Volunteer Spotlight
Don Eggerman
Sitting behind the wheel of a golf cart tooling passengers around the Gardens may not be as exciting as flying military missions for the U.S. Air Force, but for Don Eggerman it has its upside. It gives the retired Lt. Colonel an opportunity to meet and mingle with people from across the globe – something he’s always enjoyed doing. “I spent 34 years in the Air Force, so I’ve seen most of the world,” he says, “including all 50 states and 60+ foreign countries.”
Born and raised in Colorado, Eggerman went to high school in Glenwood, Arkansas, where his family opened a skating rink, and later, a drive-in theatre in which he worked nightly as a projectionist. When he joined the Air Force at age 20, he became a member of an elite corps of pilots. “I spent 13 years on active duty flying refueling tankers,” he says proudly. His stint in the cockpit of a KC-135 Stratotanker, which is similar to a commercial 707, greatly helped the Air Force accomplish its mission of global engagement and provided aerial refueling support to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and allied aircraft.
After completing active duty service, Eggerman’s love of flying led him to enlist in the Air Force Reserves, where he piloted transports. His extensive military career is filled with a host of history-making missions – including an air evacuation in 1973 that earned him a distinguished flying medal. “I flew all the way across Russia,” he says. “Not many people can say that.” Eggerman received five additional air medals during the Vietnam War, and had key roles in the invasions of Grenada and Panama, flying deputy lead when the United States captured Panamanian leader General Manuel Noriega. His last conflict was in Operation Desert Shield.
Nowadays, he finds adventure in traveling, exploring such exotic locations as the Amazon, China, Tibet, and New Zealand. At the Gardens he is considered a “wild card” volunteer – always ready to serve.
Tom & Gwen Auel
Like many active volunteers of the Gardens, retirees Tom and Gwen Auel make their home in neighboring Hot Springs Village. Originally from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, the pair moved to the Natural State about four years ago, finding the climate, cost of living, and social opportunities of the area to their liking. The fact that five of their 10 grandchildren are close by in Texarkana was an added bonus. “We bought the house sight unseen,” states Tom, explaining that it was relatives already residing in the gated community that initially found the home for the Auels.
It wasn’t long before the high school sweethearts, who have been married for 48 years, visited the Gardens. “She is the plant and flower person,” admits Tom. “I just kind of walk along.” Gwen, a member of the Hot Springs Village Garden Club, joined the growing family of Gardens’ volunteers in 2008, and a year later, so did Tom. He credits his golf partner, Pierre Faure, a long-time volunteer and supporter of the Gardens, for bringing him into the fold. “He is probably one of your best recruiters,” says Tom, a self-employed manufacturer’s representative for masonry construction products for 33 years.
Both he and Gwen helped in the construction of the volunteer/maintenance building this past summer, and then donned their winter gear during the Lights on the Landscape display to transport visitors – she took guests on tours; he shuttled them through the parking lot. They are active members in the community and in their church, Sacred Heart. He is on the disaster response team and recently joined the Village Woodworker’s club, fashioning toys for local orphanages. Her church guild helps to clothe children in three areas schools. “I like the way the churches all work together with mission outreach,” says Gwen. Tom concurs. “The Village is an enormous source of help to the community.”