Joe Dawson served as a fire commissioner for the Spokane Valley Fire Department for more than 20 years before he stepped down in late May to focus on his health.
“The doctor told me I had to reduce the stress in my life,” Dawson said. “I have been so relaxed in the last two months.”
Dawson, who turns 77 in a few days, said he misses serving as a commissioner but was spending 20 hours a week or more on the job.
“It was time,” he said. “At my age, it was like having a half-time job.”
He was an educator for 38 years and spent 35 of those years in the West Valley School District. He was a teacher for 13 years, then a principal for 15 years and closed out his career as an administrator.