PORT TOWNSEND — Upon being named Port Townsend Citizen of the Year, a humbled Erik Frederickson said the award was a testimony to the whole community, not just his efforts.
“We are blessed, folks,” he told more than 100 people gathered in the new Fort Worden State Park Commons on Sunday.
“We live in a place where we care for each other and we work for each other. This really belongs to all of us.”
The owner of Frederickson Electric, Inc., is “one of those rare gems that contributes so much to his community he becomes an inspiration to others,” said Laurie Medlicott, 2002’s Citizen of the Year, as she announced Frederickson’s nomination for the 2003 award.
Medlicott, Fort Worden’s coordinator of volunteers, was elected to the Port Townsend City Council last fall.
Business Leader of Year
The Henery family, owners of Henery Do It Best Hardware in Port Townsend and Quilcene, Henery Garden Center and Kingston Hardware, received the 2003 Business Leader of the Year award
“I was surprised,” Mike Henery Sr. said after he was handed the plaque
Community members nominated candidates for business leader and citizen of the year.
Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce board members choose the business winner from the nominees.
A panel with members of the chamber, two Rotary clubs, Kiwanis and Soroptomists picked the citizen of the year.
The Citizen of the Year award goes to an individual whose volunteer work has been most notable during the previous year. The award was first given in 1949.
Business Leader of the Year recognizes business owners or promoters who have worked in the previous 12 months to promote economic growth, spur innovative ideas and otherwise improve the quality of life in Port Townsend.
The award was started in 1998.
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The rest of the story appears in Monday’s Peninsula Daily News.