Lasting Legacies
by Gentry Hale
Living and giving like no one else.
Dave Pekala didn’t grow up hunting. In fact, he hadn’t even considered it until his young son Jacob picked up a bow at a Cub Scouts’ event and fell in love with archery. “He kept talking about hunting,” Dave says, “and I thought, well, I better get into this so I can teach him.”
What started as a dad supporting his kid’s interests evolved into a new sense of purpose, challenge and service in Dave’s life, ultimately leading him to start the O’Fallon, Illinois Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and name RMEF as a beneficiary of his 401(k).
Originally from the south side of Chicago, Dave now lives in O’Fallon with his wife, Amy, and their daughter, Sydney, 17. Their son, Jacob, 20, attends college in Texas. Dave and Amy met at the University of Illinois through his college fraternity and have been married for 25 years.
Amy is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and she’s no stranger to service. Since commissioning in 1998, Amy’s rotated several active and reserve duty roles. Although she doesn’t hunt, she always supports Dave’s passion. “I don’t want to do anything with it until it’s there and looks like the meat you get in the store,” Amy jokes. She also volunteers and helps Dave at RMEF events.
“She’s always been a huge cheerleader of mine,” says Dave.
Dave’s intro to the outdoors was quick and intense. “I kind of went in headfirst, like I do with most things,” he says. He started hunting deer and pheasants in Illinois, then expanded to other states, and even to Scotland to hunt red stag for his 40th birthday.
“I never thought about elk hunting until I found Randy . And then I kind of went in headfirst with that, too.” Newberg’s podcast, content from Corey Jacobsen and guidance from Remi Warren all helped inspire Dave to pursue elk. “It took me seven elk tags to fill my first one,” he says, but he finally got his first elk, which he proudly located himself on a guided hunt in Wyoming in 2022.
Since then, Dave has become deeply involved in the elk hunting world. He won an RMEF state raffle in August of 2022, run by Illinois Regional Director Kevin Koone. When delivering his prize, Kevin asked Dave if he knew anyone who might be interested in starting a chapter in the area. After some encouraging words from Randy Newberg via email and live YouTube events, Dave decided to give it a shot.
“Fortunately for me, he latched onto it and took off with it,” says Kevin. “He’s been the front runner for everything that’s happened there in O’Fallon.” Dave and his fellow volunteers on the committee have hosted three successful banquets since starting the chapter in 2023. And as a computer engineer, he has happily stepped up to assist with software and technology support for surrounding chapters.
Regional Director Eric Brown asked Dave to help at a few of the St. Louis chapter banquets, and Dave jumped in immediately. “If I could have one of him at all my banquets, it would be amazing,” Eric says. “He adjusted his own plans to help us out…just to help the mission. He didn’t expect anything in return.”
Dave’s commitment to giving goes far beyond hunting. The Pekalas are very intentional about their finances, and they teach money management principles at their church.
RMEF entered the picture in what the Pekalas call their “Give Like No One Else” category, inspired by a quote from radio personality and author Dave Ramsey: “Live like no one else now, so later you can give like no one else.” This sentiment landed RMEF as a beneficiary of Dave’s 401(k) and led to their recognition as Trails Society members.
“It’s just seeing all the stories about what RMEF does,” he says of what inspires them to support. “Reading Bugle, hearing Randy and Corey talk about specific projects…the mission speaks to me. And now being a chapter chair, I see how the money is used. Not just for elk states, but even here in Illinois, where there are no elk. It just made sense.”
Dave may not have grown up hunting or lived out West, but the challenge, the elk-hunting community and the peace that he feels during the pursuit has him hooked. “I love knowing where our meals come from,” he says. “It makes me proud when we’re having something I harvested.”
As for what’s next, Dave’s heading to British Columbia this fall for a combo elk, moose, bear and wolf hunt. And maybe someday, Ireland or Africa. Amy’s dream is to eventually retire from the Air Force and commit more time to U2 concerts and their children’s activities. But no matter where life takes them, together they remain committed to giving back.