Does Sam Montalbano know how to say no? Terry Young of Springfield doesn’t think so. “I don’t know that he’s told anybody no," said Young, who nominated Montalbano for The State Journal-Register’s 2019 First Citizen Award. “He’s always been the guy, no matter what you needed, you knew you could always count on him to do whatever was asked of him.”

Those things people needed him for covered a wide range of endeavors. A list of Montalbano’s activities includes his well-known work on behalf of veterans to formerly serving in elective office and even volunteering to lead the clean-up crew after Sacred Heart-Griffin’s annual mostaccioli dinner. “You’d never know he was 90 years old,” Young said. “He goes like the energizer bunny. I don’t know how he finds the time to do everything he does.”