Drumgoole’s love for TVCC will long be remembered

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October 28, 2011

Rich Flowers The Athens Review The Athens Daily Review Fri Oct 28, 2011, 07:46 AM CDT

ATHENS — A few weeks ago, I drove to the Athens Country Club to cover a Rotary Club meeting and because I was running late ended up with a pretty long walk to the luncheon.

Along the way I saw a man, sitting with his car door open who appeared to be mustering the strength to stand up and make the trek to the building. As I got closer, I recognized the man as W.P. “Rip” Drumgoole.

Knowing that he was in a bout with cancer, I thought about how tough it must have been for him to make that walk. A few minutes later inside the Country Club, I saw him smiling and greeting people the same as he had for decades. He was weak and hauntingly thin, but the smile was still there. Someone asked how he was feeling and he said “fine.”

I didn’t know Drumgoole beyond seeing him at events I’ve covered over the last 20 years, but he would always greet me with “Hi Rich” as if I were an old friend and maybe chat a bit about football or the weather.

Mostly, I knew him by reputation, talking to one of the countless friends he’s made in and around Athens. I’ve discovered through years of interviewing governors, senators, sports stars and the man on the street that you don’t become a big person by getting a big job. The giants carry their bigness with them.

How big Drumgoole was in Athens, among the people he met and within the circle of organizations he was part of will never be fully known. It’s like the story of the iceberg, most of the substance is below the surface. His name was near the top of numerous organizations and boards, but he was also seen in the trenches lending a helping hand.

Drumgoole came to Henderson County Junior College in 1973 as a counselor. Like the college, Drumgoole’s title changed down through the years, his love for the college didn’t. Trinity Valley Community College President Glendon Forgey said the school benefited from his long stay.

“I know that everyone at Trinity Valley and in Athens has been blessed by his presence, and glad that he didn’t look elsewhere,” Forgey said.

Drumgoole served as Vice President of Student Services and even took the Athletic Director’s chair for a while. His desire to help college age students spilled over into his off campus activities. In July, the Athens Rotary honored him for his work with the Ambassadorial Scholarship Program that gave top students a chance to study abroad.

“It’s kind of a natural thing with my personality to be involved with the Rotary Ambassador Scholarships all these years. It’s something,” Drumgoole said at the time. “It’s something I’ve looked forward to. It’s something I think has really changed lives.”

Drumgoole attended Rotary meetings as long as he could muster the strength. A seat at the table where he often sat was noticeably absent at the club’s most recent meeting, Oct. 20.

Drumgoole’s wife Espanola McCain Drumgoole’s wife also shared his desire help shape the lives that will build Athens future. After she died in “2003”, Rip started working toward creating an endowed scholarship in her honor to help future education majors.

For years Drumgoole’s fall weekends were spent with a whistle and a yellow flag in his pocket officiating football games.

Drumgoole, started calling games in 1982. In 2007, he was honored as one of the crew selected to work the 73rd annual THSCA All-Star Football Game in Fort Worth.

The Lone Star Chapter of Texas Sports Officials Association picked Drumgoole to be their representative in contest that features top high school talent from around the state each summer.

Drumgoole’s presence at TVCC and in the community will be long remembered. But you’d have to gather a roomfull of friends, students and co-workers to get a true account of how great his contribution really was.

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