SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, Pa. — After a car accident took away his ability to walk, for more than 20 years Scott Dibble of Susquehanna County has never let his paralysis stop him from doing what he loves.
"That was November 1996, I got out of the hospital in January 1997, and as soon as my back had healed up, I was back doing all the things I should've been doing at that age or as close as I could be to it," explained Scott Dibble, Susquehanna.
After years of giving lessons for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Dibble was named as the new 'Hunter and Trapper Educator of the Year' at both the regional and state level.
"Helping to improve the courses and make them better make them more accessible for more people to get involved, that's just what is it I was doing, and I didn't expect to be recognized for it because that's just what you're supposed to do," said Dibble.
The achievement comes after years of finding ways to make his disability and love of hunting work together.
From the early days of his father driving him out into the woods before anyone else or building custom equipment to get through rough terrain, Dibble did it, all to educate himself and, eventually, Pennsylvania's future outdoorsmen.
"When I was able to take it myself and to become an instructor, I jumped at the chance; because of that point, the other two instructors who would work with my father moved on to other things," added Dibble.
Dibble says his new recognition is only more encouragement to make his family proud and prove that nothing is impossible.
"There's nothing to hold you back from anything; if you really love something, then you were doing yourself a disservice by not participating in it any way you can," said Dibble.
Dibble says he will continue teaching the hunters and trappers educational courses for as long as he can because, as he says, anyone can do it.
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