WA State Council History
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WASHINGTON STATE COUNCIL Knights of Columbus HISTORY 1902 – 2018 GEORGE C. TURK PSD Former State Historian THOMAS L. WEBER PSD Former State Historian Joseph M. St.Hilaire Current State Historian THE SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON Thomas A. Daly J. Peter Sartain Joseph T. Tyson Bishop of Spokane Archbishop of Seattle Bishop of Yakima THE LEADER OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Carl A. Anderson Supreme Knight 2018 - 2019 STATE OFFICERS State Deputy State Chaplain State Secretary Robert J. Baemmert Rev. Kenneth T. St.Hilaire Patrick L. Kelley State Treasurer State Advocate State Warden Kim L. Washburn Gregory S. Mahoney Thomas C. Williams Immediate Past State Deputy Executive Director Eddie L. Parazoo John L. Walker 2018 - 2019 STATE OFFICERS ROBERT J. BAEMMERT STATE DEPUTY 2017-2019 Robert Baemmert was born in Wisconsin in 1957. Since then he has been an ardent Green Bay Packers fan and shareholder. Bob attended the University of Wisconsin for undergraduate study until being accepted to dental school in 1978. He graduated from Marquette University School of Dentistry in 1982. He immediately joined the US Navy Dental Corps out of dental school and he served the country for 10 years on active duty during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He received a Navy Achievement Medal, National Defense Ribbon, served two tours overseas, and was a member of three meritorious units. He was specialty-trained in prosthodontics (a dental specialty) at the National Naval Dental School at Bethesda, Maryland, and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. He was honorably discharged from the Navy at the rank of Lieutenant Commander, in 1992. Upon entering the private sector, Bob set up his own practice in the Tri-Cities and served in his own practice for 20 years, and he has served the poor in his community by practicing two days a week at Tri-Cities Community Health, a Migrant Health Clinic. He has done this for 22 years. Bob also volunteered at the Grace Clinic, a free medical and dental clinic for the 40,000 working poor in his community that do not have medical or dental insurance. As a member of the Dental Advisory Committee, Bob helped develop their Free Dental Clinic. Bob was also active in the United Way. He has served as Cabinet Chairman for the Professional Division during two of their fund-raising campaigns. He was a “Featured Volunteer” on the Benton-Franklin 2008 United Way’s campaign video. Bob served five years in the Richland Rotary and is a Paul Harris fellow. Bob joined the Knights of Columbus in 1999. In those eighteen years he has served as Grand Knight, Faithful Navigator, District Deputy, Central Regional District Coordinator, State Family Chairman, State Warden and General Program Director, State Advocate and Membership Director, State Treasurer, State Secretary and is the current State Deputy. He has been awarded his council’s Knight of the Year Award and his Assembly’s Sir Knight of the Year Award twice. As District Deputy, he earned the Star District Award and he was named the 2005 District Deputy of the Year. Bob has been married to his wife Valerie for 34 years and they have a son, Al. FR. KENNETH ST.HILAIRE STATE CHAPLAIN 2017-2019 Father Kenneth St.Hilaire was born and raised in Pasco, Washington, the youngest of seven children. A graduate of St. Patrick School and Pasco High School, he obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Central Washington University in Ellensburg. In 2002, he entered priestly formation and attended Bishop White Seminary for one year of pre- theology. He then began his theological studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, attending the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) for three years and then the Pontifical Institute of Spirituality (Teresianum) for two years to receive his Licentiate in Spiritual Theology. After being ordained a priest in 2007 and finishing his final year at the PNAC, Father Kenny was assigned as Parochial Vicar at St. Francis Xavier and St. Patrick parishes in Spokane and as the Director of Spiritual Formation at Bishop White. In 2010, he became Pastor at St. Patrick Parish where he served for three years. From 2013 to 2017, he served as Pastor of the parishes in Wilbur, Odessa and Ritzville. In July of 2017, he began his current assignment in the towns of Colville, Kettle Falls and Northport. He serves as Chaplain to the Lay Missionaries of Charity and to the Spokane chapter of EnCourage. He continues to offer spiritual direction at Bishop White and to priests, women religious and laypeople. He has been the State Chaplain for the Washington Knights of Columbus since July of 2016. In spare moments, Father Kenny enjoys playing the piano, tackling crossword puzzles and word games, and being in the great outdoors. PATRICK L. KELLEY STATE SECRETARY 2017-2019 [Missing] KIM L. WASHBURN STATE TREASURER 2017-2019 Kim Washburn was born in Missouri and raised on a farm there. His parents belonged to the First Christian Church, and he recalled that his father was a ceremonialist in the Masonic Order. Kim converted to Catholicism in 1983, much to the chagrin of his family. He attended high school in King City, MO, and then Central Missouri University where he completed a BS in aviation technology. Kim entered flight school and earned numerous flight certificates and ratings. He flew for 29 years in more than 50 different types of aircraft, doing crop dusting, aerial photography, acrobatics, helicopters, gliders, freight hauling, and instructing. He achieved his dream job, flying 12 with American Airlines out of O’Hare Airport in Chicago. He accumulated more than 17,000 flight hours. However, his flying career ended when it was discovered that he had a benign brain tumor. Surgery was successful but he was put on medical leave. Kim joined the Knights of Columbus in and Council 753 in Belvidere IL. In 2003. He held three different offices with that council before moving to Hoodsport, WA, in 2008 and shortly after to Olympia, bringing with him the Tootsie Roll Program. He served as Tootsie Roll chairman, 2011-15. He served as Deputy Grand Knight and then Grand Knight for two terms and then as District Deputy of District 31, receiving the Triple Start District Award for that year, 2014-15. He was Membership Director for 2015-17, Program Director for 2013-14, and was elected State Warden in 2013, State Advocate in 2015, and State Treasurer in 2017. He was program director, 2013-14. Kim took his fourth degree with Bishop Muldoon Assembly 190 in 2003. Kim and his wife Barbara were married in Stanberry, MO, in 1997, and they have two daughters, Jessica and Anna. Kim’s hobbies are traveling, cutting and splitting wood, gardening, and rental property management. Currently they live in Leavenworth. GREGORY S. MAHONEY STATE ADVOCATE 2017-2019 [Missing)] THOMAS C. WILLIAMS STATE WARDEN 2017-2019 Tom Williams was born in Seattle, Washington, in the old Sisters of Providence Hospital. He was raised in what is now Shoreline, Washington, son of Hill and Mary Lou Williams. He has one sister and three brothers. He attended St. Luke Elementary School, O’Dea High School, and graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in journalism and history. Tom married his wife Dawna in 1996, having met while both worked at King County Medical in Seattle. They have two children – Matthew, a sophomore at Western Washington University, and Brendan, who will start at O’Dea High School in the fall of 2018. Tom has spent most of his career working in the IT field, and currently manages the software development team at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center. Tom joined the Knights of Columbus in 2009 when St. Luke Council 14689 was formed, and he was elected Charter Deputy Grand Knight at the first meeting in February of that year. He served as Grand Knight, 2009 – 2011, and led the council to achieve the Double Star Award both years. Tom served as District Deputy from 2012 – 2016 under State Deputies Don McBride, George Czerwonka, Jr. and Eddie L. Parazoo, moving three councils from inactive to active status, and helping to launch a new council. He served as the WSC bulletin editor from 2015 – 2017. He was elected as State Warden at the 114th Annual Convention in Olympia in 2017, and he also serves as the General Program Direction under State Deputy Bob Baemmert. Tom is a 4th Degree Knight and is the Charter Faithful Navigator of the George Thomas Corbett Assembly 3757, which was named after his grandfather, a Knight for almost 70 years. Tom is a fifth-generation Knight of Columbus, with roots going back to 1902 in Fond du Lac, WI. EDDIE L. PARAZOO IMMEDIATE PAST STATE DEPUTY 2015-2017 Eddie Parazoo was born in his grandmother's home in rural Alaska in 1960, as his father, uncles, and grandfather were out on a hunting trip. Imagine the surprise when the hunting party returned home the next day! He was named after his grandfather. Eddie grew up mostly in Washington but did spend some time in Oregon and Alaska during his younger years. Eddie was the third of six children in his family. Eddie graduated high school in Kettle Falls, Washington, and promptly started college classes that fall. He attended Spokane Community College and graduated with an associate in applied science degree in data processing. Eddie met Dawna Davenport through her brother, who was a college classmate of Eddie's. For Eddie, it was love at first sight. They dated more than a year and then they were married in December 1983.