I received an unexpected tribute Saturday night (9-26-10) at the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI) “President’s Banquet.” The President’s Award, the Distinguished Achievement Award (DAA), and the Governor of the Year Award were scheduled to be given out that night. The day before, my great pal Andy Hanson received the well-deserved Investigator of the Year Award.
Walt Zwonitzer of Orange County received CALI’s highest honor, the DAA. President’s Award went to Francie Koehler. Doug Brenn of the Inland Empire District netted the Governor of the Year title. All were well deserved.
Then, it’s announced that my successor as Chairman of the Board, Frank Huntington, will be giving out the “Chairman’s award.” I’m sitting there wondering, “what’s the Chairman’s award?” If it existed, I think I would have known about it, since I’d just spent the last seven (7) years chairing the board of directors. I’d think that if the board had established such an award requiring the chair to bestow, it was unlikely to have gotten by me.
So, apparently behind my back, some conspiratorial cabal seems to have created an award for me, as I was to find out when Frank started explaining why and to whom it was being awarded.
The award itself says “In recognition of seven years of outstanding and dedicated service as Chairman of the Board to the California Association of Licensed Investigators, 2003-2010.” If the truth be told, it ought to have read, “To Jan B. Tucker who has proven himself to be a dedicated follower of Leopold Von Sacher-Mazoch by putting up with relentless attacks from deranged and malicious individuals who seek to undermine the interests of private investigators out of delusions of grandeur and/or for their own personal gain.”
Since the people who will find the most interest in this blog entry will be private investigators, I’m sure they can figure out who Leopold Von Sacher-Mazoch was easy enough….
Anyway, I do appreciate the esteem that my colleagues must have in me and it was a very humbling experience to receive that trophy.
