Chamber
Honors Best
& Brightest Of
Community
First Citizen
Janet Taylor
Janey Taylor
For the 62nd year, the
Salem Area Chamber
of Commerce will
recognize some of the
most talented and
accomplished men
and women working
in Salem who dedicate
their time and talents to
better our community.
The Chamber is pleased
to announce the
recipients of this year’s
awards:
Distinguished Service
Awards:
Curt Arthur,
Dan Dorn,
Ron and Kathy Kelemen
Outstanding Young Professional:
Lucy Escobar
First Citizen’s Award:
Janet Taylor
While best known for
her work while Mayor of Salem, Janet Taylor has
spent a lifetime giving back to this
community. Her involvement spans from
neighborhood
associations
to the chair
of SEDCOR.
Even in her
“ retirement”
she continues
to be active by
serving on the
Board of the
Oregon African
American
Museum, the
Willamette
Heritage Center at the Mill, and the
Oregon Historical Society.
Please join the Salem Chamber in
celebrating these individuals on March
2, 2012 at the Salem Conference Center.
Presented
by West
Coast Bank.
R e s e r v a t i o n s
can be made
by calling 503-
581-1466 x301
or online at
SalemChamber.
org.
Distinguished Service:
Dan Dorn,
Curt Arthur
Ron & Kathy Kelemen
Outstanding Young Professional:
Lucy Escobar
Distinguished Service:
Dan Dorn,
Curt Arthur,
Ron & Kathy Kelemen
Outstanding Young
Professional:
Lucy Escobar
Curt Arthur is active in the Willamette
Chapter of the
American Red
Cross and the
Boys & Girls
Club of Salem.
He has received
several awards,
including the 2010
Humanitarian
of the Year from
Sperry Van Ness
International ,
the Commercial
Realtor of the Year
Award from the
Salem Association
of Realtors in
2007 as well as
the President’s
Award where
he was selected by his peers for his
professionalism and community service.
Dan Dorn donated time and expertise
as the general contractor to rehabilitate
a meth house in Keizer as part of the
No Meth Not in My Neighborhood
movement. He has served on the Salem
Planning Commission for eight years, and
has served as President
for six. Most recently,
he received the City of
Salem’s Vern Miller
Key Citizen’s Award
in recognition of his
outstanding service as
a representative of the
Planning Commission
and Unified
Development Advisory
Committee.
Ron and Kathy
Kelemen have served
this community for
many years. Ron is very
involved in the Rotary
Club of Salem and
works on both local and international
projects. He is also a member of the
Board Medical Foundation of Marion-
Polk Counties. Kathy volunteers with the
Assistance League
of Salem to keep
the organization
fiscally sound, as
well as chairing
committees and
fundraisers. She
was also involved
in launching the
Salem Film Festival.
Together, they have
hosted international
exchange students,
and are involved
with the YWCA,
Family Building
Blocks, and the
Salem Public
Library.
Lucy Escobar is
described as a ‘first responder’ when
volunteers are needed. She is a founding
board member of the Latino Business
Alliance, a board member for the North
Salem Business Association, on the
steering committee for the Latino business
showcase Expo Negocio, and involved
with the Microenterprise Resources,
Initiatives
& Training
( MERIT )
program and the
Salem - Keizer
Community
Development Corporation.
As a young
professional,
Lucy sets an
incredible example for other young
people in our community.
A Thank You Note From
First Citizen Janet Taylor
Janet Taylor
It would be hard to describe how
surprised and honored I felt when the
Salem Chamber of Commerce told me
I would be receiving Salem’s First Citizen
award. How exciting to be on a list of prior
recipients that reads like a “Who’s Who” of
community leaders over the last 62 years.
I don’t for a minute consider myself
special. I have volunteered in the community
whenever I could within my knowledge,
energy, and financial boundaries. Our
family moved to Salem when I was 14, and
over the last 56 years I received an excellent
education, had good job opportunities, and
found leaders that mentored many of us
towards success.
Many years ago when my life was focused
on raising children and earning a living, I
wasn’t always in tune with what was going
on in the rest of the world. Although my
husband and I had established a successful
manufacturing company, it was only when
I became active in my Neighborhood
Association, the Salem Area Chamber of
Commerce and our economic development
agency, SEDCOR, that I understood how
important it was for all of us to become
involved in local efforts to improve our
community.
Hundreds of our residents volunteer every
day in City departments and for the many
non-profits that meet the needs of those less
fortunate. Over the eight years I spent as
your volunteer Mayor I had the opportunity
to work with you and truly appreciate
what a caring and giving place we call our
hometown.
As my last term in office ended I looked back
with satisfaction at the great partnerships
with organizations and individuals that
had resulted in the Conference Center, the
Kroc Center, Broadway and Market Street
redevelopment, the Union Street pedestrian
bridge, a new Senior Center, and new
fire stations and equipment. We always
worked hard on economic development
and recruited Sanyo Solar, the Home Depot
Distribution Center, and major expansions
at Garmin.
After my retirement in January of 2011,
I planned to just fade into the sunset. But
after six months of rest and reflection, I
knew that it was no time to quit.
I had always enjoyed history – Mary Eyre
and George Strozut were terrific teachers
in high school, but life had been too busy
to take on more activities. Now I have the
time to serve on the Board of Directors of
three historical organizations – Willamette
Heritage Center at the Mill, Oregon African
American Museum (now merging with
the NW Black Pioneers), and the Oregon
Historical Society.
Through the efforts of these groups my
dream is that we actively preserve and
exhibit the Salem area history, and teach our
children and visitors how important our role
has been in the development and success of
Oregon, and how we intend to continue and
expand that role into the future.
What I would like to do is to share this
award with all of you, to say “thank you” for
all you have done in the community. You
offered me your time and ideas over the last
20 years, encouraged and supported our
community goals, and made it possible to
achieve dreams that had languished for 40
years.
You are all “First Citizens” in my book.
