Don Knapp named Sequim Citizen of the Year

SEQUIM — Don Knapp says the spotlight isn’t the place for him.

But the youth sports icon basked brightly in its glow Tuesday as the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce named him 2001 Sequim Citizen of the Year.

Knapp was selected from three finalists by a committee of past winners. Other finalists were Sequim businessman Bill Littlejohn and senior center volunteer Leslie Menia.

“I’d rather work in the background,” Knapp said as he received the award. He said his only goal was to help the young people of the community.

It’s not the first time Knapp has been acknowledged for his work with community youth.

A little more than 10 years ago he walked to home plate as one of the two diamonds at James Standard Park on Silberhorn Road was named for him.

Sequim Little League baseball named the field in recognition of the countless hours he put in making the athletic park a reality.

Knapp’s work didn’t end after the naming. Since then he has helped the park grow to five game fields and several practice areas.

The rest of this story appears in today’s Peninsula Daily News. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.

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