Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Everyone remembers their first love. It could have been a classmate you met on the playground, a new puppy or even a place you held close to your heart.
For the late John Dean, Watoga was his first love. Dean grew up at Watoga and told everyone he met about the adventures he had there and the people who made it so magical for him.
Dean, who among other vocations was a writer, always wanted to publish a book about Watoga State Park with stories written by those who helped shaped the park, as well as himself.
That dream came to fruition in December 2025 when “Watoga State Park ~ Queen of the Fleet,” was officially published with the help of Dean’s cousin, Debra Dean Murphy, and his dear friend and former teacher, Grace Jane Wigal.
Murphy and Wigal worked with Dean on the book for more than a year prior to his passing from pancreatic cancer and continued the work in his honor.
“He died in March 2025 and [Murphy] and I picked it up from there, and finished it for him,” Wigal said.
It was hard at times, but much of the book was finished, so Murphy and Wigal knew they needed to get over the difficult parts to see it through.
Dean had hired a designer, Kristin Ashley, who worked closely with Murphy and Wigal to finish the layout and make sure all the photos and chapters worked well together.
Amazingly, Dean was able to work with a large group of contributors, including professional photographers, who gave their artwork to the project free of charge.
“We were in touch with one of the photographers who was willing to supplement his work – Stanley Clark – and he provided additional photographs because he spends a lot of time at Watoga,” Wigal said. “Then there were local photographers, like Angie Hill, who we worked with as well.”
The book was funded by the Watoga State Park Foundation and Wigal said President Anne Workman was integral in helping get the project completed.
“We were calling her all the time, double checking things and so she ended up doing more work on this book than she ever thought,” Wigal said. “They stuck with us. They don’t have a whole lot of money, and they stuck with us and were willing to print it without any idea of how beautiful it was going to be.”
The project began as a passion piece for Dean, but in the end, it became a passion piece for everyone involved. That was the effect Dean had on everyone, especially when he talked about Watoga.
“He was so sincere and such a genuine person that everybody responded positively in a way that allowed him to pull that book together,” Wigal said. “There are so many people out there who feel the same way. They love the place. I was unaware of the effect that place has on people.”
As they were working on the book, Murphy and Wigal set a deadline for themselves, thinking it would be nice to have the book done by Christmas. Not only is it a special holiday, but it was also Dean’s birthday.
“The whole time – the months and months that Grace and I were working on this – we kept thinking, ‘wouldn’t it be nice if we could get this by Christmas of 2025?’” Murphy said. “Then we would kind of laugh our heads off, saying, ‘yeah right.’ Then when it really did happen – to think about it being John’s birthday and people were giving it as Christmas gifts because people were already able to get it from the foundation – that was just another gift of the process that we were able to get it done in time to celebrate him and his birthday.
“That was just icing on the cake; on the birthday cake.”
It was a long process and at times Murphy and Wigal wondered if it would ever get done, but now that the book is published and in hand, they are happy to know Dean’s legacy and love for Watoga will live on forever. And hopefully inspire others to fall in love with the park, as well.
“It’s a wonderful thing to create something that is about the local community – the history there – how hard people there have worked to have something so important as Watoga State Park and just give people a pat on the back, and also create something that might draw people in to see the wonders of the place,” Wigal said.
The book is many things – it’s a collection of beautiful photographs; it’s a history of the Watoga area and how it became a state park; it is a love letter; and it’s a reminder that when people worked together on a common goal, amazing things can happen.
“I just hope people will appreciate the range of information they get from that book from knowledgeable people from the past and the present,” Murphy said. “It really is a window into the world of Watoga that has never been done. I hope people will see it – not just as a pretty coffee table book – but as something to really learn about that place that so many of us care about.”
The book is available through the Watoga State Park Foundation and at The Pocahontas Times office in Marlinton. The foundation hopes to have the book available at other local shops in the future.
