Penn is remembered as an educator and leader.

By Julie Saetre

Alan Penn, president of Kiwanis International in 2011-12, passed away on August 5. He was 77. 

At the time of his passing, he was serving as a member of the Kiwanis International Voices Pilot Program Committee, executive director of the Ohio District Foundation and executive director for the Medina County Community Foundation.  

Throughout his Kiwanis experience, Penn held many leadership roles, including Kiwanis Children’s Fund trustee (2009-10; 2012-13), Kiwanis International trustee (2006-09), and Ohio District governor (1999-2000).  

“First and foremost, Alan Penn was an educator in all aspects of his life,” says Kiwanis International Executive Director Paul Palazzolo. “He believed that Kiwanis members could bridge the gap for young people and children to have bright futures, and he demonstrated this belief in many ways — from serving as Ohio’s Key Club district administrator to leading as our international president. His passion for new ideas and forward thinking will be missed.” 

A Kiwanian since October 1975, Penn was a member of the Medina Breakfast Kiwanis Club in Ohio, U.S., for over 50 years, during which he served as club president and public relations chair. 

He was also a charter member and past distinguished president of the Kiwanis Club of Tombstone, Virginia City, Montana, U.S. — one of Kiwanis’ first internet clubs. He made the motion to pass the “Flexibility Amendment,” which introduced new options such as corporate memberships and satellite clubs. 

“I believe there is room in Kiwanis for a variety of memberships,” he told Kiwanis magazine in 2010. “They may not meet like we do. … But we all serve, and we’re all Kiwanians.”  

In addition, Penn was a member of the Lakewood Kiwanis Club, the All-Ohio Internet Kiwanis Club and an honorary member of the Medina Sunrise Rotary Club. 

He also was deeply involved in The Eliminate Project, a Kiwanis/UNICEF initiative to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. 

A lifelong commitment
Penn’s service journey began as a child in the 1950s, when he and his parents moved to Honduras for an eight-year missionary experience. The family lived on a farm for orphan boys. While his father modernized the farm, Penn and his mother joined trips into the mountains to vaccinate women. 

Those trips with his mother were even more meaningful after he went to Chamnak, Cambodia, in 2011 as part of a Kiwanis fact-finding tour for The Eliminate Project.  

“In the ’50s, Mom was doing her part to eliminate a cruel disease,” he said. “And here I am, as president of Kiwanis International, continuing her work to eliminate that same disease, forever. I just started to cry. I realized then this is our Kiwanis legacy of service. This is how we’ll change the world.This is what unites us.” 

Among his many Kiwanis honors, Penn was a George F. Hixson Fellow, Diamond-level 3; a Charter Walter Zeller Fellow, Diamond-level 2; a Heritage Society member; Tablet of Honor recipient; and G. Harold Martin Society member (a Service Leadership Program honor).  

He was inducted into the Ohio Kiwanis Hall of Fame in 2010. 

“He had a heart for Kiwanis and showed that fervor regardless of whether he was serving at the international, Ohio District or club level,” says Dave Curry, 2007-08 Kiwanis International president. “You could always depend on Alan to bring his best to the task at hand.”  

A native of Ohio, Penn attended Ohio State University, where he earned a Master of Science in education administration. His career spanned more than 50 years across education and community leadership.  

In the 1970s, during his time at the Career Center, Penn was invited to join the Medina Kiwanis Club by his supervisor, who also was a member. Penn found that the Medina Breakfast Club better met his schedule, and, as he told Kiwanis magazine in 2010, “the rest is history.” 

Penn was a member of the Medina United Methodist Church. He is survived by his wife, Jeri; daughter, Jody; son, Randy; three grandchildren; two brothers; and many nieces and nephews.