Growing up in Hot Springs and the Sunshine community gave Forrest Spicher an
appreciation for the great outdoors. His healthy, active lifestyle has resulted
in a lifetime of involvement with the Boy Scouts, as well as a 25-year run
officiating high school football all over Arkansas. This former Lake Hamilton
quarterback also has a healthy attitude, so it’s no surprise he’s a little embarrassed at the attention that comes with being Hot Springs’ Chamber of Commerce’s Man of the Year.
“This Man of the Year Award is really a team effort,” he says. “Without the support of my wife Susan, I wouldn’t be able to do things to help people.” Susan, a former Miss Hot Springs and Lakeside High Gold Duster, caught Forrest
on the soft side of his heart when he attended a Garland County Community
College Laker’s basketball game. He remembers it as though it were yesterday: “I didn’t even want to go until I found out the Gold Dusters were performing!” he says with a grin. Susan is Executive Director of St. Joseph’s Mercy Clinics,
where she oversees the network of health clinics and is also active in local
charities.
Forrest also gives credit to his employer, Elizabeth Farris of Regions Bank. “She’s very community-minded,” he says. “She’s been supportive of me going to meetings and being involved in organizations.”
Beyond officiating games and leading Scout trips, Forrest can be found at the
epicenter of many worthy causes: the Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club
(where he serves as current President); St Joseph’s Mercy Health Center Board of Directors; Garland County Habitat for Humanity;
National Park Community College Foundation Board, Leadership Hot Springs, and
others. From helping raise funds for Charitable Christian Medical Clinic to
collecting truckloads of electronic waste for recycling, to fundraising for the
American Cancer Society and the Arthritis Foundation, Forrest’s commitment to give back is founded on faith, family, and the very community he
seeks to serve.
“I’m just real proud to be associated with a variety of organizations that are
people-serving,” he says. “It’s been an interesting year -- I turned 50; the scouts honored me with a Silver
Beaver Award; I got to officiate the High School All Star Game at Razorback
Stadium, National Park Community College named me their Alumnus of the Year for
2009, and then the Chamber honor of Man of the Year.” When asked his secret for turning 50 but looking closer to 30, Forrest drawls, “It’s the natural spring water.”
It’s no secret to his family, who join him on excursions, floating the rivers and
hiking the trails. Son Brandon and daughter Lindsey, both students at his alma
mater, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, joined Mom and Dad for a
four-day Spring Break float trip and campout along the scenic Buffalo River. “One of my downfalls is I have too many hobbies I’m passionate about,” muses Forrest. “Hot Springs and Garland County are great places to explore -- I’ve kayaked or canoed 10 different rivers since 2009 began!”
Brandon thrived in Scouting programs, and after Brandon’s whole troop achieved Eagle Scout status, Forrest joined the organization “to make sure that Scouting remains for others to enjoy.” Describing various projects completed by Eagle Scouts, he adds, “the goal is to take young men and women and make them better people, more
responsible, expose them to a lot of different things and help build character,
physical fitness, and citizenship.” Both Forrest and Brandon are members of the honorary Scouting organization, the
Order of the Arrow. “A man named Robert Baden-Powell was the founder of the Boy Scouts,” explains Forrest. “He said that scouting is ‘a game with a purpose.’”
As Forrest Spicher exemplifies so well, it is all about how you play the game.
