Pioneer Logger Award

Since 1981, the Pioneer Logger Award has been bestowed on a usually reluctant recipient. Initially, it was given to those that were actually pioneers. With the pioneers now gone, the award is given in their memory. The award represents a person that always worked harder than the next person, did the very best job they could do, and never ever wanted to be recognized, because "they were just doing their job."

October 4, 2016 1:15 pm
Around 1962ish nurse Jay Reise shows a young Howard Baron some of the hospital equipment during a field trip to the hospital.
Around 1962ish nurse Jay Reise shows a young Howard Baron some of the hospital equipment during a field trip to the hospital.

Since 1981, the Pioneer Logger Award has been bestowed on a usually reluctant recipient. Initially, it was given to those that were actually pioneers. With the pioneers now gone, the award is given in their memory. The award represents a person that always worked harder than the next person, did the very best job they could do, and never ever wanted to be recognized, because “they were just doing their job.”

In the past 35 years, the award has been given to two women. In 2006, Eleanor Thornton was recognized and in 2009, Ingrid Dahlgren was awarded the honor posthumously. This year the West End Business and Professional Association and Hickory Shirt/Heritage Days is recognizing two people for the award, one woman and one man.

Jay Sarnowski came from Iowa to Forks in October 1962. She had known the administrator here at Forks as they had known each other at school. So when she saw an advertisement for a job at Forks Community Hospital, she decided to come here for two years — 54 years later she is still here!

Jay said, “I absolutely loved the job, it has been a privilege over all these years to work with all the patients. I have never been sorry that I came here.”

A few words about Jay from Sue Shane:

“Everyone can visualize the scene when an injured timber or mill worker comes into the Emergency Room and this was a daily occurrence during the peak of logging in Forks. Nurses and doctors hover around the injured man, starting IV’s, cutting off clothes and assessing the damage. What people might not think about are the medical people behind the scenes and here we find Jay. Drawing blood and matching units of blood to be ready when needed. Checking lab values for life-threatening results. Warming up the Xray machine to take picture of broken limbs, crushed chests, and spines and then developing those pictures and reviewing them with the doctors. This was Jay doing BOTH of these critical jobs at the same time. If she wasn’t in the hospital at the time, she dashed from home, moving quickly between the lab and Xray, doing her work quietly and efficiently to save the lives and limbs of predominantly young men — brothers, sons, husbands and fathers.

As logging has become modernized and thankfully much safer, so has the hospital. Jay was instrumental in seeking out the best equipment and recruiting qualified lab and Xray technicians so that now the hospital has an amazing complement of staff and services in her departments. But in the old days, it was often just one person, Jay Sarnowski, who did what a crew does today. And if you think she is retired, not really! She still volunteers her time at the hospital she loves.”

As Sue said above, Jay has retired recently but is still donating time to volunteer at the hospital. Jay truly embodies the qualities and the spirit that every recipient of this award represents.

Also being honored this year is Ernie Nielsen. Even though Ernie is 80-something, he is still on the go and hard to track down. I will find him by next week and share the story of his logging career. If you see him, have him stop by the Forks Forum office!