In Harrisburg, the Capital Area Greenbelt has a new spot for
sitting along the Susquehanna River in Riverfront Park. With personal donations
from DEP staff and members of the solid waste community, the Bureau of Waste
Management dedicated a new bench and three dogwood trees in memory of Division
Chief Michael “Mike” Texter. A recent dedication ceremony for the memorial was attended
by DEP staff, including DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell, members of the solid
waste and recycling community, and Mike’s family, including his wife Lisa and
three sons.
Mike joined the Bureau in 2004 as a solid waste program specialist,
and made invaluable contributions to environmental protection and the solid
waste team until his sudden passing this April.
“Mike was always helpful and provided encouragement and adept
guidance when I started with the department,” reflected Lisa Beatty. It was a
sentiment shared by many of those in attendance. Larry Holley, another bureau division
chief, expressed that “Mike was a tremendous friend and colleague. I depended
on him; we all did.” Many coworkers made clear that his absence will leave a
poignant void within the bureau and DEP.
Along with his service to the Commonwealth, Mike personally
endeavored to keep Pennsylvania beautiful in his own time. He took daily walks
in and around Harrisburg, taking every opportunity to pick up any litter that he
encountered along his way. Mike regularly volunteered with Keep Pennsylvania
Beautiful (KPB), and organized frequent litter clean-up events through the
organization. Shannon Reiter, President of KPB, expressed, “Our organization is
grateful for his leadership … and [his] support of our shared mission of
empowering Pennsylvanians to keep our communities clean.” KPB donated the bench
to the memorial in honor of Mike’s environmental stewardship efforts.
Mike did more than just collect litter. Secretary McDonnell
recalled that Mike would record data on where he found litter, and report the
places he thought a waste receptacle should be placed and cleanup efforts
should be focused. “He epitomized ‘taking your work home’ in a good way. Not by
taking papers and reports home to work on, but by bringing the attitude and
values of DEP’s mission with him wherever he went,” said Walt Harner, Bureau of
Waste Management Director.
“[Mike] treasured those he worked with, his coworkers and
friends. [He] loves the beauty of this Earth and the sight of the dogwood
trees, bench and the river will be enjoyed by many throughout the years. The
memorial site is very fitting,” said Lisa Texter while thanking all those in
attendance and who contributed to the memorial. In closing, Secretary McDonnell
conveyed his hopes that, “Someone will sit at this bench to watch the river,
notice a piece of litter, and feel compelled by an unseen influence to pick it
up and bring it to a trash can.”
The bench and three dogwood trees are located across Front
Street from the Pinnacle Health Harrisburg Hospital, south of the Cumberland
Valley Railroad Bridge and just off of the Riverfront Park foot/bike path.
