50 Years, 50 Stories - David Dean and Jack Wainwright

Imagine!’s Communication Coordinator Gary Stebick submitted this story for our “50 Years, 50 Stories” series. The story is about two individuals who receive services from Imagine! and who have been best friends for almost 30 years – David Dean and Jack Wainwright. This is a fun story about two gentlemen who are extremely active in their community. Thanks for sharing the story, Gary, and thanks to David and Jack for being role models and leaders in our community.

 

David and Jack – Friends For Life

By Gary Stebick

 

Jack Wainwright (left) and David Dean in their finest Imagine! attire.

David and Jack met about 30 years ago when David needed a roommate at Canyon Creek Apartments. Rick Haskins, Imagine!’s Assistant Director of Case Management, arranged for some people to interview with David, and David chose Jack. They have remained roommates and friends ever since that time.

Both David and Jack are very independent and don’t require a lot of support from Imagine!, but as David put it, “I don’t need much, but when I do, I ask for it. When my mom and brother passed away, Imagine! was there for me. And recently, Mikii (Schoech - an Imagine! Intake Case Manager) helped me out when I got laid off by the government shut down. I didn’t apply for unemployment. I don’t want unemployment, I want to work. I don’t have time to just sit around.”

Jack chimed in, “There are certain bills we don’t understand, and Mikii has always been very, very helpful to us. She’s the one who takes care of us.”

Jack served as a member of Imagine!’s Board of Directors in the early 1980s. “For many years,” he said. “It was very hard work, but it was worth my while.”

In reminiscing, David talked about former Imagine! employee Bruce Reed. “Bruce helped me with my finances, and we became friends. During a conversation with Bruce, we realized we both had something in common that was very important to us, that being softball. Bruce invited me to practice with his team, and 30 years later, I still have some friends on that team, the Black Sox. I rode my bike out to Stazio Field this summer to watch them play, and to cheer them on and give them advice. Last year the Imagine! employee softball team was short a player, and Caitlin (Looney) invited me to play with them. I told her, “Any time you need someone, you just let me know and I’ll be there.”

David and Jack always have been and remain active in our community. Both play softball in Boulder, and both bowl at the Coal Creek Bowling Center in Lafayette. As close as friends as they are, they don’t always bowl on the same team. Currently they are on different teams. They have expanded their circle of friends so much that they both have many options in choosing which team they are going to bowl with.

Both David and Jack are longtime employees at their jobs, with David having worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for 37 years, and Jack having worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for 22 years.

Jack summed up their 30 years of friendship by saying, “David is like a big brother to me.”

Are you interested in sharing your story for “50 Years, 50 Stories?” If so, contact Caroline Siegfried at caroline@imaginecolorado.org or 303-926-6405. We’d love to hear from you!