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The UNO Alumni Association will bestow its Citation for
Alumnus Achievement upon Robert C. Dahlquist during the University's winter
commencement ceremony Friday, Dec. 17, at the Omaha
Civic Auditorium. Dahlquist is chief of the Omaha fire Department.
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The Citation, instituted in 1949, is presented at each
UNO commencement. The Association's highest honor, it encompasses
professional or career achievement, community service, involvement in
business and professional associations, and fidelity to UNO.
Stephen G. Bodner, 2004 chairman of the UNO Alumni Association Board
of Directors, will present the award to Dahlquist, the 136th Citation
recipient.
Dahlquist earned an associate's degree in
fire protection technology from UNO in 1988 and a BGS in
health education in 2002.
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In April 2003, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey appointed Dahlquist fire
chief, replacing Joe Napravnik. He also succeeds his father and fellow UNO
alum, Horton Dahlquist, who held the post in the early 1980s. Horton
Dahlquist graduated from then-Omaha University with a BGS in 1966.
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Robert
Dahlquist joined the Omaha Fire Department in July 1981, less than half a year
before his father became chief. He slowly and steadily climbed the chain of
command while serving in
various capacities, including as an emergency medical technician and arson
investigator and with hazardous materials response.
In 1993 Dahlquist was certified as a
law enforcement officer through the Omaha Police Department. He was promoted to
fire captain in 1990 and to battalion fire chief in 1998. In the latter post
Dahlquist headed the department's training bureau and was responsible for
recruitment and training of Omaha's firefighters.
Dahlquist is the 28th chief of the
Omaha Fire Department, founded in 1860 and known then as "Pioneer Hook and
Ladder Company #1." The department today has 23 fire stations throughout the
city and a complement of nearly 650 firefighters, fire apparatus engineers,
captains, battalion chiefs and assistant chiefs.
An Omaha
Creighton Prep graduate, Dahlquist is a board member of the American Red Cross,
Heartland Chapter, of the National Safety Council, Omaha Chapter, and belongs
to several associations of fire chiefs. His wife, Pamela, also is a UNO
graduate (BA, 1990). The couple has three children.
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