Fredrick “Rick” Arucan

Education

Rick Arucan attended Edison High School in Stockton from 1963-1965. At Edison, Rick was an outstanding scholar-athlete, earning the Most Valuable Player award and the All-League in baseball and football. Rick earned an academic/athletic scholarship to the University of Redlands and later transferred back to Stockton, attending the University of the Pacific where he graduated with Honors and earned his degree in History, along with a Standard Secondary Teaching Credential. Rick began his teaching and coaching career at East Union High School in 1969. At E.U., Rick taught for 17 years, serving as a Mentor Teacher and helping to guide and train numerous teachers, coaches, and administrators in the Manteca Unified School District. Rick moved into administration in 1986, serving seven years as an Assistant Principal at East Union before opening up Sierra High School in 1993. Rick became the Principal of the third comprehensive high school in Manteca Unified School District. From 1993 until his retirement in 2008, Rick drove Sierra to always strive to be the very best. Rick introduced a myriad of programs to Sierra, most which are still in existence today. Programs such as Academic Lobo Gold Rally, recognizing students who achieve in the classroom; S.P.I.R.I.T., which gave students a voice on campus; Department Honor Cords; Senior Projects; Strategic Team Planners, which gave all staff members a voice in decision making; and most importantly, the concept of Block Scheduling, which is now the standard scheduled used by all high schools in Manteca Unified School District. Ricks contributions to Sierra High School and the Manteca Unified School District are immeasurable.

James Scott Blevins

Business

Scott Blevins has been the President/CEO of Mountain Valley Express (MVE) since 2003 after the untimely passing of his stepfather and company founder Charlie Giles. Those close to Scott will tell you he “bleeds green” for his company to the point that most meetings begin with the reading of the mission statement. Scott feels it is important that the MVE team are very aware of the company’s guiding principles and high quality standards. Under Scott’s excellent leadership, MVE has doubled in size with nine locations in three states, with over 480 employees and operating nearly 200 trucks. MVE is now capable of sending freight across North America including Canada and Mexico trough strategically located partner carriers. Scott has been a visionary leader in the trucking industry, he served as the 2012 President for the California Trucking Industry that transports nearly 90% of manufactured goods throughout the state. Scott has won several awards for his business leadership and safety programs. Scott was at the forefront of the trucking industry by purchasing environmentally friendly trucks and having a decal designed to identify “green trucks”. Several trucking companies have now adopted and use this decal. Scott is also very committed to the community, he has served as President of Manteca Morning Rotary, Second Harvest Food Bank and Doctors Hospital of Manteca. He has supported various charities and events such as Boys & Girls Club of Manteca, Charlie Giles Memorial Golf Tournament, Manteca Chamber of Commerce, Truckin for Hospice and Flags over Manteca with the donation of a trailer for storage and easy mobility of the flags. Scott attended East Union High School and Arizona Automotive Institute. He enjoys spending time with family especially his grandchildren, golfing and restoring vehicles. Scott lives life to the fullest and is proud to be a part of the Manteca community.

Dr. Glen E. Brown, M.D.

Health Care

Born in Kennett, Missouri in 1925, Glen moved to California with his family at the age of 10. At the age of 16 he enlisted in the Marines, in total, Glenn was in 4 regiments; 3 infantry-29th, 4th and 22nd along with one artillery. Glen took part in some of the most significant Pacific Theater battles of WWII. Upon leaving the Marines, he returned home and married the love of his life, Alice Kinder. Glen Everett Brown received a Chemistry Degree from San Francisco State in 1958. He immediately went to Medical School at University of California, San Francisco and graduated in 1962. He completed is internship at San Joaquin General Hospital. Dr. Brown founded his own family practice, Manteca Medical Group in 1963. As a physician, Dr. Brown’s ultimate goal was to grow old with his patients. Delivering multiple generations of families, his goal was achieved before his retirement. Dr. Brown was loved by his patients and practiced family medicine building lifelong relationships along the way. He raised his family here and was the attending physician to Manteca High School football games from 1962 to the early 1980’s. He also volunteered to conduct high school athletic physicals from 1962-1998. Dr. Brown devoted a lot of time to San Joaquin General Hospital. He also actively served on many committees including: California State Board of Medical Quality Assurance as an ethics/license reviewer, the Family Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Program at UC Davis as the Medical Director from 1977-1982, the Boards of Manteca/Doctors Hospital of Manteca, as a member and president of the San Joaquin County Medical Society, and the Foundation for Health Care of San Joaquin County. Dr. Brown loved aviation and owned flying schools and crop dusting businesses. He is remembered as a wonderful family man who served his country, his patients and his community.

Jack A. Devincenzi

Athletics

Jack Devincenzi spent a large part of his adult life teaching, coaching and advising students. A graduate of Fresno State where he played baseball, he began his teaching and coaching career at Lathrop School and ended it 36 years later at New Haven School. His active life included positions as a teacher, coach, vice-principal and sports director. No matter what his job title, it always included working with the youth of the community. When he began his teaching and coaching career in 1958, many of his students had difficulty pronouncing his last name, so he gained the name “Mr. D”. His physical education program at Lathrop School was recognized county-wide and he spent time with his colleagues in the Manteca Unified School District on developing a Physical Education curriculum for the school district. His coaching activities were not limited to the junior high grades as he also coached basketball and baseball for a number of years at East Union High School and was involved in summer youth baseball leagues. In every instance, Jack’s coaching and teaching methods motivated his students and athletes to do their best in the classroom and on the playing fields. Thousands of students remember “Mr. D” as a tough, but fair, teacher, coach and disciplinarian. Jack Devincenzi “flew under the radar” during his professional life in education and athletics, never seeking publicity. Because of his outstanding efforts in his profession and his long dedication to our local youth, Jack is most deserving of induction into the Manteca-Lathrop-French Camp Hall of Fame.

Ken Hafer

Special Recognition

After so many years of working to promote his community, Ken Hafer is getting the laudatory attention he so richly deserved—induction into the Manteca-Lathrop-French Camp Hall of Fame. Ken never sought public recognition or political office. In fact, he often refused proposals to do so from acquaintances. On the personal side, Ken Hafer was graduated from Manteca High School, married Alice Aufdermaur, his high school sweetheart, immersed himself in the local and business community and raised a family. During these years, he became active in the San Joaquin Valley Swiss Club, served as its president and was a Life Member. A faithful Catholic, he was a devoted husband and family man and became active in church organizations. Publicly, his perfect speaking voice and ease before the public made him a popular master of ceremonies at many local events. The often-used term “a self-made man” was an exact description of Ken Hafer. No one gave him anything—his many business and civic successes were a result of his own efforts. His successful furniture stores, his leadership as president (arguably, the youngest) of the Manteca Chamber of Commerce, and in the establishment of the Manteca Historical Society and Museum in which he was active until the end of his life are a testament to his determination and drive. It has been said that if a person had a question about Manteca history, no matter how trivial, Ken had the correct answer. A list of his accomplishments for the betterment of the Manteca community would be too long for his brief summary. Truly, Ken Hafer was “Mr. Manteca”.

Rick Hammarstrom

Art

Rick Hammarstrom devotes a great deal of his life to performance art, much to the benefit of the Manteca/Lathrop community. A San Francisco native, Hammarstrom and his 6 younger siblings were raised in Hayward by their parents Richard and Sarah. He graduated from Hayward High School in 1978. Before graduating from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Music and a teaching credential in 1984, Rick spent two years in Tokyo, Japan on a proselyting mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Rick went on to obtain his Master of Music Education from California State University of Sacramento in 1990. Rick began his career in 1985 as a music educator, started with Manteca Unified School District in 1989 and has been the Band Director at Sierra High School since 1998. Rick has a passion for music and regularly brings in guest artists and clinicians to perform and work with his students. Peter Jaffe of the Stockton Symphony, the Fresno State “Bulldog Beat” band and the East Bay Faculty Jazz combo are just few of the musicians that have made appearances. Rick proudly takes the Sierra High band to perform at music festivals all over the world. The bands have performed throughout California, at Disneyland, and in Oregon, Hawaii, and Japan. Rick takes great pleasure in the fact that many of his former students have gone on to become music teachers themselves and some even earn a living as performers. Aside from being an accomplished teacher, Rick is a talented musician as well. He won the Billboard Songwriting contest in 1990 and his compositions and arrangements have been performed many times by various musicians.

Jack Lewis

Business

Jack Lewis was born on February 10, 1041 in French Camp, California, a second-generation immigrant. He was a resident of Manteca for his entire life. After his father died when Jack was seventeen, he continued operating the dairy until the dairy cows were sold and his mother remarried. These challenges instilled the work ethic he carried on the rest of his life. In high school, Jack participated on the football, track and wrestling teams. He excelled in wrestling, lettering all four years. He was the Sac-Joaquin Section wrestling champion in his weight class and medaled numerous times. Jack Graduated from Manteca High School in 1958. Jack continued farming while working night shifts during eh winter for three successive years at Fibreboard, Mohawk Tire Company and American Can Company. In 1964, he became a tile-setter, commuting daily to Bay Cities Tile in Stockton. In 1975, he passed the state exam to become a licensed ceramic tile contractor and established Lewis Tile Company, Inc., becoming president. Jack hired and trained many young men in the ceramic tile profession. Several of his former employees have gone on to start businesses of their own. He owned and operated this successful business for 32 years until he was forced to retire in 2007 due to health. Jack donated the entire job for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway for several years as a subcontractor. The proceeds for the St. Jude Dream Home raffle benefit St. Jude Children Research Hospital. St. Anthony’s Catholic School was another beneficiary of remodeling projects. He was very generous with his employees giving yearly bonuses and helping them out in difficult situations.

Tevani Liotard

Community Service

Competitive, committed, character, connected, collaborative…These attributes define Tevani Liotard in her personal life, her career, and describe how she achieves her outstanding contributions and achievements. An inspiration to others, Tevani Liotard leads by example. Never one “to be too busy,” Tevani is not only an outstanding student and athlete in her own right, but also a teacher, coach, and Elementary Physical Education Coordinator for Manteca Unified School District. She inspires others to develop and meet their personal goals, strive beyond those goals, and become involved with community service. A role model and mentor to students, Tevani plays a key role in helping youth develop self-confidence and interpersonal and leadership skills. A graduate of local schools and CSU Sacramento, she is an active leader in the Acorn League, Rotary Interact Club, and Give Every Child a Chance. At MUSD, she is involved in the District Spelling Bee, MUSCrAT Science Camp, Teacher Induction, and Life Skills Planning Course. As a local business owner of Mountain Mike’s, Tevani is the recipient of the corporate franchise Pioneer Award for commitment to community service. She manages the staff giving job opportunities to young people. In addition, she and her husband spearhead the annual Thanksgiving dinner in Manteca - hosting dinner for all and arranging delivery for the homebound. You can also find Tevani at the Annual Rotary Superbowl Omelet Breakfast, the Manteca Historical Society Gourmet Sampler, and many more charitable events. Tevani has been married to Jeff for 27 years. They have two daughters, Mahlynn and Jaslynn, and one granddaughter, Delilah.

Jerry Rose

At Large

Jerry Rose, our at large inductee is described as a man with a huge heart that is willing to put others first.  Jerry has lived in the City of Lathrop for 60 plus years.  He has impacted the lives of many youth, young adults, and senior citizens.  Jerry has provided food on a weekly basis to local rehabilitation organizations and citizens in need in Manteca, Lathrop, and French Camp.  Additionally, Jerry has given back to his community by restoring and collecting restored bicycles in an effort to provide needed transportation and recreation. For several years Jerry has served his community in Manteca, Lathrop, and French Camp by collecting and delivering pastries from Lathrop Save Mart, Manteca and Weston Ranch Food 4 Less to the following organizations; Men’s Recovery House, Family Ties, and the Wellness Center.  He has also delivered food to our local food shelters on a monthly basis.  As a charter member of the Lathrop Lions Club, Jerry has collected hundreds of eye glasses that have been recycled for citizens in need.  He has also collected pull tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. Jerry is married to Linda Rose of Lathrop and is currently retired from driving truck for approximately 45 years.  He was awarded the 2 million mile driving safety award in 2013 from the Department of Transportation.  Jerry is a past member of the East Union Band Booster Club and the Lathrop Veterans Memorial committee.  He is currently a member of the Lathrop Senior Advisory and a charter member of the Lathrop Lions Club. In summary, Jerry continues to give back to his community daily with his redeeming smile, humorous outlook on life and a personality that you will never forget.

Bill Van Ryn

Agriculture

Bill’s Parents Bert and Ada came to the United States from the Netherlands in 1951. The family moved from Escalon to Manteca in 1963. Bill attended local schools graduating from Manteca High in 1976. During his time growing up, he worked alongside his father in the almond orchards around the Manteca area. Bill was so inspired by his dad and the innovative ideas that he pioneered with the Goodwin family, he has dedicated his life to farming and the agriculture industry. One of the innovative ideas that inspired Bill was the modernization of almond harvesting equipment for the industry, the Van Ryn family proudly owned the second Flory Harvester ever built. Bill continues farming almonds and pioneering innovation in the agriculture industry. Bill attended Modesto Junior College for his vocational education, this is where he learned the beginnings of modern farming techniques and business skills. Bill currently is involved with management of the Van Ryn Brothers a farming based business. He has also been active in the Farm Bureau for 20 years. Bill has been active in support of vocational education in Manteca serving on the Ag Advisory Committee and involved at the MUSD Farm for many years. His family, faith and community continue to be important to him. He served on the Doctors Hospital Board of Directors, has served as a referee for 7th & 8th grade basketball as well as a softball umpire for over 30 years. He remains active at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church including mentoring young couples in training for marriage, Baptism and confirmation. He also supports the Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent DePaul. Bill is married to the love of his life Arlene, they have four children, eight grandchildren (soon to by nine) and is proud of his family, business and the Manteca community.