If you want a job done, give it to Jack Raven … at least that’s what the people who have grown to count on him say. At 72, Raven continues to astound those around him with an unlimited ability to give. It’s that quality that earned Raven the title of 2003 Arvada Man of the Year.
“Jack is a challenger and a confident motivator … a thoughtful and generous friend … a good listener with a contagious laugh
and sense of humor. Jack is a
vibrant example of how one person can make a difference,” said Robert Haggard in his nomination of Raven.
Raven’s connection to Arvada goes back to his childhood years when he worked on farms and at a local Safeway store while attending school.
“When I think of Arvada, I think of Dad,” wrote Raven’s daughter, Linda Raven Kaiser. “He is very proud of his heritage of being from Arvada. When he has come to visit me in the various places I have lived the past 30 years, he always introduces himself to new people as Jack Raven of Arvada, Colo., as if everyone should know where Arvada is located.”
For 39 years, Raven established himself as a business leader while climbing the ranks at Safeway.
“In 1947, I started working at Safeway as a courtesy clerk and carry-out boy, then as a stocker and a checker,” Raven said.
He graduated from Arvada High School in 1949. He was later drafted and served in the Korean War from 1951 to 1953, earning the rank of sergeant first class.
His Safeway job was waiting for him when he returned. Customers seemed to follow Raven when he was transferred to other stores in the area. He eventually ended up at the same store where his career started, at Ralston Road and Garrison Street, where he worked until he retired as manager in 1986.
While still working full-time, Raven joined the Arvada Lions Club, where he continues to be an active member.
“Jack was always there in November to help fill and deliver the food baskets the club provided for the needy in Arvada,” wrote Lois Painter of Arvada in her nomination of Raven. “Many times, he told of children that were so excited when the Lions Club members would come to their door. The excitement when the children would see that there was some candy, fruit or sometimes a cake in the baskets. The stories brought a smile and a tear to everyone’s face.”
Painter said Raven reached out to the community through the Lions Club in many other ways.
“Jack volunteered throughout the years to make visits on the families to see if they qualified for assistance for glasses. To Jack, it was very rewarding to see the smiles on the faces of the children when they could see,” Painter wrote. “Whenever he heard that someone needed a wheelchair, crutches or a walker that the Lions Club loaned out to the community, he would call to see what they needed and was always willing to deliver it to them.
“The saying ‘If you want a job done, give it to a busy person and the job will be done,’ this fits Jack Raven,” Painter continued.
Over the years, Raven taught hunter safety classes through the Lions Club to more than 2,000 area children. He has served on the club’s board in most every capacity and was awarded the Lion’s Club’s highest honor, the Melvin Jones Fellow award, in 1989 and 1990.
In 1987, Raven started volunteering with the Arvada Historical Society.
“With his farming background and interest, Jack has been a valuable member of our Flour Mill Annex committee,” wrote friend and historical society President Bill Ashton of Raven. “His contacts with long-time Arvada farmers have secured valuable antique farm equipment.”
Although serving in various capacities on the society’s board, Raven is most known for his tours of the historic Flour Mill.
“I see his pride in Arvada displayed every time I hear that he has been doing another round of Flour Mill tours,” wrote his daughter, Kaiser. “I don’t know how he continues to climb the stairs and keep young children interested in how flour was made, but he does and enjoys it thoroughly.”
The Arvada community is no doubt filled with people who know of Raven’s good deeds, as was obvious by the number of people who nominated him for the Man of the Year award.
“I plan to slow down a little bit. But I enjoy my involvement with my hometown,” Raven said.
Raven and his wife, Mary, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in September. The couple has two grown daughters, Kaiser of Utah and Diana Eckhardt of Lakewood. They also have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
The Man of the Year Award is sponsored by the Arvada Sentinel in cooperation with the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. The award will be presented to Raven at the chamber’s annual banquet at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.