Download a photo of Jeanette Pfaff.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Receptionist and administrative assistant Jeanette Pfaff is retiring after 24 years and 56 days as a stalwart presence at Pioneer PBS.
A staff party was held in Pfaff’s honor and she was feted with a poem describing her long journey with the resilient, rural-based, award-winning PBS station that has emerged as a leading public media platform for the small towns and farming communities in western and southwestern Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas and northwestern Iowa.
Throughout her tenure, Pfaff has seen Pioneer PBS emerge from a single tower station to a broadcast network involving 11 towers, and an extensive satellite and internet presence. “Everyday I open the mail and process the checks from places as far away as Wisconsin, Iowa, Fargo and Sioux Falls,” Pfaff said. “It is amazing to see that people from that far away value what we are doing here.”
As receptionist Pfaff has been the first person people see when they walk in the door and the first voice they hear when they call on the phone. As administrative assistant, Pfaff has served every department at the station with clerical tasks. She says she is most proud of the work she has done on the Your Legislators program, which will celebrate its 40th broadcast season starting in February, 2020. It has been Pfaff’s role to line up the guests for the show, to process questions from the viewing audience and to categorize segments of the show for online distribution.
Around the station, Jeanette is known for her attention to detail and her highly sought after skills as a proofreader for Pioneer PBS documents. In her private life, Pfaff distinguished herself in serving as the choir director for 31 years at Zion Lutheran Church in Appleton. Although she has now stepped down from that role, she continues to direct the bell choir there and she plays the flute in the Milan Community Band.
When asked what her post-Pioneer PBS plans are, Jeanette says she will go through a period of discernment to decide where to devote her time as a volunteer. She will continue to travel with her sister and continue to read the historical fiction and mystery novels she loves so much. She will not miss the 80-mile commute she has been making for the past two years since the Pioneer PBS headquarters moved from Appleton to Granite Falls.
“We are grateful for Jeanette’s long and dependable service to the Pioneer PBS membership,” said Pioneer PBS General Manager Les Heen. “Her dedication is an inspiration to all those who follow.” Heen added.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit: www.pioneer.org.
