The City’s scenic Lake House event center at Richard Simpson Park was dedicated Thursday in honor of long-time resident, volunteer and former City Councilwoman Kathryn Wilemon.

Wilemon served as the representative for District 4, which includes Lake Arlington where the City’s Lake House event center is located, from 2003 to 2019. She is the third of 11 trailblazers, civic leaders and faith leaders tapped by the City’s Honorary Naming Recognition Task Force to be recognized for their service or their contributions to the city.

Past and present City Council representatives, City leadership and community members were among the many who attended the dedication ceremony to celebrate Wilemon’s lasting legacy. The voter-approved event center, which opened in February 2019, is located at 6300 W. Arkansas Lane on the shores of the City’s Lake Arlington.

“When I come to this place, this is Kathryn. When I stand out there and I look across the water and I breathe the silence of Lake Arlington, I know the peace that Kathryn has given all of us, that she has bestowed upon me personally and the thousands of individuals that she has served and continues to serve,” said Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Victoria Farrar-Myers, who served as chair of the Honorary Naming Recognition Task Force, said during Thursday’s ceremony. “I cannot think of a more fitting opportunity than this location to thank someone who brought so much serenity and peace, but also a sense of place and purpose, as Kathryn Wilemon.”

Wilemon has called Arlington home since 1950. She graduated from Arlington High School and she attended Arlington State College, which we now know as the Texas Tier One designated University of Texas at Arlington. Wilemon went on to graduate from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.

After her career in banking, Kathryn became deeply involved in community service. During her tenure on City Council, friends and colleagues said Wilemon worked to meet the current and future needs not only of her constituents in west Arlington, but for all residents and businesses.

The Lake House was one of the many public improvements Wilemon championed during her tenure, which included serving as Mayor Pro Tem from 2011 to 2015.

The public facility has hosted more than 140 private events this year, including weddings, family reunions, business meetings and corporate outings. Funding for the $3.5 million event center, which includes an 1,800-square foot-community-room with an adjoining covered patio overlooking Lake Arlington, was approved in the 2008 Bond Election. The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation also provided a $1 million grant.

The new facility replaced the existing Lake Arlington activity room, which opened in the 1960s.

“This is classy. This is something to really be proud of it. It is only fitting that we name a classy Lake house like this after one of the classiest ladies I’ve ever met,” Mayor Jim Ross said. “I don’t know what the City would have done for years without her helping get us in the right direction. Her drive and her passion and her intellect are exactly what helped get this place where it is today. Thank you for everything you have done. This is quite the honor, but a very well-deserved honor.”

Wilemon said she was honored by the City’s decision to dedicate the Lake House event center in her name.

“I’m so happy and so proud to think of the families that are going to come, the memories that are going to be made here. Now we have this wonderful place. This is one of the best things that has happened in west Arlington when I was there [on Council],” Wilemon said.

In addition to her time on City Council, Wilemon served on a number of boards and organizations, often in leadership roles. These included the Chair of the North Central Texas Council of Governments Executive Board, Chair of the Regional Transportation Council, Chair of the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition, the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, the National League of Cities Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Texas Municipal League, and the Tarrant County Hospital Board, among others.