WATSONVILLE — Alex Solano has always been the man behind the scenes, helping out fellow veterans, students and any community member in need.
Through it all, he has always stayed humble and out of the spotlight.
Fittingly, for his life of service, Solano was awarded this year’s Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Solano will be recognized alongside Woman of the Year Lori Butterworth, Man of the Year Brad Hubbard, Business of the Year Alladin Nursery, Organization of the Year Dientes Community Dental Care and Event of the Year Aldina Real Estate’s Charity Chili Cook-off during the chamber’s annual awards dinner on Feb. 2.
“I like doing this,” Solano said of his volunteer work. “A lot of people need help.”
Solano, who will turn 87 in December, enlisted in the United States Air Force, and from 1952-1956, he was assigned as a crew chief in charge of Saber Jet maintenance. Born in Mexicali, Mexico, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in Metz, France will serving in the Air Force.
He is currently a member of the American Legion, Edward H. Lorenson Post and Veterans of Foreign Wars in Watsonville, and is a committee member of the Watsonville Veterans Day celebration.
Solano was selected to participate in the 2018 Honor Flight Central Coast, where he and 21 other veterans flew out on Oct. 15 on an all-expenses paid trip to national monuments and memorials dedicated to service members. He returned from the trip on Wednesday.
Among his many other volunteer efforts, Solano served on the Pajaro Valley Historical Association Board, Elkhorn Slough Foundation and Watsonville Slavic American Cultural Organization.
He married Patricia Gospodnetich in 1959, and they were together until she died in April 2017. The couple raised five children: GeriAnne, Susan, Manny, Michael and Michelle.
Solano got the news of the Lifetime Achievement Award during a surprise breakfast visit by Chamber CEO Shaz Roth and Office Manager Brenda Rackley to Manny and Megan Solano’s home.
“It’s completely surprising,” he said. “What an honor.”
GeriAnne Solano-Simmons said her father’s sense of service is a family trait, calling her parents a “tough team.”
“It’s so heartwarming to know that folks in our community recognize what he’s done,” she said. “He’s never sought recognition. He’s just gratified to know that he’s served.”
Manny Solano, retired Watsonville Police chief, echoed his sister.
“He’s been a model of public service, giving to others his entire life,” he said. “He has a very strong work ethic that has passed on to us.”
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Woman of the Year: Lori Butterworth
Lori Butterworth started Jacob’s Heart in 1998 when her friend’s son was diagnosed with leukemia.
What was founded at her kitchen table has now grown into a nationally-recognized pediatric palliative care organization serving hundreds of children and thousands of family members annually.
Butterworth said receiving the Woman of the Year award is “such an honor,” but was quick to mention that Jacob’s Heart is not just about her.
“Our community has made this happen,” she said. “It’s been the community that has created a space for Jacob’s Heart to flourish and serve the most vulnerable.”
In 2002, Butterworth co-founded the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition and served as co-executive director for eight years along with Devon Dabbs. The two spearheaded several healthcare policy initiatives including the enactment of the Nick Snow Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Act of 2006, which paved the way for the Partners for Children pediatric palliative care program in California.
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Man of the Year: Brad Hubbard
Man of the Year Brad Hubbard (second from right) is congratulated by Gary Manfre (from left), Brenda Rackley and Shaz Roth during a surprise visit to Watsonville High School on Tuesday. Photo by Erik Chalhoub/Pajaronian
The countless students over the past three decades who have been involved with Watsonville High School’s athletics all know Brad Hubbard.
Hubbard has served in numerous roles at the school, including coach and athletic director for more than 15 years. He is also known for tutoring numerous students in math, and for quietly helping students in need with either clothes, food or money.
Hubbard is just as active on campus as he is outside of it.
He supports Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes with donations of excess items from fundraisers he organizes and is a member of the Corralitos Padres. As a Corralitos Padres member, he arrives at the Annual Lumberjack Breakfast during the pre-dawn hours and helps serve, along with fellow Padres, several thousand breakfasts in a five-hour period.
He was inducted into the Watsonville High School Hall of Fame in 2011, and also received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest award given by the Central Coast Section.
“I’m completely surprised,” Hubbard said of receiving the Man of the Year award. “It’s a really nice honor.”
He said he appreciated everyone’s work in nominating him for the honor.
“I feel much more comfortable behind the scenes,” Hubbard said. “That’s just what I do.”
Watsonville High School Principal Elaine Legorreta said even though Hubbard retired in 2011, he still shows up daily to the campus and works non-stop. She added that many people try to take some work off his plate, but he still takes on more.
“He’s a guy that was born in New York, grew up in L.A., and he just couldn’t think of any other place he wanted to be than Watsonville,” she said. “He just works. He’s a legend.
“He’s definitely deserving. Anybody in the community knows who Brad is.”
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Business of the Year: Alladin Nursery
Alladin Nursery owner Gustavo Beyer (left) stands with his son Gustavo Jr. at the business’ Freedom Boulevard location. Photo by Erik Chalhoub/Pajaronian
In 1919, Niels Peter Jensen of Denmark founded Alladin Nursery, which was later purchased in 1946 by Ben and Dorothy Roth. The Roths handed down the business to their two sons, Eldon and Les, in 1970.
The brothers ran the business with their wives until they retired in 2005, and the business was purchased by its manager Gustavo Beyer, who still runs it today.
Beyer said Alladin Nursery, located at 2905 Freedom Blvd. in Corralitos, has had steady customers throughout the years, and thanks to word of mouth, even has customers as far away as Fresno, Gilroy, and all corners of Santa Cruz County who are looking to improve their gardens.
“I want to thank the community for their support,” he said. “It’s been growing and growing.”
Alladin Nursery constantly hosts a number of free gardening classes as a way to give back to its customers, Beyer said, and recently hosted a marketplace for the annual Open Farm Tours, holding demonstrations, live music and more activities. It has also donated to countless organizations and schools.
Beyer thanked his employees and especially his wife, Dora, who he said has always supported him.
“I keep praying that I’m worthy of the respect of the community,” he said. “I just want to say how thankful I am, and I wish I can do more.”
Beyer is a constant fixture at Alladin Nursery, which has four full-time and three part-time employees, and has gained a reputation as an expert in gardening who provides valuable advice. On a recent Tuesday morning, he was stocking the shelves while fielding calls from customers and helping another customer load a purchase into her vehicle.
A 100-year anniversary of the business is tentatively scheduled for fall 2019.
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Organization of the Year: Dientes Community Dental Care
For more than 25 years, Dientes Community Dental Care has been serving the Pajaro Valley’s dental needs.
In 2015, Dientes opened a four-chair clinic on Freedom Boulevard in Watsonville. This clinic currently provides 7,000 visits per year, and in the future, the organization plans to expand the Watsonville clinic with an additional chair.
“We are truly honored by the recognition of the work that we do every day in service of our community,” said Laura Marcus, chief executive officer of Dientes. “For over 25 years, it has been our passion and our privilege to provide dental care to our low income neighbors, and in doing so, we enable more opportunities for our Pajaro Valley patients to do better in school, get jobs, and lead healthy lives.”
In the past year, Dientes added five Pajaro Valley schools to its Outreach Program, where dentists and clinic staff provide care in schools.
Dientes is also active with Oral Health Access Santa Cruz, a committee of healthcare providers, policy makers and community advocates who aim to address the county’s dental disease problem.
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Event of the Year: Aldina Real Estate’s Charity Chili Cook-off
Now in its fifth year, Aldina Real Estate’s Charity Chili Cook-off grows annually, and on Aug. 25 experienced its largest turnout yet, with 19 teams competing for the best chili.
Every year, the first, second and third place teams donate their winnings to a charity of their choice.
The event’s beginnings stem from a staff meeting five years ago, when Aldina Maciel, owner/broker of Aldina Real Estate, brought up the idea of hosting a cook-off similar to one she had just attended. The team then decided to add a charity component as a way to give back, and the event takes place at the real estate office’s East Lake Avenue location.
Since its inception, the event has raised more than $40,000 for organizations such as Salvation Army, Together in Pajaro, Pajaro Valley Shelter Services, CASA of Santa Cruz County and more, according to Maciel and Operations Manager Jynnette Sousa-Melo.
“We have really enjoyed bringing together our community of participants and learning about so many charities,” Maciel and Sousa-Melo wrote in a statement. “It has been so much fun to see our event grow every year and bring awareness to all the charities that have been involved. Everyone that is involved from our team of agents, the volunteers and the participants are all involved to give back. The day of the event and the planning is filled with good will and is so rewarding to see people come together to benefit others.”
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The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Awards Dinner and Auction, this year themed “That’s Amore,” will be held Feb. 2 at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased by calling the chamber office at 724-3900.
