Written by Coronado High School Intern Cate Gregory
This article was originally published in the June 2023 Issue of Coronado Magazine. To read this article and more from Coronado Magazine, click here or the button below.
“Happy memories occur here all the time,” is what Kirk Henry first thinks when he recalls life in Coronado. While he did not grow up here, he has grown to love Coronado and has made a meaningful impact on its community through his work with the Coronado Roundtable.
Kirk Henry was born in 1941 in Meridian, Mississippi. His father worked for the Boy Scouts of America when Kirk was born, but paused his work to serve in the United States Navy for four years during World War II. After the war, Kirk’s family moved to Memphis, Tennessee where his father continued his work for the Boy Scouts and Henry became an Eagle Scout himself. He went on to graduate from Washington and Lee University in Virginia under the ROTC Army commission. Kirk reminisced on how he enjoyed the competitive energy the school brought forth both academically and socially.
After serving in the Army under non-combatting circumstances, he became a lobbyist. He spent thirty years working for a Fortune 50 company that owned four thousand stores, an insurance company, and even a small airline in Alaska. It was as Kirk stated, “an investment banker’s dream.” Due to his career, Kirk lived in a variety of different locations including Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, his primary residence Chicago, and more. He eventually became the head of his department and retired in 1995 at the age of fifty-five… He states that the most memorable aspect of his career was, “Over an extended period of time to improve the laws and legislation concerning the consumer lending industry.”
Kirk has been happily married to his wife, Barbara, for fifty-five years. They have two boys who both live in the San Diego area, as well as two grandchildren, whom he enjoys spending time with in Coronado. After looking for a house for over two years, Kirk and his wife purchased a condo in Coronado in 1999 the first day they saw it. That night Kirk and his wife went out to eat at Mexican Village to celebrate.
After moving to Coronado, Kirk quickly joined the Coronado Roundtable because it was a good way to meet new people and challenge himself. The Coronado Roundtable is an organization for retired or semi-retired people. They meet once a month on the fourth Friday in the Coronado Library’s Winn Room to hear from a variety of guest speakers. Kirk described the Roundtable’s mission as, “[To] provide interesting and wide-ranging, informative, and discussable programs. We seek input. We have a fourteen person board, which spends quite a bit of time assessing prospective speakers and their topics.” Kirk Henry has been the president of this organization for the past five-and-a-half years, after serving as a board member since 2005. Kirk stated that his favorite part of being president of the Coronado Roundtable is calling the meeting to order and introducing the speaker. His favorite speaker so far has been Charles Martoglio, a United States Navy retired vice admiral. At the meeting, Martoglio discussed the regional and global implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Kirk found particularly interesting due to the many matters Martoglio discussed not being readily available online. The Roundtable has featured many other speakers discussing a variety of topics, including Roberto Alcanta, an SDG&E public affairs manager; Tina Friend, Coronado city manager; and Stacy Moy, an FBI special agent in San Diego. Kirk has found that the Roundtable has affected his life and values, as it has held him to a higher level of appearance and preparation. The Roundtable has three hundred and fifty members and through them has been able to disseminate information on a variety of topics.
When Kirk’s not at the Roundtable, you can find him spending time with the Optimist Club, Coronado Point Condo Association, and Nado Money Men. He has even served as a board member for the Optimist Club and is the current inspector of elections for the Coronado Point Condo Association. Aside from volunteering for these organizations, Kirk enjoys traveling with his wife, playing bridge, and reading.
Kirk has lived a wonderful life in and outside of Coronado. Not only has he had a successful career, but he has continued his love for learning through retirement with his work for the Coronado Roundtable and has spent time with his loving wife, kids, and grandchildren. His kindness and persistence have shined in Coronado, and his memories here, like many of our own, are irreplaceable.
This article was originally published in the June 2023 Issue of Coronado Magazine. To read this article and more from Coronado Magazine, click here or the button below.
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