SBPV
SISTER CITIES
Over 48 Years of Friendship With Puerto Vallarta
Visionaries Who Dreamed of Sister Cityhood
- Early visitors to Puerto Vallarta included:
- Richard Hidalgo, City Council member,
- Barry Capello, City Attorney
- Frank Arguelles,
- Howard Goldman,
- Antonio Molina and
- Gregorio Ramallo
SBPV SISTER CITY
A Review of 44 Years of Friendship With Puerto Vallarta
In the beginning…
City Councilman Richard Hidalgo on March 3, 1972 wrote a letter to the Honorable Municipal President of Puerto Vallarta, C. Marcelo Alcaráz Guereña, asking that he seek approval from the Puerto Vallarta City Council for the formal recognition of Sister City designation for our two cities.
…So from the beginning, there was Richard Hidalgo
PRESIDENTS OF THE FIRST DECADE
Hidalgo Schreier Haddad
Sister Cities Float Wins Fiesta Parade Award- 1975
“Bernice Bryant, Chair of the City’s Advisory Board on International Relationships accepted the ‘El Presidente’s Trophy’ for this beautiful float.”
Theme: “Yesterday’s People – Today’s Friends”.
Four Sister Cities participated in it’s development.
Welcome Committee at Pto. Vallarta Airport
as SB/PV Sister City Committee & Rotarians Arrive
November 1975
(excerpt from board minutes)
Dr. Lemus re: SEE expedition to Puerto Vallarta:
• The team was welcomed with open arms.
• More trips are planned in 1976 to perform eye surgeries for indigent residents of the area
• SB/PV contributed $1,000 toward the expenses of the second trip.
• Mexicana Airlines is furnishing transportation for the teams at 50{27fbc87ebe2da5e38b7700169b25246149300f6a90c4b58a0998a13e4d1c7a7e} of the regular fare.”
PRESIDENTS OF THE SECOND DECADE
Agustin Arturo Mike Richard Bob Cecil
Alvarez Musi Lemus Hidalgo Kalllman Sexsmith
Garcia Lemus Hidalgo
April 1988 SBHS
Band Helps Establish Decompression Chamber
(from Board minutes 4-12-88 re: Santa Barbara High Band)
• President Frank Luna reported that the paper work is being prepared by SBHS Principal Bill Jackson.
• S.B. Board of Education Approved the Band to travel to Puerto Vallarta.
• The Band will perform in the parade on November 20 and the Jazz Band will play at the Bistro.
• The decompression chamber is to be presented at the Naval Base while the band performs and it will also play a concert in the plaza.
The Dolphin Fountain Idea Advances
Gil Garcia, Carmelita Rosales, Artist Bud Bottoms
(from Vallarta Opina, May 8, 1985)
The president of Santa Barbara Sister City, Gil Garcia, presented a photograph and a miniature replica of a sculpture of three dolphins to the honorable Jorge Lupe Garcia, Mayor of Puerto Vallarta.
The plan is to locate a dolphin fountain in a central location as a symbol of the friendship between Santa Barbara and Puerto Vallarta.
Gil Garcia (architect of fountain base) & Marti Garcia
Artist and Sculptor , Bud Bottoms (in hat)
Lic. Aurelio Rodríguez Garza, Presidente Municipal de Puerto Vallarta
Gil Garcia, Carmelita Rosales, Artist Bud Bottoms
The Friendship Fountain
Gil Garcia, Carmelita Rosales, Artist Bud Bottoms
July 1988
Ray Lane Leads Scouts on week’s excursion to Puerto Vallarta
Boy Scouts from Santa Barbara Visit Scouts from Vallarta for One Week.
Eleven Explorer Scouts from Santa Barbara visit with Explorer Scouts from Puerto Vallarta.
• The purpose of this trip is to reaffirm the ties that exist between scouts of both cities and cement the friendship and camaraderie among young explorer scouts.
Origin of Police Training Exchanges
•Evie Treen met with Vallarta Chief of Police, Miguel Angel Valenzuela Solis, Director of Public Security, in April, 1988
• “I explained that I was there in regards to a possible exchange with law enforcement personnel. I told him that our sheriff had a number of programs that they had for us in Santa Barbara regarding crime prevention, such as how to protect your property from break-ins, etc.
•…He went on to say they needed weapons training – how to properly do an arrest. This was in regards to making sure his personnel were trained on the best ways to handle a suspect and how to cuff them properly.
• “I came away with a good feeling about the meeting and I hope SB/PV Committee will consider this as one of the up-coming projects”.
Presidents of Third Decade
Building the Rehab Center 1990
Santa Barbara Sister City Committee members visit the building of the Rehabilitation Center. Street leading to it being named, “Calle Miguel Lemus” (Yes, that’s Mary in the red hat!)
“Clínica de Rehabilitación Vallarta – Santa Bárbara”
(Dream of the Club Rotario de Puerto Vallarta)
•The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara North became involved when members heard that our sister city Rotary Club in Puerto Vallarta was involved. It contributed $40,000 in rehabilitation equipment.
•SB/PV contributes annually to a fund to provide financial assistance to needy families.
Design of the building was supervised by Gil Garcia who solicited drawings from Cal Poly architectural students in San Luis, Obispo.
June 1991
The Passing of Mike Lemus
The late Dr. Michael Lemus with his wife, Teresa Lemus, outside Old Mission
Miguel Lemus was also president of U.S./Mexico International Sister Cities 1988-1991
•1963 Presidente of Old Spanish Days
•1975-76 Leader of Eye Surgery Expedition to Puerto Vallarta
•1978-79 President of Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister City Committee.
Fiesta Float In Memory of Mike Lemus
