NEW LEXINGTON, OH — Perry County Sheriff William R. Barker recently took time to recognize Doug Clifford for his continued efforts to support youth fishing. Clifford has participated in the Sheriff’s annual Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs (HOFNOD) youth fishing day since its inception five years ago.
From writing accounts of the event for the Ohio Outdoor News to unhooking bluegills that weigh nearly as much as a #8 hook and bobber, Clifford has made time for this summertime event that draws hundreds of kids and their parents.
“Sheriff Barker has an amazing staff and a corps of deputies who work to make this day possible every summer, and his leadership has also drawn numerous sponsors from the community,” says Clifford. “It is a privilege to have played a small role in the success of the Sheriff’s HOFNOD day.”
However, Doug Clifford is no stranger to the national HOFNOD program. His Crooksville K-8 special education classroom became known as Fishing 181 because he wrapped his entire classroom curriculum around fishing themed lessons. When the national HOFNOD program was in its infancy, Clifford was quick to adapt it into his classroom lessons until it became an annual schoolwide event.
“Introducing kids to fishing is my way of repaying the man who took me fishing for the first time,” stated Clifford who retired from teaching in 2004.
That man was a retired construction worker who lived next door to Clifford in Portsmouth, Ohio. “Mr. Swimm and his wife took me to a pay lake in Kentucky called Collins Lake. I caught one catfish, but that Eagle Claw hook caught way more than that fish,” laughed Clifford. “Mr. Swimm and I fished together for many years.”
Working on Sheriff Barker’s HOFNOD day has allowed Clifford to continue passing the angling torch to youngsters just starting to enjoy the sport.
“Receiving this certificate from Sheriff Barker is especially important to me because I have witnessed the effort he puts forth to make this day successful,” says Clifford.
A statement Sheriff Barker made years ago when Clifford was covering the initial Perry County Sheriff’s HOFNOD event made an indelible impression on the writer. As the interview was concluding, Sheriff Barker said, ‘we can’t arrest ourselves out of the drug problem.’
“That closing remark did not result from a question,” remembers Clifford. “ It was Sheriff Barker’s voice, but I believe it was his heart doing the talking. That’s why I will be part of his HOFNOD event as long as he keeps inviting me.”
(L to R) Makala Hamilton; Chief Deputy Erick Hoskinson; Sheriff William R. Barker; Doug Clifford; Amanda Danison; and Sandy Leckrone
(not pictured Lt. Brandon Forester)