At the Annual Chamber Awards Banquet on Thursday evening, held the last few years out under the open sky on Route 66 and called “Dinner on Dewey,” a number of recipients went to the stage to receive awards handed to them for their work in the community or their service to the Chamber of Commerce.
The most prominent of these awards was the “Citizen of the Year,” which went this year to Greg Pugmire, a man who, though not a native son of Sapulpa, has given as much or more to his community than every native Sapulpan could hope to give.
Retired Judge Rick Woolery, a longtime friend of Pugmire, delivered a warming speech before handing him the award.
“(Pugmire) is not a native Sapulpan, or even a native of Oklahoma,” Woolery began. “But the record of service (he) has produced, and is still producing, is amazing in its breadth and scope.”
Woolery then recited a list of nearly 30 different agencies, boards, and committees that Pugmire has served, many of which Pugmire was not only a member, but served in an official capacity as president or chairman. It was more than enough to remove any doubt about whether he deserved the award.
For all the man gave to his community, Pugmire told Sapulpa Times he was “speechless” after being named Citizen of the Year.
“I consider it a great honor,” he said. “My father always told me ‘wherever you pitch your tent, make sure you leave it better than when you got there.'”
That concept about pitching a tent makes even more sense when you learn about Greg Pugmire’s background. “I grew up in the military, where we moved a lot. Home was wherever the furniture was,” he said. “When we moved here (to Sapulpa), I wanted to make a home here.”
Greg Pugmire chose Sapulpa after he met the woman who would become his wife while living on an Air Force base in Puerto Rico. Becky Hershberger came from a deeply-rooted Sapulpa family, and as it happened, was part of a group of Oklahoma State entertainers on a USO tour. Pugmire, who worked as a lifeguard at the on-base pool, said single girls were hard to find there. “Most of the girls were married or in high school. One day, I get a call from my lifeguard friend who said, ‘you’d better get down here, a bunch of single girls just showed up at the pool,’ so I changed into my lifeguard shirt and rode my bicycle down to the pool.”
Pugmire said he saw Becky Hershberger, and it was “kind of love at first sight, even though she was engaged to her highschool sweetheart. They left the next day, but we continued talking.” Eventually, she broke off her engagement and Pugmire made his way back to the states, where he drove from Atlanta to Sapulpa to meet Becky’s family. Today, they live in a custom-built home converted from a dairy barn on the property that used to be the Hershberger Dairy Farm. Pugmire says they’ve lived in Sapulpa since the early 1970s, with the exception of a short few years they lived in Kansas City.
Surprisingly, Pugmire says that what he’s most excited to see in Sapulpa isn’t its rich history or long-lasting small-town charm as much as what’s coming for the future. “What I’m most excited about is a lot of young leadership I see coming up in the future,” he said. “I encourage young people to get involved where they can make a difference. It’s very rewarding work.”
Unlike some of the other awards, the Citizen of the Year is chosen by the Sapulpa Chamber’s Executive Board. Chamber President Janet Birnie said listening to Pugmire’s list of accomplishments from Retired Judge Rick Woolery was “inspiring.”
“Greg is amazing and has done so much for this town,” she said. “It was inspiring listening to his list of accomplishings; definitely a well-deserved award!”
Birnie, who has served as Chamber President since November of 2021, said she loves Dinner on Dewey. “Getting together to celebrate our town and the wonderful people in it is such a great experience. It literally takes a village to put this event together, from the sponsors, restaurant owners and many volunteers,” she said, adding “We are all tired but smiling today!”
The Other Winners
