This has been a special issue to work on, as we celebrate our inaugural class of honorees for the Locksmith Ledger Gale Johnson Legends of the Lock Industry Awards (see page 22), named in memory of our late editor-in-chief for his lasting impact on the locksmith industry. Although I did not have the pleasure of meeting and working with Gale, many on the team here have shared their stories, just as many of our award nominators and nominees shared their wonderful stories of Gale, reaffirming why we named the award in his honor.
Going through this year’s nominations, here is just a snippet (full listings of honorees starts on page 22) of some of the great memories and thoughts on winning the award in Gale’s name that were shared with us:
· “I am beyond honored! To be associated with an award in Gale’s name is unbelievable to me. He was invaluable to the industry for decades and an incredible man.” - Joy Skowron, Detex
· “I know Jerry would be very honored to receive this nomination as Gale was a major influence in Jerry's career.” – nomination for Jerry Burhans, ALCEA/ASSA ABLOY
· “From Tech-Train tools and ‘how-to’ opening videos in the 1990s, to the growth and direction of Locksmaster's automotive division, to the Locksmith Ledger articles spread over all these years, to his passion of helping locksmiths grown in their field, Gale Johnson would be proud to have Steve Young receive this award with his blessings.” – nomination for Steve Young, Autolock Solutions
As many of our readers know, Gale left a legacy, and we are grateful to be able to honor those with an award in his name, as many being featured knew Gale and have supported and been featured in the pages of Locksmith Ledger over the decades. It truly is remarkable to see the diversity and breadth of talent and knowledge in this inaugural class, and to read about all their accomplishments and how they have helped to push the industry forward.
In my time here at Locksmith Ledger I have also found the industry to be very close and supportive of one another, which was exemplified in the quality of nominations and the generosity between locksmiths.
For example, one of this year’s honorees, Anna Fouts, Anna’s Lock and Key, was nominated by her colleague, Michael Harold, owner of Harold Locksmithing, who says some amazing things about her influence on his career. As she so eloquently points out in thanking him: “Locksmithing can be a very lonely job sometimes, and locksmiths aren't, as a whole, very helpful to one another. I feel that when we help one another and refer customers to other legitimate locksmiths in our area when we are too busy to help someone, that's one less person who gets taken advantage of by a scammer.”
Anna and Michael are a shining example of how selfless and giving this industry can be!
