County Magazine

"She was a firecracker. She was just a very active outdoor person, and she was a lot of fun to be around," remembers Phyllis Banks, Palo Pinto County Auditor and friend of Stagner. "She was a hard worker, and she always wanted to get things for Palo Pinto County."

Banks said Stagner, an avid cyclist, petitioned the state and county for bicycle safety and awareness signs for motorists. She said Stagner had a passion for helping others live healthier lifestyles.

"She was the one who started the process of getting exercise equipment and having a room to exercise in," Banks said. "She was trying to get everybody motivated to working out in the exercise room that we had available at the time, but unfortunately, she passed away before she got to see what we were finally able to do last year with actually having a dedicated space for it."

Stagner's vision of a county fitness center was fulfilled by the hard work of Palo Pinto's current wellness coordinator, Angela Bryant, and other county employees last year. The ribbon-cutting for the Palo Pinto County Employee Fitness Center took place in November 2021, and an inscription on the door dedicates the center to Stagner's memory.

TAC HEBP also continues to honor her through the Iris Stagner Award, bestowed annually during Healthy County Boot Camp.

"Iris just embodied what a coordinator was, what [TAC HEBP] envisioned a coordinator being in their county," said TAC HEBP Wellness Consultant Ashley Cureton. "She was engaged in the different programs and activities that were available, but also had a personal lifestyle of wanting to be active, not only at the workplace but also within the community as well."

TAC HEBP presented the first Iris Stagner Award in 2013. Palo Pinto County residents are thankful that Stagner is continuing to be recognized outside of their community.

"We were very proud that TAC implemented that award, and her family was as well, for TAC to recognize Iris for her outstanding leadership in the Healthy County program and trying to make it safer for people running and riding bicycles," Banks said.

The Iris Stagner Award honors the most enthusiastic and innovative among Healthy County wellness coordinators and sponsors. This year's recipient was Robert Ripley, benefits administrator for the Harris County Appraisal District and wellness coordinator.

"It's a great honor and very humbling to be the recipient this year," Ripley said. "From the very beginning, when I first heard about Iris, it was such a motivating story and a sad story at the same time."

Cureton said Ripley is deserving of this year's award because he has consistently shown that he is invested in his co-workers and the program.

"I've always appreciated Robert for wanting more and wanting the best for his employees, and also having a pulse on what employees are interested and engaged in," Cureton said. "That was one of the main reasons why Robert was chosen; that mindfulness, when it comes to being able to connect with employees, being that bridge of knowing what the employees want, knowing what we have and knowing what we could potentially look at."

In addition to the Iris Stagner Award, Healthy County gives out many other awards each year to motivate wellness coordinators and sponsors to be as passionate as Stagner was.

"We want to recognize our counties and our coordinators and sponsors, specifically, for their hard work and taking the lead and being the boots on the ground for us when it comes to the Healthy County program," Cureton said. "We want to reward them for their efforts, and it's just another way for us to say thank you."