Retired Mason City doctor, outgoing county treasurer winners of Mason City Noon Rotary’s “Service Above Self” awards

MASON CITY — A retired physician is this year’s winner of Mason City’s highest recognition for volunteerism.

The Mason City Noon Rotary Club has presented Dr. Samuel Hunt with their “Service Above Self” award. Hunt practiced medicine over a span of four different decades in the community, and promptly after retirement, he set off on the US Navy’s hospital ship on a three-month medical mission known as Project Hope, where he spent time caring for people in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia. Hunt also served on the Mason City School Board for 15 years, and during the COVID pandemic he volunteered giving vaccinations at the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health.

The winner of the award each year typically isn’t told they’ve won until the presentation at the Rotary meeting, and Hunt says he was pleasantly surprised by the honor. “I just feel that my life and my time here in Mason City that I’ve been blessed with good health and worked with good people. Anything I’ve done as a volunteer I’ve felt that I’ve received more than I’ve given. I’m just very appreciative for the life my wife and my family have had here in Mason City.”

Hunt says there are many reasons why he’s enjoyed being a volunteer through the years.  “I have lots of different interests and I enjoy meeting new people in a lot of different situations. Some of the volunteer work has allowed me to meet people not only here in Mason City but literally across the United States, so it’s been fun for me.”

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The Rotary Club in recent years has also given out a Government Service Above Self award, which this year goes to Cerro Gordo County Treasurer Patricia Wright, who announced in February that she would not seek re-election. Wright is currently finishing her third term in the position and has worked in the office for more than 40 years.

Wright says she’s not only had to run the Treasurer’s office but also twice had to be the head of two different county departments.  “I’m just going to say for myself, I was county auditor for two different parts of terms, ran three different elections, while I was also running for my own election in a very difficult time. It’s not always been peaches and cream, I’ve had to make some pretty tough decisions along the way.”

Wright says she made the decision almost three decades ago that she would not turn her back to working for the county.  “Probably in about 1995, I went back to school. I had my NIACC degree completed and started dabbling at Buena Vista, and I came back and decided I was not going anywhere, I’m going to stay exactly where I am. It is a really great job to have. I’ve met such wonderful people, including  those who I’ve worked with all these years. It’s just been a very wonderful job. Just glad I decided many, many years ago to stick with it.”

The Mason City Noon Rotary presented the awards to Hunt and Wright at their meeting on Monday afternoon.