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In 1889, around the country and the world these events were taking place: Benjamin Harrison was inaugurated as the 23rd president of the United States. Mark Twain published "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." The Eiffel Tower in France opened. One hundred thirty-two years ago a group of business and community leaders got together to form the Santa Cruz Board of Trade - the original name of our chamber. It is hard to imagine what Santa Cruz County was like back in 1889. The Board of Trade met in the County Bank Building in downtown Santa Cruz. The first president was Dr. Henry H. Clark, mayor, doctor, and member of the Santa Cruz promotion committee. He started the first electric light business with Fred Swanton and the first electric railway in 1891. If you are a history buff like me, you can see some of the milestones of the chamber here: Santa Cruz Chamber 1889 Today, we stand one week away from the Chamber’s annual recognition dinner on March 18 at the iconic Dream Inn. It is an honored tradition to recognize individuals, businesses and organizations for their commitment to Santa Cruz County. While we are in mid-season recovery from the coronavirus, we believe that a short pause from the pandemic is necessary so we can offer our deep appreciation to four individuals, three businesses and an organization that represents three entities. On behalf of the Chamber Board and our members, it is my pleasure to recognize the Class of 2020. I am providing a teaser for each honoree so when you join us on March 18 either in person or via Zoom, you can join us in showing our gratitude for their service to Santa Cruz County. Susan True is the Chief Executive Officer of the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. In her role, Susan continues her lifelong commitment to work that improves lives and strengthens communities. Chris Clark is the Chief Deputy of Operations for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. As Chief Deputy, Chris Clark is responsible for managing the Operation’s Bureau mandate to provide continuous first responder 9-1-1 services, non-emergency service, and general law enforcement in the unincorporated area of the County. Ian Larkin is the Unit Chief of the CalFire San Mateo-Santa Cruz (CZU) Unit. Chief Larkin is a lifelong resident of Santa Cruz County, born and raised in Watsonville, and now resides in Scotts Valley with his wife, his mom Lisa, two daughters, and their two beloved Labradors. Dignity Health/Dominican Hospital serves Santa Cruz County. Dignity Health is made up of more than 60,000 caregivers and staff who deliver excellent care to diverse communities in 21 states. Headquartered in San Francisco, Dignity Health is the fifth largest health system in the nation and the largest hospital provider in California. Kaiser Permanente serves Santa Cruz County with offices in Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, and Watsonville. Like the other health care providers in the region, they have stepped up to address the virus, implementing thousands of COVID-19 tests and now rolling out the vaccine to its patients and members. Sutter Health and Palo Alto Medical Foundation, working together with local health providers and first responders, offer 24/7 health services to their patients throughout the Santa Cruz County region. Sutter hospitals serve more of the Medi-Cal patient population in Northern California than any other health system. Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds/Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation/Ag History Project: Long ago, around 1885, home-loving and farm-loving Santa Cruz County citizens combined their first efforts to produce what has become the Santa Cruz County Fair and Horse Show. This elaborate fair has been at its present location along Hecker Pass Road (the present East Lake Avenue) since 1941. Gail Pellerin, retired Santa Cruz County Clerk and Registrar of Voters. It’s always best to go out on top. The announcement last November that Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin was retiring after a distinguished 35-year career is deserving of a lifetime achievement award. On Tuesday, the announcement came that Santa Cruz County was moving back into the Red Tier. You can see the updated COVID-19 dashboard in this eNews installment. We all know as Yogi Berra would fondly say, “It isn’t over until it is over.” We have made tremendous progress in the past couple of months and the current trend tells us we are on the right path, especially as more people get vaccinated. Let’s keep at it. Last year, we could not meet and could not safely celebrate. It was a year to protect the health and safety of our community. Now, it is the right time to share each other’s company in a safe, healthy, and socially distanced way. We have been recognizing community leaders since 1959 and longer at least as far back as our Chamber archives show. We have some special guests to honor who are going to bring life to the evening’s festivities. The staff at the Dream Inn, in collaboration with the Chamber, has come up with an innovative way to celebrate safely, practicing social distancing, and follow all of the COVID-19 protocols. So please join your Chamber members and the community for this festive evening. Registration information is in the eNews.
In 1889, around the country and the world these events were taking place: Benjamin Harrison was inaugurated as the 23rd president of the United States. Mark Twain published "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." The Eiffel Tower in France opened.
One hundred thirty-two years ago a group of business and community leaders got together to form the Santa Cruz Board of Trade - the original name of our chamber. It is hard to imagine what Santa Cruz County was like back in 1889. The Board of Trade met in the County Bank Building in downtown Santa Cruz. The first president was Dr. Henry H. Clark, mayor, doctor, and member of the Santa Cruz promotion committee. He started the first electric light business with Fred Swanton and the first electric railway in 1891. If you are a history buff like me, you can see some of the milestones of the chamber here: Santa Cruz Chamber 1889
Today, we stand one week away from the Chamber’s annual recognition dinner on March 18 at the iconic Dream Inn. It is an honored tradition to recognize individuals, businesses and organizations for their commitment to Santa Cruz County. While we are in mid-season recovery from the coronavirus, we believe that a short pause from the pandemic is necessary so we can offer our deep appreciation to four individuals, three businesses and an organization that represents three entities. On behalf of the Chamber Board and our members, it is my pleasure to recognize the Class of 2020. I am providing a teaser for each honoree so when you join us on March 18 either in person or via Zoom, you can join us in showing our gratitude for their service to Santa Cruz County.
Susan True is the Chief Executive Officer of the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. In her role, Susan continues her lifelong commitment to work that improves lives and strengthens communities.
Chris Clark is the Chief Deputy of Operations for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. As Chief Deputy, Chris Clark is responsible for managing the Operation’s Bureau mandate to provide continuous first responder 9-1-1 services, non-emergency service, and general law enforcement in the unincorporated area of the County.
Ian Larkin is the Unit Chief of the CalFire San Mateo-Santa Cruz (CZU) Unit. Chief Larkin is a lifelong resident of Santa Cruz County, born and raised in Watsonville, and now resides in Scotts Valley with his wife, his mom Lisa, two daughters, and their two beloved Labradors.
Dignity Health/Dominican Hospital serves Santa Cruz County. Dignity Health is made up of more than 60,000 caregivers and staff who deliver excellent care to diverse communities in 21 states. Headquartered in San Francisco, Dignity Health is the fifth largest health system in the nation and the largest hospital provider in California. Kaiser Permanente serves Santa Cruz County with offices in Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, and Watsonville. Like the other health care providers in the region, they have stepped up to address the virus, implementing thousands of COVID-19 tests and now rolling out the vaccine to its patients and members.
Sutter Health and Palo Alto Medical Foundation, working together with local health providers and first responders, offer 24/7 health services to their patients throughout the Santa Cruz County region. Sutter hospitals serve more of the Medi-Cal patient population in Northern California than any other health system.
Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds/Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation/Ag History Project: Long ago, around 1885, home-loving and farm-loving Santa Cruz County citizens combined their first efforts to produce what has become the Santa Cruz County Fair and Horse Show. This elaborate fair has been at its present location along Hecker Pass Road (the present East Lake Avenue) since 1941.
Gail Pellerin, retired Santa Cruz County Clerk and Registrar of Voters. It’s always best to go out on top. The announcement last November that Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin was retiring after a distinguished 35-year career is deserving of a lifetime achievement award.
On Tuesday, the announcement came that Santa Cruz County was moving back into the Red Tier. You can see the updated COVID-19 dashboard in this eNews installment. We all know as Yogi Berra would fondly say, “It isn’t over until it is over.” We have made tremendous progress in the past couple of months and the current trend tells us we are on the right path, especially as more people get vaccinated. Let’s keep at it.
Last year, we could not meet and could not safely celebrate. It was a year to protect the health and safety of our community. Now, it is the right time to share each other’s company in a safe, healthy, and socially distanced way. We have been recognizing community leaders since 1959 and longer at least as far back as our Chamber archives show. We have some special guests to honor who are going to bring life to the evening’s festivities. The staff at the Dream Inn, in collaboration with the Chamber, has come up with an innovative way to celebrate safely, practicing social distancing, and follow all of the COVID-19 protocols. So please join your Chamber members and the community for this festive evening. Registration information is in the eNews.