ALLAMUCHY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Warren County) — Kenneth Dunlap, a long-time volunteer and resident of Allamuchy Township, has been named the 2025 Mary Louise Christine Outstanding Senior Citizen of Warren County.
Dunlap received the honor during the annual luncheon recognizing Older Americans Month, held by the Warren County Board of County Commissioners. This year’s national theme was “Flip the Script on Aging.”
Commissioner Director Jason J. Sarnoski and Commissioners Lori Ciesla and James R. Kern III presented the award, acknowledging all six nominees: Dunlap; Cathy Bao Bean of Blairstown; Richard Cornely of Harmony; Stanley Garrison of Phillipsburg; Suzanne Henshaw of Stewartsville; and Rene Mathez of Columbia. A panel of past recipients selected Dunlop for the top honor.
“Senior citizens are the backbone of many community initiatives across Warren County,” said Sarnoski. “Their commitment to service is inspiring.”
Dunlap, who was nominated by six individuals, has dedicated more than three decades to volunteer service across a range of community organizations. In Panther Valley, he has served in nearly every leadership role on the Board of Trustees, including president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. He has also contributed as a member of the audit and communications committees, and as a writer for Panther Magazine.
He was a founding member of both the Friends of Rutherford Hall and the Rutherford Hall Foundation and continues to serve as treasurer. Dunlap also has held the treasurer position for the Allamuchy Senior Citizens Club for the past 12 years.
An advocate for civic engagement, Dunlap has volunteered for the Democratic Party, encouraging voter turnout in Phillipsburg. He has also worked as a Eucharistic minister at Saints Peter & Paul Church in Great Meadows and helped found its Knights of Columbus Council.
In addition to his religious and civic involvement, Dunlap lent his scientific expertise in microbiology to the Allamuchy Municipal Water & Sewer Utility Advisory Commission and acted as a liaison between several local entities, including the Hackettstown Historical Society and Rutherford Hall.
Despite his many accolades, Dunlap emphasized the need to involve more people in community service.
“We need to encourage younger people to volunteer,” he said. “They say life begins after retirement, but life also goes on before retirement. We need to get people involved more.”
The award was first presented in 1984 and renamed in 2007 in honor of the late Mary Louise Christine, an 85-year-old community leader from Washington Township. The Warren County Division of Aging and Disabilities Advisory Council manages the nomination process each spring.
