George Chelini: 1931-2020

In Memoriam By Sal Rodriguez | Wed Jul 01, 2020 | 4:17pm

My Mentor

In 1958, George Chelini became the executive director of the Goleta Boys Club, and he went on to form the United Boys & Girls Clubs, having a big, positive impact on the kids growing up in Santa Barbara County.

My mentor and good friend, George Chelini, passed away on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. He would have been 89 the next day. Here is a little insight into my friend and the excellent work he did with the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County.

I first met George in 1956; he was a young man who had just graduated from UCSB and got a part-time job at the Santa Barbara Boys Club. He worked in the library. My family moved to Goleta in 1957. and I joined the Goleta Boys Club. In 1958, George became the Executive Director of the Goleta Boys Club, and that was the start of our life-long friendship.

I remember one evening, George got a group of us in the library, and he asked us if we were planning on going to college. We started to laugh — some of us didn’t know what college meant, and most of us were trying to get to high school and hopefully graduate. I never forgot that meeting, and for me, the seed was planted about going to college. I’m sure George had that conversation with many other members. In 1959, George hired me as a Day Camp counselor.