Jesse and Ellen Knight were the parents of former Superintendent/President of Hartnell College, Phoebe Helm. The Knight family owned a small family farm (about 80 acres) in the rural foothills of the Cumberland mountains. They never had a motorized vehicle (truck,...

Jhan Craig Matalon was a successful career successful career as a special effects artist in Hollywood.

Jonathan Werth was an avid photographer for much of his life. After attending multiple photography classes at Hartnell College, he was essentially an honorary Instructor’s Assistant! Jonathan combined his love of photography with his love of cars and motorcycles as a...

JT Healthcare Uniforms, located in Salinas, California, is a large healthcare uniform provider. Please visit their website for more information: http://www.jthealthcareuniforms.com/

Julie Wong Gin is an alumna of Salinas High School, Hartnell College and California State University San Francisco, and spent 38 years teaching elementary school. She has dedicated her life to education. Pictured: Julie Wong Gin, Shelly Gin and 2019 Julie Wong Gin...

Hartnell instructor Larry Adams and his wife, Elizabeth, Hartnell Alumnus, wanted to keep their son, Chris Adams’, memory alive and to give back by supporting the success of political science students transferring to a four-year institution. Chris was the Adam’s...

The late Leon Amyx, Hartnell College’s first art instructor and prominent painter of the Salinas Valley, painted into his ninth decade and gained the love and admiration of countless Central Coast residents. Although legally blind in his later years, Amyx continued...

Margaret D’Arrigo- Martin has been a standout leader and advocate for women, philanthropy, and education in this community for some time. She has provided her leadership and support generously in the non-profit sector in addition to her role as Vice President of...

Marilyn Andrews was a popular psychology Instructor at Hartnell College. Her teaching career spanned almost 30 years, and many students who had the opportunity to take one of her classes would say that it was an unforgettable experience. Marilyn was known for her...

After serving on the Agriculture faculty at Hartnell for ten years, Neil Ledford entered the agriculture industry working in Product Management and Marketing roles in the vegetable seed industry. He finished his career by returning to Hartnell as the founder and...

Paul Aschenbrenner, a Political Science instructor at Hartnell for 28 years, started the Pennies from Heaven project in 1985 to collect 1 million pennies to set up a $10,000 scholarship fund after discovering that the national debt had surpassed one trillion dollars....

Dr. Phoebe Helm served as interim superintendent president in 2007 and then superintendent president 2008-2012, where she brought over 39 yeard of experience in education 30 of which were spent serving community colleges in Tennessee, Illinois, and California. Dr....

Reverend Shinpachi Kanow was the minister at Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church in Salinas from 1951 until the early 1970’s. The road to complete his education was not easy or direct, being interrupted not just once but several times. The first time he was in...

Robert was a 2009 graduate of Salinas High School, where he was an accomplished Track and Cross Country runner. He went on to run for Hartnell College, California State University Northridge, and California State University Monterey Bay. Robert loved the 800 meter...

Ryan J. Sparks completed associate degrees in sociology, liberal arts/culture and society, and business office technology and continued his studies at Cal State Monterey Bay. He served as a squad leader in the Army National Guard from 2013-2015, was a member of...

The Salinas Valley Health Service League was founded in 1952 and caused the development of the department of Volunteer Services in 1957. These volunteers “provide support services for many programs and activities” at the Hospital as well as health career education....

Shannon Bliss served as the Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at Hartnell College and currently serves as the Founder of Seeds4STEM, providing STEM experiences to 3rd-8th graders in Monterey County in order to keep students engaged in STEM.

Stuart F. Dufour (1913-2007) went to San Mateo Community College before attending Stanford University. He always felt that his years at the community college were a key to his admission at Stanford and always had high appreciation for the junior college system. At...

The Tanimura Family Foundation has been a tremendous partner to Hartnell College in the vision for a strong and vital Ag Research Internship program, offering scholarships for the College Bound Ambassadors program, supporting the building of Hartnell’s STEM Center,...

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is an organization that, “aims to provide a framework that promotes personal and social development.” The members of this organization believe that Friendship, Love and Truth are guiding principles for daily life. They are a...

Theodore Hesse was the late husband of Evelyn Starr, who established a scholarship in his memory in 1990.

The Paul Davis Partnership is an architects and planning company in Monterey California. For more information, please visit: http://www.pauldavispartnership.com/

Salinas Valley Federation of Teachers (SVFT) serves and represents the teaching and support certified staff of the Salinas Union High School District. The SVFT is an affiliate of both the California Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers. The...

The Gomezes grew up in migrant farmworker families and settled in Gonzales, where they embraced a strong work ethic, a love of agriculture and the critical importance of family. The impact of Mr. Trinidad Gomez was such that his family has also established the...

Victoria Bersamin was the mother of Hartnell College’s Director of TRiO Support Services, Manuel Bersamin. The TRIO programs all focus on first generation and low income students attending Hartnell College whose parents did not attend college.

Yolanda M. Celaya-Evans was born October 11, 1952, in Salinas to Ernest and Lorrie Celaya and was brought up in Gonzales. She loved school and reading, and dreamed of becoming a Zoologist and studying African wildlife. In the Spring of 1978, she started attending...