PCC Foundation Presents 2014 Hall of Fame

Two extraordinary couples were inducted into the Pueblo Hall of Fame Friday night.

Honorees Art and Lorraine Gonzales with their award

Art and Lorraine Gonzales –It would be difficult to find a Pueblo “cause” or organization that Art and Lorraine Gonzales haven’t supported over the years. The Pueblo Symphony, Pueblo Municipal Band, Pueblo Community College, Broadway Theater League, Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, Pueblo YMCA, the Medal of Honor Society, Pueblo County Jazz Band and numerous other groups have benefitted from their generosity. In addition, they established a baseball endowment at Colorado State University-Pueblo to provide scholarships and the university hosts the Art & Lorraine Gonzales Youth Baseball Clinic.

They have been inducted into both the CSU-Pueblo and PCC President’s Circles, received the CSU-Pueblo Alumni “Outstanding Service Award,” and the university’s “Outstanding American Achievement Award” for exceptional service and support of higher education. He was named to the CSU-Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame, and is a lifetime member of CSU-Pueblo’s “Friends of Football” organization.

Art Gonzales was born in Pueblo and graduated from Central High and then attended Midwest Business College. Following four years in the Navy, Art returned to work at the Pueblo Flour Mill until it closed in 1956. After working for plumbing and sheet metal companies, Art partnered with Puebloan Sam Brown in 1966 to open Mountain States Sheet Metal Company. Art always lived by the motto that:  “Your word is your bond.” And he also credits his success to the strong work ethic he learned from his father. Art retired in 1980, selling his company interest to Brown. He acknowledged Brown’s daughter Renee, in attendance Friday night, by saying the business is “in excellent hands with the next generation.”

Lorraine met Art and married in 1985. She is a native of Kit Carson and earned a two-year secretarial degree from Colorado Women’s College in Denver.

Their tremendous love for Pueblo is evidenced by the support they have given over several decades. There is no question that they have contributed to the betterment of the city.

Honorees Jim and Paulette Stuart with their award

James and Paulette Stuart–this husband and wife team is well known for their tireless and enthusiastic support for Pueblo, and the real difference that they have made to the quality of life here. They both have been leaders in the Pueblo’s Home of Heroes program.

Paulette attended Southern Colorado State College and began working for Pueblo Chamber of Commerce. She then became director of advertising & public relations for the Loaf N’ Jug stores. For her last 23 career working years, Paulette was promotions manager for The Pueblo Chieftain.

Paulette has been instrumental in the revitalization of Union Avenue, Veteran’s Bridge, and Pueblo’s Home of Heroes. She’s worked on United Way campaigns and helped develop the InfoZone News Museum at the Rawlings Library. She was named the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year and the Woman of the Year by both the Pueblo YWCA and the Pueblo Girls’ Club. She was given the Mel Harmon Community Service Award. In addition, Paulette was the first woman to be accepted into the Minnequa Rotary Club and was Rotarian of the Year five times.

Jim Stuart is a Central High graduate and was Part owner/President/CEO/Director of Sangray Corporation.

Jim’s community service work has been prolific. His volunteerism has benefitted such organizations as the Pueblo Medal of Honor Society, Impossible Players, Roselawn Cemetery, Medal of Honor Foundation, and Pueblo City & County Community Services Advisory Commission. And Jim’s work for the Pueblo City/County Library has been simply awesome, earning him the nickname of “Mr. Library.” He is president of the Pueblo Library Foundation, which he helped found, and also helped develop, and now manages, the library’s used bookstore. He spearheaded the creation of four branch libraries in Pueblo County. His service earned him the Friends of the Library’s “Friend of the Year”, and he was honored as the Outstanding Library Trustee by the Colorado Association of Libraries.

It was obvious that Jim and Paulette Stuart are each other’s greatest fans. Both teared up when talking about the other and their accomplishments.

The Pueblo Hall of Fame was established in 1991 as a way in which to honor those individuals who, by their extraordinary efforts, have contributed to the betterment or enhancement of the Pueblo community.

Nominees are considered on the basis of contributions in the following areas:  business and labor; arts and humanities, philanthropy, government; law; science and technology; and health and human services.

Thanks to the generosity and support of Barbara Fortino, the Pueblo Hall of Fame Wall has returned to Pueblo Community College and the NEW wall of fame serves as a  beautiful dedication to those past and present inductees who have given so much to the Pueblo community.

“I am thrilled that I could assist in bringing back the Pueblo Hall of Fame wall of inductees,” explains 2014 Pueblo Hall of Fame Legacy Sponsor Barbara Fortino.  “These men and women deserve a dedicated space in which to honor their induction into the Pueblo Hall of Fame and offer a visual pictorial of those individuals who have donated so much to our community.  I am proud to be a part of making this Wall of Fame once again a reality on the PCC campus.”

Joining Fortino in bringing the Pueblo Hall of Fame Wall back to Pueblo Community College are local artisans Jean and Tom Latka who were commissioned to assist in adding an artistic flair to Hall of Fame Wall.   The Wall of Fame is located on the second floor of the PCC Student Center within the Fortino Ballroom.

All funds raised at this special Hall of Fame event benefit the Pueblo Community College Foundation and the scholarship program. Since 1981, the Pueblo Community College Foundation has financially supported thousands of students through scholarships at the College’s four branches – Pueblo, Fremont, Southwest Colorado Community Colleges (Cortez and Durango).  Scholarships of $329,000 were awarded to PCC students during fiscal year of 2012 – 2013.  More than $3 million in scholarship support has been awarded since the Foundation’s incorporation in 1981.

The Pueblo Community College Foundation is dedicated to providing funding to their college campuses and those students that they seek to serve.  The Foundation provides funding for scholarship programs and special needs within each campus community.