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History of the Al Reker Award A decision was made to create an award to recognize contributions made by a individual over a sustained period of time to the field of probation. Further, this award was to acknowledge membership involvement rather than simply retirement. The recipient was to be selected by the Executive Board of MACPO for their exemplary contributions and dedication to the profession of probation/parole. At the time the idea for this award came about, it seemed fitting to name it the Al Reker Memorial Award. Al Reker was one of the charter members of the Southern Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers, which later became MACPO. Al Reker was a native of southwestern Minnesota, where he long held the position of Chief Probation Officer in Nobles county until his death from cancer. He was an extremely dedicated, yet unpretentious man, who was well respected in the field of corrections as well as in his own community, where he served as a role model of many people. Al Reker was also known for his strong commitment to family. As a father of nine children, one of whom is a probation officer, it seemed only appropriate to name this award after Al Reker, for his contributions epitomize the MACPO probation officer. The Al Reker Memorial Award has been distributed since 1982 and is received yearly at the MACPO spring conference. Al Reker recipients provided, and many continue to provide, exceptional leadership and dedication to the field of Corrections.
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