Vince Hernandez — the former coordinator of psychological services for the San Joaquin County Office of Education who served for 12 years on the Manteca City Council — is being inducted into the Manteca Hall of Fame.

The induction ceremonies and dinner takes place Saturday, May 18, at 6 p.m. at the Manteca Senior Center, 295 Cherry Lane. Tickets are $65. They are available through the Boys & Girls Club, 545 Alameda St, or by calling 239-KIDS.

Hernandez is being inducted in the field of education.

Other inductees in the Class of 2019 are Larry Lee Barnhizer, art; Chuck and Teri Palmer, special recognition; Frank C. Mello, agriculture; Janet Fiore, Janice Zacharias, and Gloria Stanley, group; Benjamin Edward Taylor, health care; Ken Sanders, community service; Senator Cathleen Galgianj, government; Eric Reid, athletics; Kenneth Summers, business; and Georgiann Rose, at large.

Hernandez is a 1980 Manteca High graduate. He attended Lincoln Elementary and Lindbergh Elementary. After Delta College he received his Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and Master of Arts for Special Education from the University of the Pacific. He earned his Basic Pupil Personnel Credential for school psychology from the University of California, Davis.

Hernandez started as a special education teacher for the Oakdale Unified School District from 1986 to 1987 before accepting a similar position from 1987 to 1989 with the Turlock Unified School District. He was the school psychologist for the Turlock district from 1989 to 1996.

Hernandez was a school psychologist and coordinator of psychological services for the San Joaquin County Office of Education from 1996 to 2015. He served as the school physiologist for New Jerusalem Delta Charter School from 2005-2016 and then as a school psychologist for Stockton Unified from 2016-2017. He is currently the Stockton Unified special education administrator.

Hernandez was elected to the Manteca City Council in 2002 and served until 2014. During his tenure he was a co-chair for the city’s negotiations with Big League Dreams. He also advocated and supported renovations of Lincoln Park and the Morezone Park baseball field as well as the establishment of the BMX track and working to secure the Great Wolf Resort indoor water park. He was also instrumental in developing Woodward Park as well as securing Stadium Retail Center, the Manteca Transit Center, Bass Pro Shops, and AMC Theatre among other projects.

Those nominating Hernandez noted that “his decision-making for these large scale projects was always based on what he believed would best serve the people of the town he loves.”

He volunteered 18 years as a Manteca Little League and Manteca Babe Ruth baseball coach, 9 years as a Catholic Youth Organization basketball coach, 8 years as a Manteca Area Soccer League coach and co-chaired the Manteca Children’s Foundation Antone Raymus Charity Golf and Car Show from 1998 to 2018. He served on the Doctors Hospital of Manteca governing board from 2014 to 2016 and has been a member of the Great Valley Bookfest Committee and Manteca Rotary Club.

Hernandez was one of the first babies born in 1962 at Manteca Hospital (now Doctors Hospital) after it opened.

Among his other endeavors is being a member of the Knights of Columbus since 1992 including a year serving as the Grand Knight, an Italian Catholic Federation member since 2013, served on the rail commission overseeing the Altamont Corridor Express from 2014 to 2016, served as a Give Every Child a Chance board member from 2003 to 2011, was in the St, Anthony of Padua School board from 2002 to 2006, was Central Catholic High School Athletic Booster Club president from 2007 to 2010 and was a Manteca Futbol Club team manager from 2009 to 2011.

Hernandez is married to Risa who is a Sequoia School teacher. They have three children; Sebastian, 26, Ana, 25, and Vincent III, 17.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com