Denver Edmunds: Longtime Fan and Keeper of FWCD’s Outdoor Classroom 

Outdoorsman. Friend to animals. Longstanding caregiver to the campus. That’s Grounds and Irrigation Specialist Denver Edmunds, and his footprint is all over the FWCD campus and community that calls it home.

Edmunds came to Fort Worth Country Day in 1993. A licensed irrigator, he was overseeing work with a contractor for the School and became such a tremendous resource that School leaders asked him to apply and become part of the Plant Operations team. While his primary impact has been designing and maintaining irrigation systems throughout campus, his love for the natural beauty and resources of the campus has driven his work.

“I love all of the outdoor learning opportunities at Country Day, and I love that teachers here take advantage of that,” Edmunds shared. “I grew up on a farm, so I know firsthand how much there is to learn when you study outdoor life. Nature will teach you a lot about how things work and can impact other things along the way. Our students have this big outdoor classroom here, and it’s important we make sure it stays in place and thriving for them.”

In his work, Edmunds has redesigned irrigation systems for the athletic fields, migrated to utilizing the pond for campus-wide irrigation and helped implement the computerization of FWCD’s irrigation system. “I’d never touched a computer before that 1995-96 upgrade, and now, I am pretty proficient and operate it primarily through my smartphone,” he stated.

Edmunds’ care has always extended beyond irrigating the campus. He feeds fish and animals, tends to athletic field areas and helps track wildlife on campus. He even keeps a folder of photos on the School’s Vidigami site of critters he has seen through the years. From ducks and turkeys to coyotes, hawks and roadrunners, he has photographed some great wildlife at FWCD. “I had an aunt who took pictures of life on the farm, and I think I developed the passion to document those moments from her,” he said. “I’m glad I can leave that for others to see all we have had to enjoy here.”

Grounds and Irrigation Supervisor Dewayne Dodgin emphasized Denver’s care for the campus and its natural resources, “The thing I will miss most about Denver, other than his obvious irrigation expertise, is his love for wildlife. He is always sharing a picture of something he was able to get a shot of and taking time to feed the ducks, geese and fish at the pond every day. Personally, I’ll also miss our quick Monday morning discussions about the Cowboys.”

In retirement, Edmunds will share more time with his wife, Sheryl. They have been married more than 50 years, have two daughters, Erica and Angelique, and are Falcon grandparents to grandson, Nathan Gantt ’14. In 2013, Edmunds was inducted into Club Viginti, a group established in 1997 to honor faculty and staff who have given at least 20 years of service to the School. On his last day as a staff member (December 29), he will have devoted 29 years of service to the School.

Asked about his choice to retire, Edmunds replied, “It’s time, and it has been coming for a while. At 76, I’m finally ready to slow down and see what it’s like not to dig holes and check lines every day. Not coming in might be a little traumatic for me at first, but (Head of School) Eric Lombardi told me to be sure and visit. That meant a lot to me, so when I need it, maybe I’ll come feed the fish and take more pictures to share.”