By Karen Johnson

Washington Lt. Gov. Brad Owen is the godfather of a fire station in Peru.

He's also a rock 'n' roll artist and superfan. And he's the longest-serving lieutenant governor in the country.

Depending on whom you ask, Owen has various claims to fame.

Now he will add something new to that list: Spanish knighthood. The 57-year-old can soon tack "Sir" on his résumé. It's the highest honor a non-Spanish citizen can earn from Spanish King Juan Carlos I.

"To be recognized for what you've done, by royalty, that's a pretty special thing," Owen said.

Spain will bestow knighthood upon Owen at an April 2 ceremony in Olympia.

Owen, who presides over the Senate during the legislative session, won't be the first in the state to claim the honor.

Four locals, mostly arts aficionados who have supported cultural projects in the area, have been knighted by the Spanish in recent years: Mimi Gates, director of the Seattle Art Museum; Ralph Munro, former secretary of state; Chiyo Ishikawa, chief curator for European art at the art museum; and Luis Fernando Esteban, honorary consul of Spain for Washington state.

Knighthood, an honorary title, is unlikely to change Owen's day-to-day life. And Owen, an avid hunter and fisherman, probably won't start wearing fancy armor or carrying a sword.

Owen will continue to emphasize his commitment to working with Spanish officials. In 15 years, he's helped Spain's government on a number of cultural and education programs:

• As a state senator, he helped secure a high-speed Spanish Talgo train for the state in the 1990s.

• He helped bring high-profile art exhibits to the state the past decade, most recently "Spain in the Age of Exploration, 1492-1819" at the Seattle Art Museum in 2004.

• He helped coordinate a partnership between Washington and Spain that allowed more than 200 Spanish teachers from state schools to attend summer language programs at the University of Salamanca, west of Madrid.

"Officials come to our office all the time for international issues," Owen said. "I would try to do the same for any country; it just so happened that Spain came to me more than the others."

King Juan Carlos I won't personally give Owen his new title, but the consul general of Spain in San Francisco and the honorary consul of Spain for Washington state will be at the April ceremony.

"I've never received anything close to this," Owen