Dave Callaghan was one of those lucky individuals who got paid for doing what he loved: fiercely protecting West Virginia's abundant and diverse natural resources for the use and pleasure of not only his generation, but generations to come. Dave was at the forefront of every important environmental issue in WV during the Rockefeller and Caperton years and was literally excited about going to work each day.

David Courtney Callaghan, 86, was born on September 14, 1934, in Richwood, WV and died on July 1, 2021. The only child of the late Thomas Edwin and Evelyn Courtney Callaghan of Craigsville, he and his mother moved to Charleston to live with two aunts following his father's death when Dave was of tender age. (Yes, raised by three women!) At about age 13, Dave would sneak out of his Quarrier Street bedroom window and go watch the locals play pool at The Strand, where he began his love affair with billiards. His Mother found out and threatened to shut the place down. He soon found more respectable work as a lifeguard at Rock Lake pool and graduated from Charleston High School in 1953. After a two-year stint in the Infantry Division of the US Army, he earned a degree in Economics from WVU.

Dave worked at the WV Department of Commerce under then- Commissioner Hulett Smith and organized the first Mountain State Art and Craft Fair at Cedar Lakes in 1963, to coincide with West Virginia's Centennial celebration.

When Hulett Smith was elected Governor in 1964, Dave worked in the Governor's Office on issues relating to natural resources. He chaired the newly formed Governor's Task Force on Surface Mining in 1966, followed by his being appointed Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources. It was there Dave found his perfect fit.

As Director of the Department of Natural Resources during the Rockefeller Administration and Director of the Division of Environmental Protection during the Caperton years, Dave's government career spanned several divisive environmental issues: the thorny and extended fight over mountaintop removal; Allegheny Power System's proposal to flood the entire Canaan Valley floor on the Blackwater River between Canaan and Brown Mountains, turning it into a huge lake for hydroelectric power; an additional proposal to flood the Dobbin Slashing area of Dolly Sods for a second lake, both proposals having significant support; acid mine drainage which turned beautiful creeks orange; the ruination of local folks' water wells by improper mining techniques; and numerous facilities proposed along West Virginia rivers.

No matter how contentious the issue, Dave defended West Virginia's precious natural resources with the vigor of a scientist and the love of a true outdoorsman. He absorbed West Virginia's vast beauty, recreational opportunities, and needs for future generations into his very being. He loved hunting grouse and fly fishing on native streams. He tied his own flies. He knew the headwaters of every river in WV; oversaw the stocking of trout streams; and knew every state park and recreational area like the back of his hand.  He was an advocate for proper forest, wildlife, and water management, availing himself of the significant knowledge base of the true experts on staff at DNR and DEP, for whom he had the utmost respect.

Dave crisscrossed the state innumerable times with his ace Vietnam helicopter pilot and sidekick, Dave Herbert, spotting herds of whitetails and dipping down to watch them run. But the real reason for the excursions was to examine strip mines and other sites for adherence to mining regulations and reclamation progress. Dave was a hard-nosed administrator when it came to irresponsible mining practices, sufficient bonding for reclamation purposes, and deep and surface mining permits. But, alas, other administrations relaxed requirements, and a front-page Gazette story just ten days ago revealed that in WV alone, $3.6 billion ABOVE available bonding will be required to reclaim abandoned mine lands. Dave had no tolerance for out-of-state mine operators and corporations who came to West Virginia, stripped her natural resources at maximum profit, and vanished - many times declaring bankruptcy, thus ditching their black lung, pension and reclamation obligations - leaving local people with ill health, undrinkable water, bad roads, ugly landscapes and no jobs - and leaving state government on the hook.

While Dave took his work responsibilities quite seriously as a personal obligation to the people of West Virginia, he also had a very light-hearted and fun side. He had a zest for life. He loved a good story. Like the one he told about his hunting buddy who, after a hard day hunting grouse, would hand him a bottle containing about an inch of whiskey and say "Here, Dave, drink damn near all of it."

Dave was a man's man. He could fix anything and loved fast cars, especially Formula One racing. He was a competitive pool player (ok, pool shark), especially after his retirement when the young bucks thought an old man surely couldn't shoot pool. Expensive mistake. He loved any machine that flew, probably owing to the day, at age 14, when he was standing on the bank of the Kanawha River watching a boat race. Lo and behold, here comes Chuck Yeager, screaming down the Kanawha in a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, and flew right under the South Side Bridge! Dave said Yeager's plane went straight up after the bridge and Yeager proceeded to buzz his mother's house on the Mud River in Lincoln County.

Republicans can stop reading here.

Dave loved the rough and tumble of politics. He enjoyed the dogfight of a close election and the possibility of setting governmental policies. Win or lose, you accepted the will of the people and "took it like a man." If you lost, you conceded promptly at the appropriate time, dusted yourself off, and got ready to fight another day. You were civil and respectful of the winner. You had manners.

Dave was a voracious reader about history and politics, particularly aware of the lessons of history. As part of the US Occupation Force in Germany after WW II, he learned a deeply personal lesson through experience about the horrible and lasting effects of an authoritarian madman tyrant. He read, saw and understood Hitler's concept espoused in "Mein Kampf" of "The Big Lie" and its power. Dave lamented our country's failure to have learned this lesson, to see things as they really are and not what some historically ignorant reality star parvenu who wouldn't stop his limousine if you were on fire and dying by the road, says on any given topic, including crowd size at his inauguration, the pandemic's a hoax, and the election was rigged.

Dave maintained until the very end his keen interest in politics, his party loyalty, and his belief that honesty and ethics should govern all our dealings. He did not become wealthy by capitalizing on government service but enjoyed every minute of his work and play. Dave Callaghan was a good man, and we miss him terribly.

Dave is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 52 years, Stephanie Pivont Callaghan; sons Mike of Charleston and Mark of Denver, Colorado; daughter Elizabeth (Casey) Bent-Callaghan (Hénaë) of Shoreline, WA; stepdaughter Susan Slussear (Mike) of Novi, Michigan; grandsons Daniel and David (Wren) of Charleston.

Dave's family wishes to thank the entire staff at CAMC Memorial who helped make Dave's last days comfortable.  At Dave's request, there will be no service.  Pivont Funeral Home of Hinton has kindly assisted the family.