The Warburton/Peddy Award (formerly the Austen D. Warburton Pioneer Award) is given by the Board of Directors from time to time to someone who has exemplified outstanding service to both the Pioneers and the community.
The Pioneer Award, which was the award’s original designation, was established in 1987. Though Austen Warburton, longtime Pioneer member, past president and prominent attorney in San Jose was proposed as the first recipient of the award, he graciously declined and then nominated San Jose Historian, Clyde Arbuckle, as the first recipient. Austen later received the second such honor.
In 1995, the award was renamed the Austen D. Warburton Pioneer Award to honor Austen, who consistently set the standard for service to the community and for service to the Pioneers.
In 2021, the award was again renamed to recognize the tireless and selfless contribution to the Pioneers exemplified by Milt Tim Peddy, longtime Pioneer, friend to all, and outspoken advocate of the organization.
Below is an incomplete list of recipients of the award.
Award Recipient Bios
Rick Helin – 2024
For more than two decades, Rick Helin has been an invaluable member of the California Pioneers of Santa Clara county. He not only served tirelessly on our board for over 15 years, but he also acted as the Pioneers’ representative to the Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History. The mission of that organization, located in the Martin Luther King Library, is to illuminate California history through collecting materials and to prepare and disseminate historical scholarships to San Jose State University and the greater community. To underscore the importance of Rick’s position on that board, all we have to say is it was previously filled by Clyde Arbuckle, Laurence E. Bulmore, and Theron Fox, three of the county’s finest historians.
Rick’s research abilities are unmatched, and he is always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone looking for information. He is a friend to all, and his ability to retain facts, even about the most obscure subjects, has earned him the nickname “Cliff Calvin,” from his fellow historians who appreciate and love him dearly.
Rick has also served on the Pioneers’ Cemetery Restoration Team and is a founding member of the “In Grave Danger Gang,” which has hunted down and re-installed missing headstones at local cemeteries. However, Rick’s greatest contribution to our organization is the thousands of volunteer hours he has spent digitizing films for our film archive. Without Rick’s selfless efforts, we can safely say there would be no Pioneers Film Archive.
Ken Machado - 2017
Ken Machado embodies all that is good about Santa Clara County. He was born 64 years ago at San Jose Hospital and attended St. Mary’s Elementary School, and then Bellarmine College Preparatory. He received his undergraduate degree at Santa Clara University and earned a law degree at San Jose’s Lincoln Law School.
Ken, the eldest of seven children, learned how to serve and lead at a young age from his mother Jeanette and his late father, Kenneth, who was awarded the Silver Star Medal in WWII. Ken has always been an active member of our community. In an effort to make this valley the best it can be, Ken ran for San Jose’s City Council in 1988.
Ken and his wife Patty, who, like Ken is a great asset to our community, have four sons and six grandchildren. The Pioneers thank Patty for sharing Ken with us all these years.
Ken served as the Pioneers’ attorney during the sale of our Jackson Ranch property and crafted the Pioneers’ contract with History San Jose to restore and operate the Paulson House At San Jose’s History Park. He also managed the difficult legal process when the Bruzone family generously gifted us the Roberto Adobe and Sunol House. Most recently, Ken oversaw the transfer of the Mary Lou Lyon Library to our organization. Ken has also chaired our financial investment committee, and during his presidency, further guided us while the Roberto Adobe and Sunol House were converted into a museum. Throughout Ken’s two decades of service to the Pioneers he has given his time freely, served as a mentor, and has never charged the Pioneers a single legal fee. We are grateful for Ken’s generous service and leadership.
Milt “Tim” Peddy - 2011
Tim is a descendant of members of the 1775 Anza Expedition and the 1781 Rivera Expedition. He was born in San Jose in 1936, began school soon thereafter, and has been in school ever since – learning just about everything at night schools and in adult education. He has expertise in electronics, business, quality control, web design, photography, writing, astronomy, large equipment repair, office management, radio, navigating the streets of our valley, history, computers, and he can fix just about anything. At the Paulson House Museum, he has fixed everything from the irrigation system to the elevator!
After helping many San Jose nonprofits, he has become a tsunami-like force for the Pioneers. He serves as President of the Board, has been a member of the In Grave Danger Gang, served as 1st Vice President for years, was manager of our Paulson House Museum, and chaired or sat on these committees: Pioneer Luncheons, Hacienda Cemetery, Events, Inventory, Acquisitions, Library, Archives, Bylaws, Publications, Films, School Programs, Budget and Admissions Day Barbecue.
Tim has volunteered at History San Jose, Argonauts, San Jose High School, Woodrow Wilson Jr. High, and the California Historical Society. He has received awards for his stellar efforts. He and his equally awesome wife Barbara established the San Jose High School Heritage Room, raise funds, and chair mega-reunions. Always there to lend a hand, he builds wheelchair ramps for neighbors in need and drives many people to their medical appointments.
Tim collects old maps of San Jose and maintains a website to share his collection with others.
He and Barbara were blessed with six children, many grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Tim is thoughtful, has common sense, and is a pleasure to be with. Everything he does, he does right.
1987 Clyde Arbuckle
1989 Agnes Solari and Margaret Zaro
1990 Frances and Theron Fox
1995 Hank Calloway
1996 Barbara Johnson
1997 Leonard McKay
1998 Ernie Renzel
1999 Connie Perham
2000 Helen Stevens
2001 Helen MacCarthy
2002 Richard Hill
2003 Mary Lou Lyon
2004 Rose Crimi
2005 Eiichi “Ed” Sakauye
2006 Pat Loomis
2007 Bob Fisher
2008 Jerry Rosenthal
2010 David McKinney
2011 Milt (Tim) Peddy
2017 Ken Machado
2021 Gayle Frank
2024 Rick Helin