When the California Veterans Board recently announced plans to recruit two new board members, administrators at the Veterans Home of California at Yountville knew Edward Olson — a resident of the Yountville home — was just the man for the job.

“The membership respects and appreciates him. ... He really cares for the (veterans), has a tremendous insight into what their needs are and I think he’ll do an excellent job,” said Marcella McCormack, Vets Home administrator.

Olson, who moved to Yountville’s Vets Home in 2006, was recently appointed to the California Veterans Board by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and was sworn in Feb. 8 in Barstow. Olson said he applied for the position in hopes of helping veterans who live in and outside of California’s veterans homes.

“I would like to learn more about the system, become part of it and be able to contribute what I can. ... It’s going to be a learning experience for me and any way I can be helpful to vets, I feel is a worthwhile cause,” said Olson.

Bonnie Kelly, executive officer for the California Veterans Board, said the seven-member group regularly hears the appeals of veterans who have been denied benefits. The board also oversees policy which regulates benefit eligibility and meets six times annually at cities throughout California, she added.

Olson, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1952, is originally from Great Falls, Mont. After earning a degree in mechanical engineering in 1955 from Montana State University, he was most recently self-employed in real estate, according to a press release from the governor’s office. From 1955 to 1985, Olson worked as an engineer for several companies, including North American Aviation, General Instrument Corporation, Applied Magnetics Corporation and Information Magnetics Corporation, the press release stated.

Barton Buechner, Vets Home deputy administrator, said Olson’s experience as an engineer and his rapport with Vets Home residents will serve him well in his new position. “Engineers understand the need to plan. ... And even before (being) elected by his peers (as vice chairman of the Vets Home’s allied council), it was evident he had leadership qualities. ... He gets along with just about everybody, is very even-handed and a good listener.”

Kelly also said Olson, 78, has plenty to bring to the table as a new board member. “He’s a very outgoing, involved person and represents our largest home. ... (Olson) brings a wealth of information about areas of concern and the perspective of the residents,” she said.

As a new member of the California Veterans Board and vice chairman of the Yountville home’s allied council — an advisory group to Vets Home administrators — since 2006, Olson will give Yountville’s residents “a better understanding of what the board does and how it can help them,” Kelly added.

Olson’s new position requires approval from the Senate and he will receive $100 per diem for board-related functions, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

Rachel Cameron, a spokeswoman at the governor’s press office, said Olson’s “service in the U.S. Air Force and his personal experience as a resident within the California Vets Home system greatly qualifies him to serve on the California Veterans Board.”

The next California Veterans Board meeting will be in Bakersfield on April 18.