Citizens of the Year named

The Prince George Community Foundation unveiled its Citizens of the Year on Thursday.

Retired architect Trelle Morrow, Prince George Sexual Assault Centre founders Ann Halikowski, Lorraine Hilland and Karen Underhill, leadership teacher Cindy Smith and a major impetus behind the Ancient Forest, Nowell Senior, are the honourees.

"Surprised" was the response for most upon learning they were named.

"I thought somebody was pulling my leg," Senior said.

As much as it's an honour for her, Halikowski said it's also an accolade for the people who've turned to the centre, now known as the Surpassing Our Survival Society .

"They're the heroes, they're the ones who've survived," she said.

Morrow said the honour will also promote the significance of history to the city.

"It's important to realize where our history is and who has it and how we document it and so on," Morrow said. "It's organizations like this foundation who sort of give us a boost and help us along and give us a bit of publicity."

The recipients, who will be honoured at the Citizen of the Year Gala on Fri., Oct. 14 at Coast Inn of the North, were introduced during an event in the hotel's lobby that drew about 40 people. (Tickets for the gala go on sale on Wed., Sept. 14 at the Coast Inn's front desk for $65 each. Tables of 10 can also be booked.)

It's the second year of a new format. Rather than announcing nominees beforehand and then a single winner at the gala, all those named are now citizens of the year.

Foundation president Teresa Saunders outlined the many reasons why the six were selected. 

Morrow was chosen for his dedication to preserving the city's history. He's lived in Prince George for 62 years "and to say he has had an impact on the landscape of our city would be an understatement," Saunders said.

As an architect he designed many Prince George buildings - elementary schools, commercial buildings and some housing. And he and his wife, Allison, were active members of Kiwanis International, contributing significantly to the goals of that organization.

In the late 1980’s and 1990’s, Morrow served on the city heritage committee and the Prince George Museum Association board, assisting with the publication of Postscript (1990) and the Life in These Old Houses (1995).

In 2014 he was re-elected to the heritage committee, now called the Prince George Heritage Commission. In his work with the commission he compiled “statements of significance” for the Monro-Moffat House, Knox United Church, Quinson Elementary School, the World War II Drill Hall on the Exhibition Grounds, the Roll-A-Dome (Prince George’s first curling club), and the neighbourhoods of Dogwood Street, Nechako, and Quinson.

He is a three-time recipient of the Jeanne Clarke Memorial Local History Award, the latest awarded in 2016 for his local history book: Living Legacies, 100 Years of Prince George Architecture.

"Even at the fine age of 86 he continues to make local history presentations at the Prince George Public Library," Saunders noted.

Saunders described Halikowski, Hilland and Underhill as "hidden heroes" who have been dedicated to the prevention of violence against women, men, and children for more than 30 years, co-founding the Prince George Sexual Assault Centre in 1984.

"Over the years since their initial work together, these three women have continued to volunteer in many Prince George organizations related to their initial vision and goal," Saunders said.

Halikowski works at the Phoenix Transition Society as “Phoenix grandmother,” mentoring and teaching. She is known for her volunteer work with the Gathering of the Grandmothers, the Prince George Council of Seniors, the B.C. Schizophrenia Society, ACE Activity Centre, and the Prince George Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Committee.

Hilland works at the Prince George Council of Seniors and has dedicated many years to organizations like the Phoenix Transition Society and the B.C. Society of Transition Houses. She has also been a foster mother and has been named a Prince George Mother of the Year.

Underhill is the Phoenix Transition Society's executive director, "working with women and children who have a crisis in their lives, a continuation of the dedication to vision she had when SOS was created." Underhill is also a B.C. Society of Transition Houses board member and is a "rainbows facilitator, dedicated to providing support for children experiencing grief and loss." In 2016, she was the recipient of an unsung heroes award during the victims and survivors of crime awareness week. 

Smith is primarily an English teacher at College Heights Secondary School but throughout her career she has "gone above and beyond" working with students to develop their leadership and community building skills.

"Her efforts over the years have allowed many young people to see what is possible in their future: A kind of guide to look into the realm of possibilities," Saunders said.

"Her activities with youth are broad and include one-on-one mentoring, organizing regional and provincial leadership conferences, establishing a Junior Rotary Club in her school, known as Interact, and being a founding member of 'Happy is Healthy - Kids Helping Kids,' a tri-mentorship model for healthy choices."

Outside the classroom, she has been a Girl Guides leader and a Prince George Youth Soccer Association coach and co-chaired the 2015 Canada Winter Games volunteer recruitment committee.

Senior is an avid lover of hiking and snowshoeing, introducing the latter past-time to the Caledonia Ramblers Hiking Club about 20 years ago. Prior to that, the club only ran a summer schedule and when he began organizing snowshoe trips during the winter, they became a hit.

But his biggest accomplishment was to help establish a wheelchair-friendly interpretive trail through the Ancient Forest, home to a grove of inland cedar trees 130 kilometres east of the city, and then turn it into a provincial park. 

In addition to applying for grants, over a nine-year period he made about 400 round trips - adding up to over 90,000 kilometres - between the city and the site and contributed more than 5,000 hours of work to see this project through.

After much lobbying, the Ancient Forest is now a provincial park - with Senior alongside, Premier Christy Clark announced the designation in March. A drive continues to have it declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.