Nominated by his college-age daughter, Mark Hunter, 44, of Afton, is Wyoming’s 13th annual American Worker of the Year, as named by Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company, maker of Dickies.
“There’s not a better job on earl than mine,” Hunter said. “I love my customers and my daily duties. I could very well sit around and do half a job with few people realizing it, but I’d rather do above and beyond and just have one person realize that it was done right.”
Hunter owns the Maytag Home Appliance Center in Afton.
Stephanie Hunter, a student at the University of Wyoming, nominated her dad and wrote in her application, “He’s up by dawn, runs all day and drags in after dark six days a week. He does everything from office work, shipping, sales and deliveries to repairs. I can honestly say my Maytag Man never sits around and cracks walnuts with a wrench. He’s honest, hard working and dependable.”
Hunter went on to say, “Just ask my mom about the time he kidnapped our asher from home for a customer who’d been without one for weeks. We did our laundry at the neighbor’s and well, the Maytag Man got the broken washer fixed!”
One national and 50 state recipients were selcted from almost 9,000 entries, submitted by appreciative spouses, parents, co-workers, friends, kids, bosses and assorted others. Entrants were given up to 100 words to explain why their nominee represents “the spirit of the American worker,” and deserves special recognition on the national Labor Day holiday.
The national 2004 American Worker of the Year is Octavio Vazquez, 42, who has a small cattle hauling business in Tribune, Kan. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, he is a naturalized U.S. citizen, bilingual father of four and was nominated by his wife, Jill.
“He epitomizes both the ideals of our ancestors and those of the ‘new’ American worker,” she wrote. “Octavio has become a successful owner/operator truck driver by his own sheer determination and strong character, going out on the road moving cows in the dust, heat and bitter cold without complaint.”
Vazquez wins a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 SXT Quad-Cab pickup and an all-expenses paid trip for two to Nashville, for a special American Worker of the Year Awards ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry.
From Casper Star Tribune