Shenkman receives Outstanding Citizen Award

Lolita Harper

He is the embodiment of community spirit.

A former mayor and city councilman of Huntington Beach, former

Fountain Valley City Councilman, former member and past president of the

Huntington Beach Union High School District and much, much more.

Ron Shenkman’s seemingly endless contributions to the community

garnered him the Outstanding Citizen Award, presented to him Tuesday by

the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Huntington Beach Mayor Pam Julien Houchen, who presented Shenkman the

award at the 2001 Outstanding Citizen and Athena Awards Luncheon, said

she had to make herself a cheat sheet in order to comment on all his

contributions.

“I’ve known him for years but there are so many accomplishments and so

much involvement, I couldn’t possibly remember them all,” Julien Houchen

said.

Despite his limitless contributions to the community, the 65-year-old

said he was surprised he received the award.

“I was so surprised I even got a little testy with my assistant when

she told me. I told her to get serious,” he said.

The Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award is given to people who live

or work in Huntington Beach, who have performed extraordinary acts of

service in the community.

Shenkman, who has lived in Huntington Beach for 27 years, was also a

founding board member and past president of the Huntington Beach Youth

Shelter, on the board of directors of the Huntington Beach Community

Clinic and the board of trustees of the Fountain Valley Hospital.

Shenkman, the Sr. Vice President of Rainbow Disposal Inc., got his

start in community service when he first moved to Orange County in 1965,

he said. Then a Fountain Valley resident, he said he walked into City

Hall and offered to coach a youth baseball team.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with kids -- and people in general,” he

said. “But it wasn’t until then that I realized I had something to

offer.”

Shenkman was in his late 20s when he discovered not only what he could

give but the abundance of things he received from volunteering.

“When you help other people it makes you feel good,” Shenkman said.

He tries to tell young people that volunteer work is the best way to

broaden their perspectives on life, he said.

For those who have gotten a late start, there is also an incentive.

“Volunteering and getting involved is the best way to lengthen one’s

life,” Shenkman said. “As long as I’m healthy, I hope to continue to

participate in educational and social services.

At the same luncheon, Dr. Cordula Dick-Muehlke of the Adult Day

Services of Orange County, received the Athena Award. The Huntington

Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and

Medical Center bestow the award to women who strive toward the highest

levels of professional accomplishment.