The La Porte City Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for the 2026 Jesse Wasson Award. The Jesse Wasson Award was established in memory of La Porte City’s forefather, Dr. Jesse Wasson, and is designed to honor a member of the community who has distinguished himself or herself as a caring, committed citizen dedicated to community betterment. Community involvement may be through the city, school or church, serving on boards in city government, as a member of various service organizations, or through volunteer service.
2026 Jesse Wasson Nomination Form
Previous Jesse Wasson Award Recipients
| 1980 Bruce Kline | 2003 Oleen Arenholz |
| 1981 Ralph Brown | 2004 Wilbur & Betty Engelkes |
| 1982 (No Award) | 2005 Ron Crooks |
| 1983 Ann Estep | 2006 Gary & Sherry Sheffler |
| 1984 Abe Foss | 2007 LeAnn Craft |
| 1985 Mayme Gill | 2008 Norma Hoelscher |
| 1986 John Miller | 2009 Dave Zea |
| 1987 Lois Miszner | 2010 Shawn Mehlert |
| 1988 John Comstock | 2011 Doris Wagner |
| 1989 Leo Meany | 2012 Colleen Hoffman Schulz |
| 1990 Glen Bader | 2013 Peggy Mangrich |
| 1991 Frank Carlson | 2014 Dick & Dee Hutton |
| 1992 Robert Hicks, Sr | 2015 Mike & Heather Chingren |
| 1993 Keith Kullmer, Sr | 2016 Jon & Heidi Barz |
| 1994 Lydia Taylor | 2017 Phil Winther |
| 1995 Ardyce Miszner | 2018 Jan Erdahl |
| 1996 Leona Miller | 2019 Jim Bagenstos |
| 1997 Junior McBride | 2020 (No Award) |
| 1998 Marty J. Deviney | 2021 Mike Whittlesey |
| 1999 Robert L. Burkgren | 2022 Matt & Sarah Craft |
| 2000 Ken & Pat Benda | 2023 Wayne & Jasmine Gaston |
| 2001 Duane Slaikeu | 2024 LPC Lions Club |
| 2002 Dolores Bader | 2025 Zach Hoover |
Woman of the Year Nominations Being Accepted by Women’s Club
The La Porte City Women’s Club is currently accepting nominations for the 2026 “Woman of the Year” Award. The deadline to submit a nomination is Thursday, May 21, 2026.
The La Porte City “Woman of the Year” award is presented each year to a woman with personal or professional achievements, accomplishments or community contributions that have inspired, empowered, and made a difference in the La Porte City community. The award will be presented on Thursday, June 18, 2026 to kick off the start of the Annual Festival of Trails Celebration.
Nomination forms can be printed from the link below, LPC Women Club Facebook page, or picked up at Old Stone Bistro on Main in LPC starting April 1, 2026. Completed forms may be emailed to pbgardner [at] lpctel.net (pbgardner[at]lpctel[dot]net) or dropped off at the Old Stone Bistro. Deadline for nominations is Thursday, May 21, 2026.
2026 Woman of the Year Nomination Form
Previous Woman of the Year Recipients
| 2008 Dee Hutton | 2017 Pat Wood |
| 2009 Vi Neil | 2018 Teri Klockner |
| 2010 Elaine Lee | 2019 Donna Coulter |
| 2011 Oleen Arenholz | 2020 Roxine Hild |
| 2012 Michelle Bush | 2021 Becky Clark |
| 2013 Barb Bader | 2022 Terri Calhoon |
| 2014 Ann Starr | 2023 Brenda Gardner |
| 2015 Jolene Kronschnabel | 2024 Mary Fratzke |
| 2016 Joan Getz | 2025 Maureen Hanson |