Kiwanis Names 6 As Honorary Club Members

Kiwanis names 6 as honorary club members

Six distinguished Ann Arbor citizens were inducted as honorary downtown Kiwanians recently in a ceremony at the club’s regular Monday meeting.

Kiwanis member Gary Elling said the idea behind honorary membership is to “recognize outstanding leaders and the good things they do in behalf of the community.”

The honorary downtown Kiwanians for 1997-98 include:

Karen Betz, who, until she died recently from bone cancer, was the Director of Administration for IA Inc., an Ann Arbor-based company that deals in government contracts to develop new instruments and products.

Coleman Jewett has been a strong role model for many African Americans growing up in Ann Arbor. Jewett, a woodworker, was associated with the Ann Arbor Public Schools for 25 years as a teacher and successful administrator.

William B. Stapp is probably best known as the father of environmental education. He and his students are largely responsible for the spread of environmental education into school curricula around the world. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.

Newt Loken coached gymnastics for 36 seasons at the University of Michigan, during which time he won 12 Big Ten titles and 2 NCAA crowns. Twice national coach of the year, Loken is in the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Minnesota Athletic Sports Hall of Fame.

Burt and Sally Lamkin. As a pilot, Burt Lamkin helps with a state-run program that airlifts Christmas presents to children in foster homes around Michigan. A former educator and school principal, Lamkin does mission work with his wife for their church, West Side United Methodist Church, in Belize, Mexico, Louisiana and Russia.

Sally Lamkin is an educator who has taught at Washtenaw Community College and served as supervisor of the preschool education program for the Ann Arbor public school system. In 1976, she received the outstanding teacher award by the parent cooperative preschools international, and in 1996 WCC presented her with the outstanding citizen award.