CONTACT KOMY

From The Santa Cruz Sentinel —

Phil Rather died peacefully at Watsonville Community Hospital on March 11, 2005, following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

He was preceded in death by his son Phillip in 1983. He is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Betty Rather, daughter Kathy and husband Richard Lathrop of Watsonville, daughter Sarah and husband Jim White of Scotts Valley, and daughter Amy Rather of Watsonville. Grandchildren Lorna Seils, Abe Lathrop, Emily Lathrop, Christian Lyskoski and great grandson Jeremy Dublin. He is also survived by his brothers Charles Rather, Fred Rather and Richard Rather, and his sister, Marileen Wright.

Phil was born in Pueblo, Colorado, and grew up in Jefferson, Iowa. He served in the United States Army from 1949-1952 during the Korean War. He graduated from Drake University in 1955 with a B.A. in Marketing.

A career broadcaster, Phil and his wife Betty owned and operated KOMY Radio on Atkinson Lane in Watsonville for 28 years. The A.M. station was the hub of broadcast news, big band music and various feature and cultural entertainment programming daytime hours, and offered Spanish-language news, music and entertaining evenings. The station also featured Yugoslavian, Portuguese and Japanese language programs. Phil was a member of the California Broadcasters Association and was recognized for his lifetime of contributions to broadcasting in 1991 after serving as president the previous year.

Known for his support of local business and cultural events, Phil leaves a legacy of community service to the Pajaro Valley through his volunteer work in support of local health care needs and of the arts.

He began his service in health care in the late 1960s when he was recruited to help raise local funds in support of the capital campaign for construction of the new hospital facility on Green Valley Road. He excelled at the challenge, and guided the hospital board and volunteers in raising $1.8 million dollars for the project. He was honored for his contributions to the community in 1968 when he was named the Watsonville Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year.

Following the new hospital capital campaign, he joined the hospital’s board of directors where he served on every committee before rising to the post of board chair as the first non-medical person in the position. During his tenure as chair, he was instrumental in recruiting the additional business and non-medical professionals to serve with physicians on the hospital board, in effect creating a more inclusive board of directors. He also worked to recruit women and minorities for board service. In 1982, Phil Rather led a successful "Next Step" capital fund campaign for $2 million to expand the hospital facilities with a new emergency department, critical care unit, and surgery center and outpatient unit.

In 1984, he helped establish the Watsonville Community Hospital Foundation where he served as president until 1999. During the hospital foundation years, Phil used his considerable skill in fund raising to help raise several million dollars in support of medical equipment and services at the hospital. He and his wife Betty never missed a chance to mingle with and thank the community for its support at the annual Evening of Wine and Roses fund raiser.

Following the sale of the hospital in 1998 and the establishment of the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, the hospital foundation passed over $1 million in assets to the Trust for continued investment in meeting the health care needs of Pajaro Valley residents.

In 1999, to honor Mr. Rather for more than 30 years of volunteer health care support and service to the community, the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust Board of Directors created the Phil Rather Award for Leadership in Health Care, making Mr. Rather the first award recipient. Since 1999, other recipients of the Rather Award have included the DiCicco Family, Dr. Janet Bell, Bonnie Gutierrez, The Watsonville Community Hospital Service League, Jorge Sanchez and Salud Para La Gente.

An energetic man with a strong belief in public service, Phil was generous with his time and skills. He served as a volunteer fund raising consultant to numerous community organizations over the years, including the United Way, YWCA, YMCA, Pajaro Valley Shelter Services, Pajaro Valley Water Management Board and others.

A patron of the arts, Phil also served as a member and president of the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County in the late 1980s and assisted the Council with its fund raising efforts. His leadership extended to the business community as well where he served as a member of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and as Chair of the Chamber Board.

In his personal life Phil Rather was a creative individual with many talents including gourmet cooking, oil painting, playing the piano as well as hosting parties, holiday gatherings, and weddings. Along with his family, he leaves behind many in the community who will greatly miss his quick wit, energetic presence, and supportive influence.

Phil made his final contribution through the donation of his brain to scientific study with the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, California. Phil’s family has arranged cremation of his body and his ashes will be scattered in the Monterey Bay.

Memorial services were held on Friday, March 18, 2005, at the First United Methodist Church, 229 Stanford Ave, Watsonville. A reception followed at the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, 85 Nielson Street, across from the main entrance of Watsonville Community Hospital.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, 85 Nielson Street, Watsonville, CA 95076.