The Baler Education Foundation on March 22 honored its annual inductees to the Baler Hall of Fame.
This year’s winners were as follows, with some biographical information provided by the organization:
Harry Samuelson:
Harry Samuelson was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa on January 13, 1928. He attended Omaha University from 1948 to 1950, received his B.A. in Education from Long Beach State in 1952, and his masters in counseling from San Jose State University. He holds credentials in administration, business, and general administration. Harry maintained football, basketball, and track statistics for San Benito High School from the 1970s through the 1990s. He was the sports writer for the Hollister Freelance in 1968 and 1985.
Harry worked for the Hollister School District from 1962 through 1986 as a sixth grade teacher, vice principal, and finally as principal of Sunnyslope School. He was a member of the Hollister School Board from 1986 through 2000 and served as president three times.
Harry volunteered as an American Cancer Society driver, Little League coach, and Babe Ruth coach. He was a member of the Methodist Church Men’s Club and also served on the church board. He was also a member of the Hollister Rotary, the Lion’s Club, and the California Retired Teachers Association where he accumulated 4000 volunteer hours. He was a Sports Commissioner for the Hollister Recreation Department.
Harry’s wife, Virginia was inducted into the Baler Hall of Fame in 2007. Together they raised two sons and were American Field Service parents twice.
Kenneth Kovanda:
Ken Kovanda was born in Oakpark, Illinois on November 6, 1940 and received his BSMS in 1963 from Purdue University, his DDS in 1970 from the University of California San Francisco, and his certificate in orthodontics in 1978 from the United States Dental Institute. The Kovanda’s came to Hollister in 1979 and began volunteering at San Benito High in 1985.
Ken says that while attending a freshman basketball game in 1987, he coincidentally sat next to the president of the Baler Basketball Boosters. After some conversation about the club, Ken presented him with his state tax refund check, $246, and was invited to the next Boosters meeting. When Ken arrived at the meeting where there were only two other men present, he asked if the other boosters would soon be there. The reply? “We’re all present and you’re the next president.” The bank balance was $246. From listening to Elaine’s bio, you already know what that led to. Under their leadership, $50,000 was raised for a new snack bar and many other needed items.
Ken is one half of the dynamic Kovanda duo. He and Elaine participated as parents and volunteers for many years at the high school as they continue to do to this day. Ken has provided a booth for dentistry at career day, served on the ROP Board from 1998-2007, the School Board from 1996-2000, and the Superintendent’s Committee for School Improvement and Construction under two superintendents. He was president of the Baler Basketball Boosters from 1977-2001, president of Babe Ruth Baseball from 1991-1999, and has worked the clock at the basketball home games for 26 years. He was a member of the Water Polo Boosters for four years and has served as treasurer of the Baler Education Foundation since 2004.
In his church, Ken and Elaine have been an advocate couple for single adults, have been involved with the Family History Center, have done genealogy and Temple work, have been merit badge counselors for many Boy Scout troops in the area, have provided meals for the homeless shelter, and Ken has gone for weeks at a time to foreign countries to do dentistry for orphans and prospective missionaries. He has also done much church work in Public Affairs getting others to volunteer their time in local community projects, setting up Community Luncheons for community leaders, and delivering food to the Community Food Bank from the Bishop’s Store House and from farmers in San Benito County.
The Kovanda’s volunteer at Pat’s Place picking up donations, delivering purchases, painting, cleaning, and donating supplies, printing materials, and mailing costs.
Ken has served as Coordinator of Ag Against Hunger for San Benito County, member of the District committee of the Boy Scouts of America, and head of Friends of Scouting.
Elaine Kovanda:
Elaine was born in Westport, California and attended Pacific Union College in the late 50s and early 60s, Sacramento State in the 60’s, and American River College. She and her husband, Ken, came to Hollister in 1979 and began volunteering their time at San Benito High in 1985 when the oldest of their four children became a student there. That was just the beginning of many years of connection with the high school. Elaine and Ken have been running Baler Basketball Boosters for over 14 years and have raised over $50,000 during that time to buy uniforms, pay for scholarships, and summer league participation. She coordinates the yearly banquet for the boys and girls teams, runs the JV tournament, and is in charge of getting ads for the game programs. She was a Baler Water Polo Booster for four years, and has been a member of the Baler Education Foundation since 2004, serving as its president for three years.
In 1989, Elaine helped to found the Community Pantry and also served as its chairperson for 12 years and Board Member for 23 years. She and another person started Pat’s Place, a thrift store, to help the Food Bank stay open. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, she is serving as the Public Affairs and Media Coordinator for the South Valley and was in charge of the women’s organization for three years. She was a Boy Scout committee member, Troop 787, and merit badge teacher. Four years ago, Elaine quit being a patrol leader at Cub Scout Day Camp after having been there every year since its inception, and she has helped many boys achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.
Elaine’s middle name should be “volunteer extraordinaire” or, perhaps, “fund raiser extraordinaire.” She has been involved with, raised funds for, and contributed her own money to San Benito Babe Ruth Baseball, Gavilan College Basketball Boosters, Baler Bingo, Friends of Scouting, and YMCA of San Benito County.
She volunteers countless hours throughout the county, not only for all the organizations already mentioned, but for the Lights On Parade, the Street Festival, and putting Christmas lights on the trees on San Benito St. She and Ken have hosted over 20 exchange students over the years.
It is no wonder, then, that in 2000, Elaine received the prestigious Jefferson Award given by KSBW Television to six community volunteers in the tri-county area. After receiving that award, she was asked to serve on its selection committee which she continues to do. In 2001 she received the Boy Scout’s Good Scout Award and the San Benito County Woman of the Year Award.
It is said that if you want something done, ask a busy person. Well, in Elaine’s case, that is very true.
David Kaplansky:
David Kaplansky was born in Carmel, California on April 9, 1976. He is a 1999 graduate of San Benito High where he played Varsity football, basketball, and baseball, was basketball and baseball team captain and all Monterey Bay League in basketball and baseball, and played for the North in the North vs. South Kiwanis All Star Game. He was team MVP in varsity basketball, team Most Inspirational varsity baseball player, and played in the All Tournament Aptos Seascape Tourney, the Robert Louis Stevenson Tip Off Tourney, and the North Monterey County Classic. He was Associated Student Body Senior Class Commissioner and received the Principal’s Award his senior year as well as the Charlie Root Memorial Scholarship.
At Grossmont Community College in San Diego (1995-1997) he played 2 years of basketball and was also the team captain in his
Sophomore year. He made first team All San Diego County, was 4th in the State of California for 3 pointers made, and was team Most Valuable Defensive Player.
Graduating with an AA degree in 1997, he went on to San Diego State University where he graduated in 1999 with a BA in Psychology. While there he made the Division 1 NCAA basketball team as the only man to make the team in a 50 man walk on try out. He played in 24 out of 26 games as a junior and led the NCAA in the most minutes played. The team made it to the semifinals in the Mountain West Conference Tournament. He received the Most Inspirational Player Award and a full ride scholarship as a senior for the men’s basketball team. That year he was also the team captain.
In 1999 he returned to San Benito High as a substitute teacher and boys JV basketball coach. In 2001 he became the boy’s varsity basketball coach but since 2007 has also been coaching the girl’s basketball team. He has also been assistant coach of varsity track and football. His boy’s basketball teams have achieved championships in the Independence Tournament, the Aptos Seascape Tournament, the North Salinas Steinbeck Tournament, and the Tri County Athletic League. They also won the Bob Hagen and the Palma Scattini Tournaments and were Monterey Bay League and Cupertino Shootout champions.
The girl’s basketball teams were Tri County Athletic League Champions for two years, CCS Division 1 Champions in 2008, (the first one in school history), Northern California Quarterfinalists in 2009, and champions of the 2008 Watsonville Tournament, the 2008 and 2009 Del Mar Holiday Tournament, and 2009 Alisal Classic Tournament.
David was Tri County Athletic League Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2004 in Varsity Boys Basketball, Tri County Athletic League Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2009 in girl’s basketball, and Monterey Bay League Coach of the Year in 2013 for boy’s basketball.
From 2001-2005, he was an 8th grade teacher for the San Benito County Office of Education and has been the P.E. teacher at Spring Grove School since 2005. He holds a Multiple Subjects Teaching credential and a Supplementary Physical Education credential.
David is married to JoAnne, also a teacher, and they have a daughter and a son.
Pablo Mazon Balancio, Jr.:
Pablo Balancio was born in Hollister, California on June 26, 1957 and graduated from San Benito High School in 1975. He was Vice President of his Senior Class, a member of the Associated Boys Students, the American Field Service, the Future Teachers of America, the Science Club, the Ski Club, the Spanish Club, the Pep Band, the Intermediate Stage Band, and was on the Honor Roll. He was also photographer for the Yearbook. During those high school years he worked at Cornet, J.C. Penney, and Hollister Floral.
Pablo attended Gavilan College in 1975 and graduated from San Jose State University in 1994 where he received a B.A. in Marketing and Advertising. He was a professional photographer and worked at Gavilan College as a multimedia technician for many years.
Pablo served as Hollister Relay for Life Chair, volunteered for Christmas in the Park in San Jose, Lighting for Hope for a Cure Memorial Educational Scholarship, Evening of Hope events, Measure E Project at Gavilan College, and served on the 4-H Expansion Committee which reviewed enrollment goals and ethnic composition, and created ideas for action plans to reach enrollment goals. He volunteered to photograph many events, people, and celebrations, among them the event you are attending today, the Baler Education Foundation Hall of Fame.
Pablo was the Public Relations Officer for the Hollister Jaycees and received the Jaycee of the Year award in 1985. In 2012, he received Volunteer of the Year Award for his valuable contributions to the Baler Education Foundation at National Philanthropy Day and also received the Community Foundation of San Benito County Distinguished Honoree Award.
Before high school, Pablo received the 4-H Silver Star.
Pablo passed away on October 11, 2013. His sister Rosalie says, “Being born and raised in Hollister, you grew up with the whole community. The home of the Hay Balers was a perfect place to be. Teachers and friends influenced him to be the friendly, honest, and generous man he became. Pablo had a deep connection with the high school. He enjoyed photographing high school events even years after graduating. He liked the sense of community, and was involved with class reunions. Pablo was a giver in that he gave his time to help where needed.”
Romaldo Martin:
Romaldo Martin was born in Hollister, California on June 17, 1938 and graduated from San Benito High in 1957. While there he was active in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and the football, wrestling, and track teams. In wrestling, he competed at the Central Coast Section during his sophomore, junior, and senior years, winning the King City Invitational and several other tournaments. He was also part of the State Wrestling Championship team in 1957. He was on the undefeated football team and the track relay team which competed at the state level.
As a parent and grandparent, Romaldo has volunteered countless hours as an FFA Booster, a Baler Football Booster, and served as the High School Rodeo Association Board President and Director for eight years. It is common to see him working in the Baler Barn during Friday Night Baler Football games, even at the age of 75.
Romaldo was the first person in Hollister to plan, organize, and host the first junior rodeos in San Benito County, and was an active volunteer with the local 4-H Clubs by being a San Benito County 4-H livestock leader for beef, sheep, swine, and crops. He also volunteered countless hours at the annual San Benito County Fair each year for over 40 years. He coached Pop Warner Football from 1978-1989.
Other organizations to which Romaldo has also donated both time and money are: *Scholarships each year to a graduating SBHS senior in memory of his son, Tommy Martin
*Purchased a Baler Education Foundation Founders Brick
*Donated items for all fundraisers at SBHS and the community
*Hollister Heat Softball
*San Benito County Fair Animal and Produce Auction
*Donated the scoreboard and time clock to the Spring Grove School Gymnasium
*American Cancer Society Relay for Life
*San Benito County Heritage Foundation, and
*Babe Ruth
Romaldo received the Pop Warner Coaches Award in 2011 for his many years of support and dedication to the program, the San Benito County Fair Blue Ribbon Award in 2012 for his 40 years of support, a Lion’s Club award, the California State Assembly award.
In addition to the organizations already named, Romaldo has also been a member and an active participant in the following:
*Hollister Elks Lodge
*Spanish Lodge
*San Benito County, California State and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
*San Benito County Farm Bureau
*National Rifle Association
*San Benito County Fair Livestock Auction Crew, and
*San Benito County Farm Day
Romaldo and his wife, Janice, raised two daughters and two sons.
Curtis Hill:
Curtis Hill was born on September 16, 1954 in Ankara, Turkey and graduated from San Benito High in 1972. He was one of the founding members of the Interact Club. In the 1990’s he volunteered to barbeque lunches for students for numerous special event days, and from 1990 – 2010 he worked with staff and board members on multiple law enforcement issues confronting the school. During the 1994-95 school year, he sat on the Substance Abuse Committee, and provided mentorship to students from 2004-2006.
Curtis attended Gavilan College earning his AA degree in 1974 and his BS from California State University at Fresno in 1976. He attended the FAI National Academy in 1989 and in 2000 earned a certificate in California Peace Officers Standards and Training Executive Management.
Curtis was a deputy sheriff, sergeant, and under sheriff in the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office from 1976-1998. In 1999 he was elected to the first of three terms as sheriff of San Benito County. He was a lobbyist in Sacramento for Warner and Pank from 2011-2012, and, in 2013 was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown as part of his administration to be Acting Executive Officer of the Board of State and Community Corrections.
Curtis was a member of the Federal Health and Human Services Organ Donation Leadership Coordinating Council from 2004-2007, Fight Crime, Invest in Kids Executive Committee from 2003-2010, and has been a member of the FBI National Academy Associates since 1989. He was commissioner of the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission from 2009-2010.
Curtis has been serving our community for nearly 25 years. He was a founding member of the Salvation Army for the county, was involved in numerous fund raising efforts for San Benito High School Scholarships as a Hollister Rotary Club member, was a member and past president of the San Benito County United Way, and is past chair and co-chair of the Founders Committee of the YMCA of San Benito county. He began volunteering for the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo in 1996 and currently sits on its Board of Directors.
Curtis and his wife, Ellen, have one son.
William Hawkins:
Bill Hawkins, a cattle rancher in San Benito County for over 60 years, was born in San Francisco, California on April 6, 1923. He is a 1940 graduate of Hollister High where, during his junior and senior years, he was vice-president of the Associated Boys Students and a member of the California Scholastic Federation. He played on the lightweight football team as a right guard but had his football career cut short due to a knee injury.
Bill attended the University of California at Berkley from 1940 to 1943 where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity also known as the Fijis. He received the Outstanding Freshman Award from the Daily Californian and was also associated with Alpha Delta Sigma. In 1943 he had to move out of the fraternity house because he had joined the Navy V-12 Program. Just 12 units short of being able to graduate, the Navy sent him to the supply depot in San Diego. But, in 1944 they sent him to Harvard University to complete his degree. Berkley recognized the semester at Harvard and awarded him his diploma. Bill was stationed on a destroyer escort ship which made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean, twice to Italy and twice to England. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant J.G. and was honorably discharged in 1946.
Bill has been a member of the San Benito County Cattlemen’s Association and the California Farm Bureau Federation since 1948. He was a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association for over 60 years, the San Benito County Saddle Horse Association for nearly 40 years, the 33rd District Agriculture Association and the Hollister Elks Lodge during the 1950’s and 60’s, the Farm Bureau Board of Directors from 1948-1953, the Boy Scouts District committee from 1949-1951, and SIRS since 2002.
He was a North County Joint Union School District Board of Trustees member for 25 years.
Bill and his wife, Marion, raised two daughters.
