HomeMy WebLinkAboutRCC AGENDA PK 2005/08/01IN HONOR OF TERRY THOMAS
2005 ENVIRONMENTALIST OF THE YEAR
WHF_REAS Terry Thomas has contributed significantly by her activities of leadership and
collaboration to the quality of the environmental habitats, flora, fauna and sustainability of the
ecology in the City of Chula Vista and its San Diego/'1'ijuana region.
WHEREAS Terry Thomas has recently retired as a tenured professor of Environmental and
Micro Biology, Human Heredity, Math Sciences and Engineering from Southwestern College after a
hventy five year career during which she excelled in fostering partnerships and collaborations
between academic, community, business and industry that enhance the human and biosphere quality
of life and productivity in a sustainable Earth.
WHEREAS Terry Thomas is a Co-founder of Project CREATE (Cultural, Research,
Educational, and Trade Exchange) that formed Southwestern College sister school partners in
Shanghai, China, and the Technological Institute of Tijuana.
WHEREAS Terry Thomas was also the founder of the Biotechnology Education
Consortium of Southern California in 1993 and part of the Biotechnology Initiative Steering
Committee fox the Califomia Community College Economic Development Network.
WHEREAS Terry Thomas is a co-founder of the Baja Studies Certificate Program known as
"Vacinos -Neighbors" and received Southwestern College's Woman of Distinction award and was
a NISOD national awardee for Teaching Excellence.
WHEREAS 'ferry 'T'homas has served two consecutive four year terms on the Resource
Conservation Commission and has served hvo years on the General Plan Update Steering
Committee and two terms on the Ethics Comtission;
WHEREAS Terry Thomas has served two terms on the Internatronal Boundary and Water
Commission Citizens Forum Board and is a member of the County of San Diego Solid Waste
Hearing Panel.
WHEREAS Terry Thomas has been an exemplary leader and tireless volunteer serving the
interests of improving the environment throughout our bi-national region and beyond, with
activtties and distinctions too numerous to cite.
'THEREFORE, we, the members of the Chula Vista Resource Conservation Commission do
hereby select Professor Terry 'Thomas as Chula Vista Environmentalist of the Year for 2005.
IN HONOR OF SOLEDAD AND RUFIlVO ROQUE
2005 HISTORIC PRESERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR
WHEREAS the Roque Family, residents of Chula Vista since 1977, made a significant
contribution to historic preservation in Chula Vista and to the beautification of the City's historic
Downtown by their purchase and renovation of Chula Vista's first modern hotel: The El Primero
Hotel located at 416 Third Avenue.
WHEREAS this important historic building was constructed in 1930 by the Dennstedt
Company for John and Lilly Ratcliffe at a cost of $30,000. One of only two examples of the Zig
Zag Moderne Art Deco Style in Chula Vista, it is included in the 1985 survey of Chula Vista's
historic resources.
WHEREAS this much loved historic hotel was in a sorry state of disrepair and had been
embellished with inappropriate exterior paint and decorations resulting in its designation as an
"Onion" during the 2003 Orchids and Onions annual event.
WHEREAS the Roque Family purchased this "diamond in the rough" in 2004 and spared
no cost or effort in undertaking a complete renovation -restoring both the interior and the
exterior to its original glory, and by restoring its function to that of an upscale qua]ity hotel.
WHEREAS the Roques are to be commended for their sensitivity to the historic nature of
the building and its era by retaining all the hotel's important features and celebrating the history
of the region by decorating the interior with framed enlargements of vintage photographs of
Chula Vista and regional historic sites -evening naming rooms after historic sites rather than
using numbers.
WHEREAS the complete restoration of the El Primero Hotel has showcased the concept
of adaptive re-use of historic buildings in the revitalization of downtown communities and the
Roques have provided an excellent model for future redevelopment projects incorporating
historic structures.
THEREFORE, we, the members of the Chula Vista Resource Conservation Commission
do hereby select Soledad and Rufino Roque as Historic Preservationists of the Year for 2005.