For most of his life, Dave Duax’s name was synonymous with public service in his beloved hometown of Eau Claire. Now, thanks to the Eau Claire YMCA, that association will last long into the future. The YMCA recently announced that it was renaming its Youth in Government Program for Duax, who died last at the age of 71. The program, which is open to seventh through 12th graders, began in Eau Claire 21 years ago and nationally in 1936. According to the Eau Claire YMCA, “The goal of the program is to foster the next generation of thoughtful, committed, and active citizens. Participants learn the principles of a democratic society by engaging with their peers in the process of civic action.” Duax himself embodied the ideal of a “thoughtful, committed, and active citizen.” He was a graduate of both Memorial High School and UW-Eau Claire, where he chaired the Young Republicans. He served on the Eau Claire County Board from 1974 to 1983 and on the Eau Claire City Council from 2005 until his death. In between, he was chairman of a statewide task force on county government for Gov. Lee Dreyfus and  held several positions in the administration of Gov. Tommy Thompson. “It is fitting for the Y to name this program after Councilman Duax,” said Heidi Atkins, president of the Y board of directors. “He took great pride in the function of government and he would like nothing better than to see kids learning the process.”