110 years: Beach, Stewart honored for Rotary dedication & longevity

August 29, 2003
Santa Paula News

Not only are they members of the Santa Paula Rotary Club, Fred Stewart and Ed Beach are stalwarts who were celebrated for a combined 110 years of community service through the international organization.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesNot only are they members of the Santa Paula Rotary Club, Fred Stewart and Ed Beach are stalwarts who were celebrated for a combined 110 years of community service through the international organization.The celebratory event was held at Limoneira Park.Club President Maria Bombara presented each with pins denoting their long devotion to Rotary and Paul Harris Fellowship Awards were given by Past President/Club Historian Nils Rueckert.Stewart joined the club 55 years ago in 1948, during its 25th anniversary year.“Just three years later, Fred became our club president,” the year that Carl Barringer, Irv Wilde and Roy Wilson - all future club presidents - joined, Rueckert noted.Stewart was a World War II Navy veteran who served as a motor torpedo boat skipper trained by “none other than President John F. Kennedy.”After the war Stewart founded Agri-Serve, a full service company for growers while also running his own farming operation.Stewart has been president of the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce and California Tomato Growers Association, United Water Conservation District, Ventura County Economic Development and Ventura Community College District director. He also served as a Ventura County grand juror and on the Fair Board.“In Rotary, Fred’s most significant and long-lasting achievement was starting Career Day,” for Santa Paula High School students, and during his club presidency he had 11 consecutive 100% attendance meetings, noted Rueckert that “In those days cost the president $5 each.”
Fred’s son Dr. Chuck Stewart followed Fred into the club and as a president.“For his lifetime of contributions to Rotary and our community, Santa Paula Rotary honored Fred with a Paul Harris Award, his second. ..his first was in 1977 when he was just the third club member to receive a Paul Harris.”Of Beach, “He has contributed so much to our community that it would an extensive list, indeed, to enumerate all of his involvements,” noted Rueckert.Born in Lima, Piru, Beach served three years in the Army during WWII and received his law degree from USC. As a young gymnast, Beach had visited Santa Paula was impressed not only by the city but also by the SPHS gymnastics teacher, Randall Bryden.Beach moved to Santa Paula the day after he completed his bar exam where he and his late wife Janet raised their seven children.Beach was appointed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan to the Superior Court followed by an appointment in 1973 to the state’s 2nd District Court of Appeal and during his 13 year tenure was asked to sit for a period of time with the state Supreme Court.His Say Road home has served as the “setting for countless fundraisers” and Beach was honored as Citizen of the Year in 1984. He has served on the boards of directors of the SPESD, Santa Paula Memorial Hospital and was a founder of the Blanchard Community Library Endowment Fund, among others.As a Rotarian Beach was the scoutmaster of the club-sponsored Boy Scout Troop and enjoyed a long friendship with fellow painter Douglas Shively, his art mentor.Beach was presented with his third Paul Harris Award at the celebratory gathering.



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