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“Everybody comes out here for two hours and goes ‘Woah, how great is this?’ And then go back on the boat and get out of here. But I’m here for 10 to 12 hours a day, almost every day,” Deeter said.
Rain or shine, winter or summer, weekday or weekend, you’ll find Deeter stoically dressed in his weathered hard hat, glowing safety vest, and muddy work boots, fully prepared for whatever Poplar Island has in store for him that day.
“You always know Doug is in control of a situation,” said Justin Callahan, Baltimore District, Poplar Island project manager.
Callahan has been with Deeter since the beginning, observing an unflappable man that radiates endless commitment and heart to a project that has become much more than just a project to him.
“Doug is the eyes and ears of Poplar,” Callahan said.
A typical workday for Deeter is a far cry from a typical employee’s office setting in a cubical farm. He starts his day at 3:45 a.m. with his early morning workout, and makes it out the door by 5:00 a.m. for his hour-and-a-half trek to Tilghman Island, Maryland. From there, he still has a 30-minute boat ride until he arrives at his home away from home.
Once on Poplar, Deeter observes and monitors the various agencies and contractors that operate on the island.
In Deeter’s eyes, working on Poplar Island is about as good as it gets.
“Every day is different,” Deeter said. “Every day even the island looks different.”
How it all began
Before his time as Poplar’s resident expert, Deeter served active duty in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a senior master sergeant. Following his enlistment, he served for seven years as a facility manager for an England hospital.
After marrying a fellow airman, Deeter was brought back to the states when his wife was stationed at Dover Air Force Base.
He began his journey at Poplar in 2003, though it did not start off in the simplest of ways.
When he first arrived, Poplar had just been hit by Hurricane Isabel, which had breached two dykes. Emergency dyke repairs, inflow, and scheduled dyke raising were a lot to take in at once for the average employee. But for Deeter, after only two weeks with an engineer to familiarize him with the project, he hit the ground running.
A man takes on an island and an island takes on a man
Overseeing the construction of an island isn’t a typical résumé bullet, but, then again, not much about Deeter is typical.
Deeter’s boundless dedication and unique talents are seen in every crevice of Poplar Island. When stepping foot into his Island trailer, it’s easy to see how Deeter has integrated Poplar into every facet of himself, as well.
From Deeter’s hand-made, recycled shelving units composed of drift wood and leftover construction cinderblocks to his desk lamp made of driftwood, old rope and washed up fishing lures; he’s seen the beauty and opportunity in even the smallest pieces of Poplar. If you look closely at his office collection of ukulele’s, three string guitars and cigar boxes, you’ll see that at the base of his craftsmanship are turtle shells that he has discovered on Poplar throughout the years.
Deeter’s thrifty and creative spirit will never be lost on the Island. At the entrance of Poplar sits a massive anchor that greets visitors and workers alike to the unique environmental treasure that is Poplar. This has become Deeter’s most cherished project.
In 2008, one of the restoration cells was undergoing water pumping to recover sand in the dredge material. While the cell was draining, Doug noticed something protruding from the ground in the middle of the cell. Deeter snagged his kayak and paddled out to investigate the mystery object. Turns out he had discovered a barge anchor. It took a dozer and a crane to successfully retrieve the anchor from the cell. Deeter thought it would look “cool” as the centerpiece of the Poplar entrance docks.
“…Nobody knew I did it,” Deeter said. “Everybody was really excited, because now it’s a focal point when people arrive. So that was my project.”
Weathering the storm
While visitors experience Poplar and its anchored entrance at its best, Deeter knows all the quirks of island life all too well - with plenty of nail-biting stories to share. Being on an island, it’s only natural that things wash up on Poplar’s shores. Deeter has witnessed a massive deceased sea turtle, an unmanned naval submarine the size of a pickup truck, and even a human corpse.
He also knows what comes when the first frost hits ashore. In the winter, the wildlife leaves, and the weather can be brutal, and he’s experienced his fair share of inclement weather on Poplar.
“If you’re on the island,” Deeter said, “you’re not going anywhere.”
From high winds to freezing temperatures, not much has rattled Deeter’s unyielding persona. He did recall, however, one nerve-racking situation when dangerous weather forced him to leave Poplar in four to five foot swells and 50 mph winds.
What’s next?
Deeter leaves Poplar in September 2016. His unwavering composure and no-nonsense approach coupled with his dry sense of humor has made him an excellent source for resolving conflicts amongst agencies that might not have always seen eye-to-eye on unpopular Poplar matters.
Those who have had the opportunity to work with him say he is the glue that holds everything together on Poplar.
When asked what he will miss most, Deeter gleamed with his love for everything Poplar Island.
“Just the whole thing… the whole project. And the people, the team,” he said. “Everyone from the different agencies I‘ve had the opportunity to work with over the years have been fantastic. It’s always been a complete team effort, that’s what I’ve always liked about it from the start.”
Deeter will retire to a life filled with plenty of hiking adventures with his new Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy and his wife. He’s looking forward to having more time to spend on his unique crafting hobbies and seeing his daughter, who coincidentally also works on an island - Hawaii.
Deeter will undoubtedly be missed by anyone who has had the pleasure to work with and learn from him.
“He’s a huge part of the success of the project, no doubt about it,” Callahan said. “I’m not exactly sure how we are going to replace him. Doug is one of a kind.”
But Deeter finally thinks “it’s time” to start his new chapter. And it’s not likely to begin behind a desk.
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2017 12:34 |
| Story ID: | 224751 |
| Location: | BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, No man is an island but an island is this man, by Rebecca Kidd, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
