Former radio DJ among several people introduced for Pueblo Hall of Fame

One is a Puebloan by birth. Four others chose to claim the Steel City as their home. All have played vital roles in making Pueblo a better place to live and work.

Jack Quinn, Jane Rawlings, Michael Salardino, and Hank and Ernamarie Williams were introduced by the Pueblo Community College Foundation as the newest members of the Pueblo Hall of Fame. The announcement was made Wednesday at a luncheon on the PCC campus.

Quinn was the director of the City of Pueblo Housing Authority for more than 30 years. Rawlings returned to her birthplace to work at her family’s newspaper, The Pueblo Chieftain, which is now Colorado’s oldest paper. Salardino built a successful career in broadcasting before doing the same in the financial world.

The Williamses are being inducted posthumously for the many ways in which they demonstrated their commitment to the community.

All five individuals are noted for their civic, business and philanthropic contributions to Pueblo.

They will be formally inducted at a spring ceremony.

The Pueblo Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to recognize individuals whose efforts have contributed to the betterment of Pueblo.

Any member of the Pueblo community may nominate an individual for inclusion.

The ceremony is one of the approved fundraising activities of the PCC Foundation, whose mission is to fund student scholarships or the college’s special needs that are not available through its general fund.

For more than 30 years, Jack Quinn was best known as the executive director of the Housing Authority for the city of Pueblo, but his commitment to the town began five decades ago. He arrived in the city in the mid-1960s, a recent graduate of Fairfield University in Connecticut. He was assigned to teach chemistry at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart school and when his two-year term ended, Quinn decided to stay.

He served as a youth counselor for the War on Poverty program from 1965-1968 before joining the Housing Authority. In 1971, he was appointed acting director, and a year later the appointment was made permanent. Quinn believes that every Puebloan, no matter their circumstances, deserves a decent home; his skillful management and devotion to the cause helped make this a realization for many during his successful tenure. During his 34-year career, the authority’s number of housing units grew from 374 to more than 2,800, including construction of Mineral Palace Tower, remodeling of the Vail Hotel, construction of the Fenix Apartments (formerly the Sacred Heart Orphanage), redevelopment of the old Central High School building and the Rood Candy building, and the conversion of two historic downtown structures into the Santa Fe Crossing apartments. He also served as chair of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.

One of Quinn’s later achievements was the construction of 50 single-family homes in Oakshire Hills on Pueblo’s east side. Thanks to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program and Quinn’s efforts, next year many of those houses will become the property of the families who moved in 15 years ago.

Quinn’s leadership was an essential component in the creation of the Boys Club of Pueblo; in addition, he helped with the development of the Girls Club of Pueblo. He also has made time over the past five decades to become involved with United Way, the Greater Pueblo and Latino chambers of commerce, Sister Cities Commission and numerous other civic organizations, including the Pueblo Community College Foundation.

In 2014, Quinn returned to his roots: He was appointed to the board of commissioners of the Housing Authority and is now involved in the redevelopment of the Sangre de Cristo Apartments on Pueblo’s south side.

A native Puebloan who graduated from Centennial High School, Jane Rawlings rededicated herself to her hometown in 1996 when she returned to work for her family’s newspaper, The Pueblo Chieftain. Her initial focus was to develop the paper’s Internet presence and advocate for the protection of Pueblo’s water supply. She now serves as the Chieftain’s assistant publisher and is a member of the editorial board.

Rawlings’ community involvement quickly expanded to multiple business, civic and social causes throughout the region. The Red Cross has honored her as a Community Service Hero. She is the vice president of the Southern Colorado Community Foundation, a trustee for the Colorado State University-Pueblo Foundation board and a former member of the board of trustees at her alma mater, Colorado College.

Rawlings’ involvement with United Way includes serving as the 2011 campaign chair; she is active in the Rotary Club, as well. She also was invited to serve on the Blue Ribbon Panel for the Southern Colorado Conservation Award, which is awarded annually by the Palmer Land Trust.

In the realms of business, education, government, philanthropy and civics, Mike Salardino’s life has been a testament to his commitment to Pueblo. He became a Puebloan at the age of 6 and has devoted himself to his community’s betterment.

Salardino was familiar to many in the early days of his career as a sportscaster on radio (KDZA) and TV (KOAA). He then moved to the world of financial planning, where he has spent the past 29 years.

During those three decades, he has become a happy and tireless community booster. He was the youngest person to serve as a city council member and president. He currently serves on the boards of the CSU-Pueblo Hasan School of Business and President’s Advisory Council, St. John Neumann Catholic School, Rotary Club, Sister Cities Commission, Broadway Theater League and United Way – merely a sample of his broad community interests. He also has been a member of the boards of the Pueblo Child Advocacy Center, Colorado State Fair and Parkview Foundation.

Salardino served as president of the Sons of Italy for seven years and received the group’s Golden Lion award. He was instrumental in establishing Pueblo’s sister city relationship with Bergamo, Italy.

Henry “Hank” Williams was born in Georgia but became a lifelong champion for his adopted home of Pueblo. During his extensive banking career, he worked as the leader of several financial institutions in the area, most notably as president and CEO of United Bank of Pueblo. He established the Pueblo Development Foundation in the 1960s to help attract and promote Pueblo business and was instrumental in the creation of the Southern Colorado Clinic, which became one of Pueblo’s largest medical practices.

He and his wife, Ernamarie, continually worked to improve the city for its residents, particularly those who were less fortunate. Both were known and appreciated for their warmth and graciousness.

Hank served as president of the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and was involved with the Kiwanis Club, Jaycees, United Way, Pueblo Regional Planning Commission and numerous other organizations.

Ernamarie Trefz Williams also began life in another state – Missouri – but dedicated her life to the betterment of Pueblo through her diverse interests. She taught elementary school and later was a member and president of the District 60 school board. She worked in marketing and public relations for Parkview Hospital. For 30 years, she served on the community board of the bank that was started by her father, Richard Trefz, in 1940.

Her civic commitments included helping create the Senior Resource Development Agency, volunteering for Meals on Wheels and serving on the Pueblo Advisory Council on Aging. She devoted her time and resources to the Trinity Ranch for Disadvantaged Youths, Friends of the Library, Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center and Ascension Episcopal Church.

She and Hank donated a sculpture of Canada geese to the Pueblo Riverwalk, which was one of Ernamarie’s favorite places.

The Williamses married in 1953 and had three children. Hank died at age 96 on Dec. 30, 2014 – one day after their 61st anniversary. Ernamarie passed away on Oct. 14, 2015. She was 86.