John Guess IV has been accepted into Leadership Houston, Class XXXIV. Guess is a senior finance and portfolio analyst with the City of Houston Controller’s Office.

Leadership Houston was formed in 1982 to bring together leaders from different communities to increase dialogue and foster collaboration on projects that improve the quality of life for Houstonians.

Participants come from the from business and non-profit sectors. Leadership Houston’s alumni include Mayor Annise Parker and Controller Ronald C. Green.

Houston Firefighters Captain Brad Hawthorne and Engineer Operator Dwayne Wyble have been selected as “2014 Firehouse Heroism Award” Honorees from “Firehouse Magazine” for their heroic actions in March of last year.

Fire Chief Terry Garrison presented the awards to the crew of Tower 18 on July 2, 2015. Firefighters Luis Bernal and Luis Gonzalez also received recognition from Firehouse Magazine for their efforts during the incident.

More about the incident: On March 25, 2014, Ladder 18 responded to a fire in the area of West Dallas and Montrose. As the crew of Ladder 18 began their operations, there was a small amount of smoke coming from the building, however within seconds the smoke turned rapidly moving fire. While putting the ladder to the roof, they spotted someone emerge on a 5th floor balcony.

Captain Hawthorne was on the tip of the ladder and viewed the roof. Engineer Operator Wyble moved the ladder in the direction of the victim with the Captain and the other two firefighters still on the ladder. They had to move fast because of the rapid spread of the fire.

The fire was venting through the door as the trapped person grabbed the ledge of the patio and swung himself down to the 4th floor patio. The adder reached the 4th floor and the Captain made his way to the very tip of the ladder as the trapped construction worker climbed onto the ladder.

Once the rescued person was with the Captain, Wyble quickly moved the ladder to away from the building due to the extreme heat. Within seconds and while still moving the ladder away from the building, the roof and 5th floor had a catastrophic collapse sending burning debris on to the 4th floor the building.

The collapse nearly missed the Captain and victim, landing within a few feet of the rear of the ladder truck. The Captain and construction worker were able to safely exit the ladder once they reached a safe distance from the building. It was a mere 4 minutes from the start of the aerial operations to the collapse.

Human  Resources Director Omar Reid delivered the commencement address to the graduating
class of North American University. 

His message to graduates was:

1. The harder you are on yourself when no one is looking, the easier life is on you when everyone is looking.

2. There is a big difference between talent and desire.

3. Success is where opportunity meets preparation.

The City of Houston Municipal Court Department is home to this year's court Clerk of the Year for Texas.

MCD's Clerk of Court Charlotte Booker was named this year's recipient of the award by the Texas Municipal Clerks Association. She will receive the honor in recognition for her excellent work with the Houston MCD at the TMCA annual meeting in August. 

Houston Airport System's Rhonda Arnold is not just making a difference in aviation locally, she is making an impact on the industry nationally.

Arnold, HAS director of community relations, has been actively involved with the Airport Minority Advisory Council, a national aviation nonprofit organization that promotes minority participation in aviation. Her work and devotion to that cause was recognized at the 2015 Airport Minority Advisory Council meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in June.

At the AMAC meeting, Arnold was presented with the AMAC Chairman's Award. The award honors a change agent from inside or outside the organization who has helped AMAC transform itself and improve its effectiveness by focusing on such matters as organizational effectiveness, improvement, and development.

AMAC is the only national, non-profit trade association dedicated to promoting the full participation of minority-owned, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises in airport contracting and the inclusion of minorities and women in employment. The organization works to eliminate the barriers to minority and women participation in the airport industry and to capitalize on the opportunities available in the industry.

HPL received the 2015 Families Learning Innovation Showcase Award from the National Center for Families Learning during its recent Families Learning Summit 2015, "Two Generations: One Goal."

HPL was recognized for its Toyota Family Learning Program. The program is based on the library’s innovative approach in leading the next generation of families learning together. HPL’s innovation is Families United Now at the Houston Public Library — A F.U.N. Plan with Purpose! 

The F.U.N. plan serves as a tool to encourage learning, foster family traditions, instill family values and promote activities such as reading at the library, playing video games, hiking at the park, or planting a community garden. It is a simple yet powerful instrument to transform the way families engage, connect and learn.