Howard Jorgenson gave and gave to his community

Talk to relatives and others who, over the past 50-plus years, knew and worked with Howard Jorgenson and "shy" or "reserved" would not be words that come to mind when describing this iconic community figure.

But that's how Medical Lake High School's current principal, Chris Spring, described his first encounter with Jorgenson, who passed away May 2 at age 76. His passing was voted as one of the top news stories in 2016.

"It was a unique beginning of a relationship with him," Spring said, who was hired as baseball coach at Medical Lake in 1998.

Jorgenson had a passion for softball and baseball,...