He may have a short name, but Bob Hill's life included a long list of achievements, and the legacy he left behind may stretch just as long. As local school board members and school district administrators gathered Monday evening for the annual Kings County School Boards Association Dinner at Hamilton Elementary School, they recognized Hill with the "Make A Difference Award."

Hill's son, Jeff, accepted the award on behalf of Hill, who died Dec. 5 at age 69. The presentation of the award followed an address by the recently elected president of the California School Boards Association.

Hill grew up in Hanford, he ran Robert's Chevrolet and Robert's Auto Classics in Hanford, he served on the city's Planning Commission and City Council. He served twice as the mayor of Hanford, was named Hanford's Citizen of the Year in 1995 and was awarded Kings County's Individual Commitment to Excellence in 1997. Last April, he was inducted into the College of the Sequoias Hall of Fame.

Most recently, Hill served as a Hanford Joint Union School District board member. He was a semi-retired proprietor of Robert's Auto Classics before passing away Dec. 5 after attending a Hanford High School football game. Many local residents remember and associate him with the completion of Hanford's Youth Athletic Park. The Hanford City Council recently decided to rename the neighborhood ballpark at Campus Drive and Greenfield Avenue after him.

On Monday, the superintendent of the Hanford Joint Union High School District, Bill Fishbough, said a few words about Hill before presenting the award.

"Bob's rule was always what's good for the kids," Fishbough said.

He mentioned Hill's large role in anticipated lighted crosswalks at both of Hanford's high school campuses, and said Hill's death left a void in the school district and in the community.

Jeff Hill, upon accepting the award, said his father would have been "very proud" to receive such recognition.

Prior to the award presentation, the 2009 President of the California School Boards Association, Paula Campbell, took the stage at Monday's dinner to talk about tough times for schools.

Campbell, a board member in the Nevada City School District in Nevada County, has served on the Board of Trustees for the Nevada City School District since 1992, serving five terms as president.

Campbell said regardless of state funding cuts, it is a school board member's duty to build school districts that address four issues for each of its students:

Every student needs a rigorous education.

Every student needs meaningful relationships, in and out of school.

Every student needs to be able to see relevance in their school experiences and feel engaged in their education.

Every student needs to be healthy and nourished.

"As board members, you need to be prepared and need to be prepared to change your mind," Campbell said. "If you're not prepared to change your mind, why are you coming to the meetings?"

She said that especially in the face of budget cuts, the relationship between a district's board and its superintendent needs to be one in which trustees can ask questions and superintendents give honest answers.

"This is not a good opportunity but it is an opportunity for school districts to take a look at their basic values," Campbell said. "We need to ask 'What are we trying to accomplish here and is this program doing it?'"

Earlier on Monday, Campbell toured schools in the Armona Union Elementary School District, as well as the construction site for Sierra Pacific High School. Kings County is one stop among many she is planning to make as she tours schools statewide during her term as president.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2424.

(March 31, 2009)