Jim Vatn is Ballard through and through. He has lived in Ballard for all of his 65 years – graduating Ballard High School in 1962 – and in that time he has seemingly put the energy of a dozen men into improving and celebrating the community.

He is, or has been, a member of the Ballard Rotary Club, the president of the Seattle Seafair, a member of the Swedish Medical Center Board of Governors, a member of Seattle's 17th of May Committee, a member of the University of Washington Department of Scandinavian Studies, a member of the Nordic Heritage Museum, a member of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce, the chair of the Ballard High School Athletic Committee and an early member of the Ballard High School Foundation.

In honor of Vatn's involvement in the community, the Ballard High School Foundation gave him the Capt. Wm. R. Ballard Award, the Ballard Chamber of Commerce gave him the Stan Boreson Award, and the Ballard High School PTSA honored him with the 2007 Acorn Award. He was even knighted by the king of Norway for his involvement in the Norwegian-American community.

Now Vatn will be the official honoree of the Ninth Annual Ballard High School Golf Classic, of which he has been the chair for the past three years.

Ballard News-Tribune: You have lived in Ballard for 65 years. What has kept you in the neighborhood?

Jim Vatn: Everything I do is in this area. All my community activities and my Norwegian activities. It’s just been so convenient for everything I do. I think one of the reasons I’ve been as active as I have been is that it’s just been so easy to come home after a meeting.

BNT: Why have you dedicated so much time and effort to the neighborhood?

JV: I really enjoy the people. Ballard and our community just has such great people. Ballard has changed a lot lately, but there is such great community spirit.

BNT: Why are you so involved in fundraising for Ballard High School?

JV: When I went to high school, the school district paid for a lot of things that they’re not paying for now. We didn’t pay for bats and balls. We didn’t pay for lettermen's jackets. We didn’t pay for the "Shingle," the annual book. Those things were all given to us. Now the city doesn’t pay for any of these things. So if we want to have a quality program and have the kids look good and feel good, then we have to raise these funds somehow. Quite frankly, it’s gotten to be kind of a fun thing. Whereas usually raising money gets to be a hassle. This (the Ballard High School Golf Classic) has gotten to be almost a good-old boys event.

BNT: Why is the Golf Classic such a successful fundraiser?

JV: People come back and look forward to it. And then they get another foursome and get their buddies involved. It’s gotten to be such a great event where the only time these guys see their friends is once a year. They graduated 40 years ago, 30 years ago, whatever, and they haven’t seen their buddies, and they come back and see them and talk to them – they have a few beers and share a few stories, and they really enjoy playing golf and visiting these guys. I enjoy seeing my classmates who I haven’t seen in a long time. It gets to be a great day to see everybody you haven’t seen in a long time. That’s what brings everybody back.

BNT: What was it like being knighted?

JV: That was quite a deal. In this country it doesn’t mean a lot, but in Norway it’s a lot bigger deal. It’s just the recognition for what you’ve done for the Norwegian community. It was quite an experience. The ambassador from Washington D.C. came out, and we had a big party and he presented me with a certificate and a silver medal that I wear.

BNT: What do you miss most about your time at Ballard High School?

JV: I think that you miss the friendships and the activities. My daughter (Elise Vatn) being at Ballard now has, number one, kept me young and kept me involved. I’ve been so involved in sports with her and things like that that I’ve had the opportunity to relive a lot of things, which has been great.

BNT: Is there anything left for you to get involved in or that you are interested in?

JV: It’s interesting because I kind of wanted to do what Elise was involved in, and now that she’s through with high school and Ballard sports, I really don’t know. Maybe we’ll move on to some college activities. You reach an age where you kind of have to slow down a bit. I think you need to see what people want you to do. If they want me to do something I’ll be glad to help them. I’m probably not going to jump in and volunteer as much as before. But I’ll be more than happy to help, whatever the cause is because I still believe in these causes and it’s a lot of fun and you meet a lot of fun people. That’s why you do it.

The Ninth Annual Ballard High School Golf Classic takes place August 4 at the Newcastle Golf Club. Registration is open until July 3 on the Ballard High School Web site.

Last year, the event raised $199,000. In total, the Golf Classic has raised more than $600,000 for Ballard High School sports and music programs.