Attorney General Stein recognizes heroism in Canton
Canton Police Chief was given a Dogwood Award, while Terryll Evans accepted one on behalf of Canton radio station WPTL. Kyle Perrotti photo
A couple of people from Canton were recognized by Attorney General and incoming governor Josh Stein for their actions during the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27.
On Thursday, Dec. 12, people from across the region gathered to receive Dogwood Awards from Stein. The Attorney General’s Dogwood Awards, created in 2017 by Stein, are given to honor North Carolinians who are dedicated to keeping people safe, healthy and happy in their communities.
Last week’s recipients ranged from law enforcement officers to firefighters to mayors to business owners who went above and beyond. For Canton, that was Police Chief Scott Sluder and Terryll Evans, who accepted the award on behalf of local radio station WPTL.
This ceremony marked Stein’s last presentation of Dogwood Awards before he takes office as governor. Stein noted that presenting these awards has been one of his favorite duties as attorney general.
“When the storm hit here in Western North Carolina, we simply could not have imagined its consequences, the lives lost, the devastation to home and properties, the destruction to roads and vital infrastructure, the loss to people’s livelihoods,” he said. “We saw a lot of bad after the storm, but my goodness, did we also see a lot of good neighbors helping neighbors, people sharing everything they had with other people who had lost everything.”
Stein recognized Sluder as one of many law enforcement officers who stepped up.
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“Practically every police chief, practically every sheriff, practically every police officer, practically every deputy, all the first responders, were just truly heroic in those days and weeks immediately following the storm,” Stein said. “I want to put [Chief] Sluder right there on that list. They’ve been helping Canton deal with so many challenges for so many years, because they keep getting knocked down, but every single time, Canton stands back up.”
Stein noted that WPTL coming up on the air as soon as possible following the storm was vital for people desperate for information.
“When people couldn’t access the internet or phone lines, they were a critical voice, so that people get the information that they needed to make the safest decisions possible for themselves and their family,” Stein said.
Both Sluder and Evans told The Smoky Mountain News that they are aware that there are so many people in the region — and even in Canton alone — that acted in a way that would merit a Dogwood Award but that they were honored to have their hard work recognized.
“Without men and women that work for me, without my officers, my telecommunicators, and without the town staff something like this award, for the reasons we’re receiving it, would have never happened,” Sluder said. “It’s because we have good, hard-working people that work for the town of Canton, that want to come together and take care of our citizens.”
“WPTL is the fabric of the county, but this took so much community support … When this disaster came and hit our area in Western North Carolina, [first responders] helped me to get back on the air to give out the information to all those folks who felt like they didn’t know what to do,” Evans said. “It takes it takes everybody, and so to be a part of this group, it makes me feel like I wouldn’t be here without all of them.”
