On Saturday, the Greater Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce showed good judgment when it announced longtime resident Jack Dawson as Citizen of the Year, The Plaza as Business of the Year, retiring educators Bob Hewitt and Doug Nausid as Outstanding Youth Leaders, Jerry Cegelske as the winner of the Outstanding Community Service award, Brenda Jorgens of Silly Munchkins as Entrepreneur of the Year, and Ketchikan Young Professionals Network as the President’s Award recipient.

In true Ketchikan fashion, many of the winners who were there to receive their awards gave credit to others for their success. Cegelske even told the audience that his award belonged to the community.

The community certainly contributed to the five-year project he spearheaded to clean up the beaches of Pennock and Gravina islands, but without Cegelske leading the charge and — very important — filling out reams of paperwork for the federal grant to pay for the work, it would not have been nearly as successful.

As a result, about 200 tons of unsightly and sometimes dangerous debris — from lead-acid batteries to entire rusted-out boats — was removed from our local beaches, making them safe and beautiful again for everyone to enjoy.

Dawson, who wasn’t in town Saturday to accept his award, also helped make Ketchikan a better place through his business, Dawson Construction, which built or helped build many of Ketchikan’s public facilities since its first job here in 1964.

Following years of empty storefronts, The Plaza mall several years ago was bought by Rob Hill of Seattle. With his efforts, combined with the work and enthusiasm of mall manager Judy Zenge, The Plaza has significantly increased the offerings at Ketchikan’s primary indoor shopping area while also offering valuable space for local events.

Hewitt and Nausid have worked a combined 68 years for the Ketchikan School District, and, in addition to teaching local children, the two men gave away much of their valuable free time to coach and mentor Ketchikan’s youth.

Jorgens has made an amazing success of her business, which started as a small consignment store and now has two branches to serve the needs of Ketchikan parents and children.

KYPN’s award was based on the new family-friendly event that its members hosted this fall. The Pumpkin Patch was a fun, innovative event that allowed young children to “pick” pumpkins in October, in addition to other activities.

All of Saturday’s winners deserve credit, and deserve the awards recognizing their achievements. Congratulations and thanks to all of them.