Gary and Lynn Imm honored

Couple receives 2006 Gene and Evelyn Benedetti Leadership award

May 10, 2006

By DANE GOLDEN
ARGUS-COURIER STAFF

Gary and Lynn Imm were awarded the 2006 Gene and Evelyn Benedetti Leadership Award at a fund-raising luncheon Friday at the Sheraton Sonoma County-Petaluma.

The Imms were recognized for their participation on various nonprofit boards and committees, which have included youth sports teams, PEP Housing, the American Cancer Society, Salvation Army, Boys & Girls Club and Mentor Me Petaluma.

The event is in its third year and was created to recognize community leaders and increase awareness about Petaluma Valley Hospital's services. Friday's event proceeds went to support the purchase of cardiac screening equipment for the ER.

The event's keynote speaker was Dale Bredesen, president of the Buck Institute for Age Research in Novato, who discussed the institute's recent advances in Alzheimer's disease research. Last month, the Buck Institute announced results of a study that showed researchers were able to block the effects of Alzheimer's disease in mice.

Bredesen said volunteerism and individuals will be the key in curing disease in the future, as companies developing drugs do so with the goals of financial reward rather than curing disease.

"We have a very strange system where nobody speaks for the patient," Bredesen said to the audience of about 300 people. "The only person who will speak for the patient are people who get involved, people who don't look the other way, people like those here today.

"There are three kinds of people," he said. "There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen and there are people who wonder what the heck happened. And the people here today, the Imms and the Benedettis, are people who make things happen, and that makes all the difference."

The awards luncheon began with the singing of "God Bless America," which was a favorite song of Gene Benedetti, who passed away in January.

"Gary and I are really humbled by this award," said Lynn Imm, who was Petaluma's Volunteer of the Year in 2003.

Gary Imm, the recently retired CEO of Clover Stornetta Farms who was Petaluma's Man of the Year in 1995, quoted one of Gene Benedetti's old adages, which is, "Marriage is a 70/30 proposition, where you give 70 and expect 30."

Imm said that because he was being recognized together with his wife, who had given so selfishly in her dedication to community service over the years, "Today, I'm getting the 70."

(Contact Dane Golden at dgolden@arguscourier.com)