Tom Bechtel, recipient of the Dr. Lee Jones Patron of Youth Award, tells a story during the Light of the Valley luncheon Wednesday at Wheeling Park’s White Palace. Also shown, at left, is Jamie Bordas, president of the Wheeling YMCA Board of Directors.

WHEELING — Adding together a passion for sports that he inherited from his father and an unending desire to give back, serve the community and most specifically the youth of Wheeling and throughout the Ohio Valley equaled a career that Tom “Bear” Bechtel wouldn’t have traded for the world.

Bechtel, the longtime director of the Wheeling Recreation Department, was formally honored Wednesday with the Dr. Lee Jones Patron of Youth Award at the YMCA’s Light of the Valley luncheon at Wheeling Park’s White Palace.

“This is an incredible honor,” Bechtel said. “When you look at the list of previous recipients, it’s truly amazing to have my name on there. I can’t thank the YMCA enough.”

Bechtel called serving the youth of the Ohio Valley “his mission.”

Obviously, when you look at the years, accomplishments and accolades, it’s quite easy to figure out that Bechtel accomplished the mission.

“It was basically all I did for 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Bechtel said of serving the youth. “My dad (Joe) was unbelievable. He got me involved in each and every sport. Plus, I’ve always enjoyed being around and working with kids.”

As soon as Bechtel ascended to the job of Wheeling Recreation Director in 1974, it didn’t take him long to realize that was the place for him.

“I was never truly interviewed for the job and people with the city actually tried to talk me out of the job,” Bechtel said. “They knew, for the salary I was going to receive, I wouldn’t stick around long. Well, a week later, I had the job and about two or three years later they decided to pay me a little bit more. But, it was never about the money. I just loved the job. I didn’t have time to spend any money anyway cause I was always officiating when I wasn’t at work.”

Bechtel’s vision through the recreation department led to the forming of the Wheeling Rec High School Basketball Summer Leagues and Shootouts, which still occur.

“We had people work for us for minimum wage for 30 or 35 years,” Bechtel said. “One of the highlights of my life are all of the people I’ve come across who started out working for the recreation department.”

More than two decades ago, Bechtel underwent open-heart surgery. Despite the urging of Barb Janetski, who was the only secretary Bechtel ever had at the recreation department, to “slow down,” Bechtel just couldn’t do it. Quite simply, the mission hadn’t been completed yet.

“The I-470 complex needed some help and my good buddy the late Steve Hanning got me involved up there and it was a mess, so I got involved with that and took it on as a side project,” Bechtel said.

While the job was fulfilling, Bechtel admitted there were some rough days, too. Yet he pointed out in his 15-minute acceptance speech that it wasn’t just in his office, but in the offices of all of those who work as public servants.

“Everyone who walks in the office has a complaint about something whether it’s how you’re running a league or whatever the fact of the matter may be,” Bechtel said. “We had thousands of visitors over the 45 years and I assure you, every person who walked through our door made me happy. Some when they walked in the door and some when they walked out of the door.”

Bechtel began volunteering in youth sports when he was still a youth. He took his first youth baseball coaching job at 16 because a team of 15-year-olds needed someone.

“I was never a coach,” Bechtel said. “I’ve always been around and they asked me to help out.”

Along with the recreation department, Bechtel’s also passionate about officiating. Already a member of the Ohio High School Officials Hall of Fame, Bechtel started as an official in the late 1970s simply because a slow-pitch softball league through the recreation department needed an umpire that night. He was hooked on it from there.

Bechtel, who currently oversees softball officiating in the state of West Virginia, has been a carded football and basketball official since the 1970s. According to his count, he’s officiated upwards of 13,000 games between the three sports.

If his full-time job and part-time job (officiating) weren’t enough to keep him busy, Bechtel became very active — and remains so today — with the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference. He’s currently the softball commissioner and was the director of the OVAC All-Star Basketball Game for 10 years.

“With the OVAC, I had a lot of volunteer jobs that (former executive director) Tom Rataiczak got me involved with,” Bechtel said. “They gave me any job I was willing to volunteer for and I had a blast with every one of them. Lately, they’ve actually paid me a little bit of money to be the softball commissioner. High school sports remain such an important part of our society and anything you can do to support the OVAC is appreciated.”

While Bechtel received the top honor, current Michigan State assistant basketball coach Doug Wojcik was the keynote speaker. A Wheeling Central grad who played at the Naval Academy, Wojcik spoke about learning how to play sports in the Ohio Valley and when he would walk across the Suspension Bridge from Wheeling Island and go to the YMCA, which was formerly located in downtown Wheeling.

“The Wheeling Recreation Department, the park system and the YMCA, quite honestly, all kind of blend together for me,” Wojcik said. “Wheeling Island was the center of the universe for me when I was a kid and when I was old enough and allowed, I’d spend all day on Saturdays at the YMCA doing a variety of things. It was my first membership at any kind of gym.”

Wojcik recalled when the recreation department would pick up kids from Wheeling in a bus and take them to Wheeling and Oglebay Parks to participate in golf, swimming, tennis, etc.

“Every area in the country is this way, but in particular here in the Ohio Valley, sports are really, really big,” Wojcik said. “Across the board there are a lot of opportunities for people to grab on to and have a passion for as they go through their youth years.”

The proceeds of the event generated a presentation of a check for $58,400 to YMCA Director Adam Shinsky.