‘A champion for Moses Lake’

MOSES LAKE — The Dick Deane Family Historical Park was dedicated Saturday, nearly two years after its initial inception.

“I thank you (God) that you have given this community, well, a man like Dick Deane who’s given his heart and soul to serving in this place and in a way that makes this community better,” said Pastor Eric Frey in his invocation. “He is a champion for Moses Lake, and Lord, we have been better for it.”

Dick Deane, a Moses Lake resident, has worn many hats over the years he has spent in Moses Lake, or ‘Moses Heaven’ as he likes to call it. Deane is a former Moses Lake Mayor and City Councilmember, wrestling coach and educator at Moses Lake High School, among others.

Several dozen family members, friends, city officials and community members gathered on Saturday to honor Deane and the park’s formal dedication with a short program and ribbon cutting.

The program started with an invocation by Pastor Eric Frey of Moses Lake Presbyterian Church.

Before giving the prayer, Frey noted how Deane works to keep the history of Moses Lake alive by telling stories and working to keep the community thriving.

“Quite frankly, I don’t know who is going to continue that legacy,” Frey said.

In his invocation, Frey asked that God make the park a place that inspires people to care for their community and carry on the legacy that Deane has started.

Moses Lake Mayor Dean Hankins spoke about how the park came to be Dick Deane Family Historical Park. Hankins said that in 2013 the Parks and Recreation Commission received a donation from Deane to go towards the creation of a new park or the enhancement of a current park. Part of those funds was used to build the picnic shelter in 2019 at the park that was being dedicated that day. A year later, the park was renamed the Dick Dean Family Historical Park but the dedication was postponed due to COVID-19.

Deane himself took the mic and, in true Deane fashion, spoke about the history of Moses Lake and encouraged attendees to take an active role in their community.

In his speech, Deane encouraged attendees to get to know each other and talk to someone they had not before. He said he was calling the event that day a “block party” for Moses Lake.

Deane asked Robert Schiffner to speak about his family’s history in Moses Lake. Schiffner was a wrestler for Deane in the late 70s and considers his family as one of the first to come to Moses Lake.

Schiffner told the crowd about how his family moved to the Moses Lake area in the 1890s. His great grandfather was a Methodist minister who would travel around the Basin to preach. Schiffner told how his grandfather ended up being a part of lobbying in Washington D.C. for the Grand Coulee Dam project because pastors in those days got free transport on trains so it was cheapest for the project committee to send the minister on their behalf.

Schiffner also noted that his father was the last Marshall of West Lake before it was consumed by the city of Moses Lake.

“I don’t think you can talk about the future without knowing the past of this community,” Schiffner said.

Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.