SCORE creates award in honor of Merced insurance figure

The Modesto-Merced Chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives recently designed a volunteerism award it has named after a corps member who died last year.

The corps plans to hand out the first Peter Fluetsch Award at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Merced Chamber of Commerce, 1640 N St. The award is named after the longtime owner of Fluetsch & Busby Insurance, who was a member of the corps.

Al Kessler, 80, of Atwater will receive the award, which celebrates volunteer work. Kessler said he is honored to be receiving the award but was quick to put the spotlight on the man for whom the award is named.

“My focus is on honoring Peter,” he said.

Fluetsch, who was a well-known Merced businessman, died unexpectedly last year, Kessler said. For 45 years, Fluetsch played Merced’s Santa Claus while visiting schools in the area. He was also general chairman of the building fund for St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

Kessler said the corps wanted to honor Fluetsch because he was well-respected and always held high ethical standards. “He was always concerned about doing the right thing,” Kessler said.

Fluetsch was a lifelong member and supporter of the Boy Scouts of America. He was an Eagle Scout and attended worldwide jamborees.

Kessler, a 20-year member of the corps, served as a mentor to help hundreds of new and existing small businesses design business, financial and marketing plans. The corps is an organization that helps people decide if they want to start a small business, and, if they do, helps them get it off the ground.

Kessler was a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force and retired from Castle Air Base in 1976. He was a bookkeeper in Atwater before becoming chief financial officer for Carnation’s can division, where he was responsible for installing computerized systems in 13 of its plants. More recently, he volunteers as a tour guide at the Castle Air Museum.

Bill Seabury, the chairman of the local chapter, said the corps is pleased to be able to honor both Fleutsch and Kessler with this year’s award. “Peter embodied the spirit that SCORE wanted reflected by the recipient of this award,” he said in a statement.

The corps is an affiliate of the Small Business Administration with 300 chapters and 11,000 volunteers.

This story was originally published June 12, 2015 at 5:47 PM with the headline "SCORE creates award in honor of Merced insurance figure."