WEST SEATTLE GRAND PARADE 2017: Keith Hughes chosen for Orville Rummel Award

Next Saturday (July 22nd), the 84th annual West Seattle Grand Parade will bring hundreds of people rolling, dancing, marching down California SW from The Admiral District to The Junction, to the delight of thousands of people lining the route. Toward the start of the parade, you’ll see this year’s honorees – including Keith Hughes, this year’s recipient of the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community, as announced by the West Seattle Rotary, which presents the parade.

Keith serves the West Seattle community in multiple ways and has also served our country. He is a Vietnam War-era U.S. Army veteran and has been Commander of American Legion Post 160 in West Seattle since 2012. He founded West Seattle Natural Energy, a solar-power firm, in 2008, and during that time has been an active member of Sustainable Seattle, King County Disaster Resilience Challenge, Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, Living Futures Institute, Cascade Climate Consortium, Solar Installers of Washington, Master Builders of King and Snohomish County, and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

Keith, wife Lin, and daughter Amy moved to Seattle from Oregon in 1979, and in the years before founding West Seattle Natural Energy, he spent 15 years at Boeing and 15 in the IT department at Swedish Medical Center.

Keith’s community service also includes serving as president of the West Seattle Veteran Center (which operates from Post 160 HQ) in 2013, serving as chair of the Grand Parade committee before and after primary parade leadership transitioned to Rotary in 2014, and volunteering his time teaching classes and leading seminars on sustainable living and solar energy.

Before he rides down the parade route on Saturday (starting at 11 am at California/Lander and heading south) with the Orville Rummel trophy, you can see Keith accept the award during the official presentation at tomorrow night’s free West Seattle Big Band Concert in the Park, 7 pm on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center.

ABOUT THE ORVILLE RUMMEL AWARD: It’s named after the man who founded the West Seattle parade in 1934, Orville Rummel – lots of background in the story we published the year we were honored with it, in 2010. The award was first presented in 1984. Here’s the full list of recipients along the way:

1984: Charles and Ann Gage
1985: RB Chris Crisler Jr.
1986: Morgan and Carol McBride
1987: Margaret Miaullis
1988: Charles Jung
1989: Aurlo Bonney
1990: Katie Thorburn
1991: Dorothy Poplawski
1992: Dan Wiseman
1993: Virgil Sheppard
1994: Dorene Smith
1995: Doris Richards
1996: John Kelly
1997: Dick Kennedy
1998: Jim Edwards and Barbara Edwards
1999: Lt. David E. Cass
2000: Husky Deli/Miller Family
2001: Stephanie Haskins
2002: Forest Lawn
2003: Sue Lindblom
2004: Edgar and Ann Phipps
2005: Karen Sisson
2006: Walt DeLong
2007: David and Doreen Vague
2008: Tim St. Clair
2009: Morey Skaret
2010: West Seattle Blog
2011: Cindi Barker
2012: Shirley Vradenburgh
2013: Judy Pickens
2014: Earl Cruzen
2015: Donn Weaver
2016: Clay Eals
2017: Keith Hughes

4 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE GRAND PARADE 2017: Keith Hughes chosen for Orville Rummel Award"

  • Tina July 17, 2017 (3:18 pm)

    What time does the parade start on Saturday?

  • WSB July 17, 2017 (4:43 pm)

    It’s in the story (second to last paragraph above the list of previous winners – 11 am.

  • kg July 17, 2017 (9:11 pm)

    Great job Keith! You earned it.

  • Tharp's July 23, 2017 (6:01 pm)

    Congratulations Keith on this honor. Sorry we were unable to come to WS for the parade. 

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