Saturday, September 27 Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake
Cocoanut Grove Ballroom 400 Beach Street Santa Cruz, CA
Humanitarian Honoree: Secretary Leon Panetta
SANTA CRUZ, CA – Celebrate the Red Gala, which supports the work of the American Red Cross, will be held on Saturday, September 27 at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom at the historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
The event will include a champagne reception, buffet dinner, silent and live auction, and music performed by the band Extra Large.
Former Secretary of Defense and co-founder of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, Leon Panetta will be presented with the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County Chapter Humanitarian of the Year award for his determination to help the citizens of our region following the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.
Panetta has served the Santa Cruz community, the region, and the country in a most remarkable way. As Unites States Representative for our community during the Loma Prieta Earthquake, he was instrumental in working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to obtain disaster funding to help communities receive the resources they needed to begin the recovery process.
Panetta authored the legislation to implement the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary designation. Among his many positions serving in the government, in 1993 President Bill Clinton selected him to be Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget. He then served as Chief of Staff for The White House from 1994 to 1996, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2009 to 2011, and Secretary of Defense in the Cabinet of President Barack Obama from 2011 to 2013. Panetta and his wife also founded the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy in December 1998.
Leon Panetta is truly worthy of being honored by the Santa Cruz County community.
Other honorees that will be recognized to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake:
Oscar Rios four-time former mayor of Watsonville was first elected to the council in 1989, after the earthquake and was integral in helping to rebuild the city. He spent 15 years as a representative for District 2, proving his commitment and dedication to his community.
Don French was the Watsonville Municipal Airport Manager and all roads into the county were closed because of earthquake damage. Under his supervision, the airport provided essential logistical support for disaster relief operations. It became the main conduit for incoming supplies and, now, many local, state, and federal entities have emergency response aircraft based there.
Tom Honig as the assistant managing editor of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Tom Honig ensured that the community would receive the latest news of the earthquake’s impact on the area.
Ceil Cirillo as the city’s former economic development and redevelopment agency director she played an extensive role in the rebuilding of Santa Cruz.
Dick Wilson as city manager of Santa Cruz he oversaw the efforts to rebuild the downtown area after it experienced massive devastation.
Harvey Nickelson as bank president also played a key role as Coast Commercial Bank led the effort for local lenders to aid this process.
Gary Smith Watsonville’s Assistant City Manager and Fire Chief helped coordinate with the El Pájaro Community Development Corporation in directing Federal aid.
Posthumously Honoring:
John Lisher took over a shop on Pacific Avenue and began redeveloping downtown as he led daily meetings with Vision Santa Cruz and played significant roles as executive director of the Santa Cruz Historical Trust, which became the Museum of Art and History, executive director of the Santa Cruz Chamber, a leader in post-earthquake recovery, owner of Artisans Gallery and served on the boards of the Downtown Association and Downtown Management Association.
Mardi Wormhoudt in November of 1989 The City Council of Santa Cruz elected Mardi to her second term as mayor, the only time anyone has served as mayor in consecutive years as an acknowledgment of her tireless efforts serving as an intermediary among a variety of groups: the media, political dignitaries, government officials, business owners, and residents. She helped to create the idea that later became Vision Santa Cruz, a task force designed to plan and build a new downtown.
The 2014 Celebrate the Red Gala is the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County Chapter’s annual fundraising event to benefit local disaster relief and readiness for Santa Cruz County. To learn more information about the event, to buy tickets, or to sponsor the event, please visit redcross.org/santacruz or contactCamilla.Boolootian@redcross.org.
Proceeds from the Gala go directly towards our mission of helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.