For more than three decades, the name Don Diego was synonymous with the San Diego County Fair.
The sombrero-waving caballero was invented in 1946 by the fair's publicity department as the event's ambassador, according to the 22nd District Agricultural Association. The state agency runs the Del Mar Fairgrounds, where the county fair is held each summer.
Tommy Hernandez, an actor from the William Morris Agency, was hired in 1947 to bring the character of Don Diego to life.
Hernandez was strongly urged to accept the role despite his early reluctance.
“They made it clear that if I wanted other parts, I'd take this one,” the California Gazette reported Hernandez as saying.
He was concerned that, at age 31, he was too young for the part. That concern diminished over the ensuing 36 years, as Hernandez continued to play the role annually. He missed one season, in 1948, when he was contracted to star in the touring show “The Cisco Kid.”
Hernandez would greet hundreds of thousands of people as ambassador for the county fair, known for decades as the Southern California Expo. Before the fair opened, he would appear at city council meetings and Rotary and Kiwanis clubs.
He also played emcee for the grandstand entertainment and posed for publicity shots with hundreds of celebrities, including Ina Ray Hutton, a big-band leader from the 1950s, guitarist Les Paul and his wife, vocalist Mary Ford.
One of the main roles of Don Diego was to crown the winner of the fair's beauty pageant, the Fairest of the Fair. In 1958, he crowned Raquel Tejada – who later became famous as Raquel Welch.
During his acting career, Hernandez appeared on screen with Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Joan Fontaine and Rita Moreno. He starred in television westerns and movies filmed in his native Spain.
Hernandez was born on the Spanish island of Tenerife in 1916. He was a direct descendant of Jean de Bethencourt, first king of the Canary Isles. This ancestry “eminently qualified him to be the prototype of the gracious Spanish Don,” the fair's publicity department wrote.
When Hernandez died of leukemia June 2, 1984, the fairgrounds board of directors decided no one could replace him as Don Diego. A foundation was formed in his honor.
The Don Diego Fund was initiated in 1986 by Bob Spanjian, president of the fair board. The fund has distributed $451,000 in scholarships and grants over the years and has helped 103 students pursue college degrees, according to the Del Mar Fairgrounds Web site.
It also provides state and local “Agriculture in the Classroom” programs that have received $106,500. In 2008, the Don Diego Fund will award about $32,500 in scholarships and grants.
Chana Mannen, special projects manager for the fairgrounds and executive director of the foundation, knew Hernandez well.
“He was charming, had a huge dose of charisma and had an amazing memory for names,” Mannen said in a recent interview. “He was such a strong personality. No one could possibly replace him. The scholarship is a wonderful way for us to remember him.”
To find out more about the Don Diego Fund and eligibility, go to www.sdfair.com or call Jane Spivey at (858) 755-1161.
Diane Welch is a freelance writer from Solana Beach.
