On Aug. 25, an event took place at Greenleaf Recreation Center that I will never forget. A few dozen people gathered to celebrate and thank Dale MacIver for his decades of service to the Southwest community. Below is a list of some of those quotes from that evening. We plan to follow up on this story with a running series of personal stories from people whose lives we affected thanks to Dale MacIver. If you have a story you would like to tell, please email editor@thesouthwester.com and tell us how Dale MacIver affected you and/or your family. 
“Mr. McIver might be 94, but he’s ageless. He’s given back for so long that you can’t put a time on it.”
“I’ve been on this Earth 44 years and Dale is the best human I’ve ever met in my life.”
“Dale is one of the truly great pioneers in this community. Southwest for life.”
“A lot of families in Southwest had financial stability thanks to this single man.”
“Dale is the first person to ever teach me how to tie a tie.”
“Dale taught me how to get work the right way. How to earn money the right way. He taught me to save my money. I can’t thank him enough.”
“Dale didn’t have any ulterior motive. He was here for us.”
“I’m here today because of Mr. MacIver. This is a man I would give my life for. If I ever needed him there was no question he’d be there.”
“People said in the ’80s Marion Barry had the youth work programs, but Mr. MacIver is the person who got me my first job.”
“To this day I still have The Southwester newspaper when Mr. MacIver put me in the newspaper.”
“When I went college, I used to stand by the mailroom because I knew Mr. MacIver was going to take care of me and send me care packages.”
“I didn’t have a father in my life. Dale was my father. Dale got me a job working for a congressman. Then he got me a job at a law firm.”
“If I had to pay Dale back, it would be impossible. He gave me my lifeline. He changed my life.”
“Dale made me a positive person; taught me to work hard; made me a strong person. He taught me to be a positive role model to the youth.”
“Dale is the reason I went on the career path I did. I’ve been at USA Today for the last 12 years thanks to Mr. MacIver.”
“You’re talking about maybe 70 years in the community. If that’s not an icon I don’t know what is.”
By: Shannon Vaughn
Editor-in-Chief, The Southwester