SBCCD chancellor, instructor, and two alumni among Assemblymember Reyes’ Man of the Year awardees
A celebration for the honorees and their families took place August 15 at San Bernardino Valley College
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Assemblymember Eloise Gomez Reyes, a San Bernardino Valley College alumna, recently selected 25 finalists as “Man of the Year” of the 47th Assembly District. Among the 25 awardees, Assemblymember Reyes recognized the chancellor of the San Bernardino Community College District, Bruce Baron, San Bernardino Valley College alumnus Robert “Bob” Amador, San Bernardino Valley College instructor Anthony S. Blacksher, and Crafton Hills College student Gabriel Felton.
The award recognizes individuals who live, work or volunteer in the 47th Assembly District, which includes Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Rialto, San Bernardino, Bloomington, and Muscoy. A celebration for the honorees and their families took place August 15 at San Bernardino Valley College.
San Bernardino Valley College Alumnus Deacon Bob Amador: Man of the Year
Deacon Robert “Bob” Amador was born in San Bernardino, California and has been a resident of Colton for 77 years. He graduated from Colton High School in 1960 and attended San Bernardino Valley College, majoring in Business Administration. For eight years, he enlisted in the California Army National Guard before receiving an honorable discharge in 1969.
He got involved in youth sports in the 1960s. He served as a manager, coach, and board member of the Carl Rimbaugh Girls Softball League, Colton Tee Ball, Ken Hubbs Little League, and Colton Pony Baseball. After many years, he took a leave from youth sports to get involved in the Catholic Church.
Deacon Bob Amador entered the Diaconate Formation and became ordained by the San Bernardino Diocese in 1999. He retired as the Pastoral Associate at San Salvador and Immaculate churches in 2016. He has been a deacon for more than 20 years and continues to conduct baptisms, marriages, funerals, rosaries and masses every Sunday, as well as providing support and prayers at any hour of the day.
He and his wife Lorenza R. Amador have been married for 56 years. They have four daughters and one son. He believes that it is not an easy job, but with the help of the mighty Lord and wife, he has continued to serve the community.
San Bernardino Community College District Chancellor Bruce Baron
Bruce R. Baron became Chancellor of San Bernardino Community College District in 2011. As the Chief Executive Officer, he works with the SBCCD Board of Trustees and presidents of Crafton Hills College and San Bernardino Valley College to provide affordable transfer pathways to UC/CSU, and hands-on career training to 18,000 students each year.
As a first-generation college graduate, Chancellor Baron recognizes that access to good-paying jobs requires education beyond high school. In 2019, Chancellor Baron mobilized SBCCD to launch The Free College Promise (www.FreeCollegePromise.com). The landmark initiative set SBCCD as the first college district to self-fund two years of free community college in the Inland Empire.
Additionally, in 2019, Chancellor Baron formalized a partnership with the Building Industry Association Baldy View Chapter to train formerly incarcerated individuals for jobs in the homebuilding industry. Graduates will have priority hiring consideration with 27 employers across Southern California.
Chancellor Baron holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Queens College and a master’s in adult and community education from The City College of New York. He is the recipient of numerous professional awards and is a member of the Community College League of California Advisory Committee on Legislation.
San Bernardino Valley College Professor and Honors Program Coordinator Anthony S. Blacksher
Anthony S. Blacksher (“Ant Black”) is a poet, doctoral candidate and professor at San Bernardino Valley College in the sociology department. At SBVC, Anthony serves as the coordinator of the Honors Program and works closely with Puente and Tumaini-Umoja students. He helped create the annual John Trudell Poetry Reading at SBVC, honoring poets who effect social change through the literary arts.
In conjunction with his doctoral research, he hosts the website www.SocioPoetix.org, which received national recognition as an open-education resource in the social sciences. Outside of his work with SBVC, he serves as the associate publisher of the San Diego Poetry Annual and performs regularly with the performance collective, bkSoul, to produce collaborative theater for social justice.
As a founding member of Collective Purpose and the open-mic Elevated, Anthony helped bring the San Diego spoken word and poetry slam scene to national prominence. Most importantly, he is the grandson of Edna M. Noble, son of Lisa V. Blacksher, husband of Francine C. Blacksher, and father of Mila T. and Nola T. Blacksher.
Crafton Hills College student and San Bernardino Valley College alumnus Gabriel Felton
Gabriel Felton was born and raised in San Bernardino and graduated from Cajon High School Gabriel was 14 years old when doctors diagnosed him with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He is now a 27-year cancer survivor. He attended classes at San Bernadino Valley College for television production and currently studies computer information systems at Crafton Hills College.
Most people in the community know Gabriel as the “Rialto TV Guy” — a job he has been doing for more than 20 years. At nearly every community event in Rialto, Gabriel is there taking photos, videotaping and flying a drone to broadcast on various media channels. He believes that encourages residents to get involved in their community. Gabriel has won Rialto Network and many local and national awards.
Additionally, Gabriel serves on the Rialto Community Players Board of Directors and volunteers on productions. He also volunteers at MeoowResQ, a kitten rescue and adoption center in Orange County.
Gabriel passes on his love for serving the community to his five children and two grandchildren. He is often “voluntold” into community projects by his wife of 19 years.
