WOODLAND HILLS : Lee Hamer Honored for Charitable Work

Lee Hamer has learned a thing or two about philanthropy during his decades of donating to causes of all kinds. Rule No. 1 may well be: When you give somebody a helping hand, make sure you aren’t being played for a sap.

“I don’t mind helping those who give it their best effort and still come up short,” he says in his biography, “Remembering.” “We all should practice charity, but we don’t have to like giving handouts to bums who don’t even try.”

Hamer, 82, who never minces his words, on Thursday was named Philanthropist of the Year by the Greater San Fernando Valley Chapter of the National Society of Fundraising Executives. The honor was based on Hamer’s long-term commitment to charitable causes, said Esther Kenyon, the organization’s president.

“He is without peer, almost, in the Valley,” she said. “He has made so many contributions to numerous organizations.”

Hamer, who friends describe as a humble man despite his wealth and accomplishments, seemed embarrassed by the attention Thursday as he greeted guests at the Warner Hills Hilton, where the event was held.

Asked how he felt about being honored, he answered, “Not bad for a lemon picker.” He was referring to the days in his youth when he picked crops.

Hamer was born in Fullerton and his family moved to the San Fernando Valley when he was 5. After graduating from high school in 1931, he went to work on the graveyard shift at a gas station. He eventually owned his own station, and later started an auto dealership, which evolved into Hamer Toyota.

He has two grown daughters, Marie and Valerie, and was married two years ago to his present wife, Bette.

Hamer, a community activist, is credited with helping in the establishment of Brand Park in Mission Hills, and he notes in his book that former Mayor Sam Yorty named him a city fire commissioner. A vocal critic of government, Hamer always paid his own way on inspection trips to foreign countries while serving as commissioner.

He said in an interview Thursday that he believes charity should be mainly a private matter and should not be overseen by government agencies. He has always helped people, he said, “because I like to do it; people need help. What we have now is a socialist state, and we gotta get rid of it.”