Pandemic delayed 2020 award
By Jeff C. Hoffman
Former Clintonville Police Chief Terry Lorge may have retired but he remains tireless in his service to the citizens of the Clintonville area.
Last year, he was selected as the 2020 Community Hero but the pandemic forced the cancellation of the Clintonville Area Foundation’s annual fundraising event so the formal presentation had to wait.
Dan Olk began his presentations by explaining, “The 2020 recipient of this award is no secret, as he was identified in the newspaper already a year ago as Mr. Terry Lorge. He has been nominated twice for this award, and we are very pleased to finally be able to recognize him – a year late.”
Lorge is a Bear Creek native and worked for the Clintonville Police Department from 1978 to 2016, rising from patrol officer to sergeant, then lieutenant and serving the final 21 years as the chief of police.
From 1980 to 1993 Lorge worked part-time as an EMT with the Clintonville Area Ambulance Service, in addition to providing administrative leadership for the ambulance service. He served as director for nine of the 13 years.
In 1994 Lorge founded and then led the Clintonville Chapter of Beat the Heat, an organization which has brought police together with local youth to work on automobile-related activities for more than 20 years. He and other volunteers spent up to 300 hours annually working on this group.
In 2000 Lorge joined Dick Fletcher and Craig Hodne who planned the first Spring Cruise Car Show, an annual event that continues still today. Together these activities constitute 40 years of continuous service to the community.
Post-retirement activities
After retiring from the Clintonville Police Department, Lorge was asked to take on a volunteer position as director of the new FWD Seagrave Museum & Vehicles. He readily accepted the challenge and today he continues to lead its development for depicting a remarkable phase in Clintonville history that has had global impact.
His duties have included acquisition of FWD trucks for display, upgrading the new building in Clintonville’s Industrial Park, maintenance of the facility plus the Machine Shop Historic Museum on 11th Street. Lorge also helps, when needed, as a tour guide for the museums.
“This record of leadership in community service demonstrates regular donation of personal time across many years,” said Olk.
The Community Heroes award was established in 2011 by Clintonville native Dan Olk. He did this to recognize and celebrate volunteer service that he believes enhances life here for Clintonville area residents.
The award, which comes with $2,000 for the winner to donate to local charities, is supported through the Clintonville Area Foundation. Lorge chose to donate the award to the FWD Seagrave Museum in Clintonville.
“Mr. Terry Lorge has volunteered for decades, inspiring many other volunteers to join him in productive activities that have enhanced and will continue to enhance life in the Clintonville area,” said Olk.