Doug Fleming, who served as the Pembina Hills school board chair until passing away suddenly in January 2012 has been recognized with a treehouse reading room at Westlock Elementary School.
The commemorative treehouse, called the Fox Hollow, was unveiled March 14 during a ceremony in the school’s library, where the treehouse is located. In attendance at the unveiling were number current and past school trustees, teachers, friends and family.
The guests of honour were Fleming’s widow, Duffy, and their two daughters, Adrienne and Renee.
Duffy was misty-eyed when she took to the podium to address those assembled and thank them for being there for her over the past two years.
“This treehouse is Doug and this tribute could not be more perfect,” she said. “Thank you so much.”
As part of her time speaking, Duffy chose to read the poem The Cookie Thief by Valerie Cox, which is a story of a woman who buys a bag of cookies in an airport and watches as the man sitting beside her in the waiting area starts to eat them. The man and woman continue to both take cookies, neither one saying a word; but the woman is upset the man was taking them and wished she could say something. It’s only when she gets on her plane that she realizes she was actually taking the man’s cookies without asking, as hers were in her baggage.
Duffy explained it was a tale of sharing, which was something her late husband was familiar with and all-too-comfortable doing.
“Doug was always wiling to share,” she said.
Many other people took the opportunity to speak about who Fleming was and what he had meant to them.
WES associate principal Paddy Zadunayski spoke about how Fleming had taken her under his wing many years ago when she was just a student teacher. What he told her and did for her was what led her to become the teacher she is today, she said.
Reflecting on the treehouse behind her, Zadunayski said a tree is a symbol of growth and protection of children, which, while emblematic of Fleming, “can’t begin to illustrate Doug’s legacy.”
WES principal Steven Kaplan said it was with mixed emotions that he was dedicating the school’s former reading corner to Fleming — it’s an honour to recognize his impact, but it would have been better if he was still around to witness it.
The treehouse was a difficult project to keep under wraps while it was being constructed, he said, but its final form has turned out to be “far more than what we expected.”
“It’s a grand feature, but only a small part of Doug’s legacy,” Kaplan said.
Current Pembina Hills Supt. Colleen Symyrozum-Watt spoke of how Fleming was a “very special man” who believed in the power of community.
It was difficult to figure out what would be a good tribute, she said, as it was imperative it, in some way, involve the kids Fleming was so dedicated to.
“This treehouse is the perfect option,” she said.
Symyrozum-Watt recounted the Albert Einstein saying that everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will believe it’s stupid. She said Fleming believed in “teaching fish to climb trees,” explaining how he felt children have varied talent levels, and with the right support they can overcome any obstacle.
Westlock town trustee Jan Hoffart also spoke during the dedication, and harkened back to when she first met Fleming when she was just starting on staff at WES in 1990.
Fleming took an honest interest in your life, she said, and now his spirit lives on in the walls of the great tree and is smiling down on everyone near and inside the tree.
In recognition of all Fleming had given to the Westlock education community, Hoffart donated a copy of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree to the school’s library.
