By THOM SENZEE Contributing Reporter At 92, Herbert C. Lightfoot of Westlake Village is the oldest living Fernando Award recipient. Lightfoot won the Fernando in 1970. He lives an active life with wife Elizabeth (a former studio administrator and Miss 20th Century Fox), taking his boat out to cruise the inlets of Westlake Island to visit neighbors frequently. As with other Fernando Award recipients, Lightfoot was a success in business. Throughout the postwar years, he was legendary in the mushrooming real estate business in Southern California as founder of The Lightfoot Company. During an interview with the Business Journal at his home, Lightfoot said his name is an English name, not Native-American, as he says is mistakenly assumed by many. He is an ancestor of Francis Lightfoot Lee, who signed the Declaration of Independence. The Fernando winner spoke to the Business Journal about the Valley and the award. Question: What is the Fernando Award to you? Answer: Well, I think it’s the ultimate symbol of recognition for service to the community. I think it’s a way for the people of the San Fernando Valley to be as one in a way that helps people. Q: When did you come to the San Fernando Valley and why? A: We came in 1949. I was supposed to go to work for Paramount Pictures. We bought a house in Van Nuys right away paid $13,995 and I got started selling houses as a way to make money because it didn’t look like the Paramount thing was going to happen, even though I had been the managing director for 20th Century Fox in South America, promoting and overseeing the distribution of films for the Latin market. Q: So whereas most people come to Southern California to get into the movie business, you came here and got out of it. A: That’s right. Didn’t intend for it to be that way, but things were really going strong in real estate in the San Fernando Valley. You made $30 commission a house. I think I had the record for selling 24 in one day. Q: So what came next? A: I was working for the famous subdivision builders Henry Kaiser and Fritz Burns. We were selling houses faster than you could build them selling foundations, you know. They wanted a copy of my real estate license to put up on the wall with the rest of them in the office. I said what license? So I had to go downtown and get a license. It was a lot easier back then. They asked me if I wanted an agent’s license or a broker’s license I took the broker’s license and opened up my own company. Q: The Lightfoot Company? A: Yes. Q: And you were pretty successful from the start, correct? A: Well remember I had already been selling for the builders and now I just had the contracts to do it for more developers. Q: Is that about the time you began to get involved with charities and civic organizations? A: No, I got involved right away, earlier. I was active in the Kiwanis, president of the American Cancer Society, and many other organizations that help people in the San Fernando Valley. Q: I see a lot of pictures of celebrities and famous politicians along with images of you and your wife on the wall. Friends of yours? A: Yes, Cesar Romero, Mary Pickford, Walter Brennan and (former Los Angeles Mayor) Sam Yorty we knew them all and served on boards with some of them too. I got exposure to the film industry when I was on a P.T. boat in the Navy. I was the publicity manager between the film industry and the Navy during the filming for (John Ford’s) “They Were Expendable.” In a medium-sized way, I’ve actually lived kind of an interesting life. Q: I think larger-than-life is a better description. A: Well Q: So the military seems to have been a conduit into the movie business for you, and the movie business led to Real Estate. A: I think the military gave me the confidence as well as the impetus to do what I did in business. Early in my training I went all over the country to all the movie exchanges and variety clubs. I also managed a few theaters around New York City and was even a talent scout for Terrytoons. Q: Scouting for voiceover actors? A: Yes, for Terrytoons cartoons. Q: How did that experience help you in business and with your volunteer activities? A: Well, I think it all came together in such a way that I understood people better than I might have otherwise. Q: What is the common thread that runs through all the fields you’ve worked in? A: Public relations. I like people. Q: How did you feel after you won the Fernando Award? A: I was pretty proud. I like that Fernando Award. I think they do a tremendous job for the San Fernando Valley. It took six times being nominated before I won. Q: How do you feel about the fact that there will be no Fernando Award recipient this year because they will be honoring the award itself, as well as 50 organizations, and all the past recipients? A: I think it’s amazing; I think it’s good. I was a little unsure at first, but if they get back to doing it the traditional way I think it’s good idea. Q: I’m going to put you in a tough spot. Which is better, being a grandparent or being a Fernando recipient? A: Being a Fernando recipient (laughs). Q: How confident are you that the institution of the Fernando Award is in good hands today and will remain that way? A: Very confident. It will continue for a long time.
