KAUKAUNA — You may remember him as Kaukauna mayor or Outagamie County Executive, but perhaps Ron Van De Hey’s his most significant contribution has been as a champion for the locks system along the Fox River.
There was a time in 1981 during Van De Hey’s first of five terms as Kaukauna mayor that one of the options was to simply fill the locks in and be done with them.
But Van De Hey says he realized the historic significance and that something needed to be done to save the locks
Van De Hey is being recognized for his contributions to the Fox Locks as he steps into retirement from his duties as board chairman of the Fox River Navigational Auhority, which operates the Fox Locks.
The system of locks opens for the 2025 season this weekend.
Before devoting himself to preserving what is now one of the Fox River’s great treasures, Van De Hey also served on the Kaukauna School Board.
He talks about how he became involved in preserving the system beginning in 1981 during his first term as Kaukauna mayor in this short video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVK3reMjTYg
“We would have walked away from nearly 200 years of history if we closed them up and shut them down,” Van De Hey said of the locks system. “Do you want that on your conscience when you leave? No.”
