Minnesota Environmental Health Assocation
Latest News
The following story appeared in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Congratulations to MEHA member Fong Lor.
Inspector named outstanding city worker
Nominators cite work with St. Paul immigrant groups
KARL J. KARLSON STAFF WRITER
Fong Lor, a multilingual city inspector who is a native of Laos, received St. Paul's eighth Karl Neid Award on Tuesday. The annual award, named for a former City Council member who was long
active in community organizations, recognizes outstanding employee service.
Lor, 35, is an environmental health specialist II with the city's License, Inspection and Environmental Protection Department. His duties include inspecting grocery stores, restaurants and swimming pools. In nominating him for the award, Lor's co-workers said he is known for
being unflappable and for his dedication to the city's residents, the city and his family.
He is a volunteer with several groups on the East Side, where he is a board member for District Council 5. He also is part of a group working to name the new Achievement Plus school being built on York Avenue and taking part in the national search for the school's principal. Lor also serves on the board of the Hmong National Organization and has worked with several Southeast Asian programs.
His fellow employees said Lor's humor, integrity and ability to speak English, Hmong, Laotian and Thai have helped bridge many cultural gaps among immigrant populations trying to understand city regulations. In their nomination, co-workers noted that Lor has come under pressures from both sides of ethnic disputes and that his ``strong belief in honesty and integrity'' has earned him the respect of those he contacts.
Lor said the award caught him by surprise. ``I could not do my job so well without the backup I know I will get from the people in the office,'' he said. Born in Laos, Lor fled the war-torn area in 1978 and spent eight years in a refugee camp in Thailand with his family before coming to the
United States, where they settled in Eau Claire, Wis., in 1987. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1995 and went to work for St. Paul. He and his wife, Nao Thao, have five children.
The city award is named for Karl Neid, a St. Paul City Council member who died in 1992 after serving only four months. Before being elected, however, he spent most of his life working on volunteer projects that benefited city residents, the city and the East Side.