Appropriately memorialized with the planting of a new tree in Kimberly Park, Bill Koellner was honored by the Muscatine County Board of Health Wednesday, April 27, in a special retirement gathering at Kimberly Park in West Liberty.
Koellner, who had served on the health board for 15 years, was surprised by the planting of the Fall Fiesta Sugar Maple tree by a crew from the City of West Liberty Parks & Recreation Department, but the former civil engineer and master gardener said it was appropriate because he has been instrumental in leading efforts to plant over 200 trees in city parks and at the Muscatine County Fairgrounds the past several years through the Rotary Club of West Liberty and other organizations.
Koellner said the tree is the beginning of life and said he tells people to “leave a legacy. Don’t just do nothing.” He said his church taught him to “love God and love people” and called his work in the county and West Liberty “a community effort,” noting he surrounded himself with good, hard-working people who are dedicated to doing good things.
He said health and education are two things he strongly believes in and it has given him great pleasure to see things like the COVID-19 pandemic vaccines he helped set up in the schools where families would come in to get their children vaccinated against the disease.
Koellner worked together with West Liberty school superintendent Dr. Diego Giraldo and Fr. Guillermo Trevino at the St. Joseph Catholic Church to get so many vaccinanted, including as many of the more than 50 percent Hispanics in the community. He also worked with his wife, Jan, in setting up vaccination appointments for more than 200 older adults in the early stages of the pandemic. Jan Koellner praised the community for supporting health and education efforts.
Christy Roby, director of Muscatine County Public Health, gave a long career history of Koellner who lived in rural Davenport and graduated from the University of Iowa in civil engineering, talking as well about his many volunteer positions over the past 40 years including writing books about his geological and hydro work on the Mississippi, working 37 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Rock Island.
His volunteerism starts with 54 years with the local Rotary club that has earned him many special Rotary awards, serving on the Muscatine County Solid Waste Management agency in establishing the first county-wide landfill, chairing the West Liberty city planning and zoning committee for 45 years, working for 38 years as a board member of the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency, seven years with the Muscatine County Historic Preservation group and 15 years with the health board.
“Bill and Jan have continuously modeled the way on how to be true servants of God and their county,” Roby said. “Not only have they both volunteered and served a lifetime with their talents and resources, but they have also endowed 10 percent of their life savings to support Public Health ongoing. Their wish is to be living examples to others how to serve, make a difference, and leave a legacy for your communities.”
Roby went on to present the Maple Tree “to show our collective gratitude for your service. May this tree be a representation of your strength, foundation of giving, and a lifetime of growth, all while it continues to bring beauty and protection to others,” she said.