By Peggy Savage
This year a Mount Angel father and daughter have been named first citizens for 2017 by the Mount Angel Chamber of Commerce.
First Citizen is Tommy Riedman, owner of Riedman Construction. His daughter, Tressa Riedman, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School, is the 2017 Junior First Citizen.
Tommy Riedman, First Citizen
Tressa Riedman says she learned her sense of community involvement from her father, Tommy.
“I think it’s really cool my dad cares so much about our community, and I take after him,” Tressa said. “I love him. He has such good morality, and work ethics are such a big thing in my family. I look up to him, and he’s my role model.”
Learning that both he and his daughter had won the awards in the same year came as a surprise to Tommy Riedman.
“This was pretty amazing these two happening at the same time because the awards are not really connected,” he said. “But it’s pretty exciting. It’s nice, quite an honor. I had a feeling Tressa would get the junior first citizen award. She works so hard. But it is a bonus to have something like this, both of us together.”
Riedman was nominated by many Kennedy High School students and Mount Angel School District staff for his contributions of time and resources to the district and its students.
For two years, he served as chairman of the district’s Long-Range Facility Planning Committee, whose efforts resulted in the passage of a $10 million bond to renovate district buildings. He also served as a member of the Bond Oversight Committee.
“Tommy’s contributions have been as a leader and advocate for school programs and facilities improvements,” one nomination read. “Tommy has been a long-time volunteer of youth sports and provided multiple contributions of time and materials to the improvement and maintenance of our athletic facilities.”
As owner of Riedman Construction, Riedman has donated time to the renewed career technical education program at Kennedy High School, presenting lessons to students in the classroom and introducing them to opportunities in the building trades. Most recently, he mentored students in the program two or three days weekly for three months, teaching them to build a shed, which they are now selling to make money for another project.
“Tommy donated his time to teach us useful skills with construction,” one student nomination reads. “Through the past three months of building this, I learned a lot of new skills, and I will be able to apply these skills later on in life. Tommy is also involved in coaching our softball team.”
“Not only has he taught us various skills, but he has taught us how important patience and a hard work ethic is,” another student wrote. “Tommy possesses many qualities that have inspired us.”
Riedman who is also a volunteer fireman, said he enjoyed the experience of working with the kids in their shop class.
“I knew they were getting their shop going again from years of not having it,” he said. “I thought it would be fun to volunteer to help down there. I really enjoyed it, and bonded with the students.”
Tressa Riedman, Junior First Citizen
A senior at Kennedy High School, Tressa Riedman not only serves as Associated Student Body vice president, but she is also captain of the softball and volleyball teams, serves at president of National Honor Society, president of the school’s chapter of Health Occupations Students of America, president and founder of the club Students Promoting Equality And Kindness (SPEAK), member of the JFK For Life club, and a representative at the American Legion Auxiliary’s Girls State event, where she served as mock county treasurer and was voted mock U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice.
Riedman, who has maintained a 4.0 GPA, has also earned merit scholarship awards in Spanish, psychology and history, and a Daughters of the American Revolution Citizen Award.
Jessica Schmidtman, a social studies teacher at Kennedy, nominated Tressa Riedman for the Junior First Citizen Award.
“She is very successful academically, Schmidtman wrote. “Above her peers in many arenas, and puts true effort into her work and excels, and has great goals. She has blossomed into a leader… She is a hard worker, and is a member of nearly every club we have. She created a club this year to spread tolerance and equality. She plays multiple sports and is a leader in those arenas. All-around, she’s a nice kid.”
A volunteer at the Oktoberfest, in St. Mary’s Parish and at Providence Benedictine Nursing Home, Riedman also volunteers for numerous school activities.
But, Tressa said, her most rewarding volunteer experience has been working with residents in the nursing home.
“I love the residents there,” she said. “Most of the time, I just sit and talk with them.”
After graduation, Riedman says she plans to attend a four-year university, although she is not sure yet which one.
“I want to go to med school and become a doctor,” she said. “I’m thinking of specializing in oncology.”
