Robert and Trudy Priddy Father Alexander Community Service Award Recipients for 2016
It is an honor and a privilege for me to announce this year’s Father Alexander Community Service Award “co honorees”, my real good friends, Robert and Trudy Priddy of Solomons! They are sharing this year’s award with Reverend Meredith Wilkins-Arnold, Pastor of the Solomons Methodist Church. Reverend Meredith is a previous personality presented in this column last year. Her record of support is just as extraordinary!
I have known Bob, as he is known to his friends, and Trudy for more than 30 years as we are parishioners at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church. Bob and I are long time members of the Knights of Columbus. Bob and Trudy were selected for their long term service to their parish and their community. They have quietly involved themselves in so many ways over the years that their recognition for their immense amount volunteer work comes as no surprise to me. They take on tasks with no fanfare and are always present when there is work to be done!
Bob was born in Washington, DC and came to Calvert County when his Navy dad was stationed here in 1945. He was eight years old at the time and remembers living aboard the Solomons Navy Base. He went to 3rd Grade at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parochial School, then attended County public schools, graduating from Calvert High in 1955. He soon joined the United States Air Force and was trained in Meteorology and Climatology and became a Forecaster, or as I like to call them, “Weather guessers”! I have to be careful here as Channel 7’s Premier Weatherman Doug Hill is a good friend of mine and one of my earliest “unsung heroes” presented here! And like Bob, Doug was also in the Air Force, but served as a Military Policeman; his training and employment in weather forecasting came later.
Bob travelled all over the world during a 23 year military career. He received training in advanced radar and attended many evening classes with the University of Maryland extension program overseas and acquired 3 years of college credit. As he rose through the ranks, he attended the NCO and Senior NCO Academies. During a tour of duty at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany Bob met a young, pretty twenty year old Fraulein named Trudy Lutz from Kindsbach who he soon married, started a family, and transferred back to the States. They eventually settled in Solomons and moved into a beautiful brick home next to his parent’s home in 1977. There they raised their three girls Theresa, Kim, and Laurie who have provided them with 4 beautiful grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. During Bob’s Air Force career, he was recognized many times for his actions and twice was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal; he received his first medal for his work involving the last atomic bomb test blast and earned his second medal while serving on the Presidential Unit’s Weather Briefing Team for Air Force ONE.
I was curious to learn how they became involved with helping others. Bob says by having a positive outlook on life, helping others through volunteering was a natural thing to do. He believes he followed in his parents footsteps. It became even easier once he was married as he was guided by Trudy “who knows best”! She learned at an early age that “survival” meant helping one another and “to live was to share”. As a young girl, she remembers her family often had to seek shelter to avoid the bombs dropped on her town during WWII. When she came to America, it was a very natural thing to help or volunteer whenever or however they could. “There was always someone who could use a little help. This is what we passed on to our children. Not only that, I feel the Americans are the most sharing and caring people in the world”! Trudy, I agree with you as I have been all over the world as well and the warmest, most helpful and considerate people I have ever met are right here in our own back yard!
Here is a short list of local organizations that this couple gave their time to over many years:
* Our Lady Star of the Sea Church and School Knights of Columbus Council 9258
* Solomons Civic Association S.M.I.L.E.
* Tri-County Fairs Food Judges Calvert Marine Museum
* AARP “55 Alive” Driver Training Meals On Wheels
* American Legion Post 274 Lusby American Red Cross Blood Drive
* Boys and Girls Scouts Flag Placement Disabled American Vets Post 26
* Democratic Voting Booth Official Calvert County Tourist Information Center
* National Association for Retired Federal Employees {NARFE}
Whew! And this is not a complete list as they tell me there are others that get their attention during the year! They tell me, first and foremost, they support and appreciate one another and encourage others to join in. Their volunteer work has its own self rewards and they hope their example has caused others to step up to help. And helping their neighbors was a great place to start! At one time they had the keys for every house on their street as all of their neighbors headed for Florida to escape the winter cold at the same time!
I asked them what could I do to help them with their ongoing efforts. The two of them responded with “tell folks the way to a happy and fulfilled life is to volunteer and get involved and never let the few small pitfalls of any organization overtake the satisfaction of mission accomplishment”. One cause they promote is the “Save our Planet” movement to warn others of the harmful effects of climate change. They believe we should listen to Pope Francis for one of the reasons for his visit to the Americas was to have all of us recognize the damage to the earth that is brought on by global warming. Their answer – “Go Solar”!
Bob and Trudy, you two a remarkable couple! You have more “get up and go” than any 79 year old and 76 year old twosome I know! Bob I salute you for your service to our country. Trudy I congratulate you on becoming such a great addition and proponent of the American way of life! And I thank you both for the many, many contributions you provide your friends and neighbors on a continual basis. I don’t think any of us would blame you if you were to finally slow down and let folks support you. You truly deserve this year’s Father Alexander Award and the recognition of your long years of dedicated contributions it honors!
If you know of an unsung citizen of Calvert County, please contact Dave at spiggy@erols.com.