Fighting spirit, giving nature

Kiwanis helps Warren R. Bolton help others

From the time he was a young man, Warren R. Bolton has had a burning desire to serve. It was an essential component of his upbringing during the Depression years, and it continued into the World War II era, when he served America in combat.

In fact, Warren flew 26 combat missions after joining the Army Air Corps in 1943 (he is shown third from the right in the photo above). He fought over France and Germany as a flight engineer and tail gunner in a six-person combat bomber.

After his wartime experience, Warren embarked upon a long and distinguished law career and a lifetime of helping others. But it all began with the work-and-service ethic that his family instilled in him from the start.

Family influence

Warren’s moral background revolved around three rules: Think positively, be determined but not stubborn, and exemplify the tenets of a religious education. “I cannot duplicate my parents and grandparents,” Warren says. “They were exceptional role models.”

He adds that his father and mother were emphatic about not allowing their children to accept charity. “Everyone was taught to work and give half of what they earned to the family, like a corporation,” he says.

Now a 52-year Kiwanian with perfect attendance and a Life Member, Warren is still following his parents’ example. Already a Hixson Fellow, he recently contributed $30,000 to the New Beginning Campaign, earning him a place in the Foundation's Founders Circle.

Warren learned much from his father, Charles, a mechanical engineer and tool-and-die maker. After the war, Warren followed in his father’s engineering footsteps, graduating from Suffolk University. Then he earned his juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School.

What followed was a distinguished career as senior partner in Bolton & Trebat, P.C., in Waltham and Chatham, Massachusetts. His achievements include arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, 50-year memberships in both the Massachusetts and New Hampshire bar associations, and induction into Who’s Who in American Law.

A fiery introduction

Warren’s first impression of Kiwanis was certainly memorable. “The day after I joined, I got a call that there was a big fire and children were trapped on the top floor of a building,” he says. “They wanted Kiwanis to get in there and get those kids out. So I called these people I’d met just the day before, and we came out of that wicked fire with a child under each arm, before others could even get there to help.

“The children would have died. That’s just the kind of thing Kiwanians do.”

Mutually beneficial

Warren and his late wife of 60 years, race-horse veterinarian Doris Ann Besso, often hosted huge gatherings of Kiwanians and other dignitaries. “We enjoyed it, working with these people who are the most loving and caring people I could ever imagine,” Warren says.

When 1970–71 Kiwanis International President T. R. Johnson (right) visited the New England District, Warren Bolton, then New England District governor, joined him for a cruise in the Plymouth Bay aboard the Mayflower II.

But he counts himself the lucky one to have been a Kiwanian. At one point, his only son had to have a liver transplant, and his oldest daughter needed pancreas and kidney transplants—all within two weeks of each other. Facilities and organs became available in short order, due in part to his Kiwanis activities.

“I have had more things fall into my lap than anyone through my involvement in Kiwanis and other groups,” Warren says.

As chairman of the New England District interclub with Laval, Quebec, Canada, Warren Bolton visited his Kiwanis friends in Laval annually, forging a lasting fellowship with families in Quebec and New England.

He calls Kiwanis “the best organization I ever joined.” He makes annual donations—including multiple four-year college scholarships at the club level and his recent New Beginning Campaign gift to the Kiwanis International Foundation—because Kiwanis has been a key factor in his life.

“I get satisfaction knowing that the monies I’ve put into Kiwanis are used to help others,” he says. “It’s paid super dividends.”

Join Warren in giving

The Kiwanis International Foundation is supported solely by voluntary contributions from members like Warren R. Bolton and friends of the foundation who want to help shape a better future for all the world’s children. Gifts of all sizes are meaningful and deeply appreciated. Support the foundation directly or through a Kiwanis club today.

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