DAVE WAIT | MICHIGAN Advancing the DECA organization at the local, association and international levels has been Dave Wait’s mission for nearly the past 40 years. Dave’s first affiliation with DECA began as a high school member and transitioned to collegiate member, alumni member, chapter advisor and now state director, where he has served for almost 30 years. With a visionary philosophy and an educational mindset, Dave has developed programs to strengthen the student learning experience, train and develop DECA advisors and grow the organization at all levels. Viewing DECA as an integral part of the business and marketing curriculum, Dave aligned DECA with the Michigan state curriculum, developed a mentoring program for advisors and implemented DECA’s Professional Learning Series into his association’s teacher development. Using his knowledge and expertise from the association level, Dave also chaired the DECA Inc. Competitive Events Taskforce, which successfully aligned DECA’s competitive events with National Curriculum Standards. Dave has been an early adopter of new initiatives designed to enhance DECA, such as using online testing to provide achievement data, using school-based enterprises as learning laboratories, integrating chapter campaigns, and delivering high-quality advisor training to improve instruction. Committed to improving the organization, Dave has shared these best practices with his association peers. Using his combined experiences, Dave has also served multiple terms on the DECA Inc. Board of Directors, including holding the office of president, and has hosted multiple DECA Central Region Leadership Conferences.
PAST HONORARY LIFE RECIPIENTS 1951
Charles E. Boyd H
1967
1977
Robert V. Mullen H
Donovan Armstrong H Louise Bernard H George A. Scott H
Oswald M. Hager H Anacile Riggs Kurth H. Naylor Fitzhugh H
1958
1968
1978
1954
George M. Stone H Amanda A. Thomas H
James A. Dorsey H
1960
William F. McCurdy
Brice W. Cecil H James Cash Penney H
1961
Edward J. Condon H John W. Edgerton H L. T. White H
1962
Harry W. Ketchum H Hugh E. Muncy H James H. Pearson H
1963
Walter B. Anderson H Theodore G. Plumb H John B. Pope H
1964
John G. Byler H Paul H. Valentine H
1965
John A. Beaumont H Marguerite Loos H J.C. Lynd H
1966
M.D. Mobley H
1969
1970
Eugene L. Dorr Earl P. Tregilgus
1971
Vera Pearl Tisdale Reno S. Knouse H
1979
Lester B. Kesterson David A. Thompson H Merlin Wayne Kampfer
1980
Ted Best
Harry A. Applegate H M.J. DeBenning H Helen B. O’Donnell H G. Henry Richert H
Clayton Riley H
1972
H.E. “Red” Ruppert
H.D. Shotwell H K. Otto Logan
1973
Etta M. Dorn H T. R. Petty H Evangeline H. Watson
1974
T. Carl Brown H Al N. Seares H
1975
Theron Moss H
1976
Mildred L. Jackson H Lucy C. Crawford H Elaine R. Pitts Lowell A. Burkett
1981
1982 1983
Blanche M. Curran Paul C. Bennewitz
1984
1988
Kenneth W. Smith
1989 Loris C. Lorenzi H
Philip Scheel Robert Wolff
1991
Michael D. Bass H Albert Dominic Corey
1992
Adrian Barrow Dr. Marcella Norwood
1993
Helen Dorsey Emmett Eary Jack Rose
Todd Sagraves Berry Sullivan John Blalock Fred Rexus Dr. Frederick L. Williford John E. Elias David J. Redding H
1994
Elinor F. Burgess Edgar L. Fleming H Harold Rowen
1995
Jack T. Humbert Edwin L. Nelson
1985
1996
Norris D. Young Mary K. Klaurens H
James R. Bowers
1986
Marie J. Burbach Nina L. Gaskin
1987
Sissy Long Jeannette Siegel
J. W. Weatherford Mae J. Laatsch
2000
1990
Warren G. Meyer H Keiji Okano H
William M. Crisp E.D. Peeler
1999
Carl L. Grunander Thomas E. Hill
1997
1998
2001
2002
2008
Chuck Blood Raymond Gormley Richard Mangini Pam McKenney David Starr
2009
Gregg Christensen Ken DiSaia Dr. Julie Lyman
2010
2003
Gary Colvin Pat DiPlacido H Jim King Curtis Youngman
2004
Tina L. Durham Glenice Hall Michael Marchetti
2005
Roger Cartee Shirlee Kyle Everett D. Vaughan
Carol Borskey Tim Coffey Rick Giudicessi Hunt Hawkins Dr. Gene Reed
2006
Dr. James Gleason Priscilla McCalla
2007
Kristin Crowe Louis Kaminski Dr. Kathy Walton
2011
2012
2013
Marsha Bock Tim Gilmore H
2014
Dr. Edward L. Davis
H Deceased
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