Top 10 awards honor volunteers, businesses
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

Larry Davis

The people are the city.

The city's motto was echoed by a number of presenters and honorees during the 40th annual Camarillo Chamber of Commerce's Top 10 Community Awards dinner last week at Spanish Hills Country Club.

The 200 people in attendance at the black-tie affair honored both individuals and businesses for their volunteer and charity work within the Pleasant Valley community.

Larry Davis and Pauline Malysko were named man and woman of the year.

Davis, a Wisconsin native and officer in the U.S. Air Forcemoved to Camarillo in 1973 and took a job as assistant city planner. In 1988, he was named city manager, a post he held until his retirement in 2003.

During his 15 years with the city, Davis helped oversee Camarillo's first General Plan and was instrumental in the redevelopment of Constitution Park, including the city's veterans memorial, and the preservation of the Adolfo Camarillo Ranch House.

"You've got your thumbprint on this city, and we thank you," Mayor Jan McDonald said.

Malysko, president and CFO of software maker Logix Development, said she first heard she'd been chosen for the award when they were announced during a Camarillo City Council meeting last month.

Pauline Malysko

"I was saying to myself, 'Wow, this is really a great group of people,'" Malysko said. "Then they announced the woman of the year, and I tell you, I don't remember anything after that."

Malysko, a 10-year resident of the city, serves on a number of local boards and committees, including California State University at Channel Islands, Rotary, the Camarillo Health Care District and the Chamber of Commerce. She is a lay minister at Central Coast Bible Fellowship.

"I love people, and I'll tell you what, Camarillo, you're easy to love," Malysko said in her acceptance speech.

"Everything she contributes to, she does it with a great heart," Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long said. "She doesn't do it for the accolades, she doesn't do it for the awards this evening, she does it with great heart."

Camarillo resident Kara Partridge, an executive with the Camarillo Health Care District, was named volunteer of the year.

An equestrian, Partridge recently qualified with her horse as members of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy's Mounted Volunteer Patrol.

Kara Partridge

"There is great joy in giving," said Partridge, who also volunteers extensively with the Breakfast Rotary Club, the Boys & Girls Club and the Ventura Medical Resources Foundation.

The Camarillo Health Care District, which serves more than 100,000 residents a year, was named service organization of the year. The health district provides a number of programs for seniors throughout Pleasant and Santa Rosa valleys, including adult daycare, senior meals, local transportation and other health care services.

Frontier High School teacher Kim Dallape was named educator of the year. A wife and the mother of two teens, Dallape moved to Camarillo in 1995 and taught for eight years at Las Colinas Middle School. In 2003, she transferred to Frontier, a continuation high school located at the Camarillo Airport.

"With over 3,000 students having come or gone through my doors, one way or another, I can honestly say that I have never once regretted what I do," Dallape said.

Adolfo Camarillo High School junior Candice Hueston was named youth of the year.

Through the local Boys & Girls Club, the 16-year-old volunteers her time for a number of the club's causes, including beach cleanups and the walk for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. She was named the club's youth of the year in February.

Candice is also president of the youth club's Keystone Club, a teen leadership and service program.

The city's mayor emeritus, Stan Daily, a longtime City Council member, took home senior of the year honors.

"I love this city very dearly," said Daily, who serves on nearly 70 organizations and charities.

Daily, who recently completed a book on the history of Camarillo, was recognized as young man of the year in 1968, public servant of the year in 1998 and man of the year in 2000.

Charlotte Craven, a City Council member for more than 20 years, was named public servant of the year. The Michigan native has been mayor five times and is the current vice mayor.

"I approach my city duties with the same three-part philosophy that I approach everything else," Craven said. "Do one thing at a time, do the best you can and do the most important thing first."

Graphic design and sign maker imagestuff.com was named entrepreneur of the year.

Trophy maker and engraving shop Mark-it Place was recognized as business of the year.

Both local companies were honored for their commitment to youth sports and local schools.

A 12person selection committee chooses the recipients for the community awards, which Chamber officials said included nearly 40 applicants.