Gunnison Lions Club honors Karl Humphrey with humanitarian award

GUNNISON — The Gunnison Valley Lions Club presented Axtell resident Karl Humphrey with its Humanitarian Service Award during the club’s annual banquet Feb. 19.

Humphrey said he had tried to learn the name of this year’s recipient so he could order the plaque. Fellow Lions members kept the selection confidential until the night of the dinner, when they announced his name.

The Lions Humanitarian Award is the club’s highest honor, presented to individuals or organizations for exemplary humanitarian efforts.

Humphrey’s wife, Debra, reviewed decades of service spanning his youth to the present. She said he began learning service at a young age while working in his family’s large garden in Salina and shoveling snow for four widows who lived nearby. She said he learned those examples from his grandparents and parents, who were not wealthy but gave what they could to others and served in community, church and political roles.

Karl Humphrey has continued that pattern of service, she said, serving on political and civic boards in city and state positions while managing five retail businesses. “He managed five retail businesses and still has contact with many of the customers/friends today,” she said.

He has also spent significant time in church service, including serving in a bishopric, working as a young men’s coach, and serving as a missionary with his wife in the Texas San Antonio Mission. The couple currently serves together in the Boulder Branch at the Central Utah Correctional Facility.

Debra Humphrey said her husband prefers to serve quietly. He would “rather serve unnoticed and quietly,” she said, but he values being part of the Lions community.

She closed by expressing appreciation for his steady support at home. “I personally am grateful for his kindness, humor, diligence and willingness to support me and our family through life trials and accomplishments,” she said.

Two Lions Club members also addressed the importance of service during the banquet.

Lori Nay outlined the history of the Gunnison club and its projects, including efforts to secure construction of Utah S.R. 28 from Gunnison to Levan and work to create and beautify the river walkway.

Thomas Bore said service often requires sacrifice. “Strong communities don’t happen by accident. They happen because small groups of people take responsibility for where they live,” he said.

Lions Clubs International, founded in 1917, is the world’s largest service club organization, with more than 1.4 million members. Its motto is “We Serve.”