BILLINGS — Standing at center court during a January basketball game at West High, Doug Van Zee was visibly uncomfortable.
As longtime Billings radio broadcaster Rocky Erickson read through a six-page script of Van Zee’s 30-year educational and coaching history over the PA system during a halftime ceremony honoring Van Zee, it was easy to see the outgoing activities coordinator didn’t like being the center of attention.
Van Zee was fidgety at times, standing out there alone as thousands of eyeballs landed on him while Erickson’s voice boomed out of the speakers, reading line after line.
But then Van Zee was presented with a quilt crafted and donated by Donna and Jerome Garsjo, and his smile brightened, his energy stoked. He exhibited the quilt, which was emblazoned with West colors, logos and sayings, to the student section and fans before he neatly folded it up and headed toward Erickson to shake his hand.
Van Zee jogged back across the court toward the student section and began high-fiving those who he has worked tirelessly for — especially the last 10 years as activities coordinator — as the students chanted, “We love … Van Zee! … We love … Van Zee! … We love … Van Zee!”
Similar scenes had played out at other events as Van Zee’s colleagues and friends made sure to show their appreciation as he gets ready to walk out the West doors for a final time when the school year is over.
“He is Mr. West High,” said Charlie Johnson, West’s former girls basketball coach who recently stepped down from his post after 10 years. “This place is the way it is because of him.”
From the first day of his professional life, Van Zee has been a Golden Bear. It began in 1993 as an assistant football and track coach at West, and 30 years later it’ll end when the 52-year-old Van Zee retires following the school year.
A native of Mountain Home, Idaho, Van Zee found his way to Billings thanks to a postcard that Rocky Mountain College mailed to prospective students. He became an elementary and eighth-grade health and physical ed teacher; then an integration specialist, helping other teachers learn how to best use available and expanding technology; and a high school HPE/weight training/sports medicine instructor.
Van Zee has taught drivers ed since 2008. He earned his Class B commercial drivers license (CDL) in 2019 so that he could help transport activities teams due to a shortage of drivers, and he prides himself in being the guy in the phrase “I know a guy.”
That came in handy in January when the West and Skyview speech and debate teams found themselves stranded at the Columbus Town Pump when their bus driver fell ill and couldn’t continue.
Skyview coach Daniel Johnson called West assistant principal Fred Patek, who, well, knew a guy. Patek called Van Zee shortly before 3 a.m. and the chain reaction kept going. Van Zee and his driver supervisor Jeff Day drove to Columbus in a car, and Van Zee drove the bus on the return trip while Day shuttled the ill driver home in the car. (You see, it’s not just a figure of speech that Van Zee drives the bus at West).
Rob Stanton has been at West High for 21 years, and has known Van Zee all that time. Ask Stanton about Van Zee’s commitment to the school, and he contributes another 3 a.m. Van Zee tale after bringing up the aforementioned early-morning rescue mission.
This one involved the school’s redesigned weight room. When the flooring wasn’t fitting properly, Van Zee was there at 3 a.m. “measuring every inch of that weight room to make sure the specs are correct and that everything was proper,” Stanton said.
“He said he just couldn’t sleep, but he got up and he just did everything and fixed it. You wouldn't have known that unless you checked the cameras at three in the morning. I don't know too many people that would do that. He’s just a special human being.”
Van Zee began his Billings journey playing football for the Battlin’ Bears. Upon graduation, in 1993, at the age of 23, he landed a job as an HPE teacher for Washington and Boulder elementary schools, doing that by day and helping coach West track and football after school.
After one year, he moved on to Riverside for the next 10 years, then spent two years at the Career Center. In the fall of 2006 he entered the West High building as a teacher, and became the school’s activity coordinator in 2013.
“Jumping into the activities office was a good challenge for me,” Van Zee said last week, sitting behind his office desk that didn’t have much of a used feel to it. “I knew that that was a natural progression. I thought I could really offer something. There really was no end date out there. But as everybody says ... it's kind of anecdotal, cliche ... but you know when you know. Why not 29 (years)? Why not 31? It's just perfect timing for me and my family.”
Van Zee said he’s ready to return to being Papa Doug to his six grandchildren. That should keep him busy until he finds something else to do.
Which he will, he said. The reason Van Zee’s office doesn’t have a lived-in feel to it is because, in his words, he’s not a “sit-down” guy.
Sure, there are those many hours in front of a computer fiddling with spreadsheets (Van Zee has a spreadsheet for everything, it seems). But Van Zee is mostly at home on his feet. Whether it’s getting a gym ready for game day, making sure all the necessary electronics are working for a football game, ensuring that track-and-field meets run smoothly, or anything else that needs being done, he’s there.
“People have known since August, basically, that I’m leaving,” Van Zee said, “so everybody always asks me, ‘How many days left? How many days?’ It's like that senior countdown, right? I mean, I've walked through some of these doors half the years I've been alive. So, yeah, it’s kind of bittersweet.”
Van Zee will be around. He intends to continue driving buses when needed and, besides, there’s too much Golden Bear in Van Zee’s blood for him to walk away cold turkey.
“I just don't know how we’re going to replace that guy,” said Stanton, who coached several years with Van Zee. “He’s just a really special person and a very good friend. It’s going to be tough to walk around that school next year without him in there.”
Hey, he’s just a phone call away. After all, nearly everybody at West knows a guy.
