Huckleberries Past: A hero who was almost rewarded

From Kootenai Grapevine/Huckleberries of Feb. 20, 1989:

Father Bill Wassmuth just missed the final cut in the hero business he’s gotten himself into.

He’s not one of the two finalists for a national Courage Foundation award offered through Syracuse University in New York.

Perhaps the bomb wasn’t close enough, or maybe it should have gone off more recently than 29 months ago. A shrapnel wound certainly would have increased his hero stock beyond the state level. And if something had been lost — an arm, leg, life or Marshall Men’s borrowed copy of “How to Win Friends and Influence People” — Wassmuth would have been a shoo-in for the award.

He made the semi-finals.

“He was a strong contender,” said Syracuse history prof Roger Sharp, who headed the search team. “I wished we had more people like him.”

The Spokesman-Review nominated Wassmuth for the honor. (That’s a plug for us and should encourage you to buy our paper seven days a week if you’re not already a subscriber.)

Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment officials wanted Wassmuth to win the hero competition for two reasons. They believe he deserves it. And along with the award comes a $30,000 contribution to a non-profit organization of the winner’s choice.

Of course, Wassmuth would have designated the coalition, which in turn, would have used the money to pay his salary as its new director.

This hero business is a rough way to earn a living.