Active, involved, committed, teacher honored by award

After retiring as publisher of the McCook Daily Gazette, Allen Strunk wanted to give something back to the area which had benefited him during his newspaper career.

So -- in three successive years: 1998, 1999 and 2000 -- Allen established three separate awards, and funded each of them with $50,000 Certificates of Deposit.

The awards, in order of their creation, are the McCook Area Educator of the Year, the McCook Area Public Servant of the Year, and the McCook Area Volunteer of the Year.

"People are what make a community great, and that is what I wanted to recognize with these awards," said Allen, who now resides in Las Vegas.

As the Gazette's Publisher Emeritus specified, the $50,000 principal amounts will remain on deposit perpetually, with the interest used to provide the annual cash awards.

So far, 13 different individuals and groups have been honored, with awards ranging from $2,000 to $2,500 each. All told, the awards have already returned more than $25,000 to outstanding people of the area, and -- if the current 4 percent interest rate holds -- the awards will generate $6,000 more in cash prizes each year.

The most recent honoree is Mary Dueland, a fourth grade teacher in McCook who was selected as the 2003 McCook Area Educator of the Year.

"I've loved teaching ever since I started in 1977," Mrs. Dueland said. "I had studied French and German in college, but was fortunate to find a job on the elementary level and that is where I have stayed. There are new challenges every day."

After teaching for a number of years at East Ward, Mary will be moving to Central Elementary next year as part of the realignment of grades. But, regardless of where she teaches, Mrs. Dueland said her approach will be the same. "In teaching, it's important to be involved with the students, their families and the community."

For Mary, that has been the case throughout her life. She was born and raised in McCook and graduated from high school here in 1973. Then, after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she returned to her hometown to teach, marry and raise a family. In the ensuing years, she has missed only one year in the classroom. That was for the birth of Anna, one of her two children.

Mary is a strong believer in community involvement, taking an active role in the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival, the McCook Education Foundation, the Southwest Nebraska Reading Council, the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce Education Committee and Alpha Delta Kappa, an honorary society for women educators.

Active. Involved. Committed. That's the kind of person Allen Strunk was seeking to honor when he established the area awards for outstanding service.

To this day and in times to come, the awards will continue to honor ... and inspire ... the teachers, public servants and volunteers in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas.