SIOUX CITY | Despite your political persuasion, Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew says there is something to the title of a book by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"It really might take a village to raise a child," Drew says, recalling the title of Clinton's 1996 best-seller.
At least that may be the case for Drew, who turned to his mother, his coaches and several others 42 years ago in the wake of the tragic death of his father, Neil Drew.
"My dad was an orphan who lied about his age in order to get into the military," says Drew, 54, during an interview at his office in the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center. "He fought in Korea and came back, but had a lot of problems as an adult. He was an alcoholic and he struggled with drinking. It was horrible for him, the perils of war."
Drew reflects on limited memories of his father, who didn't have a family background, and fought in war while just a teen.
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"He was too young," he says.
Drew's parents divorced when Dave and his older brother, Kevin, now 57, were very young. Gladys, their mother, worked as a church secretary and did the best she could for her sons. Often lacking a surplus of funds, the family moved several times, once relocating four times during a 12-month span.
"I remember the Shriners bringing toys to my brother and me one Christmas," Dave Drew says. "They saw the needs of our family and families like ours."
When Dave was 12, his father, who was intoxicated, had a car accident and was killed. Dave was a seventh-grader residing in Leeds and just beginning his athletic career. He remembers fondly the coaches who worked with him in junior high football and basketball: Harlan Woolworth, Dick Ragan and Don Van Roekel.
"All three men were there at the right time in my life," Drew says. "I was looking for a role model other than my mom. These guys cared. They were really positive."
Drew remembers some of the specifics even thought it has been 42 years since his time of peril.
"I could NOT jump off the correct foot during layup drills in basketball," he recalls. "And I remember Don Van Roekel, who laid carpet his entire life, taking me to the other end of the gym and working with me. He worked and worked and worked with me. He never laughed. He was so patient and just said to me, 'We are going to get this to work.'"
It is funny the teachable moments a child remembers. The Woodbury County sheriff sits back at his desk and can still see a scene in a crowded gym more than four decades ago. Clear as yesterday.
The volunteer coaches mirrored mother Gladys' approach. Despite being on the move and often short of money, she told her sons their glass was half-full, never half-empty.
"I didn't have a lot of clothes growing up," Drew says, "but mine were always washed and ironed."
When a membership at the YMCA in Sioux City proved to be a bit too costly, Gladys Mount, who remarried and died a decade ago, made sure son Dave had $2 for a participation fee that opened doors at the Boys Club.
The 1978 Heelan High School graduate also recalls his football coaches from his sophomore year at North High. "Pat Murphy and Stan Wisnieski coached us at North," Drew says. "I would have run through a wall for those guys."
The same goes for Brendan Burchard, who got Drew into weight-training at Heelan. Drew still remembers the positive energy Burchard brought to working out.
As a young adult, Drew remembered the breaks he received during his childhood. After he and wife Jana were married and started their family, Dave became involved in coaching, first at Hoover School in Sioux City, where seventh- and eighth-graders played football.
"I remembered what the coaches had done for me when I was that age," Drew says. "So I volunteered to coach with Jeff Chatham. I coached the defense for three years. I found out it was so much fun."
That volunteer assignment led Drew to coach oldest son, Josh, in flag football and basketball. He soon realized he didn't have the temperament to coach his son.
"I was goofy," Drew says with a laugh. "I'd get frustrated. I didn't have the talent for it. I was too hard on Josh."
Enter Sioux Cityan Kris Jacobson, who suggested Drew join him in officiating high school basketball. That was 18 years and hundreds of games ago.
"I have developed so many great relationships with the players, the coaches, the athletic directors and even lots of fans," says Drew, who expanded his role into football officiating. "I especially love the interaction with the kids and the coaches."
When Sheldon High School Principal Matt Meendering, a longtime football coach for the Orabs, recently accepted a principal's position at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines, Drew penned a congratulatory note, something he often does when a coach or a player makes the news in a positive way.
"When someone gets a handwritten note, it means a lot," Drew says.
It means someone has taken the time to notice.
"I remember getting a note clipped out of the newspaper when I was in high school," Drew says. "And the gentlemen who clipped the story wrote a little note to me. It said, 'I bet your dad would be proud of you.'"
