MONROE - Donna Douglas didn't get involved in politics for notoriety. For her, it was simply a way of life that felt like home.

"Because I didn't have any children, the community became my family," she said.

Douglas is somewhat surprised when she looks at all the plaques and certificates recognizing her community involvement for more than five decades. She says that being so involved is part of who she is.

Douglas was born just across the stateline a few miles from Orangeville and lived there until 1941 when her parents George and Mabel Clark moved to Monroe. Her father was a John Deere implement dealer. She grew up on 21st Street and has fond memories of hunting, fishing and bowling with her father and sister.

She attended Monroe public schools, and during the summer worked part-time at a local hair salon. It was there she realized her passion: She graduated from Harper Method Beauty College in Madison in 1957 and received her manager's license at age 21.

She landed a job in Milwaukee, working with an elite clientele. She recalls people arriving in limousines and bigwigs from Schlitz Brewing Company.

But the Monroe area always felt like home to Douglas, and she fell in love with a man whose father owned a farm that needed a renter.

"Farming wasn't in our plans," Douglas laughed. Even though she had once told her father she would never marry a farmer, she did. She married Walter in 1958, and farmed with her brother-in-law and sister-in-law for 34 years on Scotch Acres Dairy Farm west of Brodhead near the Decatur Cheese Factory.

In 1961, Douglas opened a salon of her own in Brodhead.

The customers "were my friends," Douglas said. "I loved what I did."

Douglas had served on several advisory boards in the community before the township chairman approached her looking for a supervisor. She was appointed to the Decatur Town Board and served 10 years.

Although she was one of few women in politics at a local level at that time, Douglas never saw it quite like that.

"I didn't look at myself as a woman, but as a person representing the people for my township," she said.

She was then appointed to serve on the county board. She served from 1979 to 1986, and again in the early 1990s after she moved to Monroe.

Douglas says her husband was very supportive of her involvement. He was busy with the farm, and being a part of the chores and having that perspective made Douglas want to be involved with agriculture organizations. She was part of the American Dairy Association and stayed active in several farming organizations. She served as the co-president of the Extension Homemakers, which at that time had 967 members.

In 1992, Douglas unexpectedly lost her husband to cancer and moved into Monroe where she helped manage several salons.

"I like challenges," she said, and in 1993, she opened her own salon called Just For You.

By that time, she was serving on the county board and on five "heavy" committees, so she was grateful her job allowed her to still serve the public. While doing so, she took the salon's 200-person client list and turned it into 2,200 with nine chairs.

Being an elected official has been rewarding for Douglas, who says she wouldn't change a thing.

"Once you get into being a public servant, it gets into your blood," Douglas said. "I've enjoyed working with the mayors, village presidents and county board members."

It's been especially gratifying to see changes she's had a hand in.

"The things we did - we made a difference," she said. "I'm proud of the things we accomplished, but I didn't do it alone."

She's especially proud of hiring a tourism coordinator for Green County.

Douglas spent a lot of time as chair of the tourism committee. It was a topic that wasn't recognized 30 years ago the way it is today, but Douglas found its significance quickly and worked hard to get others to notice.

She was appointed to the Hidden Valley board of directors to promote 11 counties in southwest Wisconsin, and she served as president of the group for eight years. She personally visited each of the counties and got all but two to agree to be part of the "Discover Wisconsin" TV series. Just last month, Stephanie Klett and Greg Smith from "Discover Wisconsin" honored Douglas with a Distinguished Service Award for her contribution of more than three decades.

Her background in tourism goes hand-in-hand with her job as the front desk clerk at the New Glarus Chalet Landhaus Inn where she greets people from all over the world. She enjoys seeing families visit the area and loves to help them see all that the area has to offer.

After her husband's death in 1992, she felt she needed to be a part of the American Cancer Society and was quickly certified in the Feel Better Program, to fit people with alternative hair and makeup to get them through chemotherapy.

She also served as chair of the Green County American Cancer Society when it went from the Jail and Bail fundraiser to Relay For Life. She says she has loved watching the program grow to what it is today. She also served 17 years as a committee member for the Red Cross.

And the list of her community involvement goes on, stretching over a wide range of organizations. Among the other organizations she's volunteered with are the Monroe skateboard park; the Green County Safe Communities coalition, Green County Veterans Memorial Park Board; Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Green County; Monroe Optimists Club; VFW Auxiliary; American Legion Auxiliary; Historic Cheesemakers Inc. and the Shamrock Club of Lafayette County.

Douglas loves to travel. Before Walter's death, the couple had purchased an RV and planned to visit Alaska. Douglas has since put on 70,000 miles and still enjoys traveling. She's happy to have visited 45 states along with Ireland, Mexico and Canada. She says she has a bucket list of places in Wisconsin she hopes to return to.

"I don't think there's a place in Wisconsin that I don't like," she said.