STIHL Honors A True Forestry Hero = (NAPSA)—John Paul Pritchett, Sr. was recently honored for the extraordinary courage and strength he displayed during a wildfire in August 2000 and for his ten years of service as Forestry Crew em Chief in the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Pritchett was posthumously named the 2001 STIHL National Forestry Hero. The catastrophic wildfire in Webster County, Miss. consumed approximately 288 acres. Complicating the intensity of the fire was a sudden shift in the wind which caused Pritchett to be trapped by the pine plantation inferno with no escaperoute. He was hospitalized and treated for severe second andthird degree burnsat Mississippi Memorial Firefighter’s Burn Center, where he died on Sept. 3. He was 56 yearsold. According to his daughter JeanAnne: “He was a wonderful guy. Laid back, loved to cook, loved to fish, loved softball with the kids. He wasthe kind of guy whose eyes watered when thinking of his children growing up.” Five years ago, STIHL created the National Forestry Heroism Award, giving special recognition to anyone who works with, in, or devotes a significant portion of his or her timeto the forestry industry. Nominations are open tofirefighters, loggers, forest and park rangers, botanists, scientists and other individuals employed in the care and maintenance of the nation’s forests. A panelof independentjudges in the industry selects the winner based on such criteria as the Chuck Leavell (left) and Peter Burton (right) present award to recipient’s wife, Kay Pritchett (left center), and mother, Barbara Pritchett. impactof the candidate’s action for the good of society and the forestry industry, and how memorable the candidate’s action was. Members of Pritchett’s family accepted the award at a ceremony on July 20th at the Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo in Atlanta, Ga. On behalf of Pritchett, the family received a plaque, a monetary gift for their personal use, an MS 440 Magnum chain saw and trip to the STIHL Timbersports competition in Branson, Mo. A donation was also made to the Webster Baptist Association Food Pantry, a fund chosen by the winner’s family. Because Pritchett was a resident of Mississippi, STIHL will make a contribution to the Mississippi State University, College of Forest Resources. For more information on how to nominate someone for the 2002 award, visit www.stihlusa.com or call 1-800 GO STIHL (1-800-467- 8445).
