Citizen Of The Year Award

The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce presents two categories of awards each year to deserving citizens of Newport Beach.

The Newport Beach Citizen of the Year Award is presented to that individual who best represents the qualities each of us admire and respect among our friends, neighbors and associates.

It’s not given so much for achievement, as it is for helping others achieve.

It’s not given for outstanding single effort, as much as for long-term, continuing commitment to the community.

It’s not given for position, public or private, as it is for “being there” when there is service called for.

It’s not given so much for being a member, or for paying dues, or for financial contribution, as it is for being the one everybody wants on the Committee when there’s a job to be done.

It’s for the one who says, “Sure – I’ll help – what do we need to do?” And then does it.

And it’s for the one who says, “Newport Beach is my home – and my life – and its future and mine are the same – and whatever I can do to make them better, I will do.

Hayes,Laird rom Bleu Cotton

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Citizen of the Year
Laird Hayes

About Laird Hayes

Laird was born October 3, 1949 in Santa Barbara, California and now lives in Newport Beach. He is supported by his wife, Maggie, and daughter Katie and son Andy. His grandchildren are Lily, Chloe and Jack.

He attended San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara where he played football, basketball and baseball. After, he attended Princeton University where he was a catcher on the baseball team and played freshman football. He went on to earn his Masters and Doctorate in Higher Education from UCLA.

At Orange Coast College, he has served as Assistant Dean, Student Affairs; Coast Community College District Director of Community Relations; Professor, Kinesiology and Athletics and Men’s Soccer and Surf Team Coach. He is part of the Emeritus Faculty still teaching Surfing and Ocean Safety.
He also worked at Quarterback and Receiver Camp, LLC serving California, Arkansas, Georgia, Ohio, New Jersey, Florida, South Carolina, Texas) from 1965-2016.

He retired from football in 2018 after 43 years on the field. His officiating career has spanned the decades.

As a NFL Game Official he was a Side Judge 125 from 1995 to 2017 and was appointed to the officiating staff in 1995 retiring in 2018 after 23 seasons including three Super Bowls: XXXVI (2002); XXXVIII (2004); and XLVI (2012); the 2011 AFC Championship game; two Pro Bowls in 2006 and 2015; and 15 wildcard and divisional playoff games.

Since 2020, he has served as an NFL Officials’ Scout where he scouts college and high school officials as prospective NFL game officials.

For College, he has officiated in the Pac-10 (1982-94); small college and community college (1978-1991). He also began officiating high school frosh/soph and junior varsity games in Orange County in 1976 followed by high school varsity games including three CIF Championships and numerous playoffs. He is also a Southeastern, Sun Belt and Southern Conference Film Grader since 2021. In addition, he officiated at high school and college basketball games from 1971 to 1985, umpired baseball for high school and college from 1976 to 1985.

His service to the Community is vast and diverse and can fill volumes.

He was the Newport Beach Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission – January 2014-2023; Newport Beach General Plan Citizens Advisory Committee – November 2022-Present and Newport Beach Police Department Volunteer in Policing – April 2015-present.

Since 2015, he has been a volunteer with the Newport Beach Fire Department Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) He has served on the Newport Beach Water Quality and Coastal Tidelands Committee – 2012-2013 and was the Volunteer of the Year, Newport Beach Police Department Volunteer in Policing Program – April 2022.

His experience also includes…
• Newport Beach Police Department Citizens’ Police Academy – Fall 2014
• Newport Beach City Council Volunteer Proclamation – February 25, 2020
• Newport Beach Fire Department Fire Ops 101 – September 2018
• Covid-19 Vaccinator Support – Soka University and Orange County Fairground POD’s – Spring 2021
• Leadership Tomorrow Board of Directors 2016-2020
• Leadership Tomorrow Class of 2016
• Share Our Selves (SOS) Foundation Board 2016-2018
• Member, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
• Kingdom Justice Advisory Team, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church 2020
• Special Olympics Orange County Organizing Committee 2015
• Universal Life Ministries
• Mentor – Newport Harbor High School Junior Mentor Program
• Speaker, Santa Ana High School Career Day – 2017-2019
• PGA Golf Tournaments Volunteer Walking Scorer: Hoag Classic (2013-present) and Farmer’s and Genesis Open (2014-present)
• Assistant Editor, California Golf + Travel Magazine – 2020-present
• Orange County Football Officials Association Lifetime Achievement Award – June 2019
• City of Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame
• San Marcos High School Athletic Hall of Fame
• Founding Vice President, National Scholastic Surfing Association 1978
• City of Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame Honor Roll
• Eagle Scout, Santa Barbara CA 1964
• Member, Screen Actors Guild 1975-Present
• Los Angeles Olympic Games Organizing Committee 1982-84
• NAUI Certified SCUBA Diver – August 1970

Another amazing fact about Laird is that he has been to all 50 United States, as well as travel to Antarctica, Bermuda, Botswana, Canada, Caribbean (Cuba, Cayman Islands & Nassau), Central & South America, Easter Island, Galapagos, Israel, Mexico & Baja California and Baja Sur, Palestine, Qatar, South Africa, Western & Eastern Europe , Zimbabwe.

Previous Citizen of the Year Award Recipients

2022

David Beek

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2021

Walt Howald

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2020

Joe Stapleton

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2019

Nancy Gardner

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2018

Debbie Snavely

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2017

Homer Bludau

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2016

John and Elizabeth Stahr

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2015

Paul Watkins

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2014

Jack and Nancy Skinner

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2013

Jean Watt

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2012

No Award Given

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2011

Tom Johnson

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2010

Ralph Rodheim

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2009

Norm Loats, Ed.D.

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2008

Lula Halfacre

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2007

Evelyn Hart

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2006

Dennis O’Neil

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2005

Seymour Beek

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2004

Bill Ring

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2003

Scott Paulsen

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2002

Bill Grundy

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2001

Dayna Pettit

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2000

Thomas C. Edwards

1999

Clarence “Bus” Turner

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1998

Marian Bergeson

1997

Rush N. Hill, II

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1995/96

Lucille Kuehn

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1994/95

Michael Stephens

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1993/94

Bob Robins

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1992/93

Art Gronsky

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1991/92

Jim Dale

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1990

Paul Salata

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1989

Bill Hamilton

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1988

Hans Prager

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1987

Bob McCurdy

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1986

Jackie Heather

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1985

Charley Hester

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1984

William D. Lusk

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1983

J. Peter Barrett

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1982

Harry Babbitt

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1981

William P. Ficker
Bill Banning

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1980

Robert Shelton

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1979

T. Duncan Stewart

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1978

Robert Wynn

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1977

Arvo Haapa

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1976

Ray Watson

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1975

Richard “Dick” Stevens

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1974

George Hoag

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1973

Phil Tozer

1972

John Lawson

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1971

John Macnab
Doreen Marshall

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1970

Fred Schope

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1969

A. Vincent Jorgenson

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1968

Judge Robert Gardner
Walter Longmoor

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1967

John Murdy

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1966

Theodore Robins

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1965

Isabel Pease

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1964

Robert Reed

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1963

Dr. Basil H. Peterson

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1962

Paul A. Palmer

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1961

Carroll Beek

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1960

Gerald Lynch

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1959

David Nielsen, M.D.

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1958

William “Bill” Spurgeon

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1957

J.L. “Les” Steffensen
James “Jim” Edwards

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1956

Edward Milum, M.D.

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1955

Joseph A. Beek

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1954

Dora O. Hill

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1953

O.W. “Dick” Richards

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1952

Myford Irvine

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1951

Robert Callis

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1950

Harry Welch

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1949

Robert “Bob” Murphy