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Paul Menzel

Paul Menzel, Hall of Fame Inductee
Paul Menzel, Hall of Fame Community Leader
Community leader is a bit of an understatement. You will read here about ten or so volunteer organizations that Paul Menzel serves. But first, let’s try to reason this out. What makes people like Paul (there aren’t that many) tick? What’s inside that makes him give so much for so long? A gift?

We all know about payback, you helped me then, I help you now. But Paul’s deep sense of volunteer ism transcends that simple explanation. Some have a business gift. Paul is a Senior Vice-President at Santa Barbara Bank and Trust. Others are gifted athletes. Menzel, as a basketball player and track and field athlete, has an elite place on the wall along with other great San Marcos High School Hall of Famers. He continued at SBCC and UC Berkeley.

But maybe the most unusual gift is that of giving, not money, not things, but time and caring. It is for this gift, and his exercising of it on behalf of our kids that he is being inducted into another Hall of Fame.

Paul has served or is serving on the following: Organizing Committee of the Easter Relays; founding President of the La Playa Community Sports Association (which raised $750,000 to create a state-of-the-art track facility); Goleta Boys and Girls Club, past-President (he spent a lot of time there as a kid); United Boys and Girls Clubs; the non-profit Balance Bar (SB Volleyball Club), past-President; Parks and Recreation Community Foundation; Public Education Foundation; and the SB Athletic Round Table, past-Presidenc 1993-95.

In case the name Menzel is familiar, it might be because he and wife Karen (De La Torre) Menzel are raising their own Hall of Fame in Marisa, Erica, and Jeffrey.

Thanks, Paul, now we owe you! And don’t try to compete with those kids.