Local animal welfare supporters celebrated a total of 74 years of community service between Lee and Kay Pigeon at the Humane Society of Northeast Texas Annual Members Meeting on Tuesday, October 13. The couple was involved in the founding of the Humane Society in 1972, and Mrs. Pigeon served as the shelter’s first director when its doors opened in 1983. Mr. Pigeon served as the President of the Board of Directors for 27 years before handing the reigns to a new President this month, and Mrs. Pigeon held the Secretary’s office for many of those years.
The Pigeons have seen the Humane Society (originally incorporated as the Humane Society of Gregg County) through many ups and downs including the capital campaign to raise the funds for the original shelter building on Enterprise Street in Longview and a Rescar tank car explosion that demolished the shelter in 1987. The Pigeons led the effort to rebuild the facility after the explosion, and saw the shelter through its maximum intake of over 13,000 animals in 1998.
Mr. and Mrs. Pigeon plan to continue their devotion to the Humane Society’s mission through service on the Board in the coming year. From new Boaard President Barbara Fairbanks, “I have big shoes to fill, but I am honored to be able to continue the good work that the Pigeons started. Their love of community will be an inspiration to me as I take on this important role”.
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