There were classic cars, music, food, and lots of reminiscing, as a Saturday, Aug. 26 gathering in Valley Home paid tribute to a longtime fire chief.
The late Jerry Benedix, who served as chief for decades, passed away earlier this year. He was remembered and honored at the Saturday night event.
Prior to the 6 p.m. dedication ceremony and special unveiling of a plaque in Benedix’s honor, residents turned out to enjoy a classic car show and a meal.
Cars and trucks shined up and at their finest, were on display all around the fire station and owners were more than happy to talk a little shop about their prized automobile.
In the kitchen at the fire station, a crew was hard at work dishing up the dinners, which could be eaten on site or taken to go. A tri-tip dinner sold for $20 and a hot dog dinner for $10, with the plates also including salad, beans, chips and beverages.
Proceeds from the fundraising dinner were earmarked for expenses in maintaining the Valley Home Community Park, helping to cover such costs as insurance and utilities. Organizers said the event brought in over $3,000.
Also, Valley Home students in the upper grades were selling lemonade as a fundraiser to help finance their trip to Washington, DC later this school year. The sixth, seventh and eighth graders raised over $450.
Music was provided by a DJ, there were trophies to be won by car show participants, and people gathered to visit while enjoying the chance to ‘eat in’ as tables were set up in the firehouse bay.
Stanislaus County Supervisor Buck Condit was on hand for the ceremony and to present a special proclamation in recognition of the occasion.
“We have a certificate here for the family but more importantly, we just wanted to say thank you for sharing Chief Jerry with us and we just wanted to make sure that we were here to recognize them,” Condit said. “Serving your community; there’s nothing more than that.”
Also attending were several members of the Oakdale Fire Protection District Board, which oversees the station. Among them was Rod Gambini, who served as emcee for the plaque dedication and told the crowd it was a unanimous decision of the board to install the plaque at the fire station.
Gambini, retired from Oakdale City Fire, served in Valley Home for 12 years, from 1988 to 2000.
“We’re here tonight for the fundraiser and a little dedication to Chief Jerry Benedix,” Gambini noted. “I got my start here, back in 1988.”
He said that he first met Chief Benedix when the fire department had to respond to a fire on the Gambini Ranch and Gambini told Benedix he had always wanted to be on the fire department. Benedix quickly invited him to the next fire department meeting.
“By the end of the meeting, I had signed up and, in a week or so, he had a pager to me,” Gambini recalled. “Jerry was one of those guys you could really go up and talk to … he was one of those guys that, you know, never demanded your respect, never asked for it but you gave it to him because he was that kind of guy, he was just one of us.”
Some members of the Benedix family also spoke briefly, thanking the community for their support and sharing some stories about the chief.
The plaque, placed outside the fire station, reads, in part: “In dedication to Chief Jerry Benedix who lived in Valley Home for 89 years and gave 50 of those years to the Valley Home Fire Department. He started at the age of 17 and gave his time to the citizens of the town and the entire district. He loved what he did and the men and women he served with, he was a great mentor, leader and friend. His career with the fire dept ended in 2000 and he passed in 2023. He will always be remembered as the chief that gave unselfishly to his friends, family and community.”
