More than 80 years since Presque Isle last awarded an honorary “Key to the City,” city officials revived the tradition Wednesday evening, distinguishing a World War II veteran and longtime city attorney with the honor.
Hugo Olore, who is 102, landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day in 1944 as a member of the U.S. Army. He later practiced law back in the U.S. His “service and devotion,” to both his country and to Presque Isle, where he served as city attorney for 40 years, earned him the achievement, city councilors said.
“Facing unimaginable danger, Hugo answered the call of duty with courage and resolve,” City Council Chair Jeff Willette said. “That day marked him as part of what we now call, ‘the greatest generation,’ and it shaped the steady, determined character that guided the rest of his life.”
Olore graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in 1950 and joined the Presque Isle law firm that would become Phillips, Olore, Dunleavy & York P.A.
Wednesday evening, during a special council meeting called specifically to present the award, he walked back through the doors of City Hall and into the council chambers, and reminisced on his service.
“This is the first time I’ve appeared [here] with tears in my eyes,” Olore said to the council. “I just want to thank everybody in Presque Isle. This is quite a surprise … There’s one thing I miss in retirement: these meetings.”
The revival of the Key to the City program, officially named the Lifetime Achievement Key to the City Award, is the brainchild of City Manager Sonja Eyler, who announced her intention to start it in July. The program was officially approved by a council vote in August.
“I love it when our citizens gather to celebrate one among us, and I love it when the council has an opportunity to celebrate a citizen that has dedicated so much of their life to making our community better,” Eyler said.
Recipients are chosen by a special committee. The honor will be given out sparingly, Eyler said, only “when the committee feels that there is someone worthy.”
“We will probably not wait eight decades,” she said with a laugh. “But if it’s annual, that will be a lot … Certainly when somebody comes into view that is of the magnitude that Mr. Olore is. We will have a committee ready.”
The last Key to the City that Presque Isle awarded was on October 10, 1940, given to a Paramount News anchor visiting the city to cover its famous potato barrel racing contest, councilors said.
“Tonight, we bring back this tradition in a new and meaningful way,” Councilor Harold Hull, a member of the award committee, said Wednesday. “Instead of honoring a visitor passing through, we are recognizing one of our own. Someone whose lifetime of service, commitment and integrity has made Presque Isle stronger, wiser and better for generations.”
