Utah Anglers Coalition Honors 2004
DWR Employee of the Year

Utah Anglers Coalition
May 11, 2005

The Utah Anglers Coalition is pleased to recognize Sport Fisheries Coordinator Tom Pettengill as our Division of Wildlife Resources Employee of the Year for 2004.

Looking back on Tom’s career it is difficult to talk in anything but superlatives. He is a rare public servant whose work interests overlap with what he enjoys on his day off, and who is driven by what we can only describe as passion.

At work, Tom has been well aware of his multiple responsibilities to the DWR, Utah’s anglers and the aquatic resource he helps manage. In positions he has held throughout the state, he has not been shy about pushing for improvements and solutions that would mutually benefit all three.

He has maintained a high profile for the DWR. He is thorough, and is respected for his well thought out opinions on issues. Yet he has not been inflexible in his thinking. He has made an earnest effort to explain himself to those who questioned, and he has continually gone out of his way to educate Utah’s anglers any way he can—in person, on the phone, through mail and email and in magazine articles. Because he is so widely respected and his dedication and willingness to share his knowledge is so well known, he is sought after as an authority for Utah media, and has long been a favorite speaker at countless meetings of many of the state’s fishing organizations. He is a poster child for how a government agency should reach out to the public. Over the years he has been a strong advocate for providing the best fish for a fishery. He has worked to maintain and improve Utah’s traditional fisheries while playing a key role in introducing several new species that Utah’s anglers have grown to treasure.

When he’s off work, it often seems like he’s still working. He studies and works at his fishing with the same intensity and thoroughness as he performs his job. Anglers throughout the state are accustomed to seeing him on the water, often with Jeanne, and stopping by to visit. Although his position prevents him from competing in Utah fishing tournaments, it has not been uncommon to find him out fishing with the tournament anglers anyway. He has pursued his desire to fish tournaments in other states, fishing many striper and walleye tournaments, including the Professional Walleye Trail.

From all indications it appears Tom will head into retirement still going full speed, which is no surprise. It has been our hope that something could change his mind before the end of the year so he will stay, and this award is our best effort to that end. No matter what happens, he will never know the depth of our gratitude for who he is and what he has accomplished for us in Utah over the past three decades.

Respectfully,

Ed Kent
Chair, Utah Anglers Coalition