CIS of Wilkes County – Kulynych named Citizen of the Year

Congrats Pete!  Pete is a former Communities In Schools Power of One Award winner!

The Wilkes Journal-Patriot

Kulynych named Citizen of the Year by Staff (Photo caption) PHOTO courtesy of DR. GORDON BURNS-Citizen of the year award is presented to Petro “Pete” Kulynych by North Wilkesboro Rotarians Joe McMillan, left, and Dr. Charles Bentley, right. Kulynych is in the center. North Wilkesboro Rotary Club presented the Citizen of the Year Award Monday night to Petro (Pete) Kulynych of Wilkesboro, one of the founding directors of Lowe’s Companies Inc. Making the presentation for the Rotary Club was Dr. Charles Bentley. Bentley said “This is a very special night for the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club. Each year, our club selects an outstanding person in our community to receive the “Citizen of the Year” award. Serving with me on the selection committee this year were Joe McMillan and John Matthews. The people who are selected for this prestigious award are people who have made and continue to make significant contributions to improve our community. These contributions may be in the form of monetary gifts, or in the form of giving of one’s time and talents, or simply by inspiring others through the way they have lived their lives. As you will soon see, this year’s recipient has made great contributions in each of the above categories. “While not a native of Wilkes, this year’s citizen of the year has spent over 60 years of his adult life in this county. This distinguished citizen was born to Ukranian immigrant parents in Altoona, Pa. on June 23, 1921. His father, Henry, was a coal miner, and he and his wife, Mary, raised nine children. No doubt, our recipient’s values were shaped by his parents who believed in a strong family, support for their church, a sound education for their children, and in the value of hard work. “By this time most of you have figured out who we are talking about, so it will be less awkward to refer to our honored guest simply as “Pete” for the remainder of this presentation.­ “I’m told that in high school Pete decided to take typing and shorthand courses because, to quote him, ‘that was where the girls were!’ Later in his life the skills he learned in those courses helped shape his career. After graduating from high school, his father took him to sign up for the newly-created Civilian Conservation Corps–the ‘CCC’s’–in Virginia. And since he could type, Pete was soon made chief clerk at NP-10 camp in Luray, Va. He later joined the National Park Service in North Carolina where they were building the Blue Ridge Parkway. “Pete received an appointment to Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy. Upon graduation from the academy, he married Roena Bullis, whom he had met in Wilkesboro while working with the National Park Service as a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps. But he still had to serve his country as an officer in the Merchant Marines. He served on the USS Basilan during WWII. “And then he came ‘home’ to Wilkesboro with his bride. He attended King’s Business College in Charlotte to gain more skills—he and his wife, Roena, were expecting their first child, and she suggested that he come home and find a job. It seems he was in the right place at the right time because Jim Lowe and Carl Buchan had opened a hardware and building materials store in North Wilkesboro, and they were looking for a male bookkeeper, and Pete was their man. And the rest is history—that was the beginning of a successful 50 year career with Lowe’s. Pete later became one of a five-member executive team that saw Lowe’s grow from a small regional store to a chain of hundreds of stores. “With us tonight is Bob Black, a longtime colleague of Pete at Lowe’s. Also, our own Arnold Lakey and Bud Province and perhaps other Rotarians worked with Pete over the years. One of these guys told me about being interviewed by Pete many years ago. After Pete looked at his application, he reportedly told him he would not get rich overnight if he came to work for Lowe’s, and that he sure couldn’t sit as he had been doing in his previous job as a shoe salesman. According to my source, both predictions proved to be true. Pete also told him that if they decided to hire him they would let him know. He went to work the next morning. Another story told to me by a former colleague had to do with Pete’s ability to save money for the company. It seems that Pete had ordered Christmas presents for several employees that were identical to the ones he had ordered the previous year–except this year the supplier had charged 10 cents more per item than before–Pete got on the phone and demanded they correct this and they did. Pete then told the executives who had observed this exchange that if you take care of your nickels and dimes, you won’t have to worry about your quarters and dollars. “Since retirement Pete has immersed himself in his growing family and in serving the needs of the community by giving generously to a variety of worthy causes. Time does not permit, nor, I suspect would Pete want us to enumerate all the causes he and his foundations have helped, but I would like to name just a few of the groups he has helped: Rainbow Center, Wilkes ADAPT, Child Abuse Center, Samaritan Kitchen and Wilkes Cares, Communities In Schools, Senior Citizens programs, Tiffany’s Place, Wilkes Playmakers, Wilkes Friends of the Library, Wilkes Regional Medical Center Auxiliary, various fire departments and rescue squads and many sports and academic programs and various scholarships. “Well, you get the idea—he is a very generous person—Perhaps one of his greatest contributions was made in honor of his loving wife, Roena, when he established a research clinic in her name at Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem. “We have mentioned the importance of family to Pete. Suffice it to say, Pete is very proud of his two daughters, his four grandsons and his two granddaughters and his seven great-grandchildren. “At this time, let me officially announce that the 2008 North Wilkesboro Citizen of the Year is our own lifetime honorary member, Mr. Petro ‘Pete’ Kulynych. At this time, I will ask Joe McMillan to present our plaque to Pete. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here to help celebrate our Citizen of the Year Award, and thank you, Mr. Kulynych for all you do to enhance the lives of so many people.”