The award, established in 1997 to honor the beloved and long-time owner of the Anaheim Angels, is given to deserving high school students who have participated in the field of athletics, done well in the classroom and also found time to be a volunteer by performing community service. The award embodies the spirit in which Gene Autry served the community of Anaheim as well as Orange County. This award, first presented to Mr. Autry in 1997, is intended to recognize high school student/athletes whose efforts have equally reflected the same sense of community spirit.

The 2004 Honorees:
I.J. Amadi (Dana Hills), Brenda Barajas (Magnolia), Robert Becker (Kennedy), Scott Bradley (Aliso Niguel), Jeff Cairney (Villa Park), Cassandra Campbell (Savanna), Daniel Cassinis (Sonora), Amanda Colom (Connelly), Davis Corley (Laguna Hills), Diana Cox (Northwood), Laura DeMeneces (Garden Grove), Alexandra Dunn (Edison), Christina Eleopoulos (Western), Ariana Fahrney (Foothill), Jose Garcia (Middle College), Vishal Gupta (Orange Lutheran), Noami Hernandez (Saddleback), Kathleen Hortizuela (Buena Park), Caroline Howe (Los Alamitos), John Impelman (Ocean View), Eemaan Jalili (Corona del Mar), Christopher Jenkins (Laguna Beach), Chris Kanne (Servite), Ahlia Kattan (Corona del Mar), Sheri Lin (Acaciawood Academy), Brendan Loper (San Clemente), Blake Luitwieler (Sonora), Jesus Martinez (Valley), Eduardo Medina (Canyon), Scott Meixel (Cypress), Jasmine Mirshahabi (Esperanza), Oscar Morales (Santa Ana), Brooke Nakagawa (Fountain Valley), Christopher Nguyen (Westminster), Andrew Ollero (Rancho Alamitos), Howard Park (Troy), Lauren Paul (Newport Harbor), Wes Paulsen (Orange), Kristina Peterson (Loara), Rebeccah Phillips (El Toro), Jacob Philpot (Tustin), Emily Redd (La Habra), Laurel Reimer (Brea Olinda), Christine Ricohermoso (Katella), Lindsay Ryberg (Mission Viejo), Jonathan Sandoval (Century), Gabriela Santana (Bolsa Grande), Jessica Steenhard (Costa Mesa), Matthew Stollenwerk (San Clemente), David Tamayo (Fairmont Prep), Marissa Textor (Sunny Hills), Hillary Thomson (Irvine), Robert Thompson (Oxford Academy), Alyssa Tonelli (El Dorado), Mi Tran (Westminster), Alex Valadez (Anaheim), Elizabeth Vu (Valencia), Angela Vullo (Pacifica), Marinna Wilkinson (Fullerton), Emily Wirth (Capistrano Valley) and Stacey Yudin (Huntington Beach).

The awards ceremony is open to the public and tickets are $10, which includes refreshments. Reservations can be made by calling the Chamber office at (714) 758-0222 (ext. 202) or on-line through the Chamber web site at www.anaheimchamber.org.

CARE Ambulance Service, Inc. is the Presenting Sponsor of the Autry Award ceremony. Adelphia Communications, Anaheim Disposal, Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, Disneyland Resort, SBC Pacific Bell and The Boeing Company are among the contributing sponsors. Persons wishing to sponsor a particular student or school can do so as a Medallion Sponsor for $100. For additional information on sponsorship opportunities, please call the Chamber office (ext. 205).
Media Contact: Ruth Ruiz 714.765.5060                                                                                                        more city news

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ABOUT ANAHEIM - The City of Anaheim, founded in 1857, is one of the nation's premier municipalities and is California's 10th most populous city. Anaheim covers 50 square miles with more than 345,500 residents and more than 3,200 City employees. The municipal corporation's annual budget is $1.4 billion. Anaheim supports a thriving business community with companies such as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc., L-3 Communications, Pacific Sunwear, and Disneyland Resort. Successful sports franchises call Anaheim home, including Angels Baseball, Anaheim Ducks, the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winning U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team, and the 2008 Olympic Silver Medal winning U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team. Anaheim also boasts world-class meeting and entertainment venues with the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest on the west coast, Honda Center, The Grove of Anaheim, The Shops at Anaheim GardenWalk, and Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Annually, Anaheim welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.anaheim.net.