For more than eight decades, Santa Barbara’s Person of the Year tradition has served as a kind of civic mirror, reflecting the values of a community rooted in philanthropy, service and a sustained commitment to the common good.
The award dates back to 1942, when the first Man of the Year honor was presented to Harold Chase, whose World War II-era work included opening a War Bond campaign office in Santa Barbara County and helping sell more than $85 million in war bonds.
Chase’s service extended beyond the war effort; he was also active in the Hope Ranch community, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and the Knapp School of Nursing.
Originally hosted by the Santa Barbara Advertising Club, the award evolved over time from Man of the Year to Man and Woman of the Year in 1956, and then, in 2021, to the more inclusive Person of the Year.
In the 1990s, when the Advertising Club stepped away, the Santa Barbara Foundation became the organizing sponsor.
Former recipients say those changes have helped the award remain both relevant and true to its original purpose.
“The premise has always been the same,” said Katina Zaninovich, a recent honoree who now participates in the selection process. “It’s about giving and service.”
She noted that the move to Person of the Year recipients broadened eligibility, allowing the community to honor not just individuals, but potentially couples or family members, while preserving the central focus on volunteerism and philanthropy.
Today, the Santa Barbara Foundation convenes the selection process, but it does not choose the honorees. That responsibility rests with a committee made up of past recipients, who review nominations submitted by community members and select the awardees through a points-based voting process.
This year, the foundation received 43 nominations for 35 nominees.
The award honors Santa Barbara-area individuals, couples or families whose volunteer service reflects a meaningful commitment to the community — whether by addressing a real local need, enhancing quality of life, or demonstrating generosity, kindness or innovation.
While the tradition has deep roots, the emphasis remains on recent accomplishments and achievements.
For Cliff Lambert, who received the award in 1993 and has participated in the selection process every year since, the peer-driven model is central to the honor’s meaning.
“There’s probably nothing greater than being honored by your peers,” he said.
Lambert said the committee looks beyond titles and paid positions to identify those whose service reflects real sacrifice and sustained commitment outside of employment.
“You gotta give until it hurts,” he said. “A lot of folks won’t sacrifice to that end, but demonstrating usefulness and the ability to give of yourself to better the welfare of others is what it’s about.”
Fortunately for Santa Barbara, there is no shortage of people who live by that ethic.
Both Lambert and Zaninovich pointed to the unusual depth of civic engagement in the region — the sheer number of people who volunteer, give, build institutions and sustain them over time. Zaninovich called the selection process “very humbling.”
“There are so many deserving people, quietly working to make the community better,” she said, “by giving their time, their expertise, their money, to help a cause that they’re passionate about.”
That spirit, both noted, does not end with the award itself. Like many past honorees, both remain active in community life — a reminder that the recognition is less a capstone than part of a longer arc of service.
“It’s hard to find a community anywhere else in the country, in my opinion, to have the giving spirit that Santa Barbara has,” Lambert said.
That giving spirit is strengthened by the Santa Barbara Foundation, which has long played a central role in supporting nonprofit organizations, helping marshal resources, connect donors to community needs and encourage collaboration.
Its stewardship of this award also affirms the vital role that nonprofit organizations play throughout Santa Barbara County.
The organizations are part of the region’s civic and economic infrastructure, providing services that stabilize communities, support families, strengthen the workforce and help sustain the quality of life that draws people and businesses to the Central Coast.
The Person of the Year Awards event does more than honor two worthy volunteers. It reminds Santa Barbara what keeps it functioning — and what sets it apart.
The awards also serve as a reminder that the region is sustained by people who give quietly and consistently because they see community as something built together.
The Santa Barbara Foundation’s 83rd Person of the Year Awards luncheon will be held April 29 at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort to honor this year’s recipients — Dorothy Largay and Marybeth Carty.
