Distinguished Service Award
Each year since 1947 the Fort Atkinson Lions Club has presented its Distinguished Community Service Award to a person, or persons, who contributes his or her time and talents for the betterment of the Fort Atkinson area through community service. The contributions are for services provided outside of one’s job, or at the very least, above and beyond the normal requirements of one’s job, and are for community service to our local community and not for awards received on a state or national level.
2024 Recipient: Jude Hartwick
Seated: Jude Hartwick with grandson Weston Hartwick (6) on his lap; and Sue Hartwick with Davis Hartwick (4) on her lap. Standing left to right are: daughter Kerry Hartwick, son Timothy Hartwick, son Samuel Hartwick, daughter-in-law Megan Hartwick (Sam’s wife), son-in-law Adam Nichols (Olivia’s husband), daughter Olivia Nichols, brother James Hartwick, and sister-in-law Anne Hartwick (James’ wife).
The Fort Atkinson Lions Club recognized their 2024 Distinguished Service Award Recipient . . . Jude Hartwick at their April 8 meeting.
Jude’s background has service woven throughout his years of contributions. One might ask what service are we talking about? Service is an activity done for others. It comes in many forms, such as helping, comforting, cooperating, and sharing. All of these are action-oriented towards another for their benefit and support. So, when you serve, it's not about you or how you can benefit. It’s all about helping others.
Service usually begins with an idea that is fostered along the way by those that get involved and help fulfill the idea that was brought forth. We all know there are idea people and there are workers/doers. It is not very often that an idea person is also a doer that helps fulfill the mission. Jude has filled both of these roles in the past and continues to do so today. He has helped many individuals along the way become engaged citizens within our community and most of these impacted citizens were at risk individuals.
At one point he was quoted as saying “If I can help them begin to feel good about themselves, and the community where they live, it goes a long way in helping them…”
Jude was a public-school educator for 33 years, 22 of them in Fort Atkinson. Before coming to Fort Atkinson, he spent 11 years at three different schools as a special education teacher. During his first year in Fort Atkinson, he familiarized himself with the student body by going through four years of yearbooks for the current student body. In doing so he quickly realized that 42 18-year-old students had dropped out of high school during their senior year. The impact of this at the high school, he said, was an 84 percent graduation rate. However, the impact to the students was far greater since most jobs require at least a high school education.
Always the optimist, Hartwick saw the findings presented an opportunity for the school district to explore starting a high school alternative education program with the goal of helping prevent future students from dropping out. With a grant in hand and the school board’s approval, the Crossroads program was born. Jude acknowledges there are perceptions about alternative schools and the students who attend them.
To this he said: “These aren’t bad kids, they’re looking for a way to be saved and to be productive. They come from many backgrounds. They aren’t druggies or come from bad parents. They just have given up. What I’ve learned from teaching these students is that a lack of sleep is the only true commonality.”
All these students met the state’s criteria to be considered, at risk. An at-risk student is someone who is “at risk” of not graduating. Often, they are two grade levels behind their peers.
Over the past 22 years he says he has worked with approximately 370 students with 300 seniors having found their path to earning a Fort Atkinson High School diploma. The Crossroads program has many other important aspects that are too many to talk about here, but rest assured that service above self has been exhibited by Jude through this program. As one can imagine, the help given to these students did not end when the school day was over. It continued, and Jude sacrificially gave of his time and efforts to help these young people achieve an education.
In addition to the Crossroads Alternative High School program, Jude has been actively involved in many other areas of our community. Some of them are:
• Long-time volunteer and current greeter at the Hoard Museum
• Single-handedly resurrected the Fort Atkinson Beautification Council and convinced the IRS to reissue their 501(c)3 determination and continues to serve on this council.
• Helped get the Homeless Coalition going.
• Served as a board member for many years on the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin.
• Served three terms on the Fort Atkinson City Council from 2014-2020.
Jude retired from teaching in June 2021. He loves to travel and explore places off the beaten track, most recently spending three weeks in India. Jude and Sue, his wife of 40 years, have four children, Dr. Olivia Nichols, Samuel, Kerry, and Timothy Hartwick.
2021 Recipient: Thomas Freeman
2019 Recipient: Steve Mode
2018 Recipient: Don Henning
Past recipients are as follows:
1947 Leila C. Snell; 1948 Juanita Schriner; 1949 Mary E. Spry
1950 Edith B. Beebe; 1951 Frank C. Bray; 1952 Johanna P. Clark; 1953 E.A.Bergemann; 1954 Robert A. Krueger; 1955 Margaret Van Schoyck; 1956 Charles B. Rogers & Dr. H.O. Caswell; 1957 Franklin Sweet & Carrie D. Sweet; 1958 Coral B. Miles; 1959 Zida C. Ivey
1960 Clarence F. Mueller; 1961 Otto F. Bammel; 1962Maj. Arthur R. Langholff; 1963 A.C. Prabst; 1964 No recipient; 1965 E.R. Klassy and Gordon F. Day; 1966 Elmore F. Klement; 1967 William D. Hoard, Jr.; 1968 Edward C. Jones; 1969 Margaret E. Waterman
1970 Erwin "Gus" Klatt; 1971 Dr. O.H. Hanson, Jr.; 1972 Mary C. Hoard & Hannah W. Swart; 1973 Milton Lorman; 1974 Allen S. Haukom; 1975 Sheldon Vance; 1976 David B. Cunningham; 1977 Ben B. Beebe; 1978 Clarence A. Langholff; 1979 Roland W. Hunsader
1980 Dr. James C. Russell; 1981 James F. Luther; 1982 Robert L. Angus; 1983 William W. Ward; 1984 John "Curley" Misfeldt; 1985 Dorothy H. Davenport; 1986 Mark H. Kerschensteiner; 1987 Herbert Smith; 1988 William D. Knox; 1989 Hugh P. Highmith
1990 James S. Baird; 1991 William H. Rogers; 1992 Joan S. Jones; 1993 Sheldon R. Mielke; 1994 William H. Starke; 1995 Eugene C. Meyer; 1996 Joel D. Winn; 1997 Charles P. Frandson; 1998 Norman E. Godfrey; 1999 John W. McKenzie
2000 Dr. Thomas A. Gobel; 2001 Barbara A. Detweiler; 2002Helen M. Rose; 2003 James Schafer; 2004 Richard Wanie; 2005 Woody Finn; 2006 Carol Knox; 2007 Ted & Marilyn Batterman; 2008 John Kammer Jr.; 2009 Steven Zimmerman
2010 Jim Vance; 2011 Gordon "Chip" Day Jr.; 2012 no recipient; 2013 Jim Fitzpatrick; 2014 Steve Holz; 2015 Tim Humprey; 2016 Sandy Brokl, 2017 Ron Hachtel, 2018 Don Henning; 2019 Steve Mode; 2020 Covid-19 No Receipient; 2021 Thomas Freeman
