“You can’t come back.” From when Dugan Best Recreation Center opened in 1974 to the day Michael Morton stepped out in 1994, every person who walked in would tell you the worst thing you could ever hear were those words from Morton.
That’s because to many, “Dugan” was the safest place they knew growing up and was the center of community for many in Owensboro.
Morton said that there were some loud kids and some were rightfully removed, but it was an act of discipline. Even though he was hard on a few, Morton said he still loved them as much as everyone else.
“It was a very rewarding job. I really got to know the kids and the families. I had some troubled kids, but over time, we got to know each other and built that respect. I loved my job,” Morton said.
Morton and his sister Mary were the Dugan Best leaders at the time, and they got to meet and discuss a whole “generation of change.”
That’s what he said kept him coming back every day, aside from the fact he had to. He noted that seeing how the children responded to the activities, communication, and overall setting brought about a better feeling in the community.
Rod Drake, who was a kid when the facility opened, can still recall the foosball tables, basketball courts, meeting rooms, and, most importantly, air conditioning attracting people of all ages to the Center.
“We were introduced to the 4H program. We had free summer lunches. That’s where my generation all grew up. We all grew up there with Michael Morton being there. He was the tactician. He was the neighborhood,” Drake said.
Drake said the school bus stop outside the front doors brought the entire neighborhood to the Center after school.
Drake was a member of the first basketball team, the Dugan Best Suns. Several other sports followed such as softball and soccer later had programs at the Center. Even beyond the activities, Drake said there was common sense throughout the community regarding what Dugan meant to everyone.
“From Baptist Town down through Mechanicsville, a lot of people took pride in that building. We knew that was our place,” Drake said.
Owensboro Catholic alum Chris Brown said it didn’t matter what school, home, age, or background people had: Everyone was at Dugan.
“To me, the place was invaluable. We learned how to interact outside of our families. Discipline and respect, we all learned a lot of values that have played a part in our development as people today,” Brown said.
Brown noted that the Center was truly a “safe haven” for several community members. When school was out, many would go directly to the Center to partake in whatever the agenda had that day.
It taught him valuable lessons and was where he met his soon-to-be wife, April. Before he was allowed in her mother’s home, Brown said, he needed to earn respect first — and that was often done through days at Dugan.
“It changed my entire life for the good,” Brown said. “… I’ve been very blessed that when some negative influences started coming into my life, the Center gave me somewhere safe to stay and meet my girlfriend, now wife, and stay out of trouble.”
That energy continued into the ’90s and the turn of the century as Andrea Johnson grew up. The programming hadn’t changed much. Now, 20 years after its opening, a new generation was enjoying the same foosball tables, free lunches, and “two ball” tournaments.
Johnson said Morton telling a student to leave was still a looming punishment no one wanted, and families even began to use denied access to the Center as a consequence for their children.
“If Mike Morton told you it’s time to go, it was time to go. But the crazy thing is, our parents knew Dugan was a way to discipline us. Parents would say you can’t go to Dugan because they knew that was the saddest thing for us,” Johnson said.
At this point, the Center took on different meanings to community members. Family reunions, pre-prom pop-outs, sports leagues, summer camps, and funeral repasses were held at the center.
“Being here in the community, Dugan was our safe place after school. Parents could trust the staff and they knew we were there,” Johnson said.
Johnson returned because of the friendships, but the staff mentorship ultimately brought her to work for the City at Dugan Best in 2007. At the time, the staff would help with homework and college and job applications, or even just offer words of advice.
When she came on, she didn’t expect or plan to ever be in the position she is in now as a Recreation Specialist. Still, she hopes to be an example for the children using the Center today.
“I hope that they feel that they can trust me, and I want them to feel like, in some kind of way, I can make a change in their life. And I can help them with whatever, just like how they were here for us as a resource,” she said.
Now, with 17 years as a staff member, she can look back and see how the community interacts with Dugan has changed, attributing it to the “hustle and bustle of everyday life.” On the other hand, Drake said social media and how people interact are totally different. Nonetheless, both acknowledge the pillar it has played in several people’s lives and continues to play.
“We have people that moved away,” Johnson said. “They come back, and they bring their little kids in here and tell them, ‘This is what we used to do. This used to be our spot.’”
