A big congratulations to our very own Dr. Tom Seaworth!

Harris Memorial Award

Dr. Tom Seaworth of the Perham Health New York Mills Clinic was presented with the 2021 Bob & Michelle Harris Memorial Award at the United Way of Becker County’s Celebration of Heroes on Thursday, August 19, 2021 at Detroit Lakes’ Historic Holmes Theatre. Presenting the award was United Way Executive Director LuAnn Porter.

“Since moving to Detroit Lakes in 1991, he has shown an endless commitment to this community. He epitomizes the traits of this award — community, compassion and service combined with extraordinary leadership.” This was the quote from an anonymous person who nominated Dr. Tom Seaworth to be the recipient of the United Way’s 2021 Bob & Michelle Harris Memorial Award. “He has saved my life not once but three times! But that is not why I am nominating him for this award. He is a hero to so many others as well,” said another unnamed contributor to Seaworth’s nomination.

A former second lieutenant in the U.S. Army who served in Operation Desert Storm, Seaworth is a Bronze Star recipient. He also served on the Detroit Lakes School Board for 20 years, and has served as a team physician for Laker sports programs for many years. He was also integral in establishing the sports medicine program at Detroit Lakes High School, and helped shape the policy that caused Sanford Health to begin providing a certified athletic trainer for all home sporting events in Detroit Lakes. He has also served on both the Detroit Lakes Athletic Foundation Board and on the committee for the local Dollars for Scholars, helping to establish several different scholarships as part of that program. He has also been heavily involved in the Detroit Lakes Noon Rotary Club for many years, earning a Rotarian of the Year award, a Paul Harris Fellowship, a Rotary International Presidential Award and a District Governor’s Award for his service to Rotary and the Detroit Lakes community.

Though he joked that it was “dangerous” to hand him a microphone, Seaworth kept his remarks brief, saying that he had learned the value of community service from his parents as well as from his friend, the late Bob Harris, and was quite honored to be a recipient of the award named in his friend’s honor.

Hall of Honor

On Saturday, September 11, the 2021 Hall of Honor Celebration will induct eight former Laker athletes who have continued to contribute for the betterment of Laker Athletics through the years. The 2006-2007 girls basketball team finished the season with a 25-5 record and were undefeated in the Mid-State conference with a 10-0 record. Vern Schnathorst, Detroit Lakes High School coach and foundation board member, said the banquet is a “first-class” event and a special night for the inductees. “It’s good that (the foundation) started (the Hall of Honor) just to kind of preserve the history of Detroit Lakes athletics and the teams and individuals that really have accomplished great things over the course of the decades so we don’t forget about that stuff,” said Schnathorst.

This year’s individual inductees are: