COMMUNITY
DIGEST
TIDBITS FOR AND ABOUT
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
GILROY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Jack Sturla (RIP) was a farmer prior
to joining the Air Force and fl ew 52
combat missions during the war in
an A-20. Over the years, Jack was a
farmer, worked in the employment
offi ce, worked at the John Sherrer's
"Pieter-Wheeler” Seed Company and
served as manager of the Gavilan
Water District.
HALL OF FAME AWARDS
The Gilroy Hall of Fame started with an idea back in 1982. Bob
Dyer, who was the Chair of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce at the
time, thought it would be good to recognize those individuals who
had contributed to making Gilroy a better place to live, work and
raise families. At the time, numerous individuals stood out for their
contributions in the area of industry, philanthropy, volunteerism and
community service. The Gilroy Hall of Fame would provide a venue
for these individuals to recognized and acknowledged for their lead-
ership, courage and pioneering spirit.
Since the initial ceremony in 1982 until its last event in
1996, the Gilroy Hall of Fame has honored 123 individuals in the
categories of Agriculture, Business, Community Service, Cultural
Professional, Education, Public Service, Political, Military and Other
(an open category). With Bob Dyer’s efforts and a dedicated group
of volunteers, the Gilroy Hall of Fame was re-launched in 2015 and
another 16 individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Al Gagliardi grew up in Gilroy, gradu-
ated from Gilroy High School in 1942;
served in World War II, winning a
medal for good conduct and a bronze
star; and served to protect the com-
munity of Gilroy as a Deputy Sheriff
from 1948 to 1977. He has also been
active in the Gilroy Historical Society.
Susan Valenta provided leader-
ship to the Gilroy Chamber of
Commerce, serving at it's CEO
for over 20 years. In addition to
her many accomplishment with
the Chamber, she also served as
President of the Gilroy Rotary Club
and as District Governor. She has
been recognized by a number of
organizations for her work.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
december 2018-january 2019
Lawson Sakai, a resident of Morgan
Hill, served in 442nd Regimental
Combat Team from May 1944 until
November 1945, participating in cam-
paigns in Italy and France, including the
liberation of Bruyeres, France and the
rescue of the Lost Battalion where he
was seriously injured. After the war he
operated a travel agency in San Jose.
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