May 8, 2024 – Members of the Clovis Unified Governing Board voted to name the intermediate school on the Terry P. Bradley Educational Center after well-known civil servant Ambassador Phillip V. Sanchez.
Sanchez grew up in the Pinedale area, where he attended Pinedale Elementary and later graduated from Clovis High School before attending Fresno State.
In his early life he worked in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley, rising to serve in the U.S. Military, as the Chief Administrator for Fresno County, and on the school board from 1961 to 1963 during the formative years following unification in 1960.
From 1973-1975 he served, as the ambassador to Honduras, then Ambassador to Colombia from 1975-1977. Ambassador Sanchez was the highest-ranking Hispanic official in the administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.
In deciding on the name, members of the Board cited Ambassador Sanchez’ local and international impact and the model of character, work ethic and perseverance his life provides to students who will attend the school when it opens in southeast Fresno in 2025.