The legacy of “the most influential unknown person in this community” will be celebrated in Huntsville Friday.
That’s how Rotary Club of Huntsville President Len Ross described the late Ross Kirwin, the namesake of the newly renamed “Ross Kirwin Band Shell” in River Mill Park. A “grand unveiling” ceremony will be held in River Mill Park at 4:30 p.m., with remarks from several Rotarians, Kirwin’s family, and Huntsville mayors past and present, including current MP Scott Aitchison.
“He was really a special person,” says Ross. “I knew him for quite a number of years, and he was in a lot of ways a mentor to me. More than a mentor, a really good friend. He always had the community at heart. He was one of those guys that really dug in, thought about what was going on, and sort of lead the charge on how to make this place a better place to live.”
Kirwin passed away in April of 2022 after 17 years with the club, and a proposal to rename the band shell in his honour was unanimously approved the month after.
According to Ross, Kirwin achieved a great deal in his time leading the club, from planting the seeds of the Maple Leaf Alumni Game, to a vintage wine sale that raised thousands for charity. “I think we had more wine than the LCBO, but we sold every bottle because of the work he had done,” he says.
That’s not to mention Kirwin’s instrumental role in building the band shell that now bears his name. Ross says it’s a credit to his unique way of “leading from the back” rather than ordering people around.
“His uniqueness was he’d start talking to you about something you had to do, but before you were done in that conversation you would believe the whole thing was your idea,” says Ross. “And you know, you’d thank Ross for his input. But you’d walk away thinking ‘got to get this done and everything else, and I’m glad I thought of this.’ And he would just smile and carry on.”
Ross adds that Kirwin was also a strong advocate of accessibility for people with disabilities, including getting benches installed on the trail to Avery Beach, noting that Kirwin’s wife Debbie uses a wheelchair. “He was probably one of the strongest supporters of Debbie and did everything he could to make the life of people who were in walkers or wheelchairs easier in this community,” he says.
However, of all Kirwin’s great accomplishments and qualities, Ross says what he’ll remember most fondly is his “wicked, offbeat sense of humour.”
