The Fort Atkinson Community Foundation has announced that its “Making Fort Special” award reception has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Retired assistant city engineer Rudy Bushcott, former WFAW newsman Michael Clish and former Daily Jefferson County Union managing editor Chris Spangler are the 2021 recipients of the foundation’s “Making Fort Special” award.
The three were to be honored at a special awards reception at the Hoard Historical Museum on Thursday, Sept. 9.
“To maintain the fun atmosphere of our ‘Making Fort Special’ reception and, more importantly, for the safety of all involved, the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation has decided to postpone its 2021 ‘Making Fort Special’ awards reception, scheduled for Sept. 9, to a later date,” foundation administrator Sue Hartwick said. “We hope that in a few months’ time, the number of coronavirus cases in the county will have trended in the right direction and the sensible visitor restrictions at the Hoard Historical Museum, our host facility, will no longer be necessary.”
She continued: “In the category of good news, our 2021 honorees, Rudy Bushcott, Michael Clish and Chris Spangler, have assured us they are not going anywhere and our wonderful caterer, Carla’s Catering, is willing to adjust her schedule.
“We look forward to hosting a festive gathering to celebrate all that Rudy, Michael and Chris have done for our community,” Hartwick added. “We appreciate your patience and we’ll let you know the new date for our event as soon as that has been determined.”
The purpose of the foundation’s “Making Fort Special” awards, first presented in 2017, is to draw attention to those people in the community who have championed a project or conducted activities that have helped make Fort Atkinson a special place in which to live.
“Rudy, Chris and Michael have spent most of their adult life helping to make Fort Atkinson a special place to live,” noted foundation Chairman Michael Bender. “We see Rudy’s influence in the physical fabric of our community, while Chris and Michael have helped created the ties that bind, keeping all of us informed and connected through their tireless newspaper and radio work. All three have pushed us toward the vision of the community foundation: ‘A Better Fort Atkinson.’”
The three recipients were selected by the foundation’s board of directors from among 13 names put forward by a nominating committee.
An earlier story, featuring information about each recipient, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/bushcott-clish-spangler-feted-for-making-fort-special/.
Moving from top left, clockwise, are Chris Spangler, Michael Clish and Rudy Bushcott. All three have been named recipients of the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation’s “Making Fort Special” award. A reception has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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