Awards are sweet when they come one at a time, but what happens when they come two at a time? Ask Deacon Bob Vogelbaugh, who was inducted into the Moline High School Hall of Honor on Jan. 15, and received the Spirit of Saints Francis and Clare Award from the University of St. Francis in Joliet during commencement exercises the next day.

Deacon Vogelbaugh graduated from Moline High School in 1959 and was honored with six other alumni for “outstanding professional achievements, community service and being a positive influence on the lives of others.”

“Bob Vogelbaugh’s generosity to those in need has been the hallmark of his philanthropic endeavors,” school officials said. Among other things, “Mr. Thanksgiving” founded the annual community Thanksgiving dinner in the Quad Cities in 1970, has been recognized for his work with the homeless, the elderly and youth, and has served on the Moline School Board since 2005.

The Spirit of Saints Francis and Clare Award is presented to an Illinois resident who provides “a living example” of the Franciscan values embraced by the University of St. Francis community. The Joliet institution also cited his work to make Thanksgiving brighter for those who have nowhere else to go, and highlighted his ministries of teaching CCD classes, taking Communion to hospitalized parishioners, and even washing the church laundry.

In addition, university officials noted his service on boards for the Association for Retarded Citizens of Rock Island County, the Quad City Coalition for People with Mental Health Problems, the Council on Community Services, and Skills Inc.

The Moline High School Hall of Honor Committee summed it up by saying, “Bob Vogelbaugh has spent a lifetime improving life in the Quad Cities area.”