Citizens of the Year

Dr. Robert Fryzek and his wife Barbara have been named the Glenwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Citizens of the Year.

    The Fryzeks will be among the  honorees at the chamber’s annual Betterment and Beautification Dinner March 8 at The Fountains Ballroom. Recognition will also be given to Stephanie Patzer, Community Connection Award; Rachel Salerno, Junior Citizen of the Year; and Lori Gregory, Educator of the Year.
    The following organizations and businesses will also be recognized: Glenwood Pony League, Organization of the Year; Classic Cafe, Customer Service Award; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and First United Congregational Church of Christ, Brick and Mortar Awards; Vine Street Cellars, Business Improvement of the Year; and Keg Creek Brewery, Start-up Business of the Year.
Citizens of the Year
    Dr. Fryzek has operated his medical practice in Glenwood for 40 years. The Omaha native earned a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University in 1956 and  graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1960.
    After serving two years with the U.S. Public Health Service as a physician on the Western Shoshone Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Dr. Fryzek brought his family to Glenwood where he joined the practice of Dr. Charles Stinard in August 1963. Dr. Fryzek has maintained his own practice for several years.
    Dr. Fryzek has been on active staff at Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Mercy Hospital since 1963. For over 40 years, he’s provided Sunday afternoon office hours to his patients (in additional to regular hours).
    “We are sure there is not another doctor and his family in Iowa that have sacrificed every Sunday for 40 years as the Fryzeks have done,” a nomination letter stated. “While raising five children, Barbara did not have the luxury of a Sunday dinner with her husband. We commend their loyalty to this community and we feel Glenwood has been a better place to raise a family because of their commitment to their community.”
    The Fryzeks are active members of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church. Dr. Fryzek is in the Glenwood Rotary Club  and served 20 years on the Pottawattamie - Mills County Medical Society. He was the sideline physician for the Glenwood Community High School football team for over 40 years. In addition to serving as the Mills County Coroner, he’s also the medical director for Glen Haven nursing home, Park Place and Pacific Place.

Community Connection Award
    Stephanie Patzer is the owner of Second Helpings Boutique on the east side of Glenwood’s Town Square and a member of the Glenwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.
    For the past two years, Patzer has coordinated the Home For the Holidays celebration. She and her husband, Craig, were volunteer committee members for RAGBRAI’s visit to Glenwood last summer and they worked for the passage of the Glenwood Community School District’s Instructional Support Levy in 2011.
    “She has such a passion for growth in the businesses in the community, which has been evident in the pride she has taken in her business and in her involvement on the chamber board,” her nomination letter stated.

Junior Citizen of the Year
    Rachel Salerno of Glenwood has been an active volunteer for several organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children’s Hospital and the proposed Loess Hills Archaeological Interpretive Center. She assisted with sandbagging efforts during last summer’s flood and worked as a volunteer during RAGBRAI. She served as the team manager for the Glenwood Community High School boys basketball team and has been active in CYO at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church.

Educator of the Year
    Lori Gregory is a longtime teacher at Northeast Elementary School in Glenwood.
    “Lori is one of the few teachers that truly made a difference in my life, and someone I will never forget,” her nominator said. “She was always caring,  but also pushed us to our full potential. She did this in a way that we didn’t even realize she was pushing us, we just thought we were having fun.
    “Lori also seems to know not only how to teach kids the academics, but also to teach them how to grow as individuals.”
    Tickets for the chamber’s betterment and beautification banquet must be purchased in advance. For additional information, contact the chamber office at 527-3298.