He has been called a legend, a visionary and a pioneer; however, the word that best describes this man is volunteer. Hollister “Pat” McVay lived to be 100 years old, passing away on May 18, 2020. During his life, McVay accomplished many things and his greatest achievements were those done in the spirit of contribution. He dedicated his life to the service of others.
Born in Oklahoma to a farming family in March of 1920, he began a life that would inspire and influence the lives of thousands. At two months old, his family returned to his mother’s home state of Montana and moved to a homestead south of Great Falls. At the age of six, while living on the homestead, his grandfather gave him a .22 caliber rifle, with little instruction other than to be careful. Growing up in Montana provided McVay the opportunity to develop a love for the outdoors and a passion for adventure. He especially loved the thrill of hunting big game all over the state. During his teenage years and the Great Depression, his family moved to Washington state where he attended high school. In 1933, his father passed away, causing hard times for the family. He moved out at the age of 16 to find work to support his family. He eventually returned home and finished high school, all while working odd jobs to contribute. McVay trained as a machinist for the U.S. Air Force and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served two years in the Pacific Theater from 1945 to 1946. After the war, he found work at the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington and then in 1952, transferred to the Hungry Horse Dam located in Flathead County, Montana. In an interview with the Hungry Horse News, he stated, “I started the first generator at Hungry Horse.” McVay lived the rest of life on his ranch in the Flathead Valley.
When he moved to Hungry Horse, he was very interested in a local indoor shooting program. The kids were shooting but receiving little instruction, and because McVay had some training in the service, they asked him to take over the shooting program. His decision to lend a hand led to a lifetime of volunteering, thus continuing his legacy of service to others.
By the 1950s, hunting had become very popular and there were increased hunting accidents, often involving firearms. At that time, Montana had no formal education or training programs for hunters. McVay learned of other states implementing training programs and wrote to the National Rifle Association for materials to implement his own gun safety program. When the materials arrived in the mail, he used them to instruct youth in a junior indoor shooting program on the safe and ethical use of firearms. In 1957, the Montana Legislature passed a law creating the hunter education program. McVay is on record with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) as the first official hunter’s education instructor and he was the first to certify students in hunter’s education. He volunteered his time and expertise for the next 62 years, teaching more than 1,600 people, certifying both youth and adults in hunter’s education, as well as training new instructors. With his love of the outdoors and his passion for safety, he taught generations of hunters the safe and ethical use of firearms.
In the early 60s, he also volunteered as a 4-H leader in Flathead County, where he taught youth about hard work and dedication to their 4-H projects. Eventually, he became the beef barn superintendent for the Flathead County Fair, serving in this role for many years, aiding youth in showcasing their 4-H beef projects. From his involvement in 4-H and hunter education, McVay saw a need for a shooting program within 4-H. In 1984, he developed and implemented a 4-H shooting program in Montana. He traveled across the state training adults as instructors in 54 of Montana’s 56 counties, and also spent many years on the firing line instructing approximately 2,000 4-H youth on shooting fundamentals and safety.
McVay’s service to others didn’t stop with hunter’s education or the 4-H program. He also served on the Cayuse Prairie School board and was a board member for the Federal Employee’s Credit Union, now called Parkside Federal Credit Union, for many years. Through all his years of volunteering, he was never paid monetarily for his service. However, in an interview for a 4-H video in 2017, McVay mentioned that he was rewarded in many ways. He said, “a lot of kids have started [in 4-H] at nine and go right through to nineteen and you build a relationship and a feeling towards those kids that they won’t forget, and neither will you.” In the same interview, he said, “I think they [the kids] taught me more probably than I ever taught them.” In a 2012 interview with Montana FWP, he said, “I’ve got a whole stack of pictures, and the kids come up grinning like a watered mule, and they’ll hand me the picture of their first critter, and I really like that.” He also said, “I think working with these kids has made it pretty enjoyable growing old.”
In 2017 when he was asked what advice he would give to volunteers, he gave quite a list, including “praise the kids; you have to believe in what you’re doing; nothing was ever accomplished without enthusiasm;” and his motto “a minute was never wasted that was spent with a child.” Pat McVay’s life was full of adventure and accomplishments. He left a legacy to inspire others to teach, mentor, and lend a helping hand when it is needed. His story encourages all of us to find something we believe in and then find a way to help that cause. He is a true inspiration for dedicating our lives to the service of others.