United Way of Southern Chautauqua County is pleased to announce Burl Swanson as the 2021 Joseph H. Mason Community Service Award Recipient.
Burl Swanson, a member of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) 1115 Union, has volunteered for many organizations throughout the county. Nominated by both Jim Kurtz and Don Emhardt, Swanson spent almost 35 years with the telephone company in Westfield, NY and was a member of Communication Workers of America Local 1115 (CWA Local 1115). He belonged to the Dewittville Fire Department for 44 years, serving in different positions with 19 years as the Fire Chief. This included working with a group of Firefighters to maintain the facilities of the Fire Service through the county and assistance in remodeling both of the County Training Centers to aid in training the county Firefighters In addition, Swanson worked on the Mayville Ice Castle construction crew for the last 8 castles. He is also a member of the Dewittville Cemetery Association and spent many years as a volunteer at the Children’s Safety Village, where he educated more than 15,000 children over the course of his tenure. Burl and his wife Vicky live in Dewittville, NY, and are extremely proud of their two adult married children, both of whom are career army soldiers.