Former treasurer, mayor Don Voss named La Cañadan of the Year

For his contributions to maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in La Cañada as former city treasurer, council member and mayor, and through his continued involvement in local service organizations, Don Voss has been named “La Cañadan of the Year.”

Members of the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada’s selection committee announced Tuesday they’d selected Voss as the recipient of the prestigious award, given annually to residents who demonstrate exceptional leadership and volunteer service.

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Committee member Mary Gant said that while this year’s crop of candidates was particularly remarkable, Voss stood out for his long-tenured service to the community and work on a number of citywide and regional issues.

“We’ve got some incredible people in this community, but we can only have one winner,” Gant said. “Don was impressive — it was everything he has done. He’s just a really terrific guy.”

Born in Los Angeles, Voss moved with his family to Portland at age 10 and studied finance at the University of Washington. Later, with a degree from Rutgers University’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking under his belt, he and then-wife Barbara moved to San Gabriel, where Voss worked for United California Bank.

The couple welcomed son Justin in 1979, just before Voss was transferred to Chicago. In 1982, looking to make a return to the Los Angeles area, the young family set its sights on La Cañada.

“We wanted to move to a community with a strong school system, and La Cañada was an obvious choice,” Voss recalled in an interview Wednesday.

Son Martin was born in 1984 and the boys attended Paradise Canyon Elementary School, although a later move would take Martin to La Cañada Elementary. Voss worked at First Interstate Bank and stayed through its 1996 purchase by Wells Fargo, ultimately leaving in 1997.

That same year, through the gentle urging of friends Scott Tracy and Gene Stein, Voss became a trustee of the La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation’s Endowment Fund. He remained in that position until 2001, when he was selected to serve in the voluntary role of city treasurer.

Voss also served as member of the executive committee on the San Gabriel Chapter of the Red Cross Board of Directors from 1997 to 2003, taking the role of chair from 1999 to 2002. He stepped down to assume full-time care for Barbara, who was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2004.

“That was about the time I got involved with the city,” said Voss, who was appointed to the La Cañada Flintridge City Council in late 2006 to fill a vacancy left after Anthony Portantino won his bid to represent the 44th Assembly District.

From there, Voss served two four-year terms on the council, collaborating with others through a number of representative and subcommittee appointments on issues ranging from trails restoration to freeway sound walls. He’s also lent his voice to ongoing public opposition of a proposed 710 Freeway tunnel.

Longtime fellow council member Laura Olhasso, who left the panel alongside Voss last March, said Wednesday she was pleased to hear of his selection as “La Cañadan of the Year.”

“Don Voss has spent hundreds of hours in service to his community,” she said in an email interview. “He has represented the city with reason and with clarity — he is so very deserving of this award.”

Today, happily married to Lynn De Groot Voss since 2008, the retired public servant reflected on the roots of volunteerism.

“Anyone who volunteers to win an award is missing the point,” he said. “You volunteer to volunteer—it’s its own reward.”

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The “La Cañadan of the Year” ceremony takes place May 4 at 11:30 a.m. at Descanso Gardens’ Van de Kamp Hall, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada. Admission is $20 and registration is required. To sign up, contact club treasurer Joel Smith at joelsmith@earthlink.net.

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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine