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Dr. Henry Davis, above, the late Jim Glines, below, and the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation were named as honorees the 2025 Hancock Honors celebration. Courtesy photo.
SANTA MARIA — Allan Hancock College announced the recipients of the 2025 Hancock Honors, presented by CoastHills Credit Union. This annual celebration recognizes individuals and organizations making a lasting impact on the college and the communities it serves.
This year’s honorees are the late community banker and philanthropist Jim Glines, retired Hancock faculty member and veteran Dr. Henry Davis, and the Santa Yne Valley Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to enriching lives throughout the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos Valleys.
“Each of our 2025 honorees exemplifies what it means to lift others up and change the odds in our community,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “Their contributions to our students and our community are profound, and we’re proud to recognize them at this year’s Hancock Honors celebration.” Glines, co-founder of the Community Bank of Santa Maria, was known not only for his leadership in the local banking industry but also for his tireless auctioneering for nonprofits in northern Santa Barbara County. He championed many local organizations and founded Hancock’s Bulldog Boosters to support athletics at the college and, more recently, the AHC Rodeo Club. Though he passed away in February, his legacy lives on in the institutions and people he supported across northern Santa Barbara County.
Davis is a U.S. Army veteran and Bronze Star recipient whose passion for learning led him to earn six college degrees and devote his life to teaching others as a professor at Hancock. A beloved educator, Davis was one of the college’s first full-time African American faculty members who often taught in Lompoc and the nearby prison. He not only inspired generations of students during his 30-year career, but he continued to teach and volunteer after his retirement and was instrumental in establishing the college’s Veterans Success Center. His commitment to service also earned him recognition from the California State Assembly for his lifelong dedication to education and student success.The Santa Ynez Valley Foundation, founded in 1991 by philanthropist Stuart C. Gildred, serves as a cornerstone of charitable giving in the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos valleys.
The Valley Foundation has supported scholarships at Hancock for over 20 years and was an early funder for the Hancock Promise campaign. The organization has invested over $7 million in local programs that support health and human services, education, the arts and youth development, including its own scholarship program for students in mid- county.
The 2025 Hancock Honors celebration will take place on Sept. 6, 2025, at the Fine Arts Complex on Hancock’s Santa Maria campus. CoastHills Credit Union is the Presenting Sponsor for the 2025 Hancock Honors. Other major sponsors include SESLOC Credit Union, the Murphy Foundation, Steve and Trish Jordan and local McDonald’s restaurants. The Santa Maria Times is the exclusive media partner for the event.
Event sponsorships are currently available, and individual tickets go on sale June 1. To learn more about the event, visit https://www.hancockcollege.edu/honors.