THOUSAND OAKS : Red Cross Leader Leaves After 26 Years

A Thousand Oaks man who helped bring AIDS education to job sites throughout the United States retired recently from the Los Angeles chapter of the Red Cross after 26 years.

John D. Stroud, 63, had been the chapter’s executive officer since 1978.

During his tenure, programs for AIDS education in the workplace were developed in Los Angeles and disseminated throughout the United States by the Red Cross, said spokeswoman Barbara Wilkes. Stroud also helped create earthquake-preparedness programs, Wilkes said.

Stroud, who holds a degree in nautical science and was once part owner of a radio station in the San Fernando Valley, said his career with the Red Cross began as happenstance.

“I did not come into it as a career, but I liked the aspect of social service,” he said.

Managing the affairs of the Red Cross was not always an easy job, he said. Economic turbulence in recent years has affected the Red Cross, and the AIDS epidemic made the need for improvements in blood screening urgent, he said. The Red Cross provides 50% of the nation’s blood supply.

Jim Hegwood, Stroud’s successor, said the former executive officer helped bring health screenings to Los Angeles. About 100,000 people in Southern California are screened every year for such things as cholesterol levels, blood pressure and diabetes.

Stroud helped direct disaster relief programs in Mexico City following a gas explosion in 1984 and an earthquake in 1985.

“The Red Cross was able to establish excellent self-help projects, one of them in Ciudad Guzman outside of Mexico City” after the earthquake, Stroud said. “The Red Cross provided materials and organized villagers who built their own village.”

His greatest reward, Stroud said, is that his service has touched so many lives. His accomplishments were recently recognized by his co-workers with the Tiffany Award, an employee excellence honor bestowed on Red Cross staff.

Although officially retired as of June, Stroud will oversee key Red Cross projects for several months. He plans to do fund-raising part time for other Ventura County service agencies.