BIRTHDAY: Mariano Garduque: Mariano Garduque celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends. He was born Feb. 16, 1912 in the Philippines. He has four brothers and two sisters. He came to America in 1928 at 16 years old to make a better life for himself, as his family was very poor. Mariano worked hard in the fields for 30 years. In the late ‘50s, he farmed the land he bought in Gilroy. In the ‘60s, he started his own gardening business and worked well into his 80s. He made many trips to the Philippines to visit family and has five children he is very proud of. Mariano is a devout Christian man, enjoys fishing and spending time with his family.
HONORS: Nina Baio: Nina Baio, of Morgan Hill, was listed on the 2011 fall semester dean's list at the University of Portland. Students need at least a 3.5 grade point average to be eligible for the dean's list. Nina is a senior studying social work.
HONORS: Noemi Naranjo: Noemi Naranjo was named Gavilan College's Employee of the Month for November 2011. Noemi is a part-time program services specialist in the Public Information Department. She started with the district in 2007.