A former SCV Man of the Year died at the venerable old age of 101 earlier this week.

Former 1983 Santa Clarita Valley Man of the Year and business leader Samuel X. Garcia died on Monday. 

“He was a champion of youth,” said Jim Ventress, former head of the boys/girls club. 

Garcia was born in Puerto Rico who would later go on to a company known as HR Textron for 17 years as president and chair. 

When Garcia was young he came to the United States and lived in Texas and in Arizona then Manhattan. 

“Probably the biggest thing I saw him do for us was probably the building at Newhall park. He was one of the campaign chair people and raised over 2 million dollars,” said Ventress. 

Garcia was also in the U.S. During World War 2 and when he came back from duty he worked for a company in Burbank while working his way up the ranks before the business was acquired by Ledeen Manufacturing. 

Eventually, HR Textron acquired the merger and it became Woodward HRT and eventually just Woodward. 

Sam Garcia

“He was an incredibly kind man, he loved this valley, he loved to volunteer and do what he could to make this valley better,” Barabara Cochran who was SCV Woman of the Year with Garcia.  

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