Plane said his community service has always been driven by a feeling that he had something to offer and his desire to be of service.
“I don't get involved in the things that I do for any kind of recognition. I get involved because they need the skills that I have or that I can make a difference, especially helping young children,” Plane said. ‘If I didn’t want to do some of these things, I don't have to do it. But I enjoy it, so I keep doing it. And it's important for our community, especially in the work that CAPK does.”
Tobias said Plane’s kind of leadership is not common or expected but is often more impactful because of that.
“Fred is a quiet leader. He's oftentimes soft-spoken. When he does speak, everyone listens because of his knowledge and his background and his abilities that he has,” he said. “But he is not one for the limelight.”
Kaufman said this calm, competent servant leadership is why he’s being recognized by the university where he earned both his degrees.
“I think Fred deserves to be in the CSUB Hall of Fame for a variety of reasons. One is just his long-standing dedication to this community, to the county of Kern where he had a long career,” Kaufman said.
But the fact that Plane has also worked so hard to serve the county’s nonprofit community and dedicated himself to be a teacher and mentor to generations of CSUB students is truly remarkable, he said.
“Any one of those things, by itself, I feel could make him a candidate,” Kaufman said. “But the fact that he excels in all three of those areas really makes him an ideal candidate to be in the CSUB Hall of Fame.”
Tobias said he is happy to see Plane honored by the university.
“I think it's wonderful that Cal State Bakersfield is recognizing Fred Plane. I think it's well-deserved. He's a wonderful, wonderful Alumni Board member at CSUB. And he's the definition of a community servant — a community mentor for the entire community. I wish Fred the best. Always and forever,” Tobias said.
Plane said he knows just how big an honor it is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, since he’s sat on the selection committee for inductees for the last four years.
“Well, it's humbling, and it's honoring at the at the same time,” he said. “I've seen the quality of people that we've chosen and to be in that same group with this year's inductees — with Judge Zulfa, and Janie and Dr. Mendiburu, and Jennifer — you know that that's an elite group.”
Alumni Director Hendrick said the selection committee had to step carefully and hold some secret meetings to keep Plane from learning that there would be a special fifth inductee to the Hall of Fame for the 20th anniversary of the program and that his name had been chosen for the spot.
“We knew it would be difficult to keep this from him given how attentive and engaged he is. During our deliberations, he suggested adding a fifth honoree in recognition of the 20th anniversary. I respectfully noted that, with an already full anniversary program, we would likely need to limit the class to four recipients,” Hendrick said. “Fortunately, he did not raise any objections, and with the help of his wife, Sheila, President Harper was able to successfully pull off the surprise.”