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Shapiros win prestigious mayor's award
2011 honor recognizes their years of community service, leadership

by Jeb Bing

Community leaders Joyce and Bob Shapiro won the coveted Mayor's Award for public service Friday at outdoor festivities honoring city, civic and nonprofit organizations.

About 230 attended the invitation-only event held under a warm summer evening at Pleasanton's Alviso Adobe Community Park. Mayor Jennifer Hosterman, who hosted the event, admits she lucked out with last Friday night possibly being the last warm night of the season. By Saturday night, the evening temperature had dropped 20 degrees and it was even more chilly Sunday night.

In addition to current members of Pleasanton commissions, committees and task forces, the invitation list included more than 30 here for a visit from Tulancingo, Mexico as part of the city's annual program of visits by a Tulancingo delegation and a similar trip made there by Pleasanton's sister-city organization. The group joined hands to sing songs of welcome on the old adobe front porch. They were followed by the Mariachi Colima de Javier Magallon mariachi band, which performed during the event.

Hosterman said the Shapiros were chosen for this year's Mayor's Award to honor their long-time commitment to Pleasanton and many of its organizations.

"As a matter of fact, you can barely say the name of our city without mentioning Joyce and Bob Shapiro," Hosterman said.

She said Joyce Shapiro is a long-time Pleasanton resident who operated a business downtown in the 1970s during which time she also served as a member of the Planning Commission and also launched the Pleasanton Downtown Association.

Later, as Joyce Shapiro was working on getting the Senior Support program up and running and taking over the management of the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Pleasanton program, Bob Shapiro joined her in volunteer work for the Tri-Valley YMCA, the Las Positas College Foundation, the Rotary Club of Pleasanton and the Chamber of Commerce.

Together, the Shapiros were recognized earlier this year with a Community of Character award.

"A matched pair who love each other and Pleasanton, too," Hosterman said. "Can it get any better than this?"