Monte Fast isn't retiring as director of FISH having solved all the city's social problems. And he certainly didn't get rich monetarily in his 20 years as director of Friends in Service Helping.
But what is true is he's changed many, many lives for the better.
Year after year, he's helped people beat addiction, fed families in need and, many times, given people a warm place to sleep on a cold night. And never did he become numb to the endless stories of hardship and strife that came to the doors of FISH.
The reason why he gave so much of himself is described adequately in the title of the organization he gave so much to, but Fast, 72, described it himself in a letter to the Appeal last year when he wrote about the ravages he'd witnessed from meth addiction. He described a visit from a woman he'd helped to beat addiction, a victory he described as a miracle.
"She brought her absolutely beautiful granddaughter in a little stroller. The clear eyes and steady gait of grandma were enough to reward me for a lifetime."
So it turns out that Monte Fast is rich after all, in the things that are most important. And by those measures Carson City is better for his lifetime of work. For that, we offer him our sincere thanks and wishes for an equally rewarding retirement.
• This editorial represents the view of the Nevada Appeal Editorial Board
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