He has popped up at the Little League fields. Materialized at Grad Night. Served on the Schools Foundation. And turns a few screws in the Kenneth F. White Auditorium at Huntington Middle School. In fact, Maurice Saldebar seems so comfortable working behind the scenes that it was noteworthy that he was so comfortable delivering the keynote address at Thursday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of San Marino.
Saldebar spoke fondly of his days at Northview High School in Covina, where he was elected class president. And true to his entire presentation, Saldebar added a humorous anecdote to each point.
“Encourage your children to run for class president,” Saldebar explained. “That is the person who gets all of the accolades and there isn’t much work involved. The hard part is when the reunions roll around. That’s when there is a lot of work involved!”
Anyone who knows Saldebar knows he was only joking, because if there is one thing the longtime San Marino resident is not afraid of, it’s hard work while dodging the need for accolades.
Saldebar mentioned a story that illustrated how small of a town San Marino can sometimes be.
“One day I asked my daughter how summer school was going at San Marino High School,” said Saldebar of his now-22-year old daughter, Lindsay. “She told me about her science teacher, Mr. Mann. I asked her to describe him and it sounded exactly like the Mr. Mann I had as a shop teacher back at Northview. I went to the school that very day to see him and take a picture with him. I didn’t realize that I had been coaching his daughter in softball for four years.”
When the laughter and applause subdued, Saldebar said “that is what is special about this town. You have to watch what you say and do. It’s like bumpers in a bowling alley.”
Saldebar talked about his stint with San Marino National Little League, during which he witnessed the discontinuation of the traditional 4th of July Parade water fight netween softball and baseball players.
“At one point, throwing water was an arrestable offense,” Saldebar said. He explained how he eventually lobbied a certain member of Congress for its reinstatement.
Saldebar also served as the first AYSO commissioner from San Marino.
“When your kid is five you aren’t thinming about if you will be commissioner,” Saldebar said. “You are too busy wondering if you bought the right sized cleats or the proper socks. Then one day, you are the commissioner.”
An unapologetic booster of the San Marino Unified School District, Saldebar said he is volunteering for the San Marino Schools Foundation and plans to help with marketing the upcoming facilities modernization program, which includes a $200 million bond that will go before voters in March.
“I am a big fan of our schools,” Saldebar said, who later declared that his primary business is “volunteer.”
“I take the jobs that nobody else wants,” he said as the room erupted inn laughter.
He referenced a talk given several years ago by Caroline Liebau, daughter of popular college counselor Charlene Liebau.
“She said that volunteering is a uniquely American concept,” he recalled. “Certainly people in other places help other people because that is what humans do, but to actively volunteer is a uniquely American thing. I see community service as a way to get out of my own head. If my day isn’t going so well, I just do something for someone else and my concerns seem to all go away.”
Pretty solid advice for this time of the year.
