Local man sings to dog, wins award

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

By PJH Staff

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Local janitor and seasonal laborer Duke Pith was presented the Citizen of the Year Award from the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce at their annual awards event last Thursday.

“I can’t believe I really won. I was only there for the free food,” Pith said in an interview.

Pith saved a family of 17 baby ducks by wrestling a rabid dog to the ground and singing songs to lull it to sleep until officials arrived on the scene. He called 911 from his own cell phone while simultaneously wrestling the Airedale-mix away from the ducks.
A family of South Dakota tourists captured the event on video. After being posted on YouTube, the story was picked up by media outlets around the world.

Last week’s ceremony not only honored Pith’s act of heroism, but also his way of life.
“Pith is so core,” said Larry Squirrels, a chamber spokesman. “He not only lives on a diet of peanut butter, cereal, crackers and ketchup, but he also cleans up children’s vomit and compacts paper waste in the women’s bathrooms at Teton Village. Messy women’s bathrooms are considered the number one way to lose an entire family’s return business.”

Squirrels’ speech focused on this “quiet heroism” of Pith’s, not the flashy, high profile heroism associated with fuzzy animals.
This winter, Pith stopped in several times a day to various bathrooms to compress the soggy paper towels with his work boot.

“If you aren’t there to help, people will just toss more paper towels on top of a full can, until it spills onto the floor,” Pith said. “People are stupid. That is why I am here.”
This winter, Pith lived on a $100-per-week salary by eating peanut butter and the No.3 at Nick Wilson’s. The No.3 is four packages of saltines and seven packages of ketchup mixed together in a Styrofoam cup with hot water. The No.3 is known as the only “free meal” on the mountain.

In a controversial statement, which has since put his position in jeopardy, Chamber Chairman Greene Stinks said, “In this era of sustainability, we salute non-consumers. By spending very little money, people like Pith take a stance against the evil forces of corporate America.”

Pith intends to spend his money on new skis and organic peanut butter. He hopes to save enough of the prize money to go unemployed for the entirety of next ski season.
Pith will speak to high school students about their futures at next week’s career fair.
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Local man sings to dog, wins award | Planet JH News Article: Flipside

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