LAPORTE, Ind. – He helped a lot of farmers raise healthy crops during his long career as a Purdue Extension educator, but his true legacy rests in the hearts of people from all walks of life.

The late Dick Reel was honored with the likeness of his face made of bronze on a plaque at Pioneer Land, an 1800s village he founded and served as its chief caretaker until his death in 2022.

LaPorte County Farm Bureau President Mark Parkman, who raises corn, soybeans, hay and beef cattle, said the plaque was a well-deserved and fitting tribute to Reel.

Reel was 74.

“I’m not saying Dick is the only person that created Pioneer Land, but I do believe had it not been for Dick pushing like he did we wouldn’t have the Pioneer Land that’s out there right now,” he said.

The $8,500 plaque was unveiled July 6 during the annual Ham and Bean dinner at Pioneer Land, a popular attraction at the LaPorte County Fairgrounds. About 700 meals were served during the second day of the fair.

Proceeds from the dinner, also featuring corn bread and pie made by Pioneer Land volunteers, go toward future maintenance of the village that contains more than a dozen structures.

The village, manned by volunteers dressed from the period, comes to life during the LaPorte County Fair, school tours and the first weekend in December for the holidays.

Reel’s wife, Mary, was impressed with how the plaque above the fireplace in the log cabin turned out. “It looks just like Dick,” she said.

Reel had recently retired from a 30-year career at Purdue Extension when he set out to realize his dream of Pioneer Land, which started in 1995 with the construction of the log cabin.

Other buildings, all paid for with donations of money and labor, include a blacksmith shop, general store and one-room schoolhouse.

Mary Reel said her late husband came up with the idea and contacted people who helped make construction over a several year period a reality.

She said his inspiration was the 1800s village where he showcased his woodworking skills for over 20 years during the Indiana State Fair.

“He wanted something like that here,” she said.

Mary Reel said not only was Pioneer Land his passion but it represents a way of life he naturally gravitated to.

Even when Pioneer Land wasn’t active, she said it seemed like he went there every day just to drive through the property or check to make sure the buildings were locked.

“I’ve always said he should have been born in 1840 instead of 1947. He was born 100 years too late,” she said.

“This is where he felt most at home,” said his daughter, Kristin Gerber.

Gerber was a teenager and volunteer at Pioneer Land when the village started taking shape. Her appreciation for the village and joy it brings to others has grown much deeper over time.

“You don’t realize the importance of everything until you grow up and see what it means to people,” she said.

Now, her husband and their two sons, Evan, 15, and Grant, 10, are volunteers doing things like making bowls in the Pioneer Land wood shop from the same tools once used by her father.

She also recalled how her father and Evan would sit on the front porch of the log cabin during the fair and play the spoons together.

Mary Reel said her husband would be very happy and relieved knowing that what he started is being carried on for future generations.

“He would love it. He was always worried if something happened what was going to happen to Pioneer Land. So, this is wonderful,” she said.

Reel was highly regarded not just for his ability to solve crop related problems but for treating even strangers as friends and his ability to make people laugh or simply brighten their day.

Farmer Steve Jensen said he first met Reel over a decade ago during a successful effort to save a historic barn.

Jensen said Reel was long into his retirement at the time but still offered tips like how much water he needed for his corn and other crops on the 160-acre farm that’s been in his family for over 150 years.

They also became friends and took several trips together.

Jensen said he thought so much of him that he saved a voice mail Reel left before his passing.

“Every now and then I’ll play that back and just kind of smile. He was a really good guy,” he said.