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Show ' : J -f i v t- 1 ' ----. .... , .- ? : v. " ,, ., ; - ' ' r.t.' A. .... C : ...... '., i MARION A. BEHUNIN presents Margaret T. Hemmert the Vernal Ver-nal Chamber of Commerce's Outstanding public service award. Vernal Chamber awards outstanding public servant Margaret Tremelling Hemmert, office and business manager for KVEL radio, was given the Chamber's Outstanding Out-standing Public Service Award at Tuesday's noon meeting of the Vernal Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. Hemmert was given the award for her outstanding public service in radio broadcasting and community service. As told by her grandmother Skinner. "Mrs. Hemmert came into this world squealing like a little pig and looking like a papoose," said Marion A. Behunin who presented the award. Mrs. Hemmert was born in Conda, Idaho and was raised on a dry farm 12 miles from the nearest town. Because ' of the severe winters she attended a one-room elementary school during the summer from May to December. She was the only student in her grade for her first eight years of schooling. "One day the 1935 Ford pickup needed a new fuel pump," related Mrs. Behunin, "so she put it on." After graduating from high school she married Earl Hemmert and moved to Long Beach, Calif. After her husband was drafted into the service during the second world war, Mrs. Hemmert took nurses' training and returned to Idaho where she worked 'at a hospital on the maternity floor. Her husband was fatally injured in an industrial accident Feb. 9, 1957 when their oldest child was ten. Six children were born to the Hem-merts: Hem-merts: twin boys who passed away shortly after birth, Robert Earl, who works as a salesman and driver for Wonder Bread; James K., draftsman for the J.R. Simplot Company ; Beverly Jean, fatally injured in an automobile accident at the age of 17; and Larry an electronic engineer. Mrs. Hemmert started working in radio as a copy writer in 1958 for a station in Idaho. In 1962 she was hired as bookkeeper for KVEL while living in Idaho; working at both the Idaho station and KVEL, commuting to Vernal at least once a month. She moved to Vernal in 1970 when the Idaho station was sold, as station manager of KVEL. In 1971-72, in order to get her Federal Communication first class license, she traveled to Salt Lake Ctiy each weekend for six months to attend broadcast school. In 1975 she was appointed to the board of directors of the Utah Broadcasters Broad-casters Association and was elected as the first and only female president of the association in 1977. She served two years on the board of directors of the Rocky Mountain Broadcaster Association. In 1978 she was appointed vice president of KVEL, Inc., and was appointed as general manager. In 1979 she was made business and office manager. She is a charter member of the Uintah County Hospital Auxiliary and served one year on the creative arts committee of the Uintah School District. She is an active member of the LDS Church. Mrs. Hemmert attributed her success to several people in the Chamber. |