John Kramer to be honored with award

By CONSTANCE SEE

Whitefish Pilot

Whitefish is known for its residents who organize and raise funds for numerous community projects. Now, its greatest fundraiser will be recognized for his leadership role.

John Kramer Jr. of Whitefish will receive the Mentor Award from the Bet Harim Jewish Community of the Flathead Valley next Thursday.

He will be recognized for his vision and philanthropic efforts in helping to raise more than $25 million for community projects over the past 20 years.

"John might get embarrassed by this, but I think the face of Whitefish today would be significantly different if not for John," said Carolyn Pitman, Whitefish Theatre Co.'s director. "He had a vision for the community and progressive ideas. John also has the ability to engage you with his enthusiasm for a project. He creates an atmosphere where you, too, believe it's possible. Whitefish was lucky to get him."

Back when she was looking for an old building downtown to renovate for the Whitefish Theatre Company and the library was located in small quarters upstairs in the City Hall, Kramer saw the possibility of a new building for each, Pitman said.

There were a lot of hurdles involving land swaps, architects, more fundraising and years of work, but his plan was a success, she said.

"He wrote us a check for $5,000 to get started and said, 'Get the research done,'" Pitman said. "Projects that seem almost overwhelming in scope, he knows can be done."

Richard and Carol Atkinson met Kramer when they arrived in the Flathead in 1986. One of their first projects as a trio was creating Whitefish Magazine.

"It was a high-end glossy production," Atkinson said. "One of the ideas behind it was to bring more tourists here so summer and winter jobs would be created. The thrust of what we've done has been to offer more options, especially to children and the people of Whitefish."

Kramer has worked on and contributed to a long list of community projects, including the first outdoor skating rink, the Whitefish Library, the O'Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center, the Stumptown Ice Den, The Wave, Smith Fields, the Whitefish Community Foundation and, currently, the Whitefish Middle School Auditorium and Performing Arts Center.

Future projects on his "to-do" list include rebuilding the stadium at the Jack Zerr Memorial Field and bringing the dog park to fruition.

Bob Chambers said when he and his wife Elspeth first moved to Whitefish from Washington, D.C., in 2001, they asked their contractor who were the movers and shakers in the town.

"He immediately said, 'John Kramer,'" Chambers said. "Meeting John got us involved in the community. Right now, we're working with him on the middle school project. John is totally honest and a real friend. He's also modest like his father."

Kramer's first visit to Montana was during a family vacation when he was a teenager.

He fell in love with the area and moved here in the 1970s. He took a job as a park ranger in Glacier National Park, where part of his job involved greeting tourists at the gate and collecting park fees.

"We knew when John was working in the booth because the line was long," Pitman said. "John always took time to talk with everyone."

Born the second son of five, Kramer said his family is very close. He travels to Bel Air, Calif., monthly to visit his mother and father and help with the family's many businesses.

His father received international recognition for his tennis skills beginning in 1939, when as a teenager, he was selected for a doubles team representing the U.S. in the Davis Cup finale against Australia.

John Kramer Sr. was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1968 and will be honored at Wimbleton again this June for more than 60 years of contributions to the game. The Kramer name is on more than 30 million tennis rackets.

"The whole family will go with my dad to Wimbleton," Kramer said. "He's always been my mentor."

Kramer's mentor award dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. on June 7 at the O'Shaughnessy. The event will include a five-course meal, entertainment by Betsi Morrison and Luke Walrath and an auction.

Auction items will include one week at a timeshare apartment on Nob Hill in San Francisco, Calif.; box seats to a San Francisco Giants baseball game; autographed sports memorabilia; massages; and theater tickets.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Whitefish Middle School Auditorium project.

An anonymous donor has promised to match every donation by 50 percent.

For more information about tickets, call Dayle Miller-Hernandez at 270-9908.