History: At the 1987 Spring Conference, Pat Napolitano, a past president (1985) presented to the then-President Hugh Kalani a big, rusty “hunk of iron” which was actually a part of a train coupling mechanism that pat had scrounged from the railroad yards near Hermiston. President Hugh embellished the award by adding steel wheels that came from an “antique” International truck. The Award was later named the “Golden Knuckle Award” and has been passed on to various Chapter members as shown below. Each recipient has added his or her own embellishments. In 1993, Larry Rice, award recipient, requested that the Executive Board turn the award into a fundraiser for the Oregon APWA Education Foundation.
Rules: At the center of the fundraiser concept is “you pay to give it and not to get it!” There is a minimum contribution of $5. You get “points” depending on the level of your contribution and apply the points at the end of the conference to determine who takes home the award. In the event of a tie, the immediate past recipient will make the winning determination.
Gizmo "Winners"
Spring 1987
Hugh Kalani
Ferry trolley wheels, gear shift & braker lever
Fall 1987
Jeff Ballard
Seat
Spring 1988
Pat Napolitano
Tail light
Fall 1988
Bob Adams
Joggers light and APWA license plate
Fall 1989
Merle Langley
Horn
Spring 1990
Gene Appel
Food tray & water bottle
Fall 1990
Dave Vargas
Cellular phone & new corkscrew gearshift handle
Fall 1991
Bill Blum
Bigfoot gas pedal
Spring 1992
Danna Barnhart
Travel kit
Fall 1992
Gordon Wyatt
New rubber tires and wheels, umbrella & shades
Spring 1993
Brenda Brown
High-tech Global Positioning System (GPS)
Fall 1993
Larry Rice
Seat belt & Education Foundation Award Program
Fall 1994
Chris Bowles
Water meter and faucet
Spring 1995
Lori Faha
“Golden” storm drain stencil
Fall 1995
Jeanne Nyquist
Life vest & flashing light
Spring 1996
Dan Boss
40 black balloons
Fall 1996
Steve Baker
Mystery attachment
Spring 1997
Les Lyle
Weather vane (“Winds of Change”)
Fall 1997
Lance Burke
Dignity, integrity & class
Spring 1998
Paul Klope
Electric fan, metrification kit & umbrella lettering
Fall 1998
Jerry Odman
Cowboy safety boots
Spring 1999
Mike McKilip
Fishing net
Fall 1999
Mary Meloy
Postcard of Central Oregon on a silver chain
Spring 2000
Gordon Merseth
Hard hat
Fall 2000
Ron Polvi
Stick horse with “call before you dig” bag
Spring 2001
Eric Jones
Liberty Bell & bulldog cup cooler
Fall 2001 Stephanie Reid Downspout Spring 2002 Terry Chamberlin Ball cap Fall 2002 Dave Haskell Golf club Spring 2003 Rick Olson Concrete cylinders Fall 2003 Ted Kyle Drain and "s" trap Spring 2004 Gregg Weston Hand-held calculator and metric conversion book Fall 2004 Kurt Corey Montana license plate Spring 2005 Don Schut 'For Sale' sign Fall 2005 Greg Miller Updated Sprint cell phone service Spring 2006 Pete Capell A "Washington-ified" version of the aging Gizmo Fall 2006 Jim Carnahan Flashing traffic cone with DEA logo on the front light Spring 2007 Lila Bradley Tsunami siren, evacuation sign Fall 2007 Peggy Keppler Magic 8-ball Spring 2008 Russ Thomas Fall 2008 This could be you! Last updated 07/24/2008