Formerly known as Man & Woman of the Year, the annual Person of the Year award program honors Santa Barbara-area individuals, couples, or families whose volunteer service represents a meaningful commitment to the community, addresses real community needs, or enhances the quality of life in the Santa Barbara area, or has involved acts of generosity, kindness, or innovation, with an emphasis on the recent accomplishments and achievements. Recipients are selected from a wide range of candidates nominated by community members.
Person of the Year Selection ProcessPersons of the year are nominated by community members in recognition of their history of extraordinary volunteer service that represents a meaningful commitment to the community, addresses a real community need, or enhances quality of life for a wide swath of the Santa Barbara-area community. Nominees may also be acknowledged for exemplary acts of generosity, kindness, or innovation in the Santa Barbara area.
The process to select the 81st Persons of the Year begins with open nominations on January 11. Anyone in the community can nominate an individual, couple or family. A committee made up of former recipients, with input from nonprofit leaders, review nominations and select this year’s honorees.
2nd Person of The Year
Harold Chase
3rd Person of the Year
Stuart Wing
4th Person of the Year
Patrick Maher
5th Person of the Year
Sidney McFarland
6th Person of the Year
Donald Welch
7th Person of the Year
Edwin Welch
8th Person of the Year
James Van Etta
9th Person of the Year
Thomas M. Storke
10th Person of the Year
Warner Edmonds
11th Person of the Year
Duncan MacDougall
12th Person of the Year
Richard Polsky
13th Person of the Year
Dwight Murphy
14th Person of the Year
Francis Price, Sr. and George Castagnola
15th Person of the Year
Charles A. Storke and Pearl Chase
16th Person of the Year
Edgar Robinson and Katherine Meeker Gray
17th Person of the Year
John Parma and Lotte Lehmann
18th Person of the Year
Reuben Irvin and Etta Glahn
19th Person of the Year
John S. Rathbone and Grace Meeker Lloyd
20th Person of the Year
David Siebert and Alice Schott
21st Person of the Year
Clark Sargeant and Julia Forbes
22nd Person of the Year
Michael Lemus Gr and Mary Perry
23rd Person of the Year
Russell Bell and Sylvia Griffiths
24th Person of the Year
Louis Lancaster and Ardis Sloan Bryant
25th Person of the Year
H.O. Koefod and Deborah Pelissero
26th Person of the Year
John Timmons and Winnie Lancaster
27th Person of the Year
Arnold Jacquemain and Ida Cordero
28th Person of the Year
John Rickard and Lucy McReynolds
29th Person of the Year
Courtney Monsen and Annette Slavin
30th Person of the Year
Elmer Shirrell and Yvonne Jordan
31st Person of the Year
Stanley Lowry and Emily Davis
32nd Person of the Year
Leonard Kummer and Ada Schick Wing
33rd Person of the Year
Milton Weinstein and Gertrude Calden
34th Person of the Year
Selmer O. Wake and Mary Jo Miles
35th Person of the Year
Bruce O’Neal and Anita Mackey
36th Person of the Year
Charles Stearns and Eleanor Wright Jr.
37th Person of the Year
Hildahl Burtness and Betty Rosness
38th Person of the Year
Charles Panoyan and Carolyn E. Ferguson
39th Person of the Year
George Adams and Lorraine Hoelscher
40th Person of the Year
Jerome Harwin and Louise Lowry Davis
41st Person of the Year
Donald Phillips and Betty M. Groebli
42nd Person of the Year
Ralph McNall and Sheridah Gerard
43rd Person of the Year
Richard Arbagey and Lura Dolas
44th Person of the Year
David Shiffman and Alice Rypins
45th Person of the Year
R Mildred Pinheiro and Wallace Drew
46th Person of the Year
Sidney J. Smith and Helen Pedotti
47th Person of the Year
Larry Crandell and Barbara Tellefson
48th Person of the Year
Virgil Cordano and Vie Obern
49th Person of the Year
David Medina and Shirley Ann Hurley
50th Person of the Year
Donald Anderson and Jeanne Graffy
51st Person of the Year
Gil Garcia and Mary Standlee
52nd Person of the Year
Cliff Lambert and Penny Jenkins
53rd Person of the Year
Michael Towbes and Cally Brennand
54th Person of the Year
Robert Kallman and Gail Towbes
55th Person of the Year
Eli Luria and Patricia Dillon Bliss
56th Person of the Year
Palmer G. Jackson and Jean Schuyler
57th Person of the Year
Pierre Claeyssens and Joanne Rapp
58th Person of the Year
Stanley Bartlett and Jan Severson
59th Person of the Year
Peter MacDougall and Carnzu A. Clark
60th Person of the Year
George Bliss and Sue Adams
61st Person of the Year
Bob Bryant and Nancyann Failing
62nd Person of the Year
David Anderson and Leslie Ridley-Tree
63rd Person of the Year
Marshall Rose and Susan Miles Gulbransen
64th Person of the Year
James Hurley, Jr. and Léni Fé Bland
65th Person of the Year
Richard B. Welch and Patricia Caldwell Dow
66th Person of the Year
Stephen M. Hicks and Carole Doane
67th Person of the Year
David L. Peri and Maryan Schall
68th Person of the Year
Robert J. Emmons and Jane Habermann
69th Person of the Year
Clifford W. Sponsel and Gerd Jordano
70th Person of the Year
Ken Saxon and Patricia MacFarlane
71st Person of the Year
Bill Cirone and Anne Smith Towbes
72nd Person of the Year
Steve Lyons and Carol Palladini
73rd Person of the Year
Ed Birch and Vicki Hazard
74th Person of the Year
Jon Clark and Janet Garufis
75th Person of the Year
Ernesto Paredes and Joni Meisel
76th Person of the Year
David Boyd and Jelinda DeVorzon
77th Person of the Year
Tom Parker and Catherine Remak
Michael & Marni Cooney
78th Person of the Year
John Daly and Judy Stapelmann
79th Person of the Year
Ginger Salazar and Katina Zaninovich
80th Person of the Year
Elisabeth Fowler and Joe Howell
81st Person of the Year
Peter Schuyler and Jim Morouse
Steve and Cindy Lyons
Patty MacFarlane
Katina Zaninovich
U.S Bank Private Wealth Management
Ventura Rental
To become a sponsor of the 81st (2024) Person of the Year Awards please contact Kevin Kuga, Business Development Manager, at (805) 880-9389 or KKuga@SBFoundation.org
Santa Barbara Foundation LOGO