Thankful Alumnus Returns After 30 Years Away

Autumn is a time of year ripe with harvesting and homecoming activities, during which family and friends reunite with loved ones. A homecoming experience recently occurred at Rawhide when alumnus Dave Claus visited to reflect on his life 30 years ago as a boy at Rawhide. During this visit he shared the story of his Rawhide experience and how the values he learned have contributed to the success in his life today.

In the summer of 1973, at age 16, Dave Claus’ parents elected to have the courts declare him a ward of the state so he could attend Rawhide. Dave spent the summer at Rawhide and then returned home. He struggled in school academically and, because of his antics as the class clown, the principal of his high school asked him to leave. His parents had a tremendous amount of faith in Rawhide, so he returned to the campus late in the fall of 1973 for the next two years.

Dave stated, “The sincere caring and love I received from John and Jan Gillespie (Rawhide co-founders) is what had the biggest impact on my life.” Animals also played an important therapeutic role, and Dave developed a bond with a horse named Smokey. By nature they were both spirited, which led to a kinship between them. So, it was no surprise that Smokey would allow only Dave to ride him. That level of trust between them bolstered Dave’s self confidence. At Rawhide he also learned the value of a good work ethic and the satisfaction felt when a job is done right. In the years leading up to Rawhide, people had told him that he was a failure. Rawhide gave him a foundation and mindset to tap into his potential for success.

There were periods in his life when Dave made poor choices, and whenever he fell on hard times, he relied on the values he learned at Rawhide to change his course to a positive direction. Dave has been married for 21 years and has two wonderful children (pictured above); received an associate degree in marketing and is regional manager of new business development at the Milwaukee Mile. Dave is the owner of his own business called Sound Wave Productions; is the radio host, creator, and producer of Game Plan, a weekly sports program; and was nominated twice for Citizen of the Year for his local neighborhood watch program.

During his homecoming visit Dave was amazed at how Rawhide had grown over the years and encouraged by the quality of the program. He commented, “I still fall back on my Rawhide experience every day, in my business and on my radio show. I give credit to God and to the people that surrounded me, the decent people that saw the potential in me and supported me through the years. John and Jan Gillespie are at the top of that list. It’s amazing how the Rawhide philosophy turned into a work and parenting philosophy.” He concluded his thoughts with a powerful analogy, “I’ve learned through my life experience that Rawhide Boys Ranch is true currency in what’s becoming more and more of a bankrupt world. Thank God for Rawhide. We need to get the word out about the great work being done here.”