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| Wrapping up a lifetime's work |
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| Written by Maddy Houk / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 05 December 2007 | |
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Hernandez bids farewell to school district When Maria Hernandez winds up her job as senior payroll technician for the Patterson Unified School District today, she will end a 36-year history with local schools. After her goodbye, she and her husband, Adan, will take a long-awaited weeklong vacation to Cancun starting Thursday and will visit with her family next month. But retirement will be bittersweet for the local resident. “After working for the district for over 36 years and loving it, I have decided it is time for me to retire,” Hernandez said. “Only one who truly loves their job can remain in that same career for so many years. I only wish I would have been able to retire five years earlier and have been able to spend more time with my father, who passed away this August.” Hernandez’s father, Macario Espinoza, died this summer. Her mother, Maria Espinoza, died in 1990. Both were born in Mexico. Hernandez, the ninth of the couple’s 11 children, was born in Raymondville, Texas, in 1951. The Espinoza family moved to California in 1960 for agricultural jobs and settled in Grayson. Hernandez attended Patterson schools for nine years. When she was old enough, she worked in the field cutting apricots, hoeing weeds and working on a tomato harvester. “It was rough being the ninth child,” Hernandez said. “There were so many of us, and we didn’t have what other kids had. There were four of us in one bedroom.” Though one brother and one sister have died, the remaining siblings remain close, even in adulthood. Going off to school — and work Hernandez went to Valley Commercial College and graduated in 1970 after taking business classes at Modesto Junior College. A year later, she decided to work in the Patterson school district and trained through a job training and placement program offered by Stanislaus County. At the time she was hired, there were 155 employees in the district. There are 532 today. Hernandez’s first district job was as a food service worker in the main cafeteria, which at the time was in the basement of Patterson High School.  After 36 years working for Patterson Unified School District, senior payroll technician Maria Hernandez will retire after today. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator “Mainly, I did the snack bar and punched tickets for the kids who went through the line,” she said. “I got to see all the kids and the teachers.” The following school year, Hernandez worked in the classroom as an instructional aide, spending half of the time in business teacher Donald Emery’s classes and the other half in the high school library with librarian Irene Kemp. Later, she divided her days as a high school office clerk with Joyce Hopla and as a district office clerk. Soon, Hernandez was working full time in the district office. In the 1985-86 school year, she became payroll personnel technician and kept track of paychecks and benefits for the 202 employees who then worked for the school district. In the days before computers, Hernandez did her work by hand and by typewriter, and she remembers typing the checks to pay bills and employees. She worked with district employee Helen Hansen, director of business services, at the time, and the two have remained friends. “Mrs. Helen Hansen was my mentor, whom I respect and enjoy working with,” Hernandez said. “I am so grateful to Helen Hansen; everything I know, she taught me.” Since Hansen retired Dec. 31, 1991, Hernandez has worked with Steve Menge. She said she has enjoyed working with him, too. Two years ago, she became a senior payroll technician in the district a job she’s filled since then. A job done Hansen said the district office staff definitely would miss Hernandez. “Maria was a very young girl when she came in, and she’s leaving as a mature woman,” Hansen said. “She grew professionally and personally. She’s a real good friend.” Menge also said Hernandez has meant a lot to the district. “Maria will be immensely missed,” Menge said. “She has always been a very dedicated employee and has done a tremendous job for this district over the years. ... We do know her seat will be hard to fill, and we will miss her great sense or humor.” Patrick Sweeney, superintendent of schools, noted Hernandez’s strong work ethic. “Maria is very thorough and always willing to work long hours,” he said. Well-earned vacation For now, Hernandez will take a rest. She plans to spend time with Adan, whom she married in 1978; her daughters, Rebecca Hernandez and Araceli Sabula; her son, Victor Hernandez; and her grandson, Ezekiel. She also plans to volunteer at her church, Apostolic Jubilee Center in Modesto. Hernandez said she will take with her the friendships and beautiful memories from her job, which she always took to heart over the years. And her humble nature, despite her accomplishments, will likely remain a part of the legacy she leaves behind. “I’m the type of person, you tell me what you want me to do, put me in a corner and it will get done,” Hernandez said. “I don’t want to be acknowledged. I just want to get on with it.”
Crafters ready for the holidays
Classes for December are as follows: What's For Lunch The Howard Training Center Senior Meal Program provides lunches at noon Monday through Friday at Patterson Senior Center, 700 F St. The suggested donation is $2, or $3.50 for anyone younger than 60. Reservations should be made a day in advance by calling 892-5957 before noon. All meals are served with 8-ounce containers of low-fat milk. Today: Chicken and pasta with broccoli, baked zucchini, apricots, whole-wheat bread, orange juice. Thursday: Salisbury steak, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, applesauce, whole-wheat bread. Friday: Turkey tetrazzini, mixed vegetables, green salad, pineapple-mandarin mix, whole-wheat bread. Monday, Dec. 10: Rigatoni, green beans, applesauce, whole-wheat bread, orange juice. Tuesday: Yankee pot roast, roasted potatoes, carrots, biscuit, orange wedges. Wednesday: Oven-fried chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, seasoned corn, whole-wheat bread, mandarin oranges. Thursday: Barbecue pork sandwich on a roll, minestrone soup, coleslaw, peach crisp. Friday: Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, winter-mix vegetables, apricots, whole-wheat bread. Monday, Dec. 17: Roasted chicken thighs, buffet potato casserole, marinated garden vegetables, whole-wheat bread, fresh fruit. Tuesday: Hamburger on a bun, potato chowder, carrot-raisin salad, orange juice, oatmeal cookie. Wednesday: Savory baked fish, buttered noodles, seasoned corn, spinach, peaches. Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, tossed salad, pineapple, whole-wheat bread. Friday: Baked ham, sweet potatoes, broccoli-cheese bake, dinner roll, cherry crisp. Monday, Dec. 24: Christmas Eve. Tuesday: Christmas. Wednesday: Beef tips over egg noodles, peas, green salad, mandarin oranges, whole-wheat bread. Thursday: Chicken breast with mushroom sauce, rice pilaf, dilled baby carrots, apple-cabbage slaw, fruit cocktail. Friday: Lasagna, spinach, green salad, pears, whole-wheat bread. Monday, Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve.
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