Bill and Barb Leightenheimer accept Hiking Club awards. (Photo by Ruth Leman)
Lynda Green
On Oct. 25 the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club gathered at Catalina State Park for its semi-annual picnic celebration. Unlike their spring picnic, which serves as the club’s annual meeting, the fall event simply creates a venue for a large group of members to get together, talk about hikes and other travels, and just be with one another.
This fall’s occasion was special, though, because it marked the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Hiking Club. It was 25 years ago, in 1999, when SaddleBrooke resident Bill Leightenheimer decided that the community needed a club dedicated to spending time in nature hiking on the area’s surrounding trails, learning about our desert environment, and enjoying each other’s company in the outdoors. Therefore, Club President Ken Wong and the current board presented Bill with a commemorative plaque for his contributions. It reads, “25th Anniversary Tribute Presented to Bill Leightenheimer In Recognition of Your Founding of the Club, September 8, 1999.” After gracing Bill’s shelf for a while, this plaque will be displayed in the SaddleBrooke One clubhouse, downstairs, in the hallway behind the Pro Shop.
In addition to Bill’s efforts, his wife Barb designed the club logo and actually led the first official club hike. A plaque for her reads, “25th Anniversary Tribute Presented to Barb Leightenheimer In Recognition of Guiding the Club’s 1st Hike, October 17, 1999: Canyon Loop Trail, Catalina State Park.”
Many other people have made the Hiking Club a successful and attractive feature of the community. Each year the board has recognized a Volunteer of the Year, but this year the choice of one outstanding volunteer proved too hard to decide. Thus, Wong presented REI gift cards to all of the following people for their efforts: Bruce Hale, program chair; Bill MacSween, Technology Committee; Dave Schafer, Technology Committee; Tim Butler, hiking guide, along with his many other roles; Terry Heggy, videographer; and Missy Rodey, Picnic Committee chair.
Before and after the presentations, members lined up for delicious fried chicken, many potluck selections, and then all those desserts. (Who made that scrumptious rum cake, anyway?)