Community Voices by Mike Monroe: Celebrate the Hunts, couple who ran 4th of July Parade for 30-plus years

Published in the May 24 – June 6, 2017 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Mike Monroe

Mike Monroe

Morgan Hill Life file photo
After 31 years of organizing Morgan Hill’s Fourth of July Parade, Bob and Maureen Hunt will be retiring from that job. They will stay involved helping anyway they can.

We have many remarkable people in our community who quietly volunteer their time and talent. They are always aspiring to help foster a sense of civic pride, and their example reminds us that along with our freedoms and quality of life comes responsibility, an obligation to give something back to the place we all call home.

I know a couple, Bob and Maureen Hunt, who fit this description perfectly. For more than 30 years Bob and Maureen have selflessly given their enthusiasm and skill in coordinating Morgan Hill’s Fourth of July parade for tens of thousands of residents and out of town visitors to enjoy.

This will be their last official parade as they will be retiring as parade co-chairs, but I’m sure that behind the scenes they will be as active as ever helping Independence Day Celebrations, Inc. President Jeff Dixon and the Freedom Fest organization for as long as they are able. Everything about Bob and Maureen says red, white and blue and a ‘roll-up-your-sleeves attitude’ to get the job done.

So it is with utmost admiration and esteem that the Morgan Hill Historical Society would like to recognize the Hunt’s Saturday morning June 3 at Villa Mira Monte.

We will have a reception beginning at 10 a.m. followed by a conversation with Bob and Maureen recalling some of their memorable moments during the past three decades and reviewing photos from the Historical Society’s archives.

There will be plenty to talk about as the Fourth of July has been celebrated in Morgan Hill since 1876.
Please join with us in expressing our gratitude for the Hunt’s and their Fourth of July spirit for these many years of bringing joy to so many people.

Mike Monroe is a local businessman who writes the Take a Hike column and volunteers with the Morgan Hill Historical Society.