Richard Mays, center, named 2011 Citizen of the Year by Sierra Madre Chamber. Click photo to enlarge.
Richard Mays has been named the 2011 Citizen of the Year by the Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce, which will recognize Mays for his service to Sierra Madre at its annual Citizen of the Year Dinner on Friday, January 27, 2012.
The dinner will take place in the Sierra Madre Room at the Rec. Center at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Tickets are $30 and can be reserved by calling the Chamber at (626) 355-5111, or mailing/bringing your check with the number of people in your party to the chamber office, 20 W. Montecito Ave., Ste. C. Please include the names of people in your party for name badges. The dinner will feature live entertainment and a silent auction. Food will be provided by several Sierra Madre Chamber member restaurants (Bean Town, Cafe 322, Casa del Rey, Corfu, Only Place in Town). Silver sponsor for the event is Athens Services.
Citizens of the Year are nominated for their service to the Community in the previous year. In 2011, Mays served as the City’s Deputy Treasurer, sat on the UUT Oversight Committee, was a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), the SMPD Volunteer Force, and acted as Treasurer for the Sierra Madre Historical Preservation Society.
In addition to his 2011 service, he is a retired 32-year volunteer veteran on the Sierra Madre Fire Department, served as an officer and a member of the Sierra Madre Volunteer Firefighters Association, served as treasurer for the Sierra Madre Girls Softball League. He is a volunteer speaker and senior driving instructor for the AARP.
Mays, was born in Illinois, but moved to Carrolltown, Maryland and then lived for a time in Falls Church, VA, before moving to Sierra Madre in 1961. He attended Wilson Jr. High, and Pasadena High School, graduating in 1966. He served in the US Army from 1968 to 1974, much of the time inWest Germany. It was during his Army stay in Germany, that he developed a liking for soccer, and he is a former season ticket holder of the LA Galaxy. He still regularly watches their games on TV and via live streaming video on the internet.
He attended PCC, getting an AA in Business Administration, and Cal State LA, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree, also in Business Administration. He worked for Wham-O for 14 years, for the Boy Scouts of the San Gabriel Valley, the City of Sierra Madre in the Finance Dept., for PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) Achieve in Glendale, H and R Block, and the 2010 Census Bureau, as well as working as a self-employed bookkeeper. He is currently retired, though he says there are a handful of clients for whom he still does bookkeeping, and he maintains his certification as a notary public.
Mays never married, and his mother, Alma, also lives here in town, and his two brothers, Jim and John live in Pasadena and Santa Clarita, respectively.