Cox, Sidney B., 2007 Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award recipient
Item
Title
Cox, Sidney B., 2007 Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award recipient
Description
Talks about coming west to California as a Dust Bowl migrant, his family working as farm laborers, his friendship with Leon S. Peters, Jim Mayer, Jerry Brewer and community involvement.
Creator
Cox, Sidney B.
Mehas, Dr. Peter G.
Relation
Leon S. Peters Legacy Collection
Coverage
Fresno, California
Format
Microsoft word 2003 document, 5 pages
Identifier
SCMS_lspl_00028
extracted text
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Name, place of birth and date of birth.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Are we really going to beat them? It's Sidney B. Cox, B for Bruton.
I was born in 1930 in Marshall, Oklahoma.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Marshall, Oklahoma. When did you become a Californian from an
Oklahomian?
>>Sidney B. Cox: In 1936 right in the middle of the Dust Bowl my dad like so many
millions of farmers lost everything he had near the North Canadian River in
Oklahoma. I was 6 years old so we had 3 younger than me and put it in the back of an
old truck; put us all in the back of an old truck headed for California. My mom
tells me I went to 15 grammar schools in the first grade. We would work a while,
move along, work a while and move along. Wound up in San Joaquin Valley, eventually.
It was not an easy time. And I recognized that fellow on the back bumper taking
notes. A fellow named Steinbeck. I read his book later, but he got the name wrong.
It wasn't Joad it was Cox.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So John Steinbeck of Grapes of Wrath pretty much paralleled a
lot of things that occurred in your family coming out to California in hopes of a
better tomorrow and dreams of a life fulfilled.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Yeah, they call it the land of milk and honey. And that's exactly
true. When I read that novel, which was not a novel really, I recognized our family
in there, and we traveled that same route.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, you look at your family today, Sid, and all wellaccomplished, respected citizens in our community on banking boards, have
contributed so much to our community. How many brothers, how many sisters?
>>Sidney B. Cox: I had 8 brothers and sisters. Well, 7 brothers and sisters and
they're all living except 2. And as you mentioned my sister Wanda founded -- she and
her husband founded Rogers Helicopters and she was the driving force in starting the
Central Valley Community Bank. Brother Mickey has a school named in his honor in the
Clovis Unified School District, Mickey Cox School. And we learned at an early age
that if you didn't work you didn't eat. Back in the ‘30s there was very little
welfare so you learned the work ethic at a very early age.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The Leon S. Peters Award is probably one of the most
prestigious recognition of a citizen's contribution not only to the community but
success in business, involvement with a number of worthy organizations and clearly
if you look at the who's who of the pillars of the community that have been the past
recipients, the Earl Smittcamps, the Jim Mayers, you go through all the past
recipients and now Sidney Cox. What does it mean to you to be recognized amongst
those people that have helped made our community what it is?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Well, it's a wonderful surprise. I had no clue. Just being
mentioned in the same breath as Leon Peters is a tribute far beyond what I've ever
expected. And so many people who've been chosen for this ahead of me. By the way, my
selection gives hope to a lot of other people if we can do it. But Jim Mayer and Bud
Richter and folks who have just made such a difference in this town and this area
just to be considered to be an equal there is beyond measure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, what's special is you knew Leon Peters. And let's chat a
little bit about that relationship, how you met Leon and how you worked with him.
>>Sidney B. Cox: I worked for Producers Cotton Oil Company, and by the way, 2 of the
greatest philanthropists that I ever knew were Jim Mayer and Jerry Brewer, they
believed in the community and they believed in service and they expected executives
to do the same. And it wasn't a matter of taking time off you just worked it in to
be on different boards, so quite a thing there. And just to be in that role is
something else. It blows me away.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of times, and we'll chat about this later, young people
are anxious to make their first billion and it's not about getting involved in the
community. From very early on you've been involved in community affairs. Was this
something of your upbringing? How did you get involved with your concern for your
fellow human being?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Well, I learned that you can volunteer one time and after that if
you do a reasonably good job your friends take care of the future for you. I guess
when I went to work for Producers Cotton Oil Company when Jim Mayer hired me to go
into PR out there and he suggested that I would be involved in some organizations.
And as I say the executives there all were expected to put time in to volunteer
groups. So with that start -- one, it multiplied and I really enjoyed it. Most of
the time I've been involved in things that involve youth for some reason. And then
one day a fellow named Doc Buchanan and Pete Mehas, 2 fellows, came up my driveway
and suggested I would do well to agree to head a bond drive committee for Clovis
Unified and that began a second bond drive, and so friends took care of some more
work for me. And that's just the way it's happened, it just multiplies. And you got
to be willing to do it. One of the things you have to be sure you do is to know that
you're not asking for yourself. In fundraising and getting more board volunteers
you're doing it for a cause and generally, in this case, it was for children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, it is fascinating when you look at your thousands of
hours and certainly your wife had to, at times, say, Sidney, don't you know how to
say no. But you look at most of your involvement and it has centered around youth,
and we're going to talk about youth with your 2 boys later on. But Boy Scouts of
America, Valley Children's' Hospital, Break the Barrier, all of these great
organizations you've been involved with at a very, very high level. We enjoy
Children's' Hospital today because of your involvement in the capital campaign and
your involvement with the foundation and the board and we look at Break the
Barriers, again. A lot of times your friends see you coming they go here comes Sid.
How do you handle that where you're constantly asking in terms of people to get
involved in these worthy causes?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Let me get back to Norma for a minute. Norma's been my partner, my
critic and my number one assistant for 55 years and she's shouldered a lot of the
load in raising the kids when I was off at a meeting or on some conference or
something so that was a great part of it. Yes, I do have friends who say they see me
coming and they reach for their wallet not to pull it out but to hide it or cross
the street. Joe Levy and I played a game for years and years we're always selling
tickets to something and when we'd see each other at an event we would each touch
our breast pocket and walk toward each other, and when we got there we would pull
out a ticket and say, my $200 Boy Scout dinner against your United Way. We had a
great deal of fun. But people are generous. By nature people if they believe in a
cause and you can show them where the money's going to be spent, how it's going to
be used and what the outcome is supposed to be, they'll reach deep, they really
will. And rejection has not been a common thing over these years. Acceptance is more
the term I'd use because people do believe in this community. Many of them have the
same philosophy that I was exposed to when I first started out in 1964 at Producers
Cotton Oil Company, and that is, and sort of like the Rotary Club's motto.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Service above self.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Service above self. And when organizations, companies can adopt
that as a motto it does wondrous things for the community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I was going to mention the fact that, how long have you
been in the Rotary now, how many years? Because I know ->>Sidney B. Cox: Since 1973.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you really personify that motto of Rotary, service above
self. Is it fair to all concerned? Is it the truth? And you certainly have passed
that litmus test. Let's quickly chat a little bit about your 2 sons since I had the
privilege of having them both as students at Clovis High School. I know you're very
proud of them, that you're now a grandpapa as well. But what advice, speaking of
sons, what advice would you give our young people today who are out to conquer the
world about getting involved with philanthropy or community service?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Volunteer, find something, some cause, some organization that
reflects your values. Just step up to the plate and say, how can I help? It's
amazing how, and believe me organizations are looking for volunteers willing to work
and willing to help raise funds to continue the organization's mission. So that
would be my advice is to simply find an organization that you really support and
step up and offer your services, and they will be accepted for sure if you really
are sincere about it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I think there's a biblical quote that says when you cast your
net upon the waters it comes back ten fold. Certainly in your life you have cast
your net and the community, it's come back to benefit the community.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Pete, there's nothing like seeing the fruition of a project that
you put in months and years working for. I still remember standing behind Leon
Peters. Our Producers Cotton Oil seats at the Bulldog's stadium were immediately
behind Leon's seats. In 1981, I believe it was, the stadium opened, we played
Oregon, Oregon State, the jets came over and it was -- the feeling was indescribable
to know that you had a part in getting this started. The same with Children's'
Hospital to see the thousands and thousands of kids that are helped by a building
like that with all the operating suites and the caring doctors and nurses and staff
out there. It's a jewel for this valley. It is an absolute jewel. And the same with
Boy Scouts to see improvements at Camp Chawanakee and all the things that take place
and to know that you just had a piece of it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, the foundation for Clovis Unified School District in
terms of if it wasn't for you and your other chairs that were involved with the bond
measures. Every time you see that 50-meter swimming pool and the stadium and the
tennis courts you can feel a great deal of satisfaction that you were part of
something that, look at Clovis's facilities today and if it wasn't for Sidney Cox
and others that we would not have had those facilities.
>>Sidney B. Cox: That's right because -- but you've got to remember that I was chair
of that thing but I had co-chairs. Louise Petrosino and Art Hill ->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>>Sidney B. Cox: were very instrumental in convincing people to do that, to vote for
that --
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Those issues.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Let me ask you this, Knute Rockne once said, “when the great
scorekeeper writes down the final score it matters not if you won or lost but how
you played the game.” What do you want the scribes to write about Sidney Cox? What
do you want people to remember about Sid Cox?
>>Sidney B. Cox: I'd like my friends to say that despite the haranguing he gave me
for money all those years he really wasn't such a bad guy. [laughing] No, I never
really thought about that. I suppose you'd say that he meant well. I think I've
tried to do things that would reflect honor on the family and progress in the
community and I suppose that might be the epitaph, he meant well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: One of your close friends that thinks so, so highly of you,
Bob Carter, was on a mission, was on a mission to make sure that you were nominated
for this award because obviously it's a very, very prestigious award and I think
when he was talking to people he didn't have to twist many arms because everybody
was so eager and so anxious. And where I'm going with this is that you have hundreds
of friends like Bob Carter that think so very, very highly of you and what you've
contributed. And so let me just say this, on behalf of the board of directors and
the Chamber of Commerce we congratulate you not only on the being the recipient of
the Leon S. Peters Award but for literally a lifetime of community service. And I
think your legacy will be that you cared about children, you cared about our
community and you're so very, very well-deserving of the Leon S. Peters Award, so we
congratulate you for a lifetime of giving.
>>Sidney B. Cox: It's overwhelming just to be mentioned, as I say, with Leon and
having served in Rotary with him and worked on some projects to see how he
influenced this area to be involved with Leon and what, there must be 15 or 20
fellows who've gone before me and ladies in this award. I'll wake up one day and
say, gee, that was really swell.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now, being the educator I am I have to give you an open-ended
question. In case I missed anything for posterity and austerity and everything else,
anything that you'd like to add, and we'll, of course, edit this to make sure that
it suits you.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Just that I didn't do this alone. I think everybody realizes that.
I was cast into some leadership roles to recruit people and to explain campaigns and
programs. But without the generosity of the business community mainly in this area
these projects wouldn't have been completed. We'd have to borrow millions of dollars
to get them completed, and so it was very, very important that these folks step up
to the plate and they did it. Very, very few times have I ever come away completely
empty from making a call or inviting people to be involved in a project. So I'm just
thankful to have been given the opportunity, Pete. But I think folks had some
foresight. Putting Fresno State University moving from the old City College site out
there people thought that was outrageous to be moving that far out. I think there
was talk of putting it where Manchester Center is. But there was some good planning
that went in there. And the Clovis area where I originated from ‘43 on, I was what
13, they've done a great job of planning and I'm so impressed with the school
systems. The way the growth has been done there, and the foresight to anticipate
this growth has been particularly good in Clovis. Fresno seems to be doing a pretty
good job at that. And, again, there are detractors from that but I believe that we
do have some foresighted people. The Chamber of Commerce has been right in the
forefront of everything from Measure C, which has been so important to this area, to
air quality issues, so many things that I think we're in good hands, and the
planning is the key.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I think the future of Fresno and Fresno County really,
of course, lies in people such as you and others of the Leon S. Peters recipients
and many of those others who are never recognized, because our real capital is the
giving of quality people who give and give and give. And so, again, 2007, the Leon
S. Peters recipient to Sid Cox thank you for a lifetime of giving.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
>>Sidney B. Cox: Are we really going to beat them? It's Sidney B. Cox, B for Bruton.
I was born in 1930 in Marshall, Oklahoma.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Marshall, Oklahoma. When did you become a Californian from an
Oklahomian?
>>Sidney B. Cox: In 1936 right in the middle of the Dust Bowl my dad like so many
millions of farmers lost everything he had near the North Canadian River in
Oklahoma. I was 6 years old so we had 3 younger than me and put it in the back of an
old truck; put us all in the back of an old truck headed for California. My mom
tells me I went to 15 grammar schools in the first grade. We would work a while,
move along, work a while and move along. Wound up in San Joaquin Valley, eventually.
It was not an easy time. And I recognized that fellow on the back bumper taking
notes. A fellow named Steinbeck. I read his book later, but he got the name wrong.
It wasn't Joad it was Cox.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So John Steinbeck of Grapes of Wrath pretty much paralleled a
lot of things that occurred in your family coming out to California in hopes of a
better tomorrow and dreams of a life fulfilled.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Yeah, they call it the land of milk and honey. And that's exactly
true. When I read that novel, which was not a novel really, I recognized our family
in there, and we traveled that same route.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, you look at your family today, Sid, and all wellaccomplished, respected citizens in our community on banking boards, have
contributed so much to our community. How many brothers, how many sisters?
>>Sidney B. Cox: I had 8 brothers and sisters. Well, 7 brothers and sisters and
they're all living except 2. And as you mentioned my sister Wanda founded -- she and
her husband founded Rogers Helicopters and she was the driving force in starting the
Central Valley Community Bank. Brother Mickey has a school named in his honor in the
Clovis Unified School District, Mickey Cox School. And we learned at an early age
that if you didn't work you didn't eat. Back in the ‘30s there was very little
welfare so you learned the work ethic at a very early age.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The Leon S. Peters Award is probably one of the most
prestigious recognition of a citizen's contribution not only to the community but
success in business, involvement with a number of worthy organizations and clearly
if you look at the who's who of the pillars of the community that have been the past
recipients, the Earl Smittcamps, the Jim Mayers, you go through all the past
recipients and now Sidney Cox. What does it mean to you to be recognized amongst
those people that have helped made our community what it is?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Well, it's a wonderful surprise. I had no clue. Just being
mentioned in the same breath as Leon Peters is a tribute far beyond what I've ever
expected. And so many people who've been chosen for this ahead of me. By the way, my
selection gives hope to a lot of other people if we can do it. But Jim Mayer and Bud
Richter and folks who have just made such a difference in this town and this area
just to be considered to be an equal there is beyond measure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, what's special is you knew Leon Peters. And let's chat a
little bit about that relationship, how you met Leon and how you worked with him.
>>Sidney B. Cox: I worked for Producers Cotton Oil Company, and by the way, 2 of the
greatest philanthropists that I ever knew were Jim Mayer and Jerry Brewer, they
believed in the community and they believed in service and they expected executives
to do the same. And it wasn't a matter of taking time off you just worked it in to
be on different boards, so quite a thing there. And just to be in that role is
something else. It blows me away.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of times, and we'll chat about this later, young people
are anxious to make their first billion and it's not about getting involved in the
community. From very early on you've been involved in community affairs. Was this
something of your upbringing? How did you get involved with your concern for your
fellow human being?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Well, I learned that you can volunteer one time and after that if
you do a reasonably good job your friends take care of the future for you. I guess
when I went to work for Producers Cotton Oil Company when Jim Mayer hired me to go
into PR out there and he suggested that I would be involved in some organizations.
And as I say the executives there all were expected to put time in to volunteer
groups. So with that start -- one, it multiplied and I really enjoyed it. Most of
the time I've been involved in things that involve youth for some reason. And then
one day a fellow named Doc Buchanan and Pete Mehas, 2 fellows, came up my driveway
and suggested I would do well to agree to head a bond drive committee for Clovis
Unified and that began a second bond drive, and so friends took care of some more
work for me. And that's just the way it's happened, it just multiplies. And you got
to be willing to do it. One of the things you have to be sure you do is to know that
you're not asking for yourself. In fundraising and getting more board volunteers
you're doing it for a cause and generally, in this case, it was for children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, it is fascinating when you look at your thousands of
hours and certainly your wife had to, at times, say, Sidney, don't you know how to
say no. But you look at most of your involvement and it has centered around youth,
and we're going to talk about youth with your 2 boys later on. But Boy Scouts of
America, Valley Children's' Hospital, Break the Barrier, all of these great
organizations you've been involved with at a very, very high level. We enjoy
Children's' Hospital today because of your involvement in the capital campaign and
your involvement with the foundation and the board and we look at Break the
Barriers, again. A lot of times your friends see you coming they go here comes Sid.
How do you handle that where you're constantly asking in terms of people to get
involved in these worthy causes?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Let me get back to Norma for a minute. Norma's been my partner, my
critic and my number one assistant for 55 years and she's shouldered a lot of the
load in raising the kids when I was off at a meeting or on some conference or
something so that was a great part of it. Yes, I do have friends who say they see me
coming and they reach for their wallet not to pull it out but to hide it or cross
the street. Joe Levy and I played a game for years and years we're always selling
tickets to something and when we'd see each other at an event we would each touch
our breast pocket and walk toward each other, and when we got there we would pull
out a ticket and say, my $200 Boy Scout dinner against your United Way. We had a
great deal of fun. But people are generous. By nature people if they believe in a
cause and you can show them where the money's going to be spent, how it's going to
be used and what the outcome is supposed to be, they'll reach deep, they really
will. And rejection has not been a common thing over these years. Acceptance is more
the term I'd use because people do believe in this community. Many of them have the
same philosophy that I was exposed to when I first started out in 1964 at Producers
Cotton Oil Company, and that is, and sort of like the Rotary Club's motto.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Service above self.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Service above self. And when organizations, companies can adopt
that as a motto it does wondrous things for the community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I was going to mention the fact that, how long have you
been in the Rotary now, how many years? Because I know ->>Sidney B. Cox: Since 1973.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you really personify that motto of Rotary, service above
self. Is it fair to all concerned? Is it the truth? And you certainly have passed
that litmus test. Let's quickly chat a little bit about your 2 sons since I had the
privilege of having them both as students at Clovis High School. I know you're very
proud of them, that you're now a grandpapa as well. But what advice, speaking of
sons, what advice would you give our young people today who are out to conquer the
world about getting involved with philanthropy or community service?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Volunteer, find something, some cause, some organization that
reflects your values. Just step up to the plate and say, how can I help? It's
amazing how, and believe me organizations are looking for volunteers willing to work
and willing to help raise funds to continue the organization's mission. So that
would be my advice is to simply find an organization that you really support and
step up and offer your services, and they will be accepted for sure if you really
are sincere about it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I think there's a biblical quote that says when you cast your
net upon the waters it comes back ten fold. Certainly in your life you have cast
your net and the community, it's come back to benefit the community.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Pete, there's nothing like seeing the fruition of a project that
you put in months and years working for. I still remember standing behind Leon
Peters. Our Producers Cotton Oil seats at the Bulldog's stadium were immediately
behind Leon's seats. In 1981, I believe it was, the stadium opened, we played
Oregon, Oregon State, the jets came over and it was -- the feeling was indescribable
to know that you had a part in getting this started. The same with Children's'
Hospital to see the thousands and thousands of kids that are helped by a building
like that with all the operating suites and the caring doctors and nurses and staff
out there. It's a jewel for this valley. It is an absolute jewel. And the same with
Boy Scouts to see improvements at Camp Chawanakee and all the things that take place
and to know that you just had a piece of it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, the foundation for Clovis Unified School District in
terms of if it wasn't for you and your other chairs that were involved with the bond
measures. Every time you see that 50-meter swimming pool and the stadium and the
tennis courts you can feel a great deal of satisfaction that you were part of
something that, look at Clovis's facilities today and if it wasn't for Sidney Cox
and others that we would not have had those facilities.
>>Sidney B. Cox: That's right because -- but you've got to remember that I was chair
of that thing but I had co-chairs. Louise Petrosino and Art Hill ->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>>Sidney B. Cox: were very instrumental in convincing people to do that, to vote for
that --
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Those issues.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Let me ask you this, Knute Rockne once said, “when the great
scorekeeper writes down the final score it matters not if you won or lost but how
you played the game.” What do you want the scribes to write about Sidney Cox? What
do you want people to remember about Sid Cox?
>>Sidney B. Cox: I'd like my friends to say that despite the haranguing he gave me
for money all those years he really wasn't such a bad guy. [laughing] No, I never
really thought about that. I suppose you'd say that he meant well. I think I've
tried to do things that would reflect honor on the family and progress in the
community and I suppose that might be the epitaph, he meant well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: One of your close friends that thinks so, so highly of you,
Bob Carter, was on a mission, was on a mission to make sure that you were nominated
for this award because obviously it's a very, very prestigious award and I think
when he was talking to people he didn't have to twist many arms because everybody
was so eager and so anxious. And where I'm going with this is that you have hundreds
of friends like Bob Carter that think so very, very highly of you and what you've
contributed. And so let me just say this, on behalf of the board of directors and
the Chamber of Commerce we congratulate you not only on the being the recipient of
the Leon S. Peters Award but for literally a lifetime of community service. And I
think your legacy will be that you cared about children, you cared about our
community and you're so very, very well-deserving of the Leon S. Peters Award, so we
congratulate you for a lifetime of giving.
>>Sidney B. Cox: It's overwhelming just to be mentioned, as I say, with Leon and
having served in Rotary with him and worked on some projects to see how he
influenced this area to be involved with Leon and what, there must be 15 or 20
fellows who've gone before me and ladies in this award. I'll wake up one day and
say, gee, that was really swell.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now, being the educator I am I have to give you an open-ended
question. In case I missed anything for posterity and austerity and everything else,
anything that you'd like to add, and we'll, of course, edit this to make sure that
it suits you.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Just that I didn't do this alone. I think everybody realizes that.
I was cast into some leadership roles to recruit people and to explain campaigns and
programs. But without the generosity of the business community mainly in this area
these projects wouldn't have been completed. We'd have to borrow millions of dollars
to get them completed, and so it was very, very important that these folks step up
to the plate and they did it. Very, very few times have I ever come away completely
empty from making a call or inviting people to be involved in a project. So I'm just
thankful to have been given the opportunity, Pete. But I think folks had some
foresight. Putting Fresno State University moving from the old City College site out
there people thought that was outrageous to be moving that far out. I think there
was talk of putting it where Manchester Center is. But there was some good planning
that went in there. And the Clovis area where I originated from ‘43 on, I was what
13, they've done a great job of planning and I'm so impressed with the school
systems. The way the growth has been done there, and the foresight to anticipate
this growth has been particularly good in Clovis. Fresno seems to be doing a pretty
good job at that. And, again, there are detractors from that but I believe that we
do have some foresighted people. The Chamber of Commerce has been right in the
forefront of everything from Measure C, which has been so important to this area, to
air quality issues, so many things that I think we're in good hands, and the
planning is the key.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I think the future of Fresno and Fresno County really,
of course, lies in people such as you and others of the Leon S. Peters recipients
and many of those others who are never recognized, because our real capital is the
giving of quality people who give and give and give. And so, again, 2007, the Leon
S. Peters recipient to Sid Cox thank you for a lifetime of giving.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Name, place of birth and date of birth.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Are we really going to beat them? It's Sidney B. Cox, B for Bruton.
I was born in 1930 in Marshall, Oklahoma.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Marshall, Oklahoma. When did you become a Californian from an
Oklahomian?
>>Sidney B. Cox: In 1936 right in the middle of the Dust Bowl my dad like so many
millions of farmers lost everything he had near the North Canadian River in
Oklahoma. I was 6 years old so we had 3 younger than me and put it in the back of an
old truck; put us all in the back of an old truck headed for California. My mom
tells me I went to 15 grammar schools in the first grade. We would work a while,
move along, work a while and move along. Wound up in San Joaquin Valley, eventually.
It was not an easy time. And I recognized that fellow on the back bumper taking
notes. A fellow named Steinbeck. I read his book later, but he got the name wrong.
It wasn't Joad it was Cox.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So John Steinbeck of Grapes of Wrath pretty much paralleled a
lot of things that occurred in your family coming out to California in hopes of a
better tomorrow and dreams of a life fulfilled.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Yeah, they call it the land of milk and honey. And that's exactly
true. When I read that novel, which was not a novel really, I recognized our family
in there, and we traveled that same route.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, you look at your family today, Sid, and all wellaccomplished, respected citizens in our community on banking boards, have
contributed so much to our community. How many brothers, how many sisters?
>>Sidney B. Cox: I had 8 brothers and sisters. Well, 7 brothers and sisters and
they're all living except 2. And as you mentioned my sister Wanda founded -- she and
her husband founded Rogers Helicopters and she was the driving force in starting the
Central Valley Community Bank. Brother Mickey has a school named in his honor in the
Clovis Unified School District, Mickey Cox School. And we learned at an early age
that if you didn't work you didn't eat. Back in the ‘30s there was very little
welfare so you learned the work ethic at a very early age.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The Leon S. Peters Award is probably one of the most
prestigious recognition of a citizen's contribution not only to the community but
success in business, involvement with a number of worthy organizations and clearly
if you look at the who's who of the pillars of the community that have been the past
recipients, the Earl Smittcamps, the Jim Mayers, you go through all the past
recipients and now Sidney Cox. What does it mean to you to be recognized amongst
those people that have helped made our community what it is?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Well, it's a wonderful surprise. I had no clue. Just being
mentioned in the same breath as Leon Peters is a tribute far beyond what I've ever
expected. And so many people who've been chosen for this ahead of me. By the way, my
selection gives hope to a lot of other people if we can do it. But Jim Mayer and Bud
Richter and folks who have just made such a difference in this town and this area
just to be considered to be an equal there is beyond measure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, what's special is you knew Leon Peters. And let's chat a
little bit about that relationship, how you met Leon and how you worked with him.
>>Sidney B. Cox: I worked for Producers Cotton Oil Company, and by the way, 2 of the
greatest philanthropists that I ever knew were Jim Mayer and Jerry Brewer, they
believed in the community and they believed in service and they expected executives
to do the same. And it wasn't a matter of taking time off you just worked it in to
be on different boards, so quite a thing there. And just to be in that role is
something else. It blows me away.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of times, and we'll chat about this later, young people
are anxious to make their first billion and it's not about getting involved in the
community. From very early on you've been involved in community affairs. Was this
something of your upbringing? How did you get involved with your concern for your
fellow human being?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Well, I learned that you can volunteer one time and after that if
you do a reasonably good job your friends take care of the future for you. I guess
when I went to work for Producers Cotton Oil Company when Jim Mayer hired me to go
into PR out there and he suggested that I would be involved in some organizations.
And as I say the executives there all were expected to put time in to volunteer
groups. So with that start -- one, it multiplied and I really enjoyed it. Most of
the time I've been involved in things that involve youth for some reason. And then
one day a fellow named Doc Buchanan and Pete Mehas, 2 fellows, came up my driveway
and suggested I would do well to agree to head a bond drive committee for Clovis
Unified and that began a second bond drive, and so friends took care of some more
work for me. And that's just the way it's happened, it just multiplies. And you got
to be willing to do it. One of the things you have to be sure you do is to know that
you're not asking for yourself. In fundraising and getting more board volunteers
you're doing it for a cause and generally, in this case, it was for children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, it is fascinating when you look at your thousands of
hours and certainly your wife had to, at times, say, Sidney, don't you know how to
say no. But you look at most of your involvement and it has centered around youth,
and we're going to talk about youth with your 2 boys later on. But Boy Scouts of
America, Valley Children's' Hospital, Break the Barrier, all of these great
organizations you've been involved with at a very, very high level. We enjoy
Children's' Hospital today because of your involvement in the capital campaign and
your involvement with the foundation and the board and we look at Break the
Barriers, again. A lot of times your friends see you coming they go here comes Sid.
How do you handle that where you're constantly asking in terms of people to get
involved in these worthy causes?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Let me get back to Norma for a minute. Norma's been my partner, my
critic and my number one assistant for 55 years and she's shouldered a lot of the
load in raising the kids when I was off at a meeting or on some conference or
something so that was a great part of it. Yes, I do have friends who say they see me
coming and they reach for their wallet not to pull it out but to hide it or cross
the street. Joe Levy and I played a game for years and years we're always selling
tickets to something and when we'd see each other at an event we would each touch
our breast pocket and walk toward each other, and when we got there we would pull
out a ticket and say, my $200 Boy Scout dinner against your United Way. We had a
great deal of fun. But people are generous. By nature people if they believe in a
cause and you can show them where the money's going to be spent, how it's going to
be used and what the outcome is supposed to be, they'll reach deep, they really
will. And rejection has not been a common thing over these years. Acceptance is more
the term I'd use because people do believe in this community. Many of them have the
same philosophy that I was exposed to when I first started out in 1964 at Producers
Cotton Oil Company, and that is, and sort of like the Rotary Club's motto.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Service above self.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Service above self. And when organizations, companies can adopt
that as a motto it does wondrous things for the community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I was going to mention the fact that, how long have you
been in the Rotary now, how many years? Because I know ->>Sidney B. Cox: Since 1973.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you really personify that motto of Rotary, service above
self. Is it fair to all concerned? Is it the truth? And you certainly have passed
that litmus test. Let's quickly chat a little bit about your 2 sons since I had the
privilege of having them both as students at Clovis High School. I know you're very
proud of them, that you're now a grandpapa as well. But what advice, speaking of
sons, what advice would you give our young people today who are out to conquer the
world about getting involved with philanthropy or community service?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Volunteer, find something, some cause, some organization that
reflects your values. Just step up to the plate and say, how can I help? It's
amazing how, and believe me organizations are looking for volunteers willing to work
and willing to help raise funds to continue the organization's mission. So that
would be my advice is to simply find an organization that you really support and
step up and offer your services, and they will be accepted for sure if you really
are sincere about it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I think there's a biblical quote that says when you cast your
net upon the waters it comes back ten fold. Certainly in your life you have cast
your net and the community, it's come back to benefit the community.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Pete, there's nothing like seeing the fruition of a project that
you put in months and years working for. I still remember standing behind Leon
Peters. Our Producers Cotton Oil seats at the Bulldog's stadium were immediately
behind Leon's seats. In 1981, I believe it was, the stadium opened, we played
Oregon, Oregon State, the jets came over and it was -- the feeling was indescribable
to know that you had a part in getting this started. The same with Children's'
Hospital to see the thousands and thousands of kids that are helped by a building
like that with all the operating suites and the caring doctors and nurses and staff
out there. It's a jewel for this valley. It is an absolute jewel. And the same with
Boy Scouts to see improvements at Camp Chawanakee and all the things that take place
and to know that you just had a piece of it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, the foundation for Clovis Unified School District in
terms of if it wasn't for you and your other chairs that were involved with the bond
measures. Every time you see that 50-meter swimming pool and the stadium and the
tennis courts you can feel a great deal of satisfaction that you were part of
something that, look at Clovis's facilities today and if it wasn't for Sidney Cox
and others that we would not have had those facilities.
>>Sidney B. Cox: That's right because -- but you've got to remember that I was chair
of that thing but I had co-chairs. Louise Petrosino and Art Hill ->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>>Sidney B. Cox: were very instrumental in convincing people to do that, to vote for
that --
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Those issues.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Let me ask you this, Knute Rockne once said, “when the great
scorekeeper writes down the final score it matters not if you won or lost but how
you played the game.” What do you want the scribes to write about Sidney Cox? What
do you want people to remember about Sid Cox?
>>Sidney B. Cox: I'd like my friends to say that despite the haranguing he gave me
for money all those years he really wasn't such a bad guy. [laughing] No, I never
really thought about that. I suppose you'd say that he meant well. I think I've
tried to do things that would reflect honor on the family and progress in the
community and I suppose that might be the epitaph, he meant well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: One of your close friends that thinks so, so highly of you,
Bob Carter, was on a mission, was on a mission to make sure that you were nominated
for this award because obviously it's a very, very prestigious award and I think
when he was talking to people he didn't have to twist many arms because everybody
was so eager and so anxious. And where I'm going with this is that you have hundreds
of friends like Bob Carter that think so very, very highly of you and what you've
contributed. And so let me just say this, on behalf of the board of directors and
the Chamber of Commerce we congratulate you not only on the being the recipient of
the Leon S. Peters Award but for literally a lifetime of community service. And I
think your legacy will be that you cared about children, you cared about our
community and you're so very, very well-deserving of the Leon S. Peters Award, so we
congratulate you for a lifetime of giving.
>>Sidney B. Cox: It's overwhelming just to be mentioned, as I say, with Leon and
having served in Rotary with him and worked on some projects to see how he
influenced this area to be involved with Leon and what, there must be 15 or 20
fellows who've gone before me and ladies in this award. I'll wake up one day and
say, gee, that was really swell.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now, being the educator I am I have to give you an open-ended
question. In case I missed anything for posterity and austerity and everything else,
anything that you'd like to add, and we'll, of course, edit this to make sure that
it suits you.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Just that I didn't do this alone. I think everybody realizes that.
I was cast into some leadership roles to recruit people and to explain campaigns and
programs. But without the generosity of the business community mainly in this area
these projects wouldn't have been completed. We'd have to borrow millions of dollars
to get them completed, and so it was very, very important that these folks step up
to the plate and they did it. Very, very few times have I ever come away completely
empty from making a call or inviting people to be involved in a project. So I'm just
thankful to have been given the opportunity, Pete. But I think folks had some
foresight. Putting Fresno State University moving from the old City College site out
there people thought that was outrageous to be moving that far out. I think there
was talk of putting it where Manchester Center is. But there was some good planning
that went in there. And the Clovis area where I originated from ‘43 on, I was what
13, they've done a great job of planning and I'm so impressed with the school
systems. The way the growth has been done there, and the foresight to anticipate
this growth has been particularly good in Clovis. Fresno seems to be doing a pretty
good job at that. And, again, there are detractors from that but I believe that we
do have some foresighted people. The Chamber of Commerce has been right in the
forefront of everything from Measure C, which has been so important to this area, to
air quality issues, so many things that I think we're in good hands, and the
planning is the key.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I think the future of Fresno and Fresno County really,
of course, lies in people such as you and others of the Leon S. Peters recipients
and many of those others who are never recognized, because our real capital is the
giving of quality people who give and give and give. And so, again, 2007, the Leon
S. Peters recipient to Sid Cox thank you for a lifetime of giving.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
>>Sidney B. Cox: Are we really going to beat them? It's Sidney B. Cox, B for Bruton.
I was born in 1930 in Marshall, Oklahoma.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Marshall, Oklahoma. When did you become a Californian from an
Oklahomian?
>>Sidney B. Cox: In 1936 right in the middle of the Dust Bowl my dad like so many
millions of farmers lost everything he had near the North Canadian River in
Oklahoma. I was 6 years old so we had 3 younger than me and put it in the back of an
old truck; put us all in the back of an old truck headed for California. My mom
tells me I went to 15 grammar schools in the first grade. We would work a while,
move along, work a while and move along. Wound up in San Joaquin Valley, eventually.
It was not an easy time. And I recognized that fellow on the back bumper taking
notes. A fellow named Steinbeck. I read his book later, but he got the name wrong.
It wasn't Joad it was Cox.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So John Steinbeck of Grapes of Wrath pretty much paralleled a
lot of things that occurred in your family coming out to California in hopes of a
better tomorrow and dreams of a life fulfilled.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Yeah, they call it the land of milk and honey. And that's exactly
true. When I read that novel, which was not a novel really, I recognized our family
in there, and we traveled that same route.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, you look at your family today, Sid, and all wellaccomplished, respected citizens in our community on banking boards, have
contributed so much to our community. How many brothers, how many sisters?
>>Sidney B. Cox: I had 8 brothers and sisters. Well, 7 brothers and sisters and
they're all living except 2. And as you mentioned my sister Wanda founded -- she and
her husband founded Rogers Helicopters and she was the driving force in starting the
Central Valley Community Bank. Brother Mickey has a school named in his honor in the
Clovis Unified School District, Mickey Cox School. And we learned at an early age
that if you didn't work you didn't eat. Back in the ‘30s there was very little
welfare so you learned the work ethic at a very early age.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The Leon S. Peters Award is probably one of the most
prestigious recognition of a citizen's contribution not only to the community but
success in business, involvement with a number of worthy organizations and clearly
if you look at the who's who of the pillars of the community that have been the past
recipients, the Earl Smittcamps, the Jim Mayers, you go through all the past
recipients and now Sidney Cox. What does it mean to you to be recognized amongst
those people that have helped made our community what it is?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Well, it's a wonderful surprise. I had no clue. Just being
mentioned in the same breath as Leon Peters is a tribute far beyond what I've ever
expected. And so many people who've been chosen for this ahead of me. By the way, my
selection gives hope to a lot of other people if we can do it. But Jim Mayer and Bud
Richter and folks who have just made such a difference in this town and this area
just to be considered to be an equal there is beyond measure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, what's special is you knew Leon Peters. And let's chat a
little bit about that relationship, how you met Leon and how you worked with him.
>>Sidney B. Cox: I worked for Producers Cotton Oil Company, and by the way, 2 of the
greatest philanthropists that I ever knew were Jim Mayer and Jerry Brewer, they
believed in the community and they believed in service and they expected executives
to do the same. And it wasn't a matter of taking time off you just worked it in to
be on different boards, so quite a thing there. And just to be in that role is
something else. It blows me away.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of times, and we'll chat about this later, young people
are anxious to make their first billion and it's not about getting involved in the
community. From very early on you've been involved in community affairs. Was this
something of your upbringing? How did you get involved with your concern for your
fellow human being?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Well, I learned that you can volunteer one time and after that if
you do a reasonably good job your friends take care of the future for you. I guess
when I went to work for Producers Cotton Oil Company when Jim Mayer hired me to go
into PR out there and he suggested that I would be involved in some organizations.
And as I say the executives there all were expected to put time in to volunteer
groups. So with that start -- one, it multiplied and I really enjoyed it. Most of
the time I've been involved in things that involve youth for some reason. And then
one day a fellow named Doc Buchanan and Pete Mehas, 2 fellows, came up my driveway
and suggested I would do well to agree to head a bond drive committee for Clovis
Unified and that began a second bond drive, and so friends took care of some more
work for me. And that's just the way it's happened, it just multiplies. And you got
to be willing to do it. One of the things you have to be sure you do is to know that
you're not asking for yourself. In fundraising and getting more board volunteers
you're doing it for a cause and generally, in this case, it was for children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, it is fascinating when you look at your thousands of
hours and certainly your wife had to, at times, say, Sidney, don't you know how to
say no. But you look at most of your involvement and it has centered around youth,
and we're going to talk about youth with your 2 boys later on. But Boy Scouts of
America, Valley Children's' Hospital, Break the Barrier, all of these great
organizations you've been involved with at a very, very high level. We enjoy
Children's' Hospital today because of your involvement in the capital campaign and
your involvement with the foundation and the board and we look at Break the
Barriers, again. A lot of times your friends see you coming they go here comes Sid.
How do you handle that where you're constantly asking in terms of people to get
involved in these worthy causes?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Let me get back to Norma for a minute. Norma's been my partner, my
critic and my number one assistant for 55 years and she's shouldered a lot of the
load in raising the kids when I was off at a meeting or on some conference or
something so that was a great part of it. Yes, I do have friends who say they see me
coming and they reach for their wallet not to pull it out but to hide it or cross
the street. Joe Levy and I played a game for years and years we're always selling
tickets to something and when we'd see each other at an event we would each touch
our breast pocket and walk toward each other, and when we got there we would pull
out a ticket and say, my $200 Boy Scout dinner against your United Way. We had a
great deal of fun. But people are generous. By nature people if they believe in a
cause and you can show them where the money's going to be spent, how it's going to
be used and what the outcome is supposed to be, they'll reach deep, they really
will. And rejection has not been a common thing over these years. Acceptance is more
the term I'd use because people do believe in this community. Many of them have the
same philosophy that I was exposed to when I first started out in 1964 at Producers
Cotton Oil Company, and that is, and sort of like the Rotary Club's motto.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Service above self.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Service above self. And when organizations, companies can adopt
that as a motto it does wondrous things for the community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I was going to mention the fact that, how long have you
been in the Rotary now, how many years? Because I know ->>Sidney B. Cox: Since 1973.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you really personify that motto of Rotary, service above
self. Is it fair to all concerned? Is it the truth? And you certainly have passed
that litmus test. Let's quickly chat a little bit about your 2 sons since I had the
privilege of having them both as students at Clovis High School. I know you're very
proud of them, that you're now a grandpapa as well. But what advice, speaking of
sons, what advice would you give our young people today who are out to conquer the
world about getting involved with philanthropy or community service?
>>Sidney B. Cox: Volunteer, find something, some cause, some organization that
reflects your values. Just step up to the plate and say, how can I help? It's
amazing how, and believe me organizations are looking for volunteers willing to work
and willing to help raise funds to continue the organization's mission. So that
would be my advice is to simply find an organization that you really support and
step up and offer your services, and they will be accepted for sure if you really
are sincere about it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I think there's a biblical quote that says when you cast your
net upon the waters it comes back ten fold. Certainly in your life you have cast
your net and the community, it's come back to benefit the community.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Pete, there's nothing like seeing the fruition of a project that
you put in months and years working for. I still remember standing behind Leon
Peters. Our Producers Cotton Oil seats at the Bulldog's stadium were immediately
behind Leon's seats. In 1981, I believe it was, the stadium opened, we played
Oregon, Oregon State, the jets came over and it was -- the feeling was indescribable
to know that you had a part in getting this started. The same with Children's'
Hospital to see the thousands and thousands of kids that are helped by a building
like that with all the operating suites and the caring doctors and nurses and staff
out there. It's a jewel for this valley. It is an absolute jewel. And the same with
Boy Scouts to see improvements at Camp Chawanakee and all the things that take place
and to know that you just had a piece of it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, the foundation for Clovis Unified School District in
terms of if it wasn't for you and your other chairs that were involved with the bond
measures. Every time you see that 50-meter swimming pool and the stadium and the
tennis courts you can feel a great deal of satisfaction that you were part of
something that, look at Clovis's facilities today and if it wasn't for Sidney Cox
and others that we would not have had those facilities.
>>Sidney B. Cox: That's right because -- but you've got to remember that I was chair
of that thing but I had co-chairs. Louise Petrosino and Art Hill ->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>>Sidney B. Cox: were very instrumental in convincing people to do that, to vote for
that --
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Those issues.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Let me ask you this, Knute Rockne once said, “when the great
scorekeeper writes down the final score it matters not if you won or lost but how
you played the game.” What do you want the scribes to write about Sidney Cox? What
do you want people to remember about Sid Cox?
>>Sidney B. Cox: I'd like my friends to say that despite the haranguing he gave me
for money all those years he really wasn't such a bad guy. [laughing] No, I never
really thought about that. I suppose you'd say that he meant well. I think I've
tried to do things that would reflect honor on the family and progress in the
community and I suppose that might be the epitaph, he meant well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: One of your close friends that thinks so, so highly of you,
Bob Carter, was on a mission, was on a mission to make sure that you were nominated
for this award because obviously it's a very, very prestigious award and I think
when he was talking to people he didn't have to twist many arms because everybody
was so eager and so anxious. And where I'm going with this is that you have hundreds
of friends like Bob Carter that think so very, very highly of you and what you've
contributed. And so let me just say this, on behalf of the board of directors and
the Chamber of Commerce we congratulate you not only on the being the recipient of
the Leon S. Peters Award but for literally a lifetime of community service. And I
think your legacy will be that you cared about children, you cared about our
community and you're so very, very well-deserving of the Leon S. Peters Award, so we
congratulate you for a lifetime of giving.
>>Sidney B. Cox: It's overwhelming just to be mentioned, as I say, with Leon and
having served in Rotary with him and worked on some projects to see how he
influenced this area to be involved with Leon and what, there must be 15 or 20
fellows who've gone before me and ladies in this award. I'll wake up one day and
say, gee, that was really swell.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now, being the educator I am I have to give you an open-ended
question. In case I missed anything for posterity and austerity and everything else,
anything that you'd like to add, and we'll, of course, edit this to make sure that
it suits you.
>>Sidney B. Cox: Just that I didn't do this alone. I think everybody realizes that.
I was cast into some leadership roles to recruit people and to explain campaigns and
programs. But without the generosity of the business community mainly in this area
these projects wouldn't have been completed. We'd have to borrow millions of dollars
to get them completed, and so it was very, very important that these folks step up
to the plate and they did it. Very, very few times have I ever come away completely
empty from making a call or inviting people to be involved in a project. So I'm just
thankful to have been given the opportunity, Pete. But I think folks had some
foresight. Putting Fresno State University moving from the old City College site out
there people thought that was outrageous to be moving that far out. I think there
was talk of putting it where Manchester Center is. But there was some good planning
that went in there. And the Clovis area where I originated from ‘43 on, I was what
13, they've done a great job of planning and I'm so impressed with the school
systems. The way the growth has been done there, and the foresight to anticipate
this growth has been particularly good in Clovis. Fresno seems to be doing a pretty
good job at that. And, again, there are detractors from that but I believe that we
do have some foresighted people. The Chamber of Commerce has been right in the
forefront of everything from Measure C, which has been so important to this area, to
air quality issues, so many things that I think we're in good hands, and the
planning is the key.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I think the future of Fresno and Fresno County really,
of course, lies in people such as you and others of the Leon S. Peters recipients
and many of those others who are never recognized, because our real capital is the
giving of quality people who give and give and give. And so, again, 2007, the Leon
S. Peters recipient to Sid Cox thank you for a lifetime of giving.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====