| 2008 Grand Marshal |
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Each year the Grand Marshal is selected by the Irrigation Festival Committee as someone who has made significant contributions to the community. Tom Santos
Tom, who was the first generation of his family to be born in the United States, was born to Manuel and Amelia Santos in 1922 in Irvington, California. His parents came from the Azore Islands. He had an older brother (Anthony) and sister (Marie). Tom had 2 children (Diane and Michael) with his first wife, Ruth, whom he married in 1943. He has 4 grandchildren. He married Zita in 1952 and they lived in Lake Tahoe until 1974. Shortly before moving to Sequim, Tom and Zita took a trip to Alaska, someplace that Zita had wanted to visit her whole life. Unfortunately, a tragic accident on this trip changed their lives and necessitated a move away from Lake Tahoe. They moved to Sequim in 1974. Zita passed away in 1998. When Tom was growing up his father always told him to “give back”. When Tom and Zita moved to Sequim he started doing just that. Tom is an outdoor enthusiast, so it is not surprising that he became very active in the Conservation Districts, Dungeness Bay Water Shed Committee and is a charter member of 6 different conservation committees. When the Dungeness River flooded in 1979, he worked with the Corp of Engineers to help rebuild the dykes and restore the river. He was nominated 4 times for Clallam County Citizen of the Year in the early 1990’s, and he has won many awards for the work he has done with the water committees. He has been a member of the Sequim Prairie Grange for many years, and has participated in the grange at both the county and state levels, including Deputy for State Master in Clallam County. He loves it and still belongs. Tom is passionate about the people in Sequim and what they do for the town. If there is something that needs to be done he will do whatever he can to make it happen. His contributions are many and diverse, and include being instrumental in getting the Dryke Memorial at Carrie Blake Park, helping to get money for the Fairgrounds Grandstand in Port Angeles, working with Crime Prevention and the police to make Sequim safer, planting the Cherry Trees outside the Chamber of Commerce and much more. While the Sequim area has grown, Tom says it is still a good area. However, there are still many issues that he wants to get involved in, and he continues to fight for the environment and water conservation. |
Tom Santo’s top hat and tails are legendary during the Irrigation Festival Crazy Daze Breakfast that he has been attending for many years. But when he was asked to be Grand Marshal, he says that he “couldn’t catch his breath”. He feels it is “really an honor that he never looked forward to” and he really appreciates being named Grand Marshal.