Volunteer Receives Commendation from State Senate

By Steven Potter

For decades, Diane Echelbarger has fought for the rights, education and values of thousands of Wisconsinites she’s never met.

The consummate volunteer, it’s probably easier to list the causes Diane hasn't been involved in than to cover the span of quality-of-life issues she’s taken a stand in defending.

To name just a few: Diane volunteered for years restoring, repairing and leading the crew of the state’s educational sailboat the Denis Sulivan; she maintained a number of bird-watching trails, nests and boxes. She volunteered for numerous political campaigns, stressing the importance of the process beyond Election Day, and also attended countless hearings and government meetings on public health and environmental issues, often live-tweeting so others who could not attend, including those with disabilities, could stay informed. (You can find Diane on Twitter under the name @pewtergryphon.) She has been a stalwart in the recall movement and can even been seen in our latest video, "I recall" at the 0:40 mark.

When she wasn't volunteering, the 52-year-old Stoughton resident also worked for more than 25 years as a union state employee ensuring that persons with disabilities received benefits and other assistance.

It’s for these many reasons and more that Diane, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year and is currently undergoing treatment, was given a commendation from the state yesterday, highlighting all of her selfless work. The commendation was presented to Diane by state Sen. Jon Erpenbach. She also received a Recognition of Volunteerism plaque from the Committee to Recall Scott Walker.

From all of us who have been touched by your noble humility, activism and kind soul, thank you, Diane.

Fly on, gryphon!

To see Diane's appearance in our latest video, click play below. She appears about 40 seconds into the video.