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Mitch stood for old Sonoma family values, led to HOF recognition award

Open field

 

Whether you’re an old Sonoman or a new Sonoman, if you’re at all involved in the Valley community you should know the Mulas family name, which means you’re already feeling the loss of its beloved patriarch, Mitch Mulas, who died last Thursday at the age of 84.

Besides being a community and agricultural leader, the perennial fire chief of the Schell-Vista Volunteer Fire Department and a longtime Valley Unified School District trustee and Salute to Education Award honoree, Mitch was a wonderful and gracious person who epitomized old Sonoma family values to the fullest.

Just the fact that everyone who knew him well or not called or addressed him by his first name because he felt like a friend and was respected for his honesty, straight-forwardness and passion for anything that was good for the place he loved, the Sonoma Valley, and its citizens, especially the youth.

To see the impact of Mitch in the athletic lives of our Valley youth, just look at Sonoma Valley High School’s Dragons Athletic Hall of Fame, which created the Mulas Family Recognition Award.

The award – honoring those people, families or businesses who have contributed time and/or resources to ensure our Valley’s students, athletes and coaches have the additional support necessary to have successful seasons and experiences – will take on added meaning now that Mitch and his wonderful smile are gone, but never forgotten.

The fourth annual “Dragon Hall of Fame” induction ceremony and dinner will take place on Saturday, May 7, at the Lodge at Sonoma, 1325 Broadway, and the third annual Mulas Family Recognition Award will be presented to Joe and Diane Lunny, who are so worthy of this special honor.

Sonoma’s 2011 Hall of Fame induction class will include former coaches Stan Augustine and Roger Winslow receiving the D.A. Pfeiffer Coaches Award, and Dragon athletes Gary Ellison and Jim Scribner from the 1950s; Mary Ann Garlick from the 1960s; Kori Schake and Jim Woods from the 1970s; Tony Edwards and Nancy Hafterson from the 1980s; Sara Jakel and Adam Soldati from the 1990s; and Tom Everidge and Joanna Rentz will be the first inductees from the 2000s.

The evening will begin with no-host cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by the dinner and induction ceremonies at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event – which are $85 each and tax deductible – can be ordered by sending a check and self-addressed stamped return envelope to: Dragon Hall of Fame, c/o Vicky Mulas (Mitch’s daughter), P.O. Box 1524, Sonoma, CA 95476.

Being an older Sonoman I’m definitely feeling Mitch’s passing because it reminds me how lucky I was to grow up in the Valley as an offspring of a hard-working, pioneering generation which established good family ways of life for all of us fortunates who followed.

Ciao!