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Save the Date for our next Lifetimes on May 21, 2023!
Announcing the 2022 Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement Honorees
We are thrilled to have such an amazing group of honorees, including the first African American woman judge in northern California, several of Palo Alto’s behind-the-scenes movers and shakers, a couple dedicated to long-term volunteering and another couple deeply committed to giving back to their community.
Honoree Biographies
Click each honoree’s name to learn about their achievements.
A 1974 graduate of Stanford Law School, LaDoris Hazzard Cordell was the first lawyer to open a private law practice in East Palo Alto, and in 1982, she became the first African American woman judge in northern California, eventually being elected to the Superior Court of Santa Clara County.
After 19 years on the bench, she retired and began employment at Stanford University as Vice Provost & Special Counselor to the President for Campus Relations. She also served on the Palo Alto City Council, was the Independent Police Auditor for the City of San Jose and is an on-camera legal analyst for CBS-5.
LaDoris has also interviewed numerous public figures before live audiences at the Commonwealth Club and at Stanford University including reality TV star Kim Kardashian, consumer advocate Ralph Nader, tennis champion Billie Jean King, Professor Anita Hill, and journalist Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes.
LaDoris herself is quite a talented vocalist, pianist, artist, and now author of a memoir entitled Her Honor released this past Fall. The mother of two daughters, LaDoris resides in Palo Alto with her partner Florence O. Keller.
Gary Dunker left her hometown of Santa Barbara and headed to Stanford, where she spent her junior year at Stanford-in-France making lifelong friends. After graduating with a B.A. in French, she got her elementary teaching certificate and was hired in Palo Alto at Escondido where she worked for a year before moving to Garland for another year. Gary split the rest of her much-loved 35-year career between Crescent Park School and Duveneck. She served on the PTA Board at her schools and started a “Meals on Wheels” type program for families at Duveneck. After she retired, she volunteered for five years in an after-school homework program at Duveneck, and another one after that in East Palo Alto.
Gary’s retirement has been filled with community volunteering, inspired by her mother. She has served as a Hospice respite volunteer with Pathways, served on the Board of Peninsula Center for The Blind (now Vista Center), and she’s currently active in Gamble Garden, where she’s served on the Board, been a Head Garden Hostess on Spring Tour for 11 years, and helps prep meals as part of the Gamble Luncheon committee. Gary is also in the Garden Club of Palo Alto, was on the Board, and is still an active member, and she’s been involved with Trinity Church in Menlo Park for 40 years, serving for 15 years as commission chair of a monthly speaker/luncheon series.
Gary has especially enjoyed volunteering with Avenidas for 35 years. She worked every year on the ASDH Tailgate that raised money for the Senior Day Health program (now Avenidas Rose Kleiner Center) and was on the SDH Board. The most rewarding work for Gary has been doing cognitive activities with the Center participants two afternoons a week for 14 years. Gary lives in Palo Alto with her husband, Jeff, and they enjoy seeing their eleven-year-old grand-twins who live in Redding.
Jeff Dunker was born in San Jose, although the majority of his life was spent in Woodside where he went to high school, playing football, wrestling, and competing in shot put and discus. When he went to Cal Poly, he continued shot put and in 1969 was honored to be named All American Track and Field in shot put by the National College Division of Track Coaches. His father was also a football player, discus and shot put winner and in the summer of 1991, when Jeff was 43 and his dad was 85, they competed together in the Northern California Masters Games at Stanford, in discus and shot put, both winning gold medals in their age divisions.
With a lifelong love of athletics, Jeff’s first job began teaching PE in a PAUSD program called the Enrichment Team that went to every elementary school in Palo Alto doing art, music, or PE. When funding for the program ended, he studied to become a General Contractor, doing residential remodeling. His proudest project was 35 years ago, remodeling his own house in Crescent Park and creating a beautiful two-story home. Fifteen years ago Jeff retired from his last career as a computer and I.T. consultant with local companies.
One of Jeff’s favorite hobbies for over 37 years has been decorating for Halloween. He spends most of October getting the outside of his home ready for the 1,500 trick-or-treaters who know they should ring the Dunkers doorbell every Halloween! Many are former students of his wife’s who now bring their own kids.
Jeff also enjoys volunteering in Palo Alto and has served on the La Comida Board, along with helping Gary every year on the ASDH Fall Tailgate to raise money for Avenidas Senior Day Health and supporting Pathways. With Gary, Jeff helps on the Trinity Church commission’s monthly speaker luncheons. Together, the Dunkers have had the privilege of taking memorable trips to diverse places on all seven continents.
Annette Glanckopf, a native of Pennsylvania, graduated from UNC at Chapel Hill and has a MPH in Public Health Administration. She retired from IBM’s health industry. After retirement, she was part of the team to develop an Integrated Delivery System at El Camino Hospital, as well as working for the Santa Clara County EMS Agency and numerous stints at the Hospital Council.
Annette has left her mark on Palo Alto and beyond, with service to her neighborhood, the city, and the county too. Some of her proudest accomplishments have been the co-founding of Palo Alto Neighborhoods, Chair/Vice Chair of the Midtown Residents Association, implementation of ground floor retail in Midtown, restoration of Scott Meadows in Greer Park, installation of five public art projects in Midtown, bathrooms in Hoover and Seale Park, co-founder of the Emergency Service Volunteer (ESV) organization, and co-founder of Peninsula Stroke Association (AKA Pacific Stroke Association).
She has served on over 19 boards, including Rotary, Woman’s Club, Palo Alto Players, Leadership Palo Alto, Emergency Service Volunteers and city task forces including the Comprehensive Plan and the “Future of Residential Housing” Co-chair. Annette was a Santa Clara County Commissioner on the Health Advisory Commission for 11 years and was very involved in the formation of Stroke Centers and policies for Hospital Ambulance Diversion as chair of EMSCO.
Among numerous awards, Annette was the proud recipient of the Community Champion Award from the 13th Senate District and has been recognized by proclamation by the City of Palo Alto.
Barbara Gross was raised in New York City, attended the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and taught elementary school for several years before moving with her husband Michael to Palo Alto in the early 1970s and taking a hiatus from working to raise three children.
She re-entered the working world as a bank teller, and was named Bank Manager in three years. For the next 15 years, Barbara’s bank office became a meeting place for Palo Alto’s founding fathers, community leaders and new neighbors. When Barbara became General Manager of the Garden Court Hotel, she continued to work in the Chamber, helping to form the Palo Alto Downtown Association, renovating Lytton Plaza via a public private partnership and helping to form a hotel coalition. The hotel also generously sponsored local non-profit organizations’ fundraising events.
Barbara has chaired the Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, government action council and downtown marketing committee, and served on the advisory board to the Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Association and TheatreWorks. Her charitable work includes the Stanford Health Library, the Community Breast Health Project, Palo Alto Partners in Education, Palo Altans for Government Effectiveness (PAGE), East Palo Alto elementary schools and the Peninsula Stroke Association. Barbara was honored in 2005 with the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Athena Award.
Judy and George Marcus both grew up in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood, George having immigrated from Greece as a youngster. After Judy graduated from San Francisco State in 1962 with a B.A. in Physical Education, she got a job as a PE teacher. George graduated with a B.S. in Economics, also from SFSU. He was honored as Alumnus of the Millennium in 1999 and given an honorary doctorate in 2011.
George became a real estate broker, supported by Judy’s earnings. In 1971, George founded Marcus & Millichap, now one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the world. He sits on the Board of Directors of Millennium Challenge Corporation, UCSF Foundation, CSU Foundation and Georgetown School for Foreign Service, and an Emeritus Board Member of Library of Congress Trust Fund, Corporation of Fine Arts Museums, Regent Emeritus of the University of California and Former CSU Trustee.
Judy has dedicated many years to community service, contributing her time and talents to such organizations as Humane Society of Silicon Valley, Cristo Rey San Jose, Montalvo Arts Center, Breast Cancer Connections, Community Services Agency in Mountain View, and Avenidas. Her home has been the site of countless fund-raising events for non-profit organizations as well as for presidential and other political candidates.
George has also been involved with such organizations as International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), United Religions Initiative (URI) and Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). George was one of the founders of Greater Bay Bancorp and sat on its Board of Directors until it was acquired by Wells Fargo.
Judy and George established the International Center for the Arts at San Francisco State in 2005. They are also co-owners of Kokkari Restaurant in San Francisco, and Evvia in Palo Alto. Judy and George have four children and five grandchildren and live in Los Altos Hills.
Lifetimes 2022 in the News
Read the Palo Alto Weekly’s feature on the 2022 Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement Award. (Click the image below to download the PDF.)
About the Award
Since 1998, Avenidas has been honoring a group of older adults for the contributions they make to the community with the Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement Awards.
Each year’s honorees are announced at a private reception and celebrated during our annual fundraising event.