Lockwood leader who made dog park great

Thank you for your wonderful article on the front page of a recent Pilot about Jim Lockwood. Having served with him on the Board of the Whitefish Animal Group for a number of years, I know what he has meant to our organization. So when in your headline, you refer to Jim as a “longtime dog park volunteer,” it’s important to note that Jim brings new meaning to the word, “volunteer.”

During most of his 11 years on the WAG Board, Jim was an officer and a member of the executive committee. For a number of those years he was its president. Throughout, Jim was a leader of the organization, identifying new projects to further enhance the Park and serving as the Project Manager, once the project was approved. That required working with other dedicated board members to see it implemented and spending countless hours at the dog park until it was completed.

His leadership was not only manifested in terms of the larger projects but in terms of the day to day operation of the park. Jim was at the park most days, working with Max Perkins, to make sure the Mutt Mitt dispensers were full, the dog wash was operational and that any maintenance issues were addressed, often before other Board members became aware of them. Jim was sometimes the park referee when pups got into scuffles, fearlessly inserting himself in the scrum whether there were four dogs or 12. He wears his battle scars with pride.

As one board member recently said, “the WAG Park would not be what it is today without Jim Lockwood.” According to the New York Times, which in recent years ranked our park No. 2 in a nationwide survey, that’s pretty good. The WAG Dog Park is a source of pride for Whitefish, whether a dog owner or not. It’s thanks to a tireless group of committed volunteers, generous donor support and the dedicated leadership of Jim Lockwood that this has all been possible.

Barbara Morris is a former board member of the Whitefish Animal Group.