Placer County Supervisors honored nine individuals today with commemorative coins, presented in recognition of their acts of heroism, longstanding community service or exceptional acts that dramatically improved or impacted people’s lives.
The coins were presented during the regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting held in the County Administrative Center.
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Placer County Comemorative Coin recipient Shirley Russell, Supervisor
Robert Weygandt and recipient Richard Wyatt. |
Honorees included:
- Diane Howe and Col. John Lathrop, who received the commendations from Board Chairman F. C. “Rocky” Rockholm, representing District 1;
- Shirley Russell and Richard Wyatt, who were honored by District 2 Supervisor Robert Weygandt;
- Sheriff’s Deputy Kenneth Skogen, who was recognized by District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes;
- Jim Lane, who received recognition from District 4 Supervisor Kirk Uhler; and
- Sheriff’s Sergeant Bill Walton, who was honored by District 5 Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery for helping to talk a woman contemplating suicide from the Foresthill Bridge. Also honored for the same event were Deputy Paul Long and Deputy Michael Bennett; however neither was able to be present at the ceremony.
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Commemorative Coin recipient Jim Lane and
Supervisor Kirk Uhler. |
District 2 honoree Shirley Russell is a long-time community activist with a special interest in public libraries in Lincoln. When the Lincoln public library was about to close for lack of funding, she helped rally volunteers in a “Save Our Library” project, who succeeded in keeping it open. Among her many accomplishments she helped get a grant from the Bill Gates Foundation for computers and helped gain funding for the new Twelve Bridges Library in Lincoln.
Honoree Richard Wyatt, District 2, has been very active in historic preservation and restoration of old Lincoln. Among his many restoration projects are the Lincoln Carnegie Public Library built in 1909, one of the few functioning Carnegie Libraries built between 1890 and 1917, now serving the city and the Western Placer Unified School District. Currently he provided architectural services to relocate the Lighthouse Counseling and Family Resource Center. He has also helped renovate many other historic buildings in Lincoln.
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| Coin recipient Col. John W. Lathrop, Mary Lathroop, and Supervisor F.C. "Rocky" Rockholm. |
Diane Howe, who was honored in District 1, has been extremely involved in Dry Creek community activities for many years, including serving on the Dry Creek Fire Advisory Committee, the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District Board of Trustees, and the West Placer Municipal Advisory Council. Named the Placer County School Board Trustee of the Year in both 1995 and 2006, she also provides day care in her home and a weekend business at Denios.
District 1 honoree Col. John W. Lathrop, now serving in the California Army National Guard, Commanding Officer, 115th Regional Support Group, has also served his community and his country in a variety of other military settings. He served 21 months on active duty in South Korean, and participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and served as Deputy Commanding Officer for the 40th Corps Support Group deployed to Balad, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has received numerous military honors.
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Placer County Supervisor Jim Holmes (right) presented a Commemorative Coin Award
to Placer County Sheriff's Deputy Ken Skogen, pictured with his wife, Bobi, and
daughter Kalli. |
Jim Lane, a District 4 resident, has provided extensive leadership to the annual Eureka Union School District Canned Food Drive and Christmas Basket Program. He has also provided support and leadership of a variety of other service programs. The community efforts there typically generate several hundred boxes of canned food. He is also a member of the Granite Bay Rotary, and received the Community Service Award for 2008.
Sheriff’s Sergeant Bill Walton, Deputy Michael Bennett and Deputy Paul Long, received District 5 honors for helping a woman on the Foresthill Bridge who was contemplating suicide. “They are examples to us all -- doing a job daily that is tough, unforgiving and often thankless,” declared Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery in making the presentation. “Congratulations to you all.”
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Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery and Commemorative Coin
recipient Placer County Sheriff's Sgt. Bill Walton. |
Sheriff’s Deputy Ken Skogen was honored for saving the life of an older woman trapped in her burning home during th e 49 fire. Deputy Skogen rushed into the home, carried her outside, and loaded her into an officer’s car to get to the hospital. Then he worked until midnight in support of the fire response, helping with evacuations and other duties. Deputy Skogen was honored by District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes.
The recipients were personally chosen by the Board members. The Commemorative Coin program was instituted seven years ago.