3 Carlsbad Residents Honored As Citizens Of The Year

CARLSBAD, CA — Three Carlsbad residents who have spent years serving others in the community were recognized Tuesday as Citizens of the Year.

Bonnie and Gunnar Biggs and Patricia "Maureen" Simons were honored for their community service during a ceremony in the Council Chamber at Carlsbad City Hall, followed by a small reception in the courtyard.

Bonnie and Gunnar Biggs have lived in Carlsbad for more than 30 years and have spent much of that time giving back to the community through a blend of music, education and public service.

Bonnie, a lifelong librarian and retired educator, helped launch the library program at what is now Cal State San Marcos, and for several years led efforts to connect the university to the surrounding community through concerts, lecture series and cultural events.

The region's annual American Indian Pow Wow grew out of long-standing relationships Bonnie built with local tribal communities, according to the city. She continued that work after retirement, helping to establish the CSU system's first Tribal Communities Task Force and Native Advisory Council.

Gunnar, a bassist and music educator, has mentored generations of young musicians, teaching bass for 25 years at San Diego State University and leading the orchestras at Valley Middle School and Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad for five years, nearly doubling the size of those programs, according to the city.

After retiring several years ago, Gunnar and Bonnie have continued to make an impact in Carlsbad and beyond. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they hosted a series of outdoor concerts from the front porch of their Carlsbad home.

Since 2007, Bonnie has been involved with Love on A Leash, which provides pet therapy visits at local hospitals, schools, libraries and senior communities. She captained the Paws to Read program at Cole Library, where children practice reading with trained therapy dogs, and started the same program at the Carlsbad Library Learning Center. Gunnar recently began volunteering with Love on a Leash as well.

Gunnar continues to teach music and mentor other musicians. He shares music through concerts at the Carlsbad Senior Center, Carlsbad libraries and Sunday evening gatherings at St. Michael's Episcopal Church.

Simons has also spent the past 25 years actively involved in Carlsbad, contributing her time and energy to a wide range of local organizations and programs.

According to the city, her volunteer work has included leadership and/or board roles in the Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club, the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation, the Mitchell Thorp Foundation, the Assistance League of North Coast, Carlsbad Republican Women Federated and the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, which named her Ambassador of the Year in 2016.

Simons is also a long-time member of St. Patrick Catholic Community in Carlsbad, where she serves in the eucharistic and funeral ministries and for 10 years organized the annual St. Patrick Dinner Dance.

The Citizen of the Year program is more than 50 years old and recognizes community members who have given their time and energy toward the civic improvement, beautification and betterment of the city.