College to Fete Alumnus Oftelie as Its Man of the Year
Cypress College will honor one of its own Saturday evening when Stan Oftelie receives the Americana Man of the Year Award at the Disneyland Hotel.
Oftelie, president and chief executive officer of the Orange County Business Council, will be one of eight county residents honored at this year’s ceremony.
Oftelie, 51, was one of the first to attend Cypress College when it opened in fall of 1966, and is the first former student to receive the award.
“Getting this award is an indication of the maturity level of the original students,” said Oftelie.
During his two years as president of the business council, Oftelie has focused on preparing community colleges for technology jobs throughout the county.
“We’re trying to make sure good jobs are available to community college students specifically, but also that we want to make sure that there is a trained work force available to businesses in the community,” said Oftelie. “In in the past, the county didn’t train people for the jobs of the future.”
Before joining the business council, Oftelie taught English and mass communication at Golden West College. He also worked as a newspaper reporter in the 1970s.
Cypress College Foundation created the Americana Awards as a community project for the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial.
Over the years, the awards presentation has become a major fund-raising event for Cypress College. This year the college expects to raise more than $125,000 in scholarship money.
Other winners include: Margie Higenfeld of Anaheim, Sharon Smith of Buena Park, Cindy Warren of Cypress, Wanda Leyes of Garden Grove, Ron Burford of La Palma, Don Bedard of Los Alamitos and Rick Muth of Stanton.
In addition, Yamaha Motors Corp. will be honored with the Distinguished Business Partner Award for its charitable contributions to Cypress College.
Tickets are $150 per person. Tables for 10 can be purchased for $1,500. Reservations and information: (714) 484-7126.
Andre Briscoe can be reached at (714) 966-5848.
