The Maurice Courtright Award recognizes Washington State Chapter members who influence others to accomplish great deeds via a caring attitude and who inspire others to greatness beyond the limits they themselves ever imagined. It is given to people who believe that to elevate and make great the individuals in an organization will make the organization vastly greater and stronger for the benefit of all. Maurice Courtright award recipients are “the heart and soul” of the Washington Chapter.

2022 Recipient, Keith Flewelling

“As anyone who has been involved in the Washington Chapter or the advisory committee for a while knows- that’s Keith. His work with the APCO/NENA Public and Government Affairs committee and here at the AC has been about insuring our PSAPS have the resources they need and that our telecommunications get the recognition they deserve. It’s about advancing our industry and the public safety telecommunications profession. Keith is someone who will take on any job that’s asked of him and work hard to see it through. He is a mentor, a role model, an example, and an inspiration for many. For these reasons and so many more Jackie Jones and I are proud to add Keith’s name to the list of Washington State Chapter Maurice Courtright award recipients.” ~ Richard Kirton

Previous Maurice Courtright Award Recipients

The Maurice Courtright Award was bestowed to the NW Chapter of APCO by his widow, so the memory of Maury should be kept alive in the organization he so loved.

This award is not about deeds, or numbers, or accomplishments, nor has it anything to do with financial successes, or chairmanships, or most anything else normally used to measure a person. The award does speak volumes about the inspiration behind those deeds, numbers, accomplishments and successes of that person’s associates. The Maurice Courtright award is bestowed upon those individuals having a positive, caring attitude, who believe that to elevate and make great the individuals in an organization will make the organization vastly greater and stronger for the benefit of all. Thus making significant contributions to the NW (now Washington) Chapter of APCO through personality, persuasion, caring, and efforts of helping others outside of the normal work assignments.

For the Maurice Courtright Award, we must seek out those candidates who lead without being a leader, who influence others to accomplish great deeds via a caring attitude and who inspire others to greatness beyond the limits they themselves ever imagined. “The spark plug of life,” so to speak. Or. To put it another way, “the heart and soul” of the Washington Chapter of APCO. Those candidates are there. We have but to observe and seek them out.

Maury Courtright was an instructor in electronics at Central Washington University when he was tapped to become the radio engineer for the Washington State Department of Transportation. He joined the NW Chapter of APCO in 1973. Those who knew Maury quickly understood that (in addition to his family), he had two passions, electronics/communications and flying his airplane. Maury quickly made friends within the APCO family and added a third passion: The NW Chapter of APCO.

When Maury scheduled his work trips, he always tried to include side trips to the local agencies to promote APCO and offer his services. Often when he traveled to a chapter meeting, he would stop along with way and pick up members. Using his airplane for long trips or his DOT car for shorter trips or when inclement weather prevented safe flying, Maury became an unofficial ambassador for the NW Chapter of APCO. His easy smile and unabashed interest in his companions and their interests enabled Maury to draw members to the APCO meetings and take on chapter activities.

A conversation with Maury was an open invitation to join him on a journey to become his friend. A friend you can rely upon and trust. A friend who encourages you to excel in all things and to become a better person.

It was late at night that the accident happened. Maury and his friend, a trooper with the WSP, were returning to Olympia from a personal trip. It had been a long trip and it is speculated that both the pilot and passenger were extremely fatigued. It is unknown who had been at the controls at the time the plane crashed but both men perished. The WSP lost a good trooper and the WSDOT lost a good engineer. The loss set back WSDOT communications progress by seven years and NW APCO lost its volunteer ambassador.