Mendham Township OEM Coordinator Honored

Last year, Mendham Township Emergency Management Coordinator Evan "Buzzy" Thomas was honored at a state dinner for his work running the shelter at the Brookside Emergency Service Building during Hurricane Irene.

This year, he may have outdone himself.

When Hurricane Sandy came to town, Thomas was back at it in the Brookside ESB offering food, warmth and security throughout the storm and its aftermath.

At the time, Mayor Sam Tolley noted that the shelter at the Brookside ESB had been serving residents seamlessly since the storm hit and that Thomas was to be commended for his efforts. Those thoughts were echoed by residents, first responders and other officials.

At Monday night's meeting of the Mendham Township Committee, Thomas was honored with the Paul Harris Award from the Mendham Rotary.

The award is named after the founder of the rotary club and is bestowed on individuals who meet high professional and personal standards set forth by Paul Harris.

Thomas, as always, was quick to spread the credit around.

"All I can say is, this is a heck of a town we have here," Thomas said at the last committee meeting. "I don’t even know where to begin to thank everyone because they’ve been great."