Dave Corrigan is no stranger to commitment and hard work. He is dedicated to his family and friends, loyal to his country, and generous with his time and expertise.
Backpacking in the Wind River Range Photo by Ray Peale
He is always learning, growing, and exploring. Many of his contributions to the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club have been behind the scenes but beneficial to all its members. Here’s what you might not know about Dave . . .
He was born and raised in De Pere, Wisconsin, the second of eight children. His father, one of ten children, died in a construction accident when Dave was 8 years old. His mother, one of twelve children, worked as a secretary at St. Norbert’s College in De Pere until her retirement. Dave grew up working on dairy farms owned by his grandparents, aunts, and uncles. He graduated from De Pere High School in 1966.
As did many brave young men of his day, Dave enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving in Viet Nam from 1967 to 1969 as a combat infantryman. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received during the siege at Khe Sanh. Upon his return home, Dave says he “needed a job,” which led him to the nascent field of computer programming.
Dave put himself through several colleges, universities, and technical schools, working as a welder and metal fabricator. He ultimately earned a business degree from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from Edgewood College in Madison, continuing his education throughout his career to stay current with new developments in a rapidly evolving field.
A move to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1979 “to get away from winter” proved to be most fortuitous. On his first day in town, Dave was thanking a friend for helping him move over drinks at a local bar, when he met Pam. Dave asked her out, but she declined as she was seeing someone else. Undeterred, he continued to ask her out; eventually, she accepted; and they were married in 1983.
Dave received the designation of Certified Project Manager around 2003 after extensive study and preparation to pass a series of exams. Although he managed a technical staff for years, he found project management to be much more fulfilling. Notably, he spent the last ten years of his career working for Land’s End as a Senior Project Manager developing and maintaining the company’s website presence.
Fortunate to be able to retire at age sixty, Dave and Pam vacationed in Arizona and discovered Saddlebrooke while visiting friends who lived here. They built their house in Unit 49 in 2010.
Soon after, Dave joined the SBHC and became a guide in 2012. Over the years, Dave served as Vice President, President, and Technical Advisor. Dave continues to guide a few ‘B’ and ‘C’ hikes each month, many in the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix. He previously organized and led a SBHC trip to Page, Arizona, and will be going again in April, leading two hikes.
Dave’s favorite area to hike is the Grand Canyon, having done so numerous times in the past with plans to return. At age 69, Dave, his wife (Pam), and friend (Ray Peale), completed a North to South Rim to Rim hike in a single day!
Grand Canyon Photo by Pam Corrigan
He also works as a part-time hiking guide for Road Scholar, typically leading trips to Saguaro National Park, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and the Crater Range near Ajo for two weeks in the spring and fall.
About three years ago, Dave helped form and lead a committee tasked with laying out a prioritized roadmap for achieving SBHC’s technological goals over time, while achieving incremental improvements each year. The implementation of Club Express into the SBHC website earlier this year was a major enhancement of the club’s ability to schedule and manage the hiking schedule; more improvements are planned for the coming years. Dave is quick to point out that he was just one of many dedicated and talented people involved, describing it as the group effort of a strong technical team, which continues to plan and prepare for the evolution of the system.
In past years, Dave has generously volunteered his time and technical expertise performing computer rehab for the Golden Goose and teaching Excel classes for the computer club. He also built websites for Saddlebrooke Cyclemasters and Unit 49 - and continues to serve as webmaster for both.
Dave is an avid archer, fletcher, and bow hunter, who typically practices three days a week and enjoys building arrows to his own preferred specifications. An accomplished bow hunter, he has harvested elk, moose, deer, bear, and turkey. Dave will travel to Wisconsin in April to hunt turkeys and visit family and friends and again in September to film his son’s archery bear hunt. An archery moose hunt in Northern Alberta is planned for October.
Walleye in Manitoba Photo by Jon Warkentin
Ever the outdoorsman, Dave enjoys backpacking and fishing with his friend Ray Peale in places like the South end of the Wind River range in Wyoming and the Weminuche Wilderness area in Colorado. He is looking forward to a backpack fishing trip in late June, then a driving trip to Ontario with friends, and a fly-in fishing trip in August.
Weaver's Needle Photo by Kaori Hashimoto
Camo Moose Hunt in Newfoundland Photo by Mike Bartholf
Dave also loves scuba diving and plans to return to Bonaire in 2025. He has dived in Hawaii, the Florida Keys, Grand Caymen, the Virgin Islands, and Cozumel.
Green Bay Packer fans, Dave and Pam still have close ties to Wisconsin and visit several times each year.
Dave Likes His Packers Gear Photo by Pam Corrigan
They have a condo in Egg Harbor and enjoy spending time with their son and three grandchildren in Cottage Grove. Dave also enjoys playing golf once or twice a week and admittedly watches “way too much” golf on TV. Dave enjoys photography, both on land and underwater, preferring landscapes and wildlife as subjects. He hopes to photograph the wild horses in the Salt River Canyon soon.