A longtime Sports Editor for the Utica newspapers, Len Wilbur was a tireless advocate for sports activities and athletes in the Utica area from 1928 until his death in 1965.

Born in New York City in 1905, Wilbur moved with his family at an early age to Herkimer and in 1920, to Utica. He graduated from Utica Free Academy in 1924 and Colgate University in 1928. He joined the Utica Press and Observer Dispatch sports staff that year and became sports editor in 1942 the same year he was named Utica's "Young Man of the Year" by the Junior Chamber of Commerce.

While still a high school student, Len Wilbur organized the first annual UFA track meet and the first sectional bowling tournament for high school teams. Later, as president of the UFA Alumni Association, he organized a campaign to build a gymnasium that was completed in 1945 and named in his honor in 1969. Very active in the community, Wilbur served on the YMCA Board for many years and was a mainstay of the Utica Kiwanis Club, serving as President, youth sports director and Lieutenant Governor of the Central Division of Kiwanis.

In 1960 the Utica Kiwanis Club began sponsoring an annual Len Wilbur Day and every February since 1965, has presented a Len Wilbur Memorial Award for community service. Although Wilbur did not follow his original plan to become a minister, it is difficult to imagine how he could have been any more effective in serving his fellow man.