Education Foundation names award winners, inductees

The Education Foundation of Yuma County annually inducts into its Hall of Fame individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact on the education community in Yuma County and beyond.

The award recognizes people who are products of the Yuma County's educational system and have made a difference locally or worldwide, said Denise Sweet-McGregor, president of Yuma Rotary and Yuma Educational Foundation board member.

The Hall of Fame began about two decades ago awarding deserving individuals from all time and not only current educators.

The inductees have made "a significant impact on the community, school or world that makes a difference in the quality of life around us," Sweet-McGregor said.

This year's honorees:


-Professional Educator - for contributions in Yuma County

-Alicia Valdez has been inducted in the Hall of Fame for being a devoted educator whose contributions have positively affected students of all ages in Yuma County.

In her career, Valdez focused in student growth, development and well-being and was also a devoted mentor to her faculty and staff by encouraging them to adopt innovative and motivating methods of teaching.

Valdez is also a valuable resource in the area of arts in education as well as bilingual and migrant education. She has served on various committees of the Arizona State Department of Education and other organizations.

-Walt Ashenfelter, a longtime educator who has impacted the lives of high school students, adult students and teachers through his teaching methods in ceramics.

Ashenfelter motivated Holly Hendrick-Jones, a teacher at Cibola High School who nominated him, to become an art teacher. He has given advice to her and other high school teachers and city instructors on the many facets of ceramics education.

"My ultimate goal is to make students feel the way Mr. Ashenfelter made me feel: important, talented and capable of accomplishing anything," Hendrick-Jones said.


- Frances Woodard Award - for persons schooled in Yuma County and making an impact here

-Charles Slocum, a 1956 Yuma High School graduate, has made a difference in east Yuma County.

Slocum's accomplishments include serving on the Wellton Elementary school board to ensure high-quality education for rural students, library board to establish a library system and on the ambulance board to pave the way for quick responses to emergencies in east county.

As an engineer, Slocum has worked for years in the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District. He helped work on building Painted Rock Dam as well as establishing systems that allow farmers in the Mohawk Valley to use water from the Colorado River, among other projects.

-Harry Hengl graduated from Kofa High School in 1964 and later returned as a teacher for 28 years before retiring in 1998.

Hengl has been instrumental in the development of scholarship opportunities for local students looking to continue on to higher education. He has been a member in numerous boards and organizations such as Yuma County Airport Authority, Caballeros de Yuma, the Chamber of Commerce and has served in positions in many of them.


Estelle Dingess Award - for persons schooled in Yuma County who made impacts beyond

-Charles Huebner has dedicated his life to serving those who are in need because of their physical or developmental disabilities. He recently created a program for wounded soldiers returning from war, working closely with Ken Behring to supply wheelchairs.

Huebner currently is chief of U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee. He has raised the level of awareness of the abilities of individuals with disabilities on the athletic field by creating opportunities for athletes to compete at the Olympic and Paralympic levels.

In Yuma, Huebner was a student at Kofa High School, where he played basketball. He was team-oriented and willing to do what was in the best interest of the team over his personal accomplishment, said Thomas Tyree in a letter nominating Huebner for the award.


-Outstanding Organization Award - for contribution to Yuma County education

-The Gowan Company grew from a small company and now serves interests throughout Europe and Mexico. But as a local organization, it continues to reinvest in the future of Yuma.

For more than two decades, the Gowan Company has supported educational efforts in the community. Among them are annual scholarships for students enrolled in undergraduate science programs, contributions to the establishment of the agricultural program at Arizona Western College and donations to athletic programs, school clubs and achievement projects.

Most recently, the company donated $300,000 to Crane District's Rancho Viejo School for a pilot program in three classrooms to give students the opportunity to focus on science and math achievement.