Dayton volunteer honored with Jefferson Award

Armand Arnett has made it his personal mission for the past 24 years to make sure some of the area's oldest residents are cared for in their final resting place.

Almost every day, Arnett, 86, walks through the Dayton Cemetery, getting rid of weeds and other debris and performing other tasks.

"I guess you could put your finger on anything under maintenance and that's what I do," he said.

For his volunteer efforts at the cemetery and other places, Arnett will be honored with a National Jefferson Award in Washington, D.C., later this month.

Arnett began volunteering in the 1980s and '90s with Monte Fast to expand the services of Friends in Service Helping.

Arnett wired the main building as well as the medical building for telephone and computer service. His work saved FISH about $250,000 over the years.

He also has done volunteer telephone and computer installation for Lyon County government buildings.

"I spent 40 years with the Bell company," he said. "I could wire up anything. I felt an obligation because I have the knowledge and the ability."

He also keeps an eye out for anything that might be awry in the cemetery and alerts the county.

He led a community effort to restore "Old Virginny's" gravestone when it was vandalized last year.

James "Old Virginny" Finney, after whom Virginia City was named, draws visitors from around the world. He is perhaps the most famous of the pioneers buried in the cemetery, founded in 1851.

Another notable gravesite is that of Gov. Charles Russell, who led Nevada from 1950 to 1958.

Arnett said "love of country" is what inspires him to serve.

"I spent two years, two months and 10 days in Korea," he explained. "I was fortunate, but many of my best friends died over there. I really wanted to do something to give back to them."

He said he was "humbled" by the recognition, however, family health problems will prevent him from traveling to Washington, D.C., on June 21 to receive the award.

Instead, his longtime friend, Bob Delask, will accept it in his honor.