Retired engineer makes 100th blood donation

A retired engineer on achieved a lifesaving milestone: 100 lifetime donations to the Community Blood Center.

Huber Heights donor George Kawanishi made his 100th donation Friday at the CBC’s downtown Dayton Donor Center.

Kawanishi, who came to Dayton in 1969 to work at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a civilian engineer, received a black jacket embroidered with ” Donor for Life - 100 LTD.”

Though he has 100 donations with CBC, the actual number is higher, dating back to his days at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

“When I started working for the Air Force the Vietnam War was going on and I signed up for blood drives,” he said.

Kawanishi and his wife raised three boys, and a son and their two grandsons live in Beavercreek.