Sunnyvale’s Leslie Lawton received uproarious applause from about 150 attendees at the 50th annual Murphy Awards Feb. 21, where she received the Murphy Award for Lifetime Community Contribution.
Named after Sunnyvale’s founding settler, Martin Murphy Jr., the Murphy Awards recognize some of the community’s greatest achievements of the previous year.
Lawton joins the ranks of Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum’s Jeanine Stanek and longtime local agriculturalists Charlie Olson and Ray and Nick Tikvica as recipients of the award.
“I’m still gobsmacked,” Lawton said of receiving the award. “I feel like I’m in the greatest of company. I’ve learned from the best. I love Sunnyvale. It has a small town feeling with a big heart. We all kind of stick together and support each other here.”
The 71-year-old Sunnyvale resident played a pivotal role in preserving the city’s heritage orchard located behind the Heritage Park Museum and has served in many roles through the years.
The Burbank native moved to Saratoga in 1959 when her father got a job with Lockheed Martin. One of her first jobs as a teen while she attended Los Gatos High School was cutting apricots from the area’s plentiful fruit orchards.
She moved to Sunnyvale in 1976 and has lived in the same home ever since. She started a transcription services business in 1984 and is an original member of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce.
As Sunnyvale grew and evolved and orchards continued to disappear before her eyes, Lawton–alongside Charlie Olson’s daughter, Deborah, and countless other volunteers–worked to preserve what is now known as Orchard Heritage Park Interpretive Exhibit, adjacent to the Heritage Park Museum.
Debbie Owens, owner of Debbie Lyn’s Closet, first met Lawton through the Chamber of Commerce about 20 years ago, when she was selling bricks to raise money for the exhibit.
“She’s my volunteerism mentor,” Owens said. “Her passion is what draws you in; it’s contagious and makes you want to be involved. She is also extremely dedicated. When she says she will do something, there is no question it will be done one way or the other.”
Another one of Lawton’s undertakings was to sit on the board of Sunnyvale Community Services, the local nonprofit that works to prevent homelessness and hunger in the city. Lawton was an adviser during Marie Bernard’s first year as SCS executive director.
“Leslie brought her wisdom and experience as a small business owner to the board meetings,” Bernard said. “Leslie is always willing to attend civic and community meetings to show support for the most needy in our community. She is generous with her time to many local causes, and brings her heart and her mind to her community work.”
She also makes the most “luscious” limoncello, Bernard added, which “always starts a bidding war,” the Sunnyvale Community Services’ holiday auction.
She has served as president of the American Cancer Society MidBay unit and as a docent at the Sunnyvale Community Art Gallery, and in June she will become the president of the Sunnyvale Heritage Museum.
She is also a graduate of Leadership Sunnyvale. She has received many other Chamber awards, including the Athena Award and awards recognizing her community contributions.
“We are very proud to have Leslie as part of our Sunnyvale community,” Mayor Jim Griffith said during the Murphy Awards. “She always greets you with a smile and doesn’t hesitate to step forward when there’s work to be done.”
In addition to the Lifetime Community Contribution award, Shannon Gordon was recognized as Educator of the Year for Sunnyvale School District, and Ying Jin was named Educator of the Year for Fremont Union High School District.
Fellow Robots was given the award for Outstanding Innovation in Retail Robotics. Second Harvest Food Bank received the award for Outstanding Humanitarian Contribution. Outstanding Innovation in Life-saving Technology was given to El Camino Hospital.
Rotary Clubs of Sunnyvale was given the Outstanding Community Contribution award. Outstanding Partnership in Water Conservation was given to the city of Sunnyvale, Santa Clara Valley Water District and Apple Inc. Google received the Outstanding Innovation in Historic Renovation and Business Expansion award.
