By PAT BENNETT-FORMAN
On Sept. 25, the Greater Kingston Kiwanis Club honored Robert “Bobby” Lee with the rare title of “Distinguished Kiwanian.”
Lee has served Kingston Kiwanis and the Kingston area for 30 years. He was a founding member of the Kingston Kiwanis Club in l984, along with Kingston notables Cy Wyse, Mike Wallace and Bud Meredith.
Citing his demonstrated commitment to the ideals of Kiwanis and his long record of leadership and service, I commented that the recognition was long overdue. Speaking to an audience of Kiwanis members, spouses, and community leaders, I said that “There is not a single person in this room who has not been positively influenced by Bobby.”
Past President Dick Osborn added that Bob Lee was single-handedly responsible for the membership of most of the Kiwanians in the room.
Lee began his long association with Kingston in March 1979, soon after being transferred to Bangor Submarine Base by the Navy. As a result of an impromptu St. Patrick’s Day parade, initiated by Bobby and complete with lumber trucks, fire trucks, an ambulance and happy citizens, Lee was recruited to work on the Fourth of July Celebration.
In those days, there was no “Tiny Town”; bath tub races, a greased pole climb, slug races and a chainsaw contest livened the holiday.
After the Fourth of July, conversations with Mike Wallace and Cy Wyse soon morphed into the notion of establishing a service club in the area to help neighbors and children and to “get Kingston away from its ‘wild west of Kitsap County’ reputation.”
Liking the Kiwanis mission of “Serving the Children of the World,” Lee, Wyse and Wallace, along with Quentin Gillman, Bill Reynolds, Bud Meredith, Pastor Duane Sabin and eight others, formed Kingston’s first service club. With help from Poulsbo members, including Hal Hoover and Tom Brooks, the club was officially charted in 1984.
“Old-time Kingston residents will remember the Kingston Inn as serving the best breakfast in town in those days and that is where the Kiwanis Club met until the Inn burned down,” Lee recalled. “We had a lot of fun and helped a lot of people.”
Kiwanis focused on “Children — Priority One” projects around Kingston and on the elderly and taking care of people living at home.
Recognizing the value of the members’ spouses in accomplishing its many projects, Lee spearheaded a movement to allow women into Kiwanis International. Aided by federal legislation, in 1986 Kiwanis was the first service club to admit women as full-fledged members. Sammy Quinn and Kathy Sutton were among those early women members. Lee commented that in 1989, when Sutton was president, “the club really started to take off.”
Lee served as Kingston Kiwanis president for two terms and as club secretary, receiving recognition from International for his distinguished service in both capacities. He was also recognized for his member recruitment successes.
Lee has served on the club’s board of trustees a number of terms, including the current 2014-16 term. He has also been a faithful contributor to the Kingston Community News with his Kiwanis articles.
Lee has donated many hours of volunteer service to the community: tutoring at Wolfle Elementary School, chairing many of the Kiwanis Food Drives for the Kingston Food Bank and ShareNet, as well as highway clean-up and work parties to repair homes of seniors.
He and Pete DeBoer, port commissioner, established a junior Kiwanis Club, known as the Builders Club, at Kingston Middle School that operated for many years. Lee has contributed hours to raise funds for Kiwanis International efforts to eradicate iodine deficiency (which causes blindness) and maternal neo-natal tetanus.
Throughout his career in Kiwanis, Bob Lee has exemplified the purposes of Kiwanis, led others in giving service to children and families, and promoted Kiwanis in the community. He is truly a Distinguished Kiwanian and a leader of whom Kingston can be very proud.
— Pat Bennett-Forman is past president of the Greater Kingston Kiwanis Club.
