In Memoriam: Patrick (“Sam”) Pettigrew

April 4, 2013

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Photo courtesy of Karen Shanley, Eagle River Water & Sanitation District (Vail, Colo.).

Photo courtesy of Karen Shanley, Eagle River Water & Sanitation District (Vail, Colo.).

Patrick (“Sam”) Pettigrew, supervisor of the Avon (Colo.) Wastewater Treatment Facility in the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District (ERWSD; Vail, Colo.), and a Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) member since December 1988, died Jan. 29 at the age of 55.

In 1984, Pettigrew began working as an operator in his hometown of Miles City, Mont. As his career grew, he moved on to work at other water resource recovery facilities, first to Missoula, Mont., in 1988 and then to Lynnwood, Wash., in 1991. He later worked on the Seattle City Light Skagit River Hydroelectric Project in 1993.

By January 2006, Pettigrew took an operator position at Eagle River. He moved up the ranks to become supervisor, process analyst, and operator in charge of the Avon facility in November 2007.

“[Pettigrew] was a dear friend and co-worker,” said his ERWSD colleague Angelo Fernandez. “He made an enormous impact on many lives here in Colorado.”

Photo courtesy of Karen Shanley, Eagle River Water & Sanitation District.

Photo courtesy of Karen Shanley, Eagle River Water & Sanitation District.

“I could always go to Sam with an idea, and he would be my tester of new processes,” added ERWSD co-worker Becky Bultemeier. “He was always willing to try it out, evaluate, and make things better. He made us better by knowing him. The staff at ERWSD will forever have special memories of our most special friend and co-worker.”

Pettigrew’s colleagues in the Rocky Mountain wastewater community will forever remember his positive attitude, willingness to help those around him, and his “million-dollar smile,” said Karen Shanley, ERWSD safety coordinator and Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association (Firestone, Colo.) Safety and Security Committee chair.

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