NELSON — On Sunday, Nov. 3, the Town of Nelson and the Erieville-Nelson Heritage Society (ENHS) presented David Rezak of North Lake Road, Erieville, with the Norman Odell Citizen of the Year Award. The award is given annually to a Nelson resident who has made outstanding contributions to the town and its residents through volunteer work. During a ceremony at the Erieville Fire Hall, Rezak was recognized for being a caring friend and neighbor and a dedicated champion of the area’s lakes, especially Tuscarora Lake. Rezak serves on the Town of Nelson Watershed Management Committee and is a member of the NYS Federation of Lake Associations (NYSFOLA), a not-for-profit coalition of lake associations, individuals, and corporate members dedicated to protecting and restoring New York lakes. He is also active in the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program, a volunteer lake monitoring program directed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in collaboration with the NYSFOLA. As a member of ENHS, Rezak has spoken to the society about Tuscarora Lake and its history and written for the ENHS newsletter, “Hills and Hollows.” Additionally, he has been involved in community events such as an annual spring clean-up around the lake and an educational night focused on harmful algal blooms. “I’ve been on North Lake Road for 74 years,” said Rezak, who attended the ceremony with his wife, two daughters, and two of his grandchildren. “In 1950, my folks [rented] a tiny cabin for the season. [We] pumped water by hand from the lake, we had an outhouse, kerosene lights, kerosene stove, and we loved it. We are now four generations deep on North Lake Road — not long relative to the Lyon or Stearns families but long enough to worry about our legacy. The lake has changed since 1950, and not for the better; there is more muck, lakes fill in naturally, [and there are] weeds and harmful algae blooms. [My family members] all love this community, so I am doing what I can to be sure our watersheds and natural beauty survive for them.” During Rezak’s introduction, Nelson Town Supervisor Jim Cunningham highlighted the economic importance of Tuscarora Lake and Eaton Brook Reservoir to the community and remarked on Rezak’s role in helping to ensure their sustainability. “I give a lot of awards out [to] a lot of really great people, but this is such a pleasure because Dave is really, really a great person,” Cunningham said. “When [I started as supervisor], I said, ‘We’ve got to do something for these lakes to keep people really engaged and keep the lakes in good shape, and we need a leader, we need a champion.’ Guess who [shows up]. Our champion. Dave said he would run this watershed management committee we put together, and he has just been awesome. . . . He is a bulldog; he just keeps the thing going all the time. We are just so fortunate as a town [and] as a county to have Dave.” Professionally, Rezak had a long and effective career as an agent, promoter, and founder of DMR Booking Agency. He was also the founding director of the Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries at Syracuse University. The program’s David M. Rezak Music Business Lecture Series is named in his honor. Rezak was inducted into the Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMYs) Hall of Fame in 1999 and awarded the SAMMY Music Educator of the Year award in 2015. “In retirement, we look for ways to be useful,” Rezak said. “I focused on active lake stewardship. Stabilizing our lakes and streams is my goal. My ongoing learning curve is steep, [but] the ugly truth quickly becomes obvious: our lakes and watercourses are struggling, and humans on the waterfront must follow best practices to [ensure] water quality. Fortunately, there are a lot of like-minded folks working on water quality in Nelson, and timing is everything.” Established in 1996, the Norman Odell Citizen of the Year Award is named in honor of longtime Nelson resident Norman Odell, who served as a town planning board member, the Nelson historian, and a volunteer fireman. His widow, Helen Odell, was named Citizen of the Year in 2008. Each year, the award program solicits nominations from town residents throughout August and early September. The nominations are submitted to the town office or an ENHS member. Each submission is accompanied by a brief biography of the nominee, including information about their volunteer contributions. A committee consisting of a non-voting chairman and three voting members — a Nelson town board member, an ENHS representative, and a Town of Nelson citizen — meets in late September to determine the most deserving nominee. The winner receives an award plaque, and their name is added to a plaque hanging in the town hall. “I deeply appreciate being recognized by the Erieville-Nelson Heritage Society, but what makes Nelson great is that we all find ways to make our town better, not for an award, not for gratitude; folks just want to be helpful,” said Rezak “. . . . People who care make this community better. [We] won’t agree about everything, but every day in Nelson, positivity seems to prevail. The beauty of our natural surroundings is only rivaled by the beauty of folks improving life for one another, like Norman Odell. Thank you all for recognizing my work, I salute yours.” Formed in 1984, ENHS is dedicated to discovering, collecting, and preserving historical records and other data relating to the Erieville and Nelson area and to making the information available to the public. To learn more, visit facebook.com/ErievilleNelsonHeritageSociety/.