Dan Wright: Trailhead Dedication
Trailhead Dedication & Dan Wright
by Rick Watkins
A blustery March wind whipped through the nearly hundred or so people gathered at the trailhead entrance to the Murray Run Greenway, but all eyes focused on the small, wiry man moving gingerly with his wheeled 
walker to the ribbon stretched across the trail. His blue fleece jacket billowing in the breeze, Dan Wright reached his goal, stopped, pirouetted, and gracefully took a seat in his walker.
As the brilliant sunlight reflected on his proudly worn Distinguished Service Award medal presented earlier by Mayor Nelson Harris and the City of Roanoke, Dan steadied his hands, grasped scissors, and cut the colorful strand. While Dan smiled and acknowledged the cheers from grateful friends and family, the newly dedicated and upgraded Dan Wright Murray Run Greenway Trailhead officially opened this past March 3 at a ceremony organized by the GRCCL and the City of Roanoke Parks and Recreation.
Dan Wright, 60, is a longtime GRCCL member, runner, and community activist who, along with Mike Urbanski, Bill Gordge, and Liz Belcher, originally helped plan and secure grant funding for the Murray Run Trail beginning in 1999. Along with GRCCL members, neighbors, and other volunteers, Dan spent countless hours doing trail building and maintenance work to see this neighborhood jewel become a reality.
“We wanted to get this trail built so our neighbors could use it” for walking, running, or just enjoying a taste of nature within the Raleigh Court vicinity. “You can travel almost 2.5 miles out” he says, “and eventually the trail could extend beyond the Virginia Western Arboretum and maybe near Tanglewood Mall.”
“I wish I could work on the trail now, but I know others will carry on” Dan adds. For in a cruelly ironic twist of fate, the former Star City Strider president, a finisher of 19 marathons and countless races, is now gradually being robbed of the use of his body with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Dan believes that the first signs of his illness may have occurred as early as 2000, but since October 2004 his doctors knew that a serious condition existed, including the possibility of ALS. But Dan persevered, switching from running to walking, remaining active with GRCCL and the Striders, and continuing to work his job as long as physically possible. He even led the formation of the area’s first Walk to D’Feat ALS last October, personally responsible for over $16,000 of the $ 25,000 raised.
Dan’s fighting spirit and uncomplaining perseverance caught the attention of his GRCCL friends, who talked about a way to recognize Dan for his longtime community service by targeting a neighborhood improvement project in Dan’s honor. The Murray Run Greenway Trailhead improvement project was a natural fit. Proposed by Melissa and Kevin Speed, and enthusiastically supported by GRCCL president Chad Van Hyning and Vice-president Susan Koch, the idea caught fire and quickly won widespread support.
The entrance to Murray Run lies at Shrine Hill Park near Patrick Henry High School, next to the tennis courts. Melissa’s plan involved a private and public partnership to improve a park, encourage volunteerism, improve and make more visible a neighborhood gateway, improve signage/visibility to the greenway, and honor an outstanding resident, Dan Wright. The project is divided into two phases-Phase One involved the volunteer work done prior to the dedication and Phase Two involves work done later this summer under auspices of a 2007 Neighborhood Grant.
Beginning on a cold snow-covered morning in February, work was completed over 3 consecutive Saturdays. From six hardy souls, then 28 and 22 people respectively, volunteers put in 260 feet of trail, cut brush and removed debris, added a rock wall, two signs and many plants, and moved 12 tons of gravel and rocks. Funds to cover expenses were donated by the Star City Striders, GRCCL members, and Pathfinders for Greenways.
Phase Two will involve adding benches, picnic tables, mulching and landscaping with native plants to “create a picnic area and park that can be a destination or starting point for the trail itself” according to Melissa Speed. By “claiming” this area for the neighborhood, she adds, “we hopefully guarantee a permanent gateway to our linear park.”
The March 3 dedication and celebration was also the work of the Speeds and Susan Koch, with great assistance from GRCCL past-president and Dan’s longtime companion, Brenda McDaniel. In conjunction with the City of Roanoke and its Parks and Recreation Department, the GRCCL served refreshments and organized a tribute to Dan. Mayor Nelson Harris of Roanoke declared March 3 as “Dan Wright Day” and with help from city council members Sherman Lea and Gwen Mason, presented Dan with the Distinguished Service Award mentioned earlier.
Amy Rockhill of the Striders talked of Dan’s longtime contributions to the Roanoke running community, and Lucy Ellett spoke of Dan’s help in securing greenway trails for the Roanoke Valley. Chad Van Hyning of the GRCCL acted as host, thanking Dan for his tireless efforts through the years for Raleigh Court residents. Brenda McDaniel spoke on Dan’s behalf, thanking his friends and Civic League for their work, and noting that Dan feels blessed being alive to see the love and appreciation his work has engendered, knowing that his community legacy will remain after his battle with ALS is over.
As Dan remarked a few weeks later, “I think the best part was the attention on the greenway itself, not (on) me. I hope it raises awareness that we have a great neighborhood, and I hope people will use and enjoy the trail for years”
His voice soft and slow, the words formed with effort, Dan pauses, smiles, and adds, “I never planned on being sick, but this disease has made me aware of how many friends I’ve made, and it surprises me. For friends, and family, and the place I live, I’m blessed.”
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