Multiple sclerosis doesn’t stop this Plymouth State alumnus from making life better for those around him.
by Michele Barney Hutchins
Dana Nelson ’69 with (L-R) daughters Heather and Stephanie, and wife, Lee, on a family vacation to Alaska.
The principal of the local high school called Dana Nelson to tell him about a very bright student whose father was terminally ill, but more than anything, wanted to see his son go to college, despite the fact the family didn’t have the financial means. Was there anything Nelson could do to help?
Dana Nelson took care of it by providing the young man a scholarship.
When the pastor from an area church told him about a parishioner whose roof was badly in need of repair, Nelson delivered a new roof. For children in foster care, whose foster families can’t always afford extras such as class rings or class trips, Dana Nelson takes care of it by sponsoring three foster children through Hanover Care for Kids. And when someone new recently attended a meeting of the Hanover County Multiple Sclerosis (MS) support group, he left with a brand new exercise machine free of charge. Dana Nelson took care of that too.
These are just a few of the ways Dana Nelson ’69 takes care of his friends and neighbors in Hanover Country, Va. If there is a need, Dana Nelson fills it, and in the process he’s changing lives, including his own, and living the PSU motto, Ut Prosim “that I may serve,” to the fullest.
Nelson’s list of service initiatives continues. In 1993 he created an art program (which still continues) at Atlee High School in Mechanicsville; the winner of the student art show receives a scholarship. One Saturday morning Nelson stopped in a convenience store where the clerk behind the counter made an impression on him. He wondered what kind of a future she would have making minimum wage. It is the only time he approached a total stranger, but today she is pursuing a nursing degree thanks to the scholarship Nelson is funding.
In 2004 he helped establish Operation Hope to raise funds to build two playgrounds in Hanover County that will be accessible to children and their families of all abilities. Each costs approximately $100,000. He got the idea after he was approached by a woman whose daughter has autism. He decided to support her efforts to build an ADA accessible playground in a neighboring county.
“Swings, slides, spring-loaded animals children sit in, instead of on, and a raised sandbox are planned for the first phase,” said Nelson. “The park will be covered with a rubberized surface that is solid enough for a wheelchair, but soft enough to cushion a fall so a child won’t get hurt.
“There are more children with disabilities than I was aware of,” Nelson continued. “As my own abilities have diminished, my awareness of the challenges facing people with disabilities has been heightened.”
Nelson was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis in 1998. He explains that getting up and ready for work in the morning is a process, but “I am so fortunate to have the love and support of family and friends, the equipment I need and a work environment I enjoy. As I go further into life I reflect on things differently. Life is about people caring about people and people working together.”
Nelson said that when his daughters, Heather and Stephanie, now in their 20s, were in elementary school they “were involved in a whole lot of different activities, and I took the time to get involved in their school programs. As a result, I have made many wonderful friends and developed numerous relationships over the years. I was at a meeting recently where someone asked if there was anyone I didn’t know in the county.” Those relationships go both ways, and if Nelson can’t provide what’s needed in a particular situation, he knows someone who can.
Growing up in Rumney, N.H., Nelson says he would never have imagined having the ability to do what he does. After four years at Plymouth State, Nelson volunteered to serve in Vietnam. Later he returned to Plymouth State and completed his degree while working for Prescott Lumber Company. In 1973 he married his wife, Lee Richman ’72, and a few years later they moved to North Carolina to be closer to Lee’s parents.
In 1982, Nelson opened Commonwealth Wholesale Inc., distributing roofing and insulation products in Ashland, Va. After almost 25 years in business, Nelson feels he must be doing something right, and frequent offers from major national and international firms to buy his business confirm his success.
But right now he isn’t interested in selling. His business allows him the time and means for the numerous projects he pursues. “I want to go to work so I can continue to do these things,” Nelson says, with emotion in his voice. “I am having a wonderful life that has gone far beyond what I expected. There is no way I could possibly give back more than I have received.”
