The Susan Frank Memorial
Lure Operator of the Year
From the fun being had at the Saturday night get-togethers during ACoD weekends in 1992, Frank Zaworski, President, and Susan Weinkein, Secretary/Treasurer, created the Lure Coursing Judges Association — LCJA, pronounced “Lock-Jaw.”
The Saturday night get-togethers became faux Association meetings, with Frank and Susan presiding. After Susan’s passing, Frank restructured the officer positions and anointed Dawn Gibas as Vice-President and Tom Cigolle, Jr. as Secretary/Treasurer in 2004/2005.
Along the way, LCJA decided to do something serious and established the Lure Operator of the Year award to honor those individuals who dedicated their time to perfecting the art of being a lure operator. The process for determining the Lure Operator of the Year has been changed and revised a few times since its inception.
Back row: Sean McMichael, Denny Reed, Mike Scanlon, Pete Mendicino, Dan Roscum, Mike Ferris, Al Crume, Janet Lotz.
Denny Reed
Jack Downey
Tom Cigolle, Jr.
Mo Aiken
Lure Operator in Utah
Past Lure Operator of the Year Winners
| Year Awarded | Name | Region of Residence (at time of selection) |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Denis Seeley | Region 6 |
| 2002 | Mike Scanlon | Region 6 |
| 2003 | Kent Standerford | Region 5 |
| 2004 | Denny Reed | Region 5 |
| 2005 | Mike Ferris | Region 5 |
| 2006 | Greg Witt | Region 2 |
| 2007 | Mike Lorenzo | Region 9 |
| 2008 | Steve Curry | Region 6 |
| 2009 | Tom Cigolle, Jr. | Region 6 |
| 2010 | Jack Downing | Region 4 |
| 2011 | Connie Sullivan | Region 3 |
| 2012 | Les Pekarski | Region 7 |
| 2013 | Sean McMichael | Region 7 |
| 2014 | Tom Golcher | Region 3 |
| 2015 | Gary Runyan | Region 4 |
| 2016 | Scott Hurlbert | Region 5 |
| 2017 | Joe Schoemaker | Region 6 |
| 2018 | Mark Schubert | Region 5 |
| 2019 | Jerry Slattery | Region 7 |
| 2020 | Josie Haumont | Region 5 |
| 2021 | Lyle Gillette ** | Region 2 |
| 2022 | Bob Jordan | Region 8 |
| 2023 | No Award | |
| 2024 | No Award | |
| 2025 | Dan Heidel | Region 6 |
** Posthumously awarded as the first ever Lure Operator of the Year to receive the honor posthumously.