The Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and Southwest Missouri Bank named their 2021 Joplin Outstanding Citizen of the year. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

At the awards ceremony, held Monday at Joplin’s Mercy Park, Councilmember Gary Shaw who won the honor in 2020 was on hand to pass the torch to the winner of this year’s Joplin Outstanding Citizen of the year, former two-time Mayor, City Manager and longtime health director Dan Pekarek. He was first hired as an Environmental Health Specialist in 1986.

Pekarek played a pivotal role in the disaster recovery after the 2011 tornado, leading public health efforts, establishing tetanus shot clinics, and overseeing Animal Control’s rescue and relocation efforts for hundreds of displaced pets. This year has been award winning for Pekarek. Just a day before his retirement he received the highest honor given by the Missouri Public Health Association, the W. Scott Johnson Award, for his distinguished service in the field of public health in Missouri. Pekarek retired from the city last month this year after a 35-year career. For 89 9 KRPS I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro