One of the quiet heroes of the Wood River Valley was honored recently by the chambers of commerce as Citizen of the Year. Retired attorney John S. Chapman lives just north of Hailey at his Cloverley Ranch in one of the oldest homes in the Wood River Valley. His family arrived here in 1908. He has lived in the county his entire life.
This award marks only the latest stage in a life dedicated to community service, most recently in support of the senior community.
Chapman, 73, has been a member of the Hailey Rotary Club for more than 40 years and a member of the Hailey Masonic Lodge for 50 years. He is very active in Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Hailey.
"It is a great honor for me to receive this award," he said. "This community means a lot to me. It makes me feel that everything we have done has been worthwhile."
Chapman is a founding board member of Croy Canyon Ranch Foundation, a group planning an assisted-living facility in Croy Canyon west of Hailey.
He was appointed by the Blaine County Commission to the board of the St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center Foundation in 1998, and helped to raise more than $20 million to build a first-rate hospital south of Ketchum.
"Our goal at the time was to raise only $12 million," Chapman said. "We have a very generous community."
Chapman believes the generosity of the Wood River Valley will soon guarantee construction of a long-term senior-care facility. Since learning that the county might close down Blaine Manor senior center in Hailey, Chapman has helped to raise $4 million toward a final goal of $12 million to build the facility.
"It's about time we take care of the seniors in this county," Chapman said. "I don't look forward to going to Shoshone or Jerome. I want to spend the rest of my life in this valley. My mission in life is to see that this campaign is successful."
Through tireless networking and fundraising, Chapman has seen his other visions come to fruition.
As chairman of the Idaho Arts Commission decades ago, he helped to start Arts for Idaho to lobby for more money from the Legislature for arts funding. He then served on the executive committee of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and currently sits on The Center's advisory board.
"When we began, Idaho was 52nd in the nation, behind even Guam and Puerto Rico, in the percentage of funding set aside for the arts. By the time we finished, Idaho was ranked 26th in arts funding."
Chapman's work as a public official in the state capital helped to establish the Boise Greenbelt. He was also a key figure in helping to establish the Martin Institute, a center for peace studies and conflict resolution at his alma mater, the University of Idaho.
He recently endowed a chair for peace studies at the Martin School of International Studies at the university and was honored with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree for his life accomplishments.
"The awards mean a lot to me, but I am not finished. We still have a long way to go."
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
John Chapman
