GREEN RIVER — Local sports voice and all-around-involved-in-everything volunteer, Steve Core, has been named Green River’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the Green River Chamber.
Core is the general manager and sports director for The Radio Network, where he does sportscasting for four radio stations in Green River and one in Pinedale. His voice on the airwaves daily have led to him being known as the “voice of the Green River Wolves.”
Nominated by Reed Clevinger, Green River’s city administrator, Core has served on multiple boards including 18 years as a board member on Sweetwater County School District #2. Other boards he’s served on include Ducks Unlimited, the Rolling Green Country Club, the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters, Castle Rock Hospital District, and more.
“It is the people like Steve, and all those who have been nominated and recognized in the past that keep Green River ticking and moving forward. It is those who selflessly give of themselves as volunteers across the full field of what it takes to be a community and one that affords us the high quality of life we have come to expect, making Green River such a great place to live,” writes Clevinger in his nomination letter.
Core moved to Green River 33 years ago fresh out of school as a broadcasting graduate from the University of Wyoming. He’s from the small town of Greybull in Northern Wyoming, a community of just 2,000 people.
He’s stuck around ever since because a small town is a great place to raise a family.
“We decided we wanted to raise our kids in the same kind of environment we were raised in. Moving into bigger cities and bigger markets sometimes doesn’t afford your kids the same opportunities,” said Core.
Many of the projects Core was proudest to be a part of have centered around the school district. He’s proud of his involvement refurbishing the school buildings, getting the new (back in 1999) high school, and working to get a new swimming pool at the high school.
“I have a passion for education and what teachers do,” said Core.
Through his 30+ years here, the biggest change he’s seen take place in Green River has been the beautification.
“I would say the beautification they’ve done in this town is amazing. You wouldn’t believe what this place looked like in the Fall of ’85. There were no trees on Uinta Drive. No grass on Uinta Drive. There was a burnt down Kentucky Fried Chicken when you drove into town from Rock Springs,” said Core with a laugh.
He’s had a hand in that too as an original member of the Green Belt Task Force, which was part of the process for putting in the green belt walkway system.
“I think [the Green Belt] has added so much to the community. Has put the focus on the river, which is where it should be,” said Core.
Core said that it’s his philosophy that one has to be involved in order to make the community better, which came to him as a revelation while he watched the Lions Club putting together an Easter egg hunt up in Powell. “When you’re younger, you always just felt like you just show up and things happen. There were always people making it happen. That’s where it hit me. In order to make your community better, you’ve got to get involved with doing those kind of things,” said Core.
He went on to encourage others to get involved too. “Our community is starting to get an influx of younger people and I encourage those people to get involved and be part of the solution, not part of the problem,” said Core.
