Alexander Joseph Wallash of Boy Scout Troop 730 was awarded the Eagle Scout award in a ceremony at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center on Sunday, January 11.
To earn scouting’s highest award, Alex earned 25 merit badges, served as a leader in his troop and completed in a major community service project. Alex coordinated the building and installation of twelve western bluebird nest boxes in the Mendoza Ranch section of Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park southeast of Morgan Hill. The bluebird trail will provide important nesting habitat for western bluebirds and western kingbirds.
Alex, 18, son of Al and JoAnn Wallash, has been a member of Troop 730 for seven years. He is a senior at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, and a starting defender on the varsity lacrosse team. Alex plans to attend the University of Santa Barbara in the fall.
At a recent meeting at Lou’s Village in San Jose of the Santa Clara County Dental Society, a local component of the American Dental Association, longtime Morgan Hill resident Sue Perry was awarded as one of the top Dental auxiliary in Santa Clara County by this 1,000 member organization. Among the reasons cited were Sue’s dedication to patient education, promoting dental health, creating a friendly atmosphere at her office and her professionalism.
Jon Hatakeyama with whom Sue has worked for the past 25 years, invited Sue’s daughter, Cheryl Allen, DDS along, with the rest his staff as an office outing on the pretense that this was to listen to a noted speaker. The award came as a complete surprise to Sue, among the clapping 500 meeting attendees. In nominating her for this award, Hatakeyama stressed her inspirational ability, her leadership qualities and her youthful attitude as the “glue” of his office. Although Sue tends to her grandchildren, her regular regimen of exercise, golf and sense of humor will keep her going as long as Hatakeyama wants to continue his dentistry.
Kim Sugiyama has been named to the Dean’s List at San Jose State University, with a major in music. To be named to the Dean’s List students must earn a 3.65 or higher grade point average in at least two contiguous semesters of the three semesters prior to the Honors Convocation. Kim will be honored formally at the 42nd Annual Honors Convocation Friday, April 16. Kim is a 1998 graduate of Live Oak High School.
Cricket Rubino and Marisa Faust, both of Morgan Hill, will be honored as the Mt. Madonna YMCA’s 2003 Volunteers of the Year at the YMCA’s Annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner on May 11.
Cricket Rubino, member of the Mt. Madonna YMCA Board of Managers since 2002, has been involved with the YMCA for 20 years. Cricket volunteers as a community support fundraiser ensuring local children and families have access to YMCA services.
Marissa Faust, is the youngest recipient ever to receive the YMCA Teen Volunteer of the Year Award. A fourth grade student at Paradise Valley Elementary School, Marissa helps at the YMCA Paradise Valley Child Care Center as a Youth Leader-In-Training and helped organize the Mt. Madonna YMCA’s first annual holiday dinner event and talent show.
For more information and tickets to the celebration dinner contact Judy Burt at 351-6412.
Olga Martin Steele, deputy administrative officer for Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Business Resources Division, is one of 50 Santa Clara County women named winners of the Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) Award. The YWCA presents the TWIN Award annually to women executives they consider the best of the best, as well as to the companies that employ them.Martin Steele’s career spans more than 35 years, most spent in public service. She began as a clerk at Mendocino State Hospital. As a single mother of two, she attended night classes to earn a bachelor of science degree in business administration management. Martin Steele worked her way up the ranks.
During a time in history when women were not accepted as equals with men, she was one of the first women peace officers to work in a men’s facility in the California Department of Corrections.
