To honor their commitment to Pleasanton, Bob Williams and Charles Huff have been named the 2022 recipients of the Ed Kinney Community Patriot awards.

Named in memory of former Pleasanton Mayor Ed Kinney, the Community Patriot awards are given annually to those who exemplify through actions of love, pride, faith, belief and devotion to the community.

"As Margaret Meade famously said, 'Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world ... it's the only thing that ever has,' and this year's recipients have worked to make our part of the world a better place," said W. Ron Sutton, founder of the awards program and president of the nonprofit Make A Difference, Today & Always.

Born in Norristown, Pa., Williams migrated to California in the 1970s where he taught music in the Oakland Unified School District. Soon after his arrival, Williams began playing horn in the Pleasanton Bicentennial Band and became conductor of the Pleasanton Community Concert Band.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Williams worked with teacher Adele Denny to conduct an annual music show at Amador Valley High School. He served as the first conductor for the Pleasanton Playhouse. In 1995, he played the horn for Valley Dance Theatre and in 1998 became the group's conductor for spring productions and "The Nutcracker."

Williams donated his music book to Las Positas College, cornets to the Salvation Army Band in Concord and horns to his alma mater, New York's Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, where he has established an endowed horn student scholarship.

He continues playing for the Livermore-Amador Symphony orchestra, which he joined in 1972 and has served as an adjudicator for the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council's YEA Awards program for the past several years.

While Williams has shared his musical knowledge as a teacher and talents as a musician, Huff has shared his historical knowledge and architectural talents by creating the Pleasanton "Ghost Walk" for Halloween and developing the Pleasanton Downtown Historical Tours, both of which have become sought after activities for residents and visitors.

As an architect, Huff designed over 1,300 homes, served as a volunteer for the restoration of the original Pleasanton Town Hall in the 1980s and helped restore the historical train station in downtown Pleasanton.

He has served on the board of directors for the Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society/Museum on Main for over 30 years. Huff was additionally a charter member of the Rotary Club of Pleasanton North, served as the history preservation consultant for the city of Pleasanton and has taught adult education history classes and developed local historical tours for third-graders.

Huff was also a member of the Pleasanton Downtown Design Review Committee, was on the committee to help secure the first all-weather tracks for Amador Valley and Foothill high schools, created a video for the Historic Pleasanton Downtown Stroll (1850-2002) and wrote a historical column for the Valley Times and Pleasanton Weekly between 1998 and 2015.

Huff has also been named the recipient of a number of awards from the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce for his work and community involvement. He was presented with the 1990 Community Service Award, 1996 President's Award and 2006 Distinguished Individual Service Award.

Williams and Huff receive their award at a reception for family and friends on Monday (April 25) outside the Museum on Main. Additionally, the 2020 recipients -- veteran and founder of Pleasanton Military Families Chris Miller and philanthropists Joyce and Bob Shapiro -- will be honored at next week's ceremony.