Camarillo businessman who helped beautify CSU Channel Islands will be honored at gala [Ventura County Star, Calif.]

Sept. 28--A Camarillo businessman who has been contributing to CSU Channel Islands since it opened 11 years ago will receive one of the university's highest honors at a dinner in October.

Steve Blois will receive the Robert J. Lagomarsino Award, which is named for the former congressman, who also was a longtime supporter of Channel Islands. The award recognizes people who have generously supported the Camarillo university.

Most recently, Blois has used his construction expertise to help the university renovate its courtyards and build a central mall linking the east and west ends of campus.

So what drew Blois to Channel Islands in the first place?

The fledgling university needed help, he said -- "nothing more complicated than that."

During the years, Blois has served on several committees and boards, including the CSU Channel Islands Foundation Board.

"When I was first appointed to the board, I sat and looked at the people around me, with all their various talents," Blois said. "With my construction background, I said 'I need to do something with building.' It was the best fit for their needs and my talents."

Blois, an engineering contractor, managed Blois Construction for 20 years before retiring in 2003.

With that background, Blois has been "instrumental" in developing the campus, said President Richard Rush. He helped build the garden outside Rush's office, turn a parking lot into a courtyard and landscape the central mall with native plants.

"He's always been there, doing hands-on work himself, enlisting others' help, seeking out donations from others," Rush said.

The dinner honoring Blois will be at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village. About 400 people are expected to attend the black tie event, which raises money for scholarships, programs, technology and facilities.

Past recipients of the Lagomarsino Award include prominent people in business and entertainment. Blois is humble about joining that group.

"A lot of great people have gone before me," he said. "They must have had slim pickin's this year. I'm grateful to be recognized for things I would have done anyway."

That's typical of Blois, Rush said.

"He's never once looked for recognition," he said. "He just disappears when the appreciation goes around, by his own choice."

Blois' work at Channel Islands also stems from his commitment to education, said his longtime friend, Fred Vance, an insurance agent in Oxnard. Blois' family has hosted overseas students for years. And both his daughters have advanced degrees.

"His wife and daughters all set an example for my family in bettering themselves through education," Vance said.

Now that he's retired, Blois divides his time between Camarillo and a second house he built in Lake Nacimiento in San Luis Obispo County, where he enjoys water skiing. Up there, he's also inclined to help, stepping in to fix a neighbor's broken pipe, for instance -- again without seeking anything in return, Vance said.

"If he hears about a problem," Vance said, "he's the first to volunteer to help somebody."

If you go

What: CSU Channel Islands' 14th annual president's dinner

When: Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Four Seasons Hotel, Westlake Village

More information: http://www.csuci.edu/impact/fundraising-events/presidents-dinner.

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(c)2013 Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.)

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