In addition to playing a historic role in the formation of this community, for the last 50 years the Newhall Family and its wide-reaching Foundation have remained committed to enhancing the daily lives and general welfare of residents of the Santa Clarita Valley, and indeed of the state of California.

As a result, the College of the Canyons Foundation is proud to honor the legacy of the Newhall Family and the ongoing philanthropic contributions of the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation with the 2015 ‘Silver Spur’ Award for Community Service.

Skip Newhall, Anthony Newhall

“This community is what it is today because of the Newhall Family,” said COC Chancellor Dr. Dianne Van Hook. “Henry Mayo Newhall not only founded the towns of Saugus and Newhall that were the forebears of Santa Clarita, but he also fostered a legacy of civic engagement and community enrichment that carries on more than 130 years later through the foundation that carries his name.”

Aside from the Newhall family’s reputation as an original founder and namesake of this community, its family Foundation has displayed an ongoing commitment to supporting a number of key community organizations, nonprofit groups and philanthropic initiatives, which have all had a long-term impact on the lives of SCV residents.

Included among the organizations which have directly benefited from the H.M. Newhall Foundation’s generosity are: SCV Boys & Girls Club, Bridge to Home, Carousel Ranch, Domestic Violence Center of SCV, Habitat for Humanity, Newhall School District, Saugus Union School District, William S. Hart Union High School District, SCV Education Fund, SCV Food Pantry, Single Mother’s Outreach and the Valley Industry Association (VIA) Education Foundation.

The Newhall Foundation has also been an active partner and friend to College of the Canyons, having provided both one-time and matching grant funds to a variety of projects and programs championed by the college.

For example, the Newhall Foundation was among the first donors to contribute to the capital campaign to construct the Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center, which officially opened in 2009.

Most recently, the Newhall Foundation sponsored the construction of the new ‘demonstration kitchen’ featured in the college’s still-under-construction College of the Canyons Institute for Culinary Education (iCuE).

“It is that legacy of service for which we are honoring the Newhall Family,” Dr. Van Hook said. “By investing in organizations that help others, they have truly built this community from the inside out, ensuring that Santa Clarita is a place characterized by compassion, hope, and the opportunity for all individuals to reach their full potential.”

Representing the Newhall Family at the Silver Spur event will be longtime SCV residents Tony and Skip Newhall.

Tony, a former SCV Man of the Year award recipient, has served on the board of the SCV Boys and Girls Club, the Henry Mayo Newhall Health Foundation, the local United Way campaign committee, the SCV Historical Society, and Friends of Hart Park.

Skip retired from Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 1997 after a 36-year career, and has since dedicated a considerable amount of time to the college. He is a former member of the COC Foundation Board of Directors, and has partnered with the college on a number of projects related to the COC library, the Gardens of the Canyons project and the Canyon Country Campus. He frequently visits the college to deliver academic presentations on a variety of topics.

The Newhalls will be accompanied at the Silver Spur celebration by family members from all over the state who have been active in the family foundation. This includes Natasha McBean Hunt, great-granddaughter of Atholl McBean; Donna and Bob Chesebrough, son of Robert Newhall Chesebrough; Jon Newhall, son of Scott and Ruth Newhall, former owners of The Newhall Signal and of the Piru Mansion; and George Newhall III, Roger B. Newhall, Prudence Noon, Frances Woods, and David Scott Newhall, all descended from Henry Mayo Newhall and who currently serve with the family Foundation.

The annual College of the Canyons Silver Spur Celebration is traditionally held at a historic museum, club or well-known Los Angeles landmark each spring — and is considered to be one of the community’s most popular and elegant evening events.

The 2015 Silver Spur Celebration will take place Saturday, April 11, 2015, at The Autry, located at 4700 Western Heritage Way in Los Angeles.

This year’s event carries some added significance, as it is both the 25th anniversary of Silver Spur and the 45th anniversary of College of the Canyons.

The festivities begin at 6 p.m. where guests can enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, the museum exhibits, and a beautiful view of the Los Angeles skyline. The evening will also include live entertainment, as well as a live auction.

The event is being co-chaired by Robert and Diane Benjamin, members of the COC Foundation Board of Directors.

Previous recipients of the Silver Spur award include: Remo and Ami Belli, Barry and Pati Gump, Richard and Marian Sandnes, Diana Cusumano, Myrna and Gary Condie, Harold and Jacquie Petersen, Wayne Crawford, Rita Garasi, Tom Veloz, Charlotte and Frank Kleeman, Gary Cusumano, Jay and Joyce Rodgers, Tom Lee, Lou Garasi, Michael Berger, Roberta Veloz, Dick Luechtefeld, Robert Ormsby, LaVerne Harris, John Hoskinson, Tom Dierckman, Scott and Ruth Newhall, Elisha “Aggie” Agajanian and Cliffie Stone.

See list & photos HERE.

For more information about the 2015 Silver Spur Award Ceremony, or to purchase tickets or become an event sponsor please contact the College of the Canyons Foundation at (661) 362-3737.