Reef could memorialize local man's life, work
BY VICI PAPAJOHN Gulf Breeze News vici@gulfbreezenews.com

Photo courtesy Dove Bogan Family portrait of Dove, David, Joy and German Shepherd Shasta on Pensacola Beach.

When David Bogan was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor, he was happily married, was enjoying his two year old daughter, surfed regularly with his friends, and was the Project Manager for one of the most important statewide Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) projects, the I-10 Bridge Replacement. He and wife, Dove, loved going to the beach where he swam and surfed, and windsurfed while Dove photographed sunsets, wildlife, friends and family. David surfed in Australia, Figi, Hawaii, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Barbados, along the eastern coast of the U.S. and in California, and he became an advanced windsurfer and enjoyed jumping the waves of the Gulf. Life was sweet.

"It is amazing that a year ago, we had no idea that David was sick," remembers Eric Benson, District 3 FDOT Resident Construction Engineer. "David was project coordinator for the I-10 bridge project; he was the right man at the right time for the job. He took a lot of pride in the project - the significance and magnitude of the job. It was a high profile project, it linked this community with the entire South Eastern United States."

Photo courtesy Dove Bogan David Bogan surfs the waves off Pensacola Beach on Oct 23, 2005.

"I was out of town when I saw the Ivan coverage on TV," remembers Benson, "and what I saw again and again was the I- 10 devastation. I knew that if that bridge was that bad, if it had been hit that hard that far inland, that it was bad for our area. By Sunday after the storm, David and I were in Chipley to start planning and engineering on the project. The I-10 reconstruction became a symbol of recovery for the whole area. David took it on with a focus."

"David was truly an expert and a perfectionist," confirms Tommy Speights, FDOT Public Affairs. "Things had to be right. He wanted to make sure it was correct. He worked on several important projects in the area including projects in Gulf Breeze on Fairpoint and Highway 98 and he treated the state's funds as if they were his own. He demanded excellence from himself and others. When he got diagnosed with his tumor, he had to step down. It was difficult for him, because he wanted to do the job."

It was a critical project, affecting all of the Southeastern U.S. and David's coworkers and bosses knew he was the right man for the job. "He probably had an added passion for the job because of his dedication to his community as well," Benson remembers. "It was hard for him to step down."

"Because of David's short term memory loss, when we were home, David often was dressed and ready to go to work by 6 am. He would wake me up wanting to know if I was going to drive him to work; he remembered enough to know he wasn't supposed to drive. I had to convince him regularly that he was on sick leave and did not have to report to his boss," recalled his wife.

"David wanted to know what was going on with the bridge," wife Dove remembers. "We were in Birmingham for surgery recuperation when it was opened in December, so I took him to see it last month. God put it on my heart to take him over "his" bridge and the DOT office on the way home from the hos- pital after his first seizure that caused setbacks for him. He couldn't see, but realized he was traveling over the bridge he was project engineer of...he was very excited to have the bridge project; it was a highlight of his career."

As David continued his battle with cancer, friends and family marveled over his strength. "The most impressive thing about David was his cheerfulness throughout his illness," dad Gene shares. "he was so 'up' in the face of this terrible adversity - he praised his Lord whether he would stay or go. He always smiled, spoke positive words. Even when the tumor caused him to lose his vision he didn't complain."

Dove remembers the nurses at UAB joking with David. "He was a great patient," she says. "All the nurses said he was the most pleasant they had; I always teased him about flirting with the nurses, and when he had bad days I told them it was because he had too many male nurses in a row."

"During his final week, Dove would lean over him, and he could respond with only one word. He would hear her when he could hear nothing else,." commented brother John Bogan. "He never seemed angry, he was at peace. Covenant Hospice was wonderful - they informed us and did everything they could to make us and David comfortable."

David died on February 21, leaving those who loved and respected him wanting to do something special for him to memorialize the man, and mark the character with which he died. Quickly the idea of a memorial reef emerged. It has long been an FDOT procedure to recycle bridge and construction debris as artificial reefs, and it was suggested that the I-10 remains be dedicated as the David Bogan Memorial Reef.

"As coworkers we wanted to find a way to recognize David, and we discussed the opportunity to create a memorial bridge with the I-10 debris," Benson says. "I do not know who is spearheading it, but it would have to be a grassroots effort to see it take place. I would imagine the legislature would make the call. David was very active, an outdoors person who loved the water, and it does seem like an appropriate marriage between his love for the water and his commitment to the bridge."

Father Gene agrees. "For someone who loved the water like he did, and loved that bridge, it is an appropriate action," he said.

Wife Dove is proud of all David did, remembering that he was also very instrumental in opening Highway 29 after Hurricane Ivan. "He never waited around for someone else to do what needed to be done, he did everything he could after Ivan directing tree clean up on streets, etc. as our family had evacuated to the Nine Mile Road area. David was a 'can do' person."

Cheerful and kind, David was also committed to fighting for what he believed in. "He also went to all the commissioners personally and explained how important it was for surfers to have access to surfing by the fishing pier," Dove remembers. "Through his efforts and the testimony of others, surfers have full rights to surf on the west side of the pier and limited rights to the east side."

And David did not waste one day of his short life. "David never ceased to tell me how much he loved me and appreciated me and asked if there was anything he could do for me...he reminded me so many times when his short term memory was lost...it continually faded after his last surgery in August."

"David was peaceful until the end," remembers Benson. "He never lost faith and stayed positive. He and Dove both showed peace and faith pretty unheard of in our day and time. It would be great to have a memorial reef, part of the bridge and part of the water."