Santa Barbara County Community service leader William Travis Kalin from Lompoc was awarded the title of Kentucky Colonel, the highest honor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, by Governor Andy Beshear. The commission is an extremely high honor for national public service, and up to 6,000 of these commissions have been awarded each year since its inception. Kalin was recognized for his contributions to his community and state by serving years as a first responder in Southern California. He has an impressive history as a public works employee for the municipal government.
“In my years of service as a certified public works first responder, I had been deployed to multiple California wildfires, state and national declared disasters, and I had also been deployed to multiple police emergencies and emergency street closures for public safety,” said Kalin, who is currently an Airport Commissioner for the City of Lompoc.
To be eligible for this honor one must, “have given some public service to Kentucky or your own state or the nation,” as described by Kalin. After working 23 years in public municipal works service, he was anonymously nominated and was rewarded and given a space in the coveted Club of Colonels. “In Europe, it is like being knighted!” Kalin said.
The Kentucky Colonels are a nonprofit dedicated to giving back to our nation and supporting those who do so. Some Kentucky Colonels, as Kalin noted, include high profile individuals ranging from George Clooney and Bob Dylan to Muhammad Ali. Kalin said that this was, “a wonderful, exciting, and proud moment for me! I will never forget the day I received the Governor and the Kentucky Secretary of State certificate.”
This honor has been given out since the 1800s and is the most well known Colonelcy in the United States, which is an impressive feat for both Kalin and our community. For more information about the Kentucky Colonels, see kycolonels.org.
