The Roanoker - July/August 2014 - 8

R LETTERS
DAVID HUNGATE

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BY LI

Letters
I was impressed with the 911 heroes piece
in May/June. After all, you showcased my
sister-in-law, and she busts her tail for Roanoke City and she is a jack of all trades. I
also enjoyed reading on all the firefighters,
police officers and then some.
One thing though. I was a bit disappointed in your lack of showcasing anyone
involved in actually answering those 911
phone calls. It may surprise you that 911
dispatchers have one of the top-10 most
difficult jobs in the country. Imagine for a
second answering a telephone call from a
stranger that just found her child not breathing. Imagine having to remain calm and talk
the parent through CPR and whatever else
is needed to attempt to save that child's life
while at the same time dispatching rescue to
their home (I'm fairly confident few people
can multitask like a 911 dispatcher.) Next,
imagine walking in the door of your own
home an hour later, receiving a hug from
your child all the while not even knowing
if that child you were helping save actually
made it. It's like watching a movie, up until
the last 15 minutes, over and over again. It's
maddening. It's numbing. It's difficult.
Now, I do not know how this feels first
hand. I am just an innocent bystander. I
did not even think about these things until
about five years ago when my husband became a 911 dispatcher. My husband hears
and deals with things I couldn't possibly

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DAVID HUNGATE

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MAY/JUNE 2014

Crystal Mason: "It may surprise you that 911 dispatchers have one of the top-10 most difficult jobs."

imagine and yet, comes home without a
negative thing to say and with a smile on
his face.
You see, even though he performs one of
the hardest jobs in the country, he loves it.
He feels a pride in his work and knows he is
helping people, even the ones who abuse the
service and just want to talk. He knows he is
helping people. He knows he is saving lives,
even though many people have no idea what
his job entails. My husband loves his job so
much, in fact, he works full time on Delta
shift (basically, the 6pm-6am, and often
three or four times a week), and he is going
to school full-time to earn a higher position
with his department. He is also on many
panels or committees. And, by the way, he
is also our 7-year old's main caregiver.
My husband works hard, but he loves every minute of it. So, next time you have an
article showcasing heroes, consider speaking with some of the unsung heroes I know,
who spend 12 hours of their day sitting in a
room with no windows, saving lives over the
phone. My husband is my hero. As are my

brother and sister-in-law. All work for Roanoke City, in one way or another, keeping
the people of this great city safe and sound.
-Crystal Mason, Roanoke

STAN THE MAN
I am disappointed that the May/June's "Best
of Roanoke," [readers] named Zee's Salon
and Day Spa with the Platinum Award, yet
failed to mention Stan Robinson as the skincare therapist for Zee's. Stan is the best, and
has cared for me and my friends for years!
I could not help but notice that for many of
the honors you named specific people.
You realize what an honor a mention in
your magazine is for businesses, but let's not
forget the special "behind the scenes" people
who make the magic happen.
-Linda Puckett, Roanoke
Mea Culpae
* In May/June's short on the new LOVEworks in downtown Roanoke, the correct
amount of the grant associated with the
project is $1,200.

THE LONG ARM OF VLADIMIR PUTIN?
Due to a problem in uploading files to our printer, parts of page 63 in May/June's Best of Roanoke awards were illegible.
Below are the categories and winners from that page. Our apologies to the winners.

BEST THING TO HAPPEN IN ROANOKE,
2013
Platinum (tie): Center in the Square

updates; Elmwood Park renovation
Silver: Announcement of
Passenger Rail

8 JULY/AUGUST 2014

BEST NEW BUSINESS, 2013

BEST KEPT SECRET IN TOWN

Platinum:

Platinum: Just Dance Roanoke

Pure Barre
Gold: Parkway Brewing Co.
Silver: The Candy Store

Gold: Brickhouse CrossFit
Silver: Roanoke Valley CrossFit

THE

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The Roanoker - July/August 2014

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