WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District bus driver Barbie Gomez pulled into the transportation yard on Grimmer Road late Wednesday morning, a trip she has taken countless times in her 12 years on the job.
But this day was different. She found a coterie of coworkers waiting for her, alongside Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture CEO Shaz Roth.
All of them were there to surprise her with the news that Gomez had been named this year’s Woman of the Year, an honor that stems from her years of community service with numerous organizations.
“We’re going to celebrate you all year long,” Roth told Gomez.
“There are very few people who have done as much as you have,” Roth said. “You do so much for the community, and you do it totally selflessly.”
Gomez said she has a single reason for her charitable work.
“I love our community, I love our children,” she said. “Everything I do is for the children.”
Aimee Lingenfelter, who works as a special-needs dispatcher for the transportation department, had high praise for Gomez, saying she cooks meals for needy people, holds coat drives and runs summer programs for children.
“She always finds time to help,” Lingenfelter said.
Gomez will be honored on Feb. 1 at the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Dinner, along with Man of the Year Bob Culbertson.
Hal Hyde received this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, while K&D Landscaping landed Business of the Year. The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation is Organization of the Year, and the Corralitos Padres Pancake Breakfast is Event of the Year.
Man of the Year
Culbertson worked as a Ranger and Superintendent at many Santa Cruz County State Beaches and Parks during his career, including Sunset, Manresa, New Brighton, Henry Cowell, Natural Bridges and Big Basin.
He was also active in several local organizations, including the California Coastal Commission, Coastwalk, Mountain Parks Foundation and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks. He was the Vice-Chair of the Santa Cruz County Commission on the Environment. He moved to the Pajaro Valley in 1980, and in 1987 he purchased 55 acres in the Redwood forest near Mount Madonna, which he developed into a solar-powered organic apple farm.
Culbertson retired from the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation in 2004 after a successful career of 32 years.
His more than two decades of community volunteerism includes Watsonville Wetlands Watch, the Monterey Bay Bird Festival, the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, the Watsonville YMCA and the Ag History Project of Pajaro Valley Living History Farm Committee. He was also a Lay Leader at the First United Methodist Church of Watsonville.
Business of the Year
The company made the front cover of Lawn & Landscape magazine in August.
For several years K&D has given back to the community through ongoing community beautification projects in which they spruce up the landscaping of area schools, parks and care facilities at no cost.
Recent projects include the Pajaro Valley Historical Association, Bradley Elementary School and Aptos Village Park. Employees are compensated for their work on these projects even though K&D does not receive any revenue from it.
That is in addition to treating their employees well with generous benefits packages.
Event of the Year
Now in its sixth decade, the annual Pancake Breakfast has been benefiting several local youth organizations include the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H and local sports teams. The proceeds also fund scholarships for high school seniors from schools.
Organization of the Year
The 17-year-old nonprofit, Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation, holds fundraisers such as the annual Heritage Holiday Craft and Gift Fair, and the Crab Feed in March, each of which raises $50,000 per year.
The organization has provided more than $2 million for a wide range of maintenance, upgrades and other projects at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
These funds are considered essential, as state funding for county fairs has slowed.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Hyde served in the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and participated in campaigns crossing the Rhine and Danube Rivers, helping liberate two Nazi death camps and recover Nazi loot hidden in mines.
He also served in the Philippines, and worked with Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird.
Hyde earned the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star Medal. He returned to California in 1947 after finishing active duty as a Captain.
Living in Watsonville, Hyde served in the U.S. Army Reserve for many years, commanding a unit at East Garrison, Fort Ord.
He was promoted to Colonel and later served in a planning role at the Pentagon in D.C.
He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1968, making him the ranking retired military officer in Santa Cruz County. He retired in 1983.
Hyde later returned to college, earning a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University.
He served on Cabrillo College’s first board after the school was established in the late 1950s. He later served as the first vice-chancellor at UC Santa Cruz in the 1960s. He also worked for Fords Department Store in Watsonville.
The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture will host its annual awards dinner on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tickets will be available through Eventbrite.com, at the Feb. 1 2020 event and at the chamber office at 44 Brennan St. For information visit pajarovalleychamber.com or call 724-3900.
