MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) - It takes a special athlete to make it into a hall of fame, and to his family, his friends, his fans and his city, Dick Vetter is certainly special.
On Dec 2, Muscatine’s Richard “Dick” Vetter was inducted into the Iowa Special Olympics Hall of Fame, located in the Iowa Hall of Pride in downtown Des Moines. Then a few days later, the retirement home that Vetter lives in, Sunnybrook Assisted Living, celebrated this accomplishment with him as they held a special reception in his honor.
“I was surprised at getting this award, I didn’t even know about it!” Vetter told the Muscatine Journal. When asked what his favorite thing about being in the Special Olympics, he enthusiastically replied, “Everything! Everything about it.”
Vetter was one of the original athletes to compete in the Special Olympics program in Muscatine back in 1970, with his parents being greatly involved in the program as well, being one of the first families that helped develop it. He participated in basketball, track and field, bocce, softball and many others over the years, even winning gold in a few of them.
“Just his character alone makes him stand out,” said Jason Miller, the director for Muscatine Special Olympics, “He hasn’t made a huge presence athletic-wise, he’s always been a decent athlete, but his impact for our program, his character and just the way he treats people and how he’s such a loving and caring person.”
Miller added that this attitude has helped encourage other athletes to come out and participate in the Special Olympics, which currently has over 170 members, and that Vetter has put a good face on the program.
Nearly 50 years later, Vetter still participates in the Muscatine Special Olympics each year as the program’s longest standing athlete at 78 years old, where many fans and fellow athletes are happy to see him. While he may have a hard time competing at a team level these days, he is still given the chance to compete thanks to the Skilled Sports, which are events that focus on individual skills. Vetter also worked as a greeter and a dishwasher at HyVee for 17 years, and even at Sunnybrook, he’ll still keep up his skills and have fun participating in things like Wii Bowling competitions.
It was Vetter’s longevity in the program, along with his great character, his impact on the program on a local level and the state level, and his love for the sport that convinced Miller to nominate him for the Iowa Special Olympics Hall of Fame. Being only two years old, the Hall of Fame currently only has a dozen athletes in.
Vetter said that it meant a lot to him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. “It’s a big honor, I’m really proud of it.”
Judging by all of the people who came out to celebrate his special day with him, much of Muscatine is proud of him too. It’s like Miller said: “Everyone around the community definitely loves Dick Vetter.”
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