Remarks of Mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher on the Paul H. Douglas Center of Environmental Education

Mayor Hatcher seated at his desk in Gary, Indiana.

Chicago Sun-Times

The Paul H. Douglas Environmental Education Center stands as a testament to the vision and dedication of Paul H. Douglas, a distinguished public servant and advocate for environmental conservation. The center embodies his commitment to fostering an appreciation for nature and educating future generations about the importance of preserving our natural resources.

During the time of its establishment, Richard Gordon Hatcher served as the mayor of Gary, Indiana. As the first African American mayor of the city, Hatcher was known for his leadership in civil rights, urban development, and community engagement. His tenure coincided with significant efforts to enhance public spaces and educational opportunities in the region, contributing to a broader movement of environmental awareness and community involvement.

Various officials and children scooping shovelfuls of sand at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education. Honorable Richard Gordon Hatcher is fourth from the right.

NPS

Remarks by the Honorable Richard Gordon Hatcher at the Ground-Breaking Ceremonies for the Paul H. Douglas Environmental Education Center

May 29, 1985
11:00 A.M.
North Lake Street

"To Mr. Dale Endquist, Superintendent of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; Mr. Charles H. Odegard, Regional Director of the National Park Service; Congressman Peter Visclosky; other distinguished guests, and friends:

This morning’s occasion marks the beginning of a dream that was nurtured and fostered by one of this nation’s most distinguished public servants. The late Paul H. Douglas understood, perhaps better than most, that despite technological developments, despite industrial growth, despite all the complexities and intricacies associated with vital urban centers, there is an undeniable human need to compose oneself; that there is essential to the health of people a need to carve out of our urban complexes areas which would not try to impose or improve upon nature’s own wonders.

Today, as we ceremoniously break ground for a new educational center, one that will instill in our youth an appreciation for the natural beauty of the dunes, we have an opportunity and a duty to honor the life work of a man. We have time today to rededicate ourselves and our energies to the values and principles that are Paul H. Douglas’ greatest legacy.

As Mayor of the City of Gary, I am honored to join in this occasion. A few lines from Rudyard Kipling’s poem, 'If,' convey the spirit and vision of Mr. Douglas:

'If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings---nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run
Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it,
And---which is more---you’ll be a man, my son!'

Paul H. Douglas was such a man. And it is to his memory that we break ground for a facility that will bear his name. May we all gather wisdom from one of our nation’s greatest stewards.

Thank you."

Welcoming Remarks by the Honorable Richard Gordon Hatcher at the Paul H. Douglas Luncheon

May 29, 1985
Marquette On-the-Lagoon
12:00 Noon

"It is indeed an honor to welcome you to Marquette this afternoon. The ground-breaking ceremony afforded an opportunity to learn the location of the new facility. But this luncheon will provide us time to speak to the occasion, to share with our friends and colleagues the impact of a new community facility; and to perhaps, through the course of these proceedings, come to understand and appreciate each other more.

As Mayor, I know you share the pride of building the Paul H. Douglas Environmental Education Center. And I hope you are all proud that this important facility is one more reason to be proud of Gary. The usage of this facility, however, will benefit not just Gary, but all of Northwest Indiana and the Midwest.

It is time that all of us admitted to ourselves and one another that we have a shared history. For almost seventy-nine (79) years, we have been clasped together for better or worse, in good times and bad. We share what will be, just as we have shared what has been. And as we look to the future, the opening of the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education, our options are clear.

We can let the future happen to us, or we can shape it. If it simply happens to us, it isn’t likely to be pleasant. If we each try to shape it unilaterally, we are unlikely to succeed. But if we act together, to shape and promote our mutual advancement, then our future can be unlimited.

Today, we have a chance to seize the moment, redefine it, and therefore enjoy both a winning combination and a genuine partnership. We can demonstrate to all that a new kind of mutually rewarding partnership can be forged just as strong as the steel poured from our world-famous mills.

When we choose a partnership, recreate it as a better, stronger bond, then we will have taken hold of our own future. The potential is for us to enter our most productive era, with no losers, just winners. It is an offer none of us can afford to refuse.

We have a common past. We will have a common future. And we share a time and place---the here and now. I believe it’s the right place at the right time---the time and place to begin anew.

It’s also the right time and place to learn one another’s needs, and act in concert to meet those same needs. We must plan together, reason together, develop a mutual strategy, work together to carry it forward so that all the people will be well-served by both the public and private sectors.

As Mayor of Gary, I welcome the opportunity. I enlist in the partnership. I anticipate hard work undertaken together. And I expect, as I am sure you do, productive results that will honor the name of Paul Douglas.

Thank you."