Dutton honoured to be ‘Citizen of Year’

After more than 20 years of teaching music in and out of class, spending countless hours heading up the Fort Frances Aquanauts Swim Team, and even being willing to be responsible for dozens of high school students while travelling in foreign lands, John Dutton is in the spotlight as the 2003 “Citizen of the Year.”
And while his work shows in the shining achievements of local youths, he’s a low-key, humble sort of guy.
“It’s really nice,” Dutton said Monday night, who was very surprised by the news when he was contacted about an hour or so after council officially announced he was the 2003 “Citizen of the Year.”
“Knowing other people who have had this honour, like Bill Gushulak, Mark Kowalchuk, and Jean and Lin Boileau, it’s pretty nice company,” he added. “It’s pretty flattering.”
Well-aware that a “Citizen of the Year” honouree has certain responsibilities to appear in public events, Dutton said he’s up to it. “It’s another way of being involved in the community,” he remarked.
Dutton, a music teacher at Fort High and president of the Aquanauts for the past five years, will be formally honoured at the town’s annual appreciation dinner this Friday at La Place Rendez-Vous.
He also is expected to ride in the Santa Claus parade here Saturday morning, but noted he’s not sure if wants to be in a car like all the previous “Citizens of the Year” (he’s still deciding between riding on a float by the Aquanauts or the FFHS senior band).
But while Dutton was humble about his achievements, one person who clearly wasn’t was one of the those who nominated him—Dodi DeBenedet.
“He’s worked with high school kids for over 20 years. He taken them east and west. He’s worked with the Aquanauts,” she said.
“He’s very involved in the community. Whether it’s a Bingo for Aquanauts, a Bingo for the band, a Bingo for this or that—he’s there,” added DeBenedet, noting he also was part of the effort to get the Townshend Theatre built as part of the new multi-use facility.
DeBenedet said Dutton is a friend of the family, and that her own son, Josh, had studied music in school, went on trips to Germany and western Canada with him, and also was involved in the swimming program when he was younger.
“John isn’t one to be in the limelight, but I’m glad he was chosen. He deserves it,” she remarked.
Dutton also was nominated by the FFHS student executive council. “It was good news to hear he was chosen,” SEC president Doug Judson said yesterday afternoon.
“In my four years of high school, with all the things I’ve been involved in, he’s been great,” he noted. “He’s involved in the band, and the musicals. Outside school, he’s involved in swimming.
“He’s doing Bingos all the time—he must have inhaled so much second-hand smoke for charity,” Judson added. “It’s crazy with all the things he does.
“Anyone who’s involved in the stuff he is would say he’s made a difference.”
“I certainly know him. I think he’s well-known in the community,” said Bill Gushulak (“Citizen of the Year 2000”), who made up the selection committee along with Mark Kowalchuk (“Citizen of the Year 1994”), Mayor Glenn Witherspoon, and Coun. Deane Cunningham.
“He’s always gone above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to fundraising for various causes,” Gushulak noted. “He’s been involved in musicals and organizing band trips.
“And he’s always made sure the students had good experiences with those.”
“Congratulations to Mr. Dutton,” Mayor Witherspoon remarked at Monday night’s council meeting, where council approved the selection committee’s recommendation.
Gushulak said Dutton was chosen from 13 individuals, some of whom received multiple nominations. As in previous years, the identities of the other nominees will not be revealed.
“It’s always a difficult choice, but we all walked away from that meeting feeling good,” Gushulak remarked. “You have to go with who you feel the strongest about, and in this case, that was John.”
“We’d like to congratulate him,” said Jean Boileau, who along with her husband, Lin, were the 2002 “Citizens of the Year.”
“We hope he has as good a time as we had,” she added.
Other past honourees include Dede Mallory (1988), Albert McKelvie (1989), Florence and Woody Gray (1990), Jean Scheirer (1991), George Wood (1992), Dr. Audrey Johnstone (1993), Pastor Earl Swanson (1995), Gordon McTaggart (1996), Terry Ogden (1997), Walter Horban (1998), Jim Cumming (1999), and John McTaggart (2001).
(Fort Frances Times)