Bruce Landeck
Ken Wong recently completed his one-year term as president of the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club. His background and past experiences, as well as his attention to detail and dedication to perfection, enabled him to be a perfect fit for this leadership position. The SaddleBrooke Hiking Club is the second largest sanctioned club in our community, with more than 500 members.
Ken grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and graduated in 1966 from the same high school that Barack Obama attended. He then came to the mainland and enrolled at Purdue University where he received his undergraduate degree in industrial management. Afterwards, he joined the United States Air Force and served from 1970 to 1974, attaining the rank of Captain. Ken was stationed in Grand Forks, N.D., and worked at an anti-ballistic missile site as a launch control officer. After his service, he enrolled at Michigan State University where he received his master’s degree in finance. From there, Ken worked 33 years in the Finance Department at Rockwell Collins, a multinational corporation providing avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aircraft manufacturers. During those years, Ken lived in Iowa, Texas, Florida, and California.
Ken and Marge Wong married in 1975 and will soon celebrate their 50th anniversary. They have two children, Christine and Daniel, and four granddaughters: Kalea (11), Leilana (9), Emma (2), and Abby (4 months). Some of Ken’s interests, other than spending time with family and working on club matters, include travel with Marge and a round of golf.
Ken’s many accomplishments for our Hiking Club include creating the club’s website in 2011, serving as its webmaster since then, auditing the club’s books, serving on various committees (including bylaws, technology, and trips), helping with the club bulletins and newsletter, maintaining the club’s archives, and holding board positions as secretary, vice president, and president. Additionally, Ken was unanimously named 2022 Volunteer of the Year by the board. He also was the first recipient of the club’s Trailblazer award in 2016, given annually “For meritorious service above and beyond simply being a member of the Hiking Club, for performing duties greater than expected, and for exhibiting leadership that we all admire.” Oh, and Ken goes on hikes, too, recently returning from the club’s trip to Palm Springs (where he was Trip Registrant).
Incoming president Dale Leman recently made this observation about Ken: “As vice president over the past 12 months, I had the honor of working directly with Ken. He is a hard worker with a positive outlook that energizes our members. Being an all-volunteer club, I noted how often he expressed thanks to our members who step up and volunteer. Ken is inclusive to all and a real asset to our club.”
Ken’s involvement and leadership over many years is a main reason why our club has been successful. Thank you, President Ken Wong, for your commitment to making ours a better club and for a job well done. We are honored to have you as a member!