Sheriff Dave Ward, credited with helping resolve a 41-day armed standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in 2016, will receive the Center of the American West鈥檚 on Oct. 3, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. at Old Main Chapel. .
Photo of Harney County, Oregon Sheriff Dave Ward (Credit: Dave Ward)
He is being recognized for his role during the standoff with protestors. The groups involved in the occupation were upset over federal land use policies. Ward will also be recognized for his gifted storytelling as a part of the Center of the American West鈥檚 Humor Initiative.
Patty Limerick, faculty director of the center, will interview Ward.
鈥淪heriff Ward did everything imaginable to hold his community together during the takeover of the refuge, maintaining a steady stance of reason and good nature in an agitated time,鈥� Limerick said. 鈥淗e is also one of the West鈥檚 great storytellers, registering, in our opinion, pretty darned close to the achievements of Mark Twain.鈥澨�
The Wallace Stegner Award is granted annually to a person who has made a sustained contribution to the cultural identity of the West through literature, art, history, lore or an understanding of the region.
Previous recipients include documentary filmmaker听Ken Burns, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O鈥機onnor, entrepreneur and philanthropist听Ted Turner,听and John McPhee, The New Yorker contributor and Pulitzer Prize winner.
鈥淥ver the last thirty-five years, living in Boulder and traveling around the West, I have gotten to know hundreds of people who have dazzled me with their strength of character and their unwavering commitment to the well-being of the West and of the nation,鈥� Limerick said. 鈥淚 rank Sheriff Ward at the top of that long list of Westerners I admire. His wisdom, integrity, and capacity to bring out the best in his fellow human beings add up to one of this region鈥檚 most valuable resources.鈥�
The center鈥檚 Humor Initiative honors individuals whose skills and temperaments support the center鈥檚 central conviction: A dose of good humor is essential to constructive public discussion, and not coincidentally, to public health.
