2 VOLUNTEERS FETED AS TOP CITIZENS OF YEAR.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

Pat Warford and George Pederson were way ahead of President Clinton's recent call for volunteerism throughout the nation, speakers said this weekend at a community dinner where the two were named outstanding citizens of the year.

Warford and Pederson have been committed to the Santa Clarita Valley community as tireless volunteers for decades, state Sen. William ``Pete'' Knight told about 200 people at an awards banquet in the Valencia Country Club on Friday night.

Warford, 52, a retired deputy marshal and local manager of community relations for the Red Cross, both broke into tears and smiled as she was pronounced Woman of the Year.

``I thought it was somebody else. My friends are good at keeping secrets and telling lies,'' she said before hugging dozens of friends. ``To be honored in a community that is so filled with a volunteer spirit is a double honor.''

Named Man of the Year, Pederson, a former mayor and councilman for Santa Clarita and a retired captain-commander in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, also reacted with surprise.

``There's so many people I thought it would be,'' said Pederson, 72.

Community leaders praised Warford for invariably responding to need with help.

``Pat exemplifies what it means to give to someone else,'' said Steve Pitchford, chairman of the board for Heads Up Therapy on Horseback, one of many organizations Warford serves. ``She's put the responsibility of her community almost above her family.''

Warford became a school volunteer in 1964 and went on to serve in the Newhall Junior Women's Club, the Santa Clarita Valley Boys & Girls Club auction committee, the Association to Aid Victims of Domestic Violence, the American Heart Association and the Zonta Club, an international women's group.

The widow of Santa Clarita's sheriff's Sgt. Bob Warford, she has also helped with Explorer trips and camping.

Pederson, who remains professionally active as a security consultant, founded the Law Enforcement Training Academy at College of the Canyons. He helped to found the Santa Clarita Valley Boys & Girls Club.

He has been a board member for the Santa Clarita Valley Hotline, Rent-A-Santa, the American Cancer Society and other community groups. He has acted as the executive director for fund-raising golf tournaments.

``At a moment's notice, we can count on George,'' said Gloria Mercado, an American Cancer Society board member.

Pederson was also praised for volunteer service in the area's recovery from the Northridge Earthquake in 1994.

Along with plaques, the two award winners received $500 each for their favorite charities. The event was sponsored by the Santa Clarita Valley Man and Woman of the Year Committee and the United Way.