MORGAN HILL
– George Jr., Gene and Gary Guglielmo spend their days fully
engaged in making and distributing their award-winning wines.
MORGAN HILL – George Jr., Gene and Gary Guglielmo spend their days fully engaged in making and distributing their award-winning wines.
But the brothers still found time to cut a wide swath through South Valley life, serving, leading and underwriting a slew of community organizations. As a result, the Guglielmos and their mother, Madeline, have been chosen to receive the second annual Leadership Excellence Award from Leadership Morgan Hill.
The award singles out a person – or several people in this case – with vision and leadership to improve their community and who inspire others to follow the same path. The Guglielmos (pronounced gool-yell-mo) have helped to support the Mushroom Mardi Gras, Gilroy Garlic Festival, Taste of Morgan Hill, Fourth of July celebrations, Morgan Hill Rotary and the Morgan Hill and Gilroy Chambers of Commerce.
Both George Jr. and Gene are past presidents of the Santa Clara County Winegrowers Association; Gene is a founding director of South Valley National Bank.
The family’s everlasting willingness to help any worthy group that asks is not unheard of in town but is definitely rare. The family supports the Morgan Hill Sister City committee – San Casciano, Italy, was chosen first – and the Santa Clara County Sister County committee.
The winery raises the level of excitement in town with regular wine-related classes and concerts with popular artists, showing a combination of solid business sense and community spirit.
Madeline Guglielmo said, on one hand, she was surprised at the award but, on the other, not.
“The boys have done a good job,” she said. “We brought them up to be generous to others.”
Her opinion was widely shared.
“The Guglielmos have been an inspiration in Morgan Hill for more than 75 years,” said Bob Martin, Leadership Morgan Hill’s board president. “And George, Gene and Gary’s contributions to the local community and economy will transcend generations. They are to be emulated.”
Roger Knopf, who was the first Leadership award recipient, said the Guglielmos surely deserve the Leadership award.
“This family has a long standing in the community,” Knopf said. “This is the third generation of wine growers – they are responsible for building the local economy and the community. They represent the past and the future.”
Each brother has a particular function in the business.
George said he became the winemaker because he was the oldest son and also because he was interested.
“I started fooling around with the quantitative analysis of wine while in high school,” George said. “Testing the acidity. I got experience from watching Michael Bo, the winemaker from San Martin Winery.”
After high school, George moved on to Fresno State University for a degree in enology.
Only one of Madeline’s nine grandchildren, Gene’s son Jonathan, lives in town. George said he didn’t know what the future holds about the younger generation taking over in time.
Gene, who runs the local business – Gary handles the out-of-state side – said he was surprised about the award.
“I’m really honored to receive it and really pleased for mom,” Gene said. “We were all born and raised here, and Morgan Hill is a special community to us. Part of being in a community is giving.”
Madeline, he said, just turned 80.
“We are happy to still have her,” he said.
Madeline moved to Morgan Hill from Almaden when she was 7 years old and has been here since. After she married George Sr. the couple lived and worked at the winery for 40 years.
Now, Madeline lives on her father’s old ranch at the eastern end of Diana Road. George Sr. died in 1997.
“I’m back on the old homestead,” she said.
The winery, at 1480 E. Main Ave., across the street from Live Oak High School, was founded on 10 acres in 1925 by Emilio and Emilia Guglielmo, the brothers’ grandparents. The couple, both immigrants from the Piedmont area of Italy, moved to Morgan Hill permanently in 1940.
Since 1995 the Leadership Morgan Hill program has taught leadership skills to citizens and employees in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Its mission is to provide insight and tools that enable and inspire its graduates to give back to the community through service.
For tickets to the Aug. 14 Leadership Tribute Dinner and Benefit at the Community Center, call Sandy de la Cuesta, 779-0076.
