Event acknowledges contributions of alumni, teachers and
administrators
The Fifth Annual San Benito High School Hall of Fame Fest will
honor seven inductees this month, an acknowledgement of alumni,
teachers and administrators who had an impact on the school through
the years.
Event acknowledges contributions of alumni, teachers and administrators
The Fifth Annual San Benito High School Hall of Fame Fest will honor seven inductees this month, an acknowledgement of alumni, teachers and administrators who had an impact on the school through the years.
Hall of Fame honorees this year represent decades back to the 1920s. They are: Ann Baccala (1920s); Gene Bourdet (1930s); Frank Klauer (1950s); Fernando Gonzales (1960s); Gordon Tibbs (1970s); Michael Robustelli (1980s); and Kinan Valdez (1990s).
Sponsored by the Baler Education Foundation, the Saturday, March 28 buffet lunch at Ridgemark Golf and Country Club will raise money to support educational opportunities for SBHS students and to encourage and fund teacher innovation.
The foundation’s goal is to establish a $1 million endowment fund that will provide $50,000 per year to fund requests for educational projects “that provide increased learning opportunities for the success and future of our community’s young people.”
Tickets for the event, which runs from noon to 3 p.m., are $50, which includes $20 worth of raffle tickets. The Hall of Fame inductees are:
Ann Baccala
The longtime San Juan Bautista resident was active in her community, particularly with the Native Daughters of the Golden West. Her three daughters were a pharmacy owner, teacher and assistant district attorney, respectively.
Baccala worked for George Anderson’s pear ranch and was an office manager and accountant for the California Highway Patrol. She has a bench in her honor near the Luck Memorial Library. An inscription on the plaque says Baccala “unselfishly gave her love, time, and devotion to the city.”
Gene Bourdet
The 1940 graduate was a four-sport athlete at SBHS, playing football, basketball, baseball and running track. He was also a staff sergeant for General George Patton’s Third Division during World War II.
Bourdet earned all-league recognition in football and baseball in high school and played football at Montana State University, where he was an Associated Press honorable mention All-American in 1946 and 1947; earned all-conference honors at quarterback, and led his team to the 1947 Harbor Bowl in San Diego against New Mexico.
After graduation he coached high school football, basketball and track in Montana and later was offensive coordinator for Montana State. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1947, but decided against playing in the NFL.
Bourdet served as athletic director at Montana State from 1958 to 1970; at Fresno State from 1971 to 1979; and at San Diego State from 1980 to 1985. He was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors’ Hall of Fame in 1985 and into Montana State’s Hall of Fame in 1994 as both and athlete and administrator.
In a statement about how San Benito High School affected him and contributed to his personal growth, Bourdet credited Coach Andy Hardin as an “inspirational leader.”
“He instilled the basic values of hard work, discipline, teamwork and striving to be the best you can be,” Bourdet wrote.
Frank Klauer
The 1957 most valuable player of the Baler football team, Klauer was also vice president of his graduating class.
He later was a businessman, member of the Hollister City Council, the city’s youngest mayor and a member of the local Elk’s Lodge. The city named a park in his honor after his death in 1998.
On the Hall of Fame nomination form, Klauer is remembered as being “not only generous but extremely humble. He often gave anonymously, so it’s hard to say all he did. He truly cared about SBHS and his entire community. Frank often donated to programs that were dear to his heart, such as the [SBHS] sports program and the band. He dedicated his life to improving his community through many charitable organizations and truly cared about the future of SBHS.
Fernando Gonzales
The Hollister native graduated from SBHS in 1967 and served in student government while earning an associate’s degree at Gavilan College prior to earning a business degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
In 1972 he opened Gonzales Market, which is now Hollister Super and in 1989 opened True Value Hardware on Fourth Street.
“Fernando has been a support base for many students in our community,” said Mickie Luna, who nominated Gonzales for the Baler Hall of Fame. “He has financially supported students with sponsorships in order for them to be inspired to go forward and achieve their goals in life.”
Gonzales’ vast civic involvement includes serving as director of the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce, City Councilman and mayor of Hollister, director of the Community Foundation for San Benito County and the Community Service Development Corporation, and a member of the local League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
Gonzales was named man of the year by the Chamber of Commerce in 2006.
Luna called him a community role model, saying Gonzales is “always … considerate of others and always giving in order that our community continues to be a better place for everyone.”
Gordon Tibbs
The 20-year employee of SBHS from 1954 to 1974, Tibbs taught generations of local students in the agriculture program.
He helped build the school’s agriculture barn and animal pens with the help of his students.
In his nomination, Tibbs – who is deceased – is remembered as a hands-on agricultural mechanics teacher who had a demanding curriculum and a variety of activities that encouraged student involvement.
“Many of the local farmers who grew up here owe their ability and knowledge to this man,” the nomination form stated.
Tibbs graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and after completing his teaching career at SBHS was inducted into the California Ag Teachers’ Hall of Fame.
Michael Robustelli
In his 34-year career at SBHS, Robustelli was everything from teacher and coach to technology coordinator and administrator.
Nominated by longtime SBHS physical education teacher and coach Randy Logue, Robustelli, who retired in 2004, is remembered for the diversity of his contributions to the school.
“Mike was ahead of his time in many ways in coaching, filming [football] games, scouting and charting plays on a computer long before this was the norm,” Logue said. “His teams won league championships and were known for their discipline and hard hitting. He also left a legacy of good coaches who worked underneath him.”
Robustelli taught P.E., history, math, computer programming and driver education classes at SBHS, from which all three of his children graduated. He was named 2004’s administrator of the year by the Association of California School Administrators.
Robustelli said everyone with which he interacted at SBHS “provided significant lessons, rewarding hours and many friendships. In return, I can only hope that they acquired a fraction of what I obtained. It was always a great day to be a Baler.”
Kinan Valdez
The playwright and director began his theatrical training at the age of 11 as a youth member of San Juan Bautista’s El Teatro Campesino, which was founded by his father, Luis. He has served as El Teatro’s associate artistic director and resident director for a number of years, developing political works aimed at educating audiences about contemporary social issues.
Valdez has directed a number of projects, including El Teatro’s “La Virgen del Tepeyac” and “La Pastorela” and has made films.
He is a founding member of Chicanos on the Run, a production company based in San Juan and in 2001 was awarded a Rockefeller Media Fellowship.
