF Lifetime Achievement Award

DVFF Lifetime Achievement Award The DVFF Lifetime Achievement Award was created in 2023 with a purpose of recognizing club members who have made continuous and significant contributions to the club over many years. An award much more prestigious than the Member of the Year award and one that would rarely be given (“Member of the Decades”, once every 10-20 years).

Criteria

• Multiple decade club member
• Multiple decades of broad and continuous support to the club
• Served as an Officer and/or Board member, preferably both
• Member of the Year award recipient
• Provided leadership, inspiration and actively helped in multiple areas of the club
• Made significant contributions to the club (e.g., initiated new programs, improved existing programs)
• A respected club member

Process

• Written proposal from a club member addressing how the nominee meets the award criteria
• Presentation of the recommendation to the DVFF Board of Directors
• Board discussion and decision
• Post article in Windknots after award presentation
• Update club website

Award Recipient Gift

• $1,000 budget, board to decide on actual gift, targeted to the recipient. Index this amount over time.
• Long-term keepsake (plaque / photo enlargement, etc.). In addition to the $1,000 budget.

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement 2023: Wayne Hofer

Written by Steve Spiller
On Feb. 21, 2023, at the DVFF monthly club meeting, Wayne Hofer became the first recipient of the newly established DVFF Life Achievement Award. The meeting included 45 in-room attendees and an equal number participating via Zoom. Also in the audience was Wayne’s wife, Caron, and members of their family. Wayne did not know he was to receive the award and was surprised.

First, a little background. During October 2022, Tom Morehouse made a recommendation to the DVFF board of directors that Wayne be acknowledged with a special award for his many contributions to the club. A special award had previously been given to Bill King, which was a one-time event. The board agreed that Wayne was deserving of special recognition and felt that a new, formal DVFF award should be created first, with clear criteria and decision process. During November and December, the DVFF Lifetime Achievement Award was discussed and established. During January, Tom made a formal proposal that Wayne receive this award, including documentation of how Wayne met the award criteria. The proposal was approved. You can read the DVFF Lifetime Achievement Award criteria on the DVFF website.

Wayne joined the DVFF 22 years ago, on Feb. 11, 2001, and fully meets the criteria for the DVFF Lifetime Achievement Award through his many and continuous contributions to the club. Here is a summary of some, but not all of Wayne many contributions to DVFF and recognitions throughout the years:

• Club Treasurer for 7.5 years, from February 2006–September 2013
• Club President 2014–2015
• 2008 DVFF Member of the Year
• Outing Leader
• Rod Building (Taught the DVFF class for many years, hosted in his garage; one-on-one rod building instruction to numerous club members; Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing rod building classes; built the club’s six Spey rods; built many rods used for DVFF award gifts (e.g., President’s gift); never accepts reimbursement.
• Fly Tying instructor.
• Club Speaker – Mongolian Taimen Trout trip.
• Active Project Healing Waters Volunteer and Outing leader
• Started the DVFF Stillwater Academy and continues to lead the program now in its third year.
• DVFF Membership Chair for the past five years.
• Ever-present volunteer at club events, most recently he and Caron were greeters at the Feb. 18, 2023, Crab Feed.
• A highly respected club member.