Friend Honored

Our friend Tom Kautz is a nice guy.  My husband and I know him and his wife Rosemary as good friends with whom we occasionally share a meal and tell stories.  We've gotten to know Tom as a man who likes woodcarving, hiking, fishing, hunting and generally being outdoors.  He helped me catch and clean my first bluegill.  But he is also a man who has spent much of his life in public service.

Recently we were happy to see a notice in the Janesville Gazette that Tom was being honored by having a boardwalk and nature trail at Beckman Mill Park near Beloit named for him.  We headed over to the park yesterday to find the pavilion filled with friends and well-wishers, and also some regional television reporters.

This reporter was busy interviewing Tom.  We checked out the Rockford station that night at 6 p.m., but although they mentioned the event, we never saw the actual interview.  We did see, much to my chagrin, a shot of two people, from the back, walking on the boardwalk.  Their faces didn't show, but it was us.  Gotta say, my backside isn't my best feature; I would have rather heard what Tom had to say.

Here he is.  Tom retired in 2004 after spending thirty years as Rock County Parks Director.  During his tenure in that position he managed to almost double the amount of parkland in Rock County, and was instrumental in acquiring grant money to help restore the Beckman Mill.  So it's a darned good thing that he was recognized in this way.   Hard work and dedication may be their own reward, but a nod from other people is a fine thing as well.