Some friends and family of Dallas “Pete” VanKirk gathered Monday evening in downtown Perry at the Soumas Courtyard to honor the beloved Perry benefactor and job creator by adding his likeness to the Wall of Witnesses.
Tributes were paid in laughter and tears by turns to VanKirk, who moved to Perry in 1965 to work as plant manager at Progressive Foundry, and he bought the factory in 1980. He was a devoted family man and a volunteer for Perry Little League, a coach for the Perry High School football team and the inspiration — both financial and spiritual — of numerous community improvements. He died in 2016.
The Wall of Witnesses is an ongoing collaboration between Hometown Heritage and the Perry Historic Preservation Commission (PHPC), with the duty falling to the commission to choose the annual recipients.
Hometown Heritage Director Bill Clark welcomed the gathered guests and introduced the board of trustees of the Fullhart-Carnegie Trust dba Hometown Heritage, including Andrea Brownlee, Pam Jenkins, Richard Jones, John Lusink, Leo Landis, Randy McCaulley, Mary Murphy, Lynsi Pasutti, Betsy Peterson, Sven Peterson, Alissa Whitmore and Clark Wicks.
PHPC President Connie McGuire introduced the commissioners, including Dave Berkemann, Cliff Fagen, John Palmer, Eugene Peel, Julie Scheib and Alissa Whitmore. Commission advisors Chris Hinds, Joe McCarty, Larry Vodenik and Liberty Willett were also recognized.
Memorial remarks were delivered by David Repp, who described Pete VanKirk’s “passion and politics” and illustrated his point with the story of a canoe trip on which Pete’s passion went overboard, and Janelle Repp, who said Pete’s personality was “bigger than life” and showed itself on many family vacations.
Darek VanKirk, describing himself as “the youngest” of the VanKirk clan, said his “Dad would be so tickled to be here next to Mr. Walstrom.” Jim Walstrom was the 2017 honoree for the Wall of Witnesses. Joelle Conklin Miner said her brother-in-law was “authentic Pete 24-7,” even when drawing the line on his wife’s “wildlife babies.”
Kirk VanKirk called his father a “compassionate person” who left “big shoes to fill.” He illustrated his father’s compassion and devotion to the laboring class with the story of a marginal factory worker whom Kirk was thinking of firing. His father explained his compassionate view but left it to his son, saying, “The decision is yours.”
Richard Saemisch recalled his first tour of the Progressive Foundry in 1967 and said it has become a kind of tradition for him, having now been led around the factory by the father, son and grandson.
Pete VanKirk’s bas-relief portrait is the 24th witness to grace the wall in the Soumas Courtyard and the 15th executed by Newton sculptor Rick Stewart, who spoke briefly about the process of figuring VanKirk.
Since resuming the additions to the Soumas Courtyard’s collection of notable figures from Perry history, the Hometown Heritage-PHPC partnership has now honored four notable men: Mike Kanealy in 2016, Charles Joy in 2016, Jim Walstrom in 2017 and Dallas “Pete” VanKirk in 2018.
