Names of Note: Modesto wins statewide award for rehab of parks along river and creek
The League of California Cities honored Modesto for its efforts at the Tuolumne River and Dry Creek regional parks.
The city received one of the 12 Helen Putnam Awards for Excellence at the league’s annual meeting Thursday, Sept. 23, in Sacramento. It was in the category of Community Services and Economic Development.
The river park runs along about seven miles of the Tuolumne between Mitchell and Carpenter roads. Dry Creek is a tributary with roughly four miles for hiking, bicycling and other recreation.
The parks have been plagued by illegal dumping, overgrown vegetation and other problems. Modesto improved the sites with help from volunteers, including the Dry Creek Trails Coalition and Operation 9-2-99. The latter focuses on the river stretch between Ninth Street and Highway 99.
“The collaborative partnership between the city, community leaders, local businesses and volunteers,” the league said, “resulted in a formal approach to cleanups that have proven to be effective and instilled a sense of community pride in those helping to improve Modesto’s recreation and open space.”
The league, founded in 1898, does advocacy and training for the 482 city governments in California. The awards are named for its first female president, elected in 1978. Putnam served as mayor of Petaluma and as a Sonoma County supervisor.
Two get posts at Blue Diamond
Blue Diamond Growers announced two moves among the leadership at the world’s largest almond processor.
Dean LaVallee is now chief operating officer, while continuing in his current role as chief financial officer. He reports directly to President and CEO Mark Jansen.
Laura Gerhard was promoted to vice president for the Global Ingredients Division, which sells almonds to food companies around the world. She had been director of strategy, planning and marketing for the division.
Gerhard succeeds Bill Morecraft, who will retire at the end of 2021 after 35 years with Blue Diamond.
The grower-owned cooperative processes almonds at its Sacramento headquarters and at plants in Salida and Turlock.
DMC residents earn fellowships
Four members of the Valley Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Doctors Medical Center will do one-year fellowships in sub-specialties. This will follow their graduation next June from the five-year program at the Modesto hospital.
They are:
- Dr. Robert Bullock, trauma fellowship at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
- Dr. John Coury, orthopedic spine fellowship at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
- Dr. Shayne Kelly, sports medicine fellowship at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
- Dr. Joseph Smathers, sports medicine fellowship at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
The program has a total of 16 residents at a time providing care while honing their skills in orthopedic surgery.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
This story was originally published September 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
