Seven of the eight Joint Community Service Award winners gather for a group portrait. From left in back are Dee Gibson, Jim Thurber, Barbara Mordo, Hank Nagao, Pat Patterson and Adolph Lund. In front is Billy Russell.

Eight unsung volunteers were honored last Friday at the 23rd Annual Joint Community Volunteer Service Awards for Los Altos and Los Altos Hills held at the Los Altos Youth Center.

Amid a full house of city and town officials and community activists, 91-year-old Billy Russell received a standing ovation for his 50-plus years of volunteerism. Russell, involved in the Los Altos Rotary Club since 1950, was instrumental in the success of El Camino Hospital, serving on the first board of directors and founding the hospital’s foundation. Rotarian Marlene Cowan recognized Russell as a man “recognizing needs, finding solutions” and who once said the fun part of doing business was meeting the people.

Local American Legion member Bill Goss related the inspiring story of Hank Nagao, a lifelong Peninsula resident who was interned at a Japanese internment camp in Wyoming during World War II, but nonetheless started a Boy Scout troop while there. He went on to a distinguished career in the American armed forces, rising to lieutenant colonel. But it was his volunteer work with American Legion and his continued involvement in scouting, volunteering at the local VA hospital and driving floats at the Festival of Lights Parade that earned his recognition.

Other honorees were: Former Los Altos Mayor Jim Thurber for more than four decades of service in organizations ranging from Hidden Villa to the Los Altos Library Commission; Pat Patterson of Los Altos, a longtime Quota Club member whose volunteer work also includes Los Altos’ Volunteers Enriching Government Action (VEGA) and the Festival of Lights Parade; Dee Gibson for her work on the local PTA and the Mountain View-Los Altos High School Foundation; Barbara Mordo of Los Altos Hills for her involvement in Supporters of Westwind Barn, the Bullis Charter School and the Palo Alto Chapter of the American Red Cross; Adolph Lund for his work on behalf of the local Community Services Agency’s food and nutrition center; and Ruby Lai for the Los Altos VEGA program.

The irony here, as presenter and assistant city manager Starla Jerome-Robinson indicated, was that Lai was not present because she was busy fulfilling her tasks as a volunteer at city hall.

While guests enjoyed a lunch from Chef Chu’s, former school board member and outgoing Los Altos Councilman John Moss talked of the importance of volunteers to a strong community.

He gave examples mostly from his schools experience, noting, “Volunteers do critical work that schools can’t pay for and without volunteers would go undone.”

He said statistics show students perform far better at schools armed with parent volunteers than those without.

Perennial event emcee Roger Burnell of Los Altos Hills said this year’s event was dedicated to all members of the audience as well as the recognized “stars” because all were gathered to celebrate the spirit and importance of volunteerism.