DeByle was more than a downtown businessman

Most Rhinelander residents will remember Speck DeByle as a downtown businessman, often seen eating lunch at the Northwestern or walking through town, dressed impeccably. But many people, too, will always remember the sporting side of DeByle, the side that brought him to join the Hodag Sports Club decades ago when he and Jim Birginal approached the club to ask if they could shoot.

The Hodag Sports Club was started in the 1960s, made up primarily of anglers who did work to create more access to lakes by working on launch ramps, such as the one at Crescent Lake. There were nine members who shot trap when DeByle and Birginal joined the club, each paying their $5 membership.

According to Virgil Davis, at a meeting in 1978, DeByle asked how much land the trap club owned at the property on Highway C, east of Rhinelander. When he found out the club only had a lifetime lease for the eight acres on which it operated and did not, in fact, own any land, he became concerned and wanted to change that. 

Of course, finances to buy property were not available, but DeByle, ever the consummate businessman, floated the idea of buying 40 acres where the club still is today, and selling off the house on a portion of that land to pay for the purchase. Davis said there was still a bit of pushback from the club, and DeByle told them he would personally buy the property if the house could not be sold. The board approved this, and so started a number of land purchases, which would be financed through club banquets and the seven houses which were on properties the club would purchase, amassing over 900 acres in total.

The club would also purchase the rifle and pistol range just west of town, which started out as just one range and an outhouse. Now the upgraded Steven Martin Training Facility, named in memory of a Rhinelander police sergeant and Army reservist who was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004, is used not only by club members and hunters’ education classes, but also by police departments, federal government departments and other departments in need of a training facility. 

All of the land owned by the Hodag Sports Club, is in the Open Forest Crop Land program. This means the land continues to be open to the public for a variety of uses such as hunting, fishing and hiking. The club also actively manages the forests on this land, which helps to pay the taxes and some other expenses.

The annual banquet of the Hodag Sports Club has long been a favorite of many sportsmen and women in the area, and DeByle was one who enjoyed as much as any. He could always be seen milling about the room, joking and talking with friends and fellow shooters at the banquet. He often said he loved the atmosphere of the banquet and seeing everyone have such a good time.

Davis said DeByle served as treasurer for many years. With his business knowledge, DeByle never let the club spend more money than they had. This mirrored his own life, Davis said, as DeByle would never spend any money on his businesses that was his father’s or money from the Cleary Foundation.

“He bought a house when he was fifteen, to rent out,” Davis said. “He borrowed the money from his dad, and of course he had to pay that back. But that was the start of things for him. He really was a self-made man.” 

Anything DeByle owned, he said, was with money he had made himself.

DeByle used that business knowledge to help out the Hodag Sports Club over the years.

“As with any organization, the money makes it move,” Davis said. “Speck was always kind of our money guy.” 

He said DeByle did not put a lot of his own money into the club, but the club did receive grants from the Cleary Foundation, a foundation started by DeByle’s wife’s family.

Davis talked about DeByle both as a businessman and as a good friend, saying there were two different sides to his friend. His business sense helped the sports club grow, and his personal warmth fostered friendships that lasted throughout his life. While he had retired from shooting trap a few years back, Davis said they could always still count on him when he was needed, adding he will truly be missed by many.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].