A longtime
Fred Hunneke holds a list of accomplishments, such as being named Lenoir County Citizen of the Year in 1992 and awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by former Gov. James “Jim” Martin for his volunteer work with the Global TransPark Authority.
He will be honored at a banquet, which starts at
Tickets are $25, of which $15 pays for the meal and $10 will be used to purchase C-shirts for the Wounded Warrior Team, which ministers to injured veterans returning from
The idea to hold an occasion in honor of Hunneke was initiated by
“He’s been special to a lot of people,” Vermillion said about Hunneke, “and has always been a guy who’s put others above himself.”
Vermillion and Parson discussed putting on the event and asked Boldt to join them.
Boldt said he’s known Hunneke since moving to
“He has been just a tremendous leader in this community,” Boldt said.
Parson, who’s known Hunneke since the 1970s, said the organizers wanted to show Hunneke how much he is appreciated.
“He believes in the military,” Parson said, “and he believes in helping those who have been injured.”
Joining the event will be Lt. Col. Leland Suttee, who heads up the Wounded Warrior Battalion East at
Hunneke, a former Marine, was instrumental in forming the Eight-Eighties with a goal of creating jobs in
“(Hunneke) has always been about creating jobs,” Parson said, “and doing for the less fortunate.”
The Eight-Eighties began with a group of eight men over the age of 80. One of them has since passed away.
Hunneke’s former company, Domestic Fabrics & Blankets, produces a patented Wick A’Way fabric used by NASA and for the Made-in-America C-shirts sewn together in Vanceboro and embellished at Lions Industries for the Blind in
For each shirt sold, another is donated to the Wounded Warrior Battalion or the Wounded Warrior Barracks at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in
Parson said Hunneke hired him to create a human resources department at Domestic. Hunneke matched employee donations for the charity of choice of each employee, he added.
“He is the one,” Parson said, “that instilled community concern and giving back to me.”
Hunneke has volunteered for numerous projects and organizations.
“Fred has got a lot of history here in giving to the community,” Parson said. He listed Boy Scouts, the Boys and Girls Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the Lenoir Memorial Hospital Foundation as a few of his volunteering recipients.
Boyd listed some of them as the
The banquet organizers are hoping to sell as many as 300 tickets for the event, which is open to the public.
To purchase tickets, visit the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce at
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.
Breakout box:
If you’d like to attend:
What: Appreciation Banquet to honor Fred Hunneke
When:
Where: Select Foods,
Cost: $25 — $10 of which support Eight-Eighties/Wounded Warrior Team
Tickets: