Editor’s Note: This is part 10 in a series about the rich history of and associated with East Sacramento’s award-winning East Lawn Memorial Park.

Sacramento has been known as a political city, a city of trees and many other things during a large portion of its existence. And among its greatest achievements was becoming a city of breweries, which included the Buffalo Brewing Company.
In the previous article of this series, Philip Scheld, who was interred at East Lawn Cemetery (today’s East Lawn Memorial Park), was celebrated for his proprietorship of the Sacramento Brewery, which was established a short distance from Sutter’s Fort in 1849.
Many other breweries were opened in the capital city during the 19th century.
An example of the production of local breweries during the 19th century was recorded in the county assessment books for 1872.
This source notes that in that year, Sacramento had eight breweries that produced 252,000 gallons of beer.
Furthermore, according to the 1880 book, “The History of Sacramento County, California,” the area’s eight local breweries in 1878 “made, in aggregate, 530,200 gallons of beer, and in 1879, 560,000 (gallons of beer).”
With a walk around East Lawn Memorial Park, one can find the final resting places of several men who were associated with the Buffalo Brewing Company, which was also known as the Buffalo Brewery, and was for many years under the direction of Buffalo Brewery, Inc.
Certainly the most notable of these brewery men were the German-born Herman H. Grau (1846-1915) and William E. Gerber (1852-1928), who were both interred at East Lawn Cemetery.
Herman, a former East Coast brewer who came to Sacramento from Buffalo, N.Y. in about 1886, was the man who organized the Buffalo Brewery, which would eventually become the largest brewery west of the Mississippi.
At the age of 12, Herman came to America and settled in Buffalo, N.Y.
Along with his wife, New York native J.F. Bertha (Ziegele) Grau (1848-1915), who he married in Buffalo prior to coming to Sacramento, Herman had nine children.
Herman’s association with William became an important part of the city’s brewery history, as these men laid out the plans for the Buffalo Brewery.
In addition to his involvement with the Buffalo Brewery, William, a New York native who came to Sacramento in 1860 and was eventually the secretary of the Buffalo Brewery, served, at different times during his life, as president of the California National Bank and chairman of that bank’s board.
William, who studied in Sacramento schools and the St. Louis Academy and at a business school in Buffalo, was also, at a various times, a bookkeeper and co-owner of a grocery store, state fish and game commissioner, auditor of Sacramento County and the city treasurer of Sacramento.
Also interred at the cemetery was Hattie A. Gerber (1857-1928), who was the mother of his five children.
Construction on the Buffalo Brewery, which was located on the block bounded by 21st, 22nd, Q and R streets, began in 1888.
In being that this section of Sacramento was many years away from being built out at that time, upon its completion, the large brewery structure could be seen from a considerable distance within the city.
With the opening of the Buffalo Brewery in 1890, Herman became the company’s first general manager and Adolph Heilbron (1833-1913) served as the brewery’s first president. Heilbron’s final resting place is located at the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery at 1000 Broadway.
Also interred at East Lawn were Henry Gerber (1851-1928), one of the brewery’s first stockholders, and Henry I. Seymour (1861-1913).
Seymour was among the prominent men of the brewery, as he replaced Grau as the company’s general manager in 1896 and continued to serve in that role for 17 years.
But Seymour was not new to the brewery when he became its general manager, as he had been working for the brewery since 1890.
Another well-known person in local brewery history was Sacramento native Frank J. Ruhstaller (1872-1943), whose father was Swiss native Frank Ruhstaller (1846-1907), who was an original officer of the Buffalo Brewery.
The brewery resume of Frank Ruhstaller, who was interred at today’s Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, also included serving as the proprietor of the City Brewery at the northeast corner of 12th and H streets and the superintendent of the Sacramento Brewing Co.
As for the resume of Frank J. Ruhstaller, he became the president of the Buffalo Brewery in 1913, following the death of Heilbron. He retired from that position in April 1939.
Additionally, the younger Ruhstaller served as the assistant manager of the City Brewery and superintendent of the Sacramento Brewing Co., and was a member of the city’s war rationing board during World War II.
In speaking about Frank J. Ruhstaller during his retirement dinner at the old Elks Temple at 11th and J streets, Superior Court Judge Peter J. Shields said, “Charities, kindnesses and justices have characterized his whole existence. The aroma of good deeds during his life has perfumed the entire community. He has been modest, never seeking the limelight nor the vanities of life.”
Frank J. Ruhstaller’s wife, Alice Marie (Root) Ruhstaller (1871-1969), was also interred at East Lawn. The couple, who was married in Sacramento on Nov. 22, 1899, was residents of East Sacramento, residing in the Fabulous Forties neighborhood at 1301 44th St.
Much has been said and written about the Buffalo Brewery, which created beer that was popular well beyond Sacramento.
During its pre-Prohibition days, the Buffalo Brewery distributed its beer great distances.
In addition to shipping this beverage to many parts of Northern California, including San Francisco, the brewery also sent its beer to the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska, Central America, along the Mediterranean, Russia, Japan and China.
A summary about the brewery in the Feb. 2, 1907 edition of The Union included the following words: “Sacramento boasts of many large manufacturing enterprises, but none are more in keeping with the general progress of this section than (the Buffalo Brewery). It is known by the excellence of its product. New Brew and Bohemian, its special brands, are known throughout the Pacific Coast. Ask any dealer and he will tell you there are none superior to them.”
The brewery, which experienced much physical growth at its local plant, returned to full, post-Prohibition production in December 1933 and continued its operations at its historic site until 1949.
The brewery buildings were razed in 1949 and 1950 in preparation for the construction of the newspaper, radio and television operations of McClatchy Newspapers – publishers of The Sacramento Bee – which was then headed by its president, Eleanor McClatchy.

Lance@valcomnews.com

One of Hugh Gorman’s most notable works is his 100-foot-long mural at Carmichael Park. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Many Carmichael residents are undoubtedly familiar with “The Great Wall of Carmichael,” with its colorful, 100-foot-long mural, which sits near a portion of the Fair Oaks Boulevard side of Carmichael Park.
But a far greater number of these people are unaware of many details about the wall and its artwork.

Hugh Gorman stands inside of his art studio in Fair Oaks. Photo by Lance Armstrong

In an interview with this publication last week, 71-year-old Fair Oaks resident Hugh Gorman, the artist who painted this notable mural, explained details about this wall and other highlights of his life.
In reflecting upon being hired to create the Carmichael Park mural, which was officially dedicated in 2003, Hugh said, “There was an ad in the paper, (which read): ‘Wanted: Mural design for SMAC – Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission.’ I applied for it, and it was to be a retaining wall in front of Denny’s (restaurant), which is where Fair Oaks (Boulevard) T’s into Manzanita (Avenue) and Fair Oaks (Boulevard). So, I really wanted that job. I’d already done this mural here (at the Fair Oaks Veterans Memorial Amphitheater in Village Park in Fair Oaks) and I’d done some other murals. I like trying to explain a community on a wall. So, I tried really hard to get (the job), and I did. And I guess there were 13 people who applied.”

Hugh Gorman relaxes with his dog behind his art studio. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Although he was excited to begin his mural project in front of Denny’s, Hugh recalled how his work at that site was suddenly halted.
Hugh said that he received a call from the locally renowned developer George Tsakopoulos (1927-2009), who told him that he did not want a mural in front of his property, which is presently owned by Carmichael Village, LLC.
Following this phone call, Tsakopoulos, Hugh noted, took further action with the matter, and the project was eventually abandoned at that site.
In the process of attempting to relocate the project, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, according to the recollections of Hugh, agreed to keep the project moving forward at a new site.
Hugh noted that, with its delays, the project took five years to complete. But he added that he was required to finish the wall in one season.
And overall, he remembers the project as being 90 to 95 percent well received by the community.
After the mural was completed at the park in 2002, a dedication for the wall was held that year. A much better attended, second dedication was held in non-rainy weather during the following spring.
After being asked to describe the details of his mural, Hugh said, “I tried to do the period of human existence, which is probably 10,000 years, more or less. And I tried to do that from the American River, because I think Carmichael has forgotten it even has the American River as one of its boundaries.”

Hugh Gorman’s painting of Ishi is one of his personal favorite paintings that he has created. Gorman refers to the painting as “My Mona Lisa.” Photo by Lance Armstrong

The largest detail of the entire mural at Carmichael Park is the word, “Carmichael,” which stretches across the upper, mid-section of this grand artwork.
This bas-relief mural, which was created with an acrylic polymer on formed concrete, is divided into five panels, with the first panel showing the flow of the river as it makes its way toward the San Francisco Bay.
In continuing his explanation of the mural, Hugh said, “It’s all about how do you paint something 100 feet long and 7 feet high and not have it look like a big old line. (Avoiding making the mural appear as a straight line) was the best part about what I did, I think, or one of the best things.”
And in speaking further about the mural, Hugh said, “This is that (pedestrian and bicycle) bridge at (River Bend) Park. And we’re going through time, and if you look at the people in the rafts, you’ll see this is earlier and this is later. And that’s me. I’m in there in an inner tube with a beer bottle tied to a string. And you’ll see that everybody (in the rafts) is white at first and then pretty soon, they start sprinkling different colors as the population changes.”
And while pointing to different areas of the mural, Hugh said, “Here’s the Indians right here, and even right here. And here’s the Gold Rush right here. Well, here’s a Jeep from 1945 that marks the end of World War II. And right here are people fishing for salmon, and the way they used to fish for salmon was they just used a pitch fork. And then here you’ll see a family sitting around and the kids playing in the water. They’ve got their little picnic out. And then you go over to the Indian times, and there they are. There are families sitting around and the kids are playing in the water. So, nothing has changed, except for the color of their skin.”
Images of animals, including fish and turtles, are also present in the mural.

Hugh Gorman enjoys one of his favorite pastimes, swinging on a rope swing in his backyard. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Although the area’s well-known Deterding family had permission to use dredgers, they never did dredge the river.
In commenting about the image of a dredger in that area of his mural, Hugh said, “I put it in anyway, because it’s such a part of our history, but from the other side of the river.”
Another feature of the mural, which Hugh spoke about was an image of a historic river vessel.
“I was reading about all these different things and I read about this boat, called the Dixie, which ran the river from Folsom and back (during the 19th century),” Hugh said. “It would go up to the Negro Bar and bring rocks and wood back.”
A feature of the wall that often goes unnoticed is a heart-shaped rock that sits on top of the wall.
Hugh said that he found the rock in his backyard while he was building his art studio.
“Phil Evans, whose a sculptor, drilled holes (in the rock) for me and put (metal) rods in there and then I just set it in the concrete (to secure it),” Hugh said.
Because the Sacramento County Historical Society thought so highly about Hugh’s mural at Carmichael Park, the organization created a new award category, called “Heritage through Art,” and awarded him the first award in that category.

One of Hugh Gorman’s many paintings is of a tree with exposed roots on the bluffs above the Fair Oaks Bridge. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Anyone who has had the opportunity to visit Hugh’s studio can view his variety of paintings.
One of these paintings is of Ishi, who was the last surviving member of the Yahi Native American tribe. Hugh refers to this painting as “My Mona Lisa.”
During his interview for this article, Hugh also mentioned Donor Plaza, the area near the Fair Oaks Bridge that he designed in commemoration of those who contributed to the project to purchase bluffs over the American River.
“That land was being threatened to be taken over, so I had been fighting that for a long time, this way and that way,” Hugh said. “Eventually, it turned into, ‘Let’s just buy those lots and then the deal is done. And that’s what happened. I designed a thing that included three benches, and we used bricks for steps. We had 350 bricks. So, that’s an environmental art piece that’s well worth looking at, and it’s real neat.”
He also noted that he enjoys carving artistic creations, playing a keyboard, swinging on his backyard rope swing, swimming in cold water in various places in California and collecting vintage automobiles.
Hugh, who was born in St. Helena, Calif. and was one of the five children of Clyde and Grace Gorman, said that he developed a very early interest in art.
“As a little kid, they gave me clay and building blocks and I’d make little faces out of the clay,” said Hugh, who moved to Folsom in 1945 and to the area around today’s American River College in 1946. “I sort of knew how to draw real early on. Everybody always said, ‘Oh, you’re so luck, because you know what you’re going to do. You’re going to be an artist.’ And that was implanted early on, and people hired me to do portraits at 6, 7 years old. Some people are born with different things and I was born as (an artist). My dad was a writer, so he was a creative guy.”
Hugh, who attended elementary school in Carmichael, later took art classes at the old La Sierra High School before making his way to the University of California, Berkeley.
In deciding upon a career choice, Hugh initially began studying architecture in college, then he opted to become a sculptor, and lastly, he studied landscape architecture.
Despite receiving his degree at UC Berkeley in landscape architecture in 1967, Hugh said that he still always saw himself as a painter.
He began his post-college working years as a landscape architect in Santa Barbara.
Today, Hugh resides in a century-old house in Fair Oaks with his wife, Teri.
In explaining his passion for art, Hugh said, “Basically, you’ve got a story to tell. You’ve got something that you think is going to make the world a better place or at least make some understanding or describe what’s beautiful here that maybe you don’t know about. Whatever your point is, you’re telling a story. I’m self driven pretty much. My imagination works real quick.”
And in demonstrating his sense of humor at the end of the interview, Hugh, after being asked how he would like to be remembered in the future, responded, “Well, what’s the difference?”

Chautauqua Playhouse in Carmichael announces the opening of "Driving Miss Daisy" by Alfred Uhry. The show opens on January 18th and runs for 6 weeks at the Playhouse. – From the left, Janice Reade Hoberg, James Wheatley

Chautauqua Playhouse, in association with Celebration Arts, announces its production of “Driving Miss Daisy” by Alfred Uhry, opening on January 18th at the Playhouse.  The show will run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Feb. 23. There will be an additional Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. on Feb. 23.  All performances will be held at the Chautauqua Playhouse, 5325 Engle Rd. in the La Sierra Community Center in Carmichael.  Admission is $19 general and $17 students, seniors, children and SARTA members.

Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize, Driving Miss Daisy tells the post-World War II story of a rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow who meets her new black chauffeur. Over a series of absorbing scenes spanning 25 years, the two grow to have one of theatre’s most unlikely friendships. This classic is filled with wit and wisdom, and explores the importance of tolerance and love. The show is produced in association with Celebration Arts and features James Wheatley as “Hoke”, Janice Reade-Hoberg as “Miss Daisy” and Chris Lamb as “Booley”.

The production is directed by James Wheatley.  Set design is by Rodger Hoopman with lighting design by Don Myers.

The Chautauqua Playhouse is located at 5325 Engle Rd., Carmichael.

Information and tickets are available through the Chautauqua Playhouse website: www.cplayhouse.org or call the box office at 489-7529, during business hours.

Photo of Jean Siler and her collection of dolls, wearing clothing she made for them. / Photos by Sally King

Walking into Jean Siler’s spare room is a treat for folks who are unaware of her hobby.
From one corner of the room to the next, there are dolls of every size, shape and color. There are baby dolls to grown up dolls. All of the dolls, except one, are wearing clothes sewn by Siler.
Siler, a Greenhaven Pocket resident since 1993, has been sewing doll clothes since 2008. Siler’s hobby began when she had to endure two major back operations and then suffered a stroke. She lost all independence; unable to drive or walk for very long, she knew she needed to find a way to keep from going bonkers.
“When you have an illness that is never going to go away and there is no cure for it, there is a certain type of hell you go through,” Siler said. “I said to myself, let’s see what I can do and literally taught myself how to sew doll clothes.”
Siler retired from the California Youth Authority in 1993, then immediately went into 12 years of volunteering as a docent at the Sacramento Zoo. She loved her work and learned how to handle some of the smaller exotic animals. Siler majored in drama in college and was at one time quite active with the civic theatre in Stockton.
Used to being physically active, after the stroke, Siler became chronically depressed.  She knew she had to find some kind of a hook to keep her mind from becoming stale.
One day Siler looked around her spare room and decided to start cleaning things out. She had her husband move things from the spare room to their garage. While in the garage, Siler spied her old Singer sewing machine.
Siler, married 53 years, had to make all of her family’s clothes when they first married because they were so poor.
“I vowed I would never sew again,” Siler says. “It wasn’t fun to sew at that time, it was sheer work.”
Remembering her years of sewing, she started to wonder how doll clothes were made. The clothes were so small. Siler’s curiosity grew and she started reading books on how to sew doll clothes. She had no idea that dolls were not just for children, but a whole, big industry that catered to adults too.
“It had been 30 years since I had last sewn and I had to learn texture, color and what draping was,” Siler said. “One can’t imagine how much money was wasted learning these things.”
Siler’s husband set up the spare room with bins and shelves, giving Siler a place where she could sew the doll clothes and display her newly outfitted dolls. He also bought her a new sewing machine.
Siler wanted to know how the dolls were made. She found out there were artists who make the dolls and these artists have prototypes, one-of-a-kind dolls.
Two artists she enjoys are Helen Kish and Diane Effner. Effner works with porcelain and Kish is best known for her vinyl dolls. Both artists are well known for their facial sculptures.
Siler still has a Bitty doll given to her at age 13 by her mother. She has another larger Bitty doll she found through E-Bay. Siler likes the fact there is so much history in the dolls. The Bitty dolls were popular during World War II.
Siler said sewing the doll clothes is great therapy and her specialists approve. It not only helps her mentally and emotionally, it improves her fine motor skills.

Individual dolls / Photos by Tom Siler

“I suffer from frequent insomnia and pain,” Siler says. “This is like a form of yoga. Instead of popping oxytocin at two o’clock in the morning, I get up and start sewing the doll clothes, which helps relieve the pain.”
Millie Baird, Siler’s housekeeper for the last 10 years, said Siler has turned into an excellent seamstress and is creative.
“This has been the best therapy in the world for her,” Baird said. “Being able to sew these doll clothes has kept Jean from being bedridden. It keeps her mobile and there are always new outfits for the dolls.”
Siler knows she can’t go out much but believes she now does something in an almost professional way. It fulfills almost everything.
“This hobby gives me so much pleasure, “Siler says. “I can measure what I have done and there is a finished product. I can tell if I have improved my skill.”
Siler said she would be glad to show her dolls and doll clothes to those interested. She sells the clothes, but not the dolls.
Maryanne Walt met Siler at the dentist office where she works. Walt was looking for doll clothes for her grandchildren and visited Siler’s collection. She was amazed at how beautiful the doll clothes were.
“ I have never seen so many beautiful dolls, Walt said. “ I am a detail oriented person and Siler is an artist, you can see the detail and passion she has for the doll clothes.”
Looking around the cheery room filled with dolls, Siler feels a warmth and happiness for what she has accomplished and the dolls all seem to have their special place, showing off the custom made clothes.
If you are interested in seeing Siler’s collection or perhaps even buying some doll clothes, email her at jean.siler@comcast.net

East Sacramento resident Mabel “Bunny” Perich will turn 100 years old on Nov. 24. Photo by Lance Armstrong

In today’s world, it is certainly not very common to encounter someone with firsthand World War I related memories. And this is just part of the reason that the life of East Sacramento resident Mabel “Bunny” Perich can be of interest to so many people.
While sitting down and at times standing inside her residence at Mercy McMahon Terrace senior residential care facility last week, Bunny shared details about her life, which began on Nov. 24, 1912.
In recalling one of her World War I related memories, Bunny, who was raised adjacent to the west side of Chicago in the village of Oak Park, said, “I remember my mother (Mabel Gearon) making fudge during the First World War. Two of my uncles were over in Germany and I remember my mother packing fudge to send to one of them (Gratton Eugene Gearon) in 1917, before the war ended. I can still see her standing in the kitchen stirring the fudge and packing it in a tin box to mail over to my uncle.”
Bunny’s other World War I related memory involves an event, which was held at Chicago’s city hall shortly after the armistice between the allies and Germany was signed in Compiegne, France on Nov. 11, 1918.
“When the war ended, they had a pageant in city hall to commemorate all the men who had been killed during the war and I was dressed as a Red Cross nurse and a little boy was dressed as a doughboy – a soldier,” Bunny said. “I remember that they gave me a sterling silver spoon with (an image of) a Red Cross nurse on the handle and they gave the little boy a sterling silver spoon with (an image of) a soldier on the handle. I still have the Red Cross spoon. I don’t know the name of the little boy, because I only saw him that one day at the pageant.”
Two years later, Bunny took dancing lessons and was involved in a dancing recital in Chicago.
In remembering the recital, which she believes was held in a theater on Ashland Avenue, Bunny said, “I was dressed like a doll in a French doll store. That was the scene. I remember I did a dance and at the end of the dance – I had an American flag tucked down into my uniform – I came to the (theater) lights and I pulled the flag out, which was a silk flag, and held it up and the audience went wild.”
Bunny, who was given her nickname by her father, Joseph S. Gearon, who worked for the Department of Streets for the city of Chicago, also recalled the days of Prohibition.
“I remember my mother and father going out on Saturday nights to a speakeasy,” Bunny said. “I didn’t know it at the time where they went, but that’s where they would go on Saturday nights, not every Saturday. People would go to speakeasies back then and hope they wouldn’t get raided.”
Although she was certainly living in the Chicago area during the days of the notorious gangster Al Capone, Bunny said she does not remember hearing any Capone-related stories during that era.
Among Bunny’s favorite childhood memories was roller skating with her sister, Helen Marie, in the basement of her family’s home during the winters.
In 1927, Bunny graduated from the eighth grade at the now historic St. Edmund (Catholic parochial) School in Oak Park, Ill. The original, 15th century French Gothic designed portion of the school, which was built as a copy of the Palace of Justice in Rouen, France, opened in 1917.
Bunny, whose partial description of 5 feet, 2 inches tall with blue eyes would cause some people to begin singing a popular song of the past, graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Ill. in 1931.
Among the notable people to graduate from that school were the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, Dan Castellaneta, who provides the voice for the cartoon character Homer Simpson, National Football League Hall of Famer George Trafton and city planner and architect Burley Griffin.
In October 1937, Bunny married William J. “Bill” Luck, who worked for the Cherry-Burrell Corp., which was known for manufacturing dairy equipment. And less than two months later, he was transferred to work in San Francisco.
The couple’s first San Francisco residence was at Chestnut and Divisadero streets. And while residing in an apartment at Francisco and Gough streets, the couple had their first and only child, Nancy, on Nov. 13, 1940.
Like many people who recall World War II, Bunny remembers where she was when she learned that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor.
“I was giving my daughter a bath and my husband came rushing in and said, ‘I just heard on the radio they bombed Pearl Harbor,’” Bunny said.
And with the United States’ involvement in World War II came the blackouts, which Bunny also remembers well.
“They blacked out the whole city and they painted all the streetlights that faced the ocean black when they had blackouts,” Bunny said. “And they had air raid wardens to tell you to turn all your lights out and we would put blankets over the windows that faced outside. And then we would go up on the roof of the apartment house and the whole city was blacked out, but we could see the outline of the ships going under the Golden Gate (Bridge).”
After the war, Bunny and her family moved to 2566 39th Ave. in San Francisco’s Sunset District.
Bunny became a Sacramentan when she moved with her family into an apartment at 2230 10th Ave., near Sacramento Junior College (today’s Sacramento City College), in 1947.
Bill, who was married to Bunny for 37 years, died at the age of 64 on June 23, 1976.
Bunny, who worked as a clerk in the bonds section of the state treasurer’s office from 1960 to 1980 and is a lifetime member of St. Patrick’s Home Guild, married a widower named Peter J. Perish (1909-1987) in 1981.
Peter and Bunny spent about seven years of their retirement lives together, enjoying a variety of activities, including traveling through Europe.
Among Bunny’s most gratifying activities during her life was her volunteer work for such places as Holy Spirit Parish and School and the Sacramento Children’s Home through her service to the Los Niños Service League, which raised funds through its assistance to the Casa de Los Niños luncheon restaurant – today’s Casa Garden Restaurant.
In January 2004, following an unfortunate incident when she fell and broke her hip, Bunny became a resident of Mercy McMahon Terrace.
Until her accident, she had been living alone and driving her own vehicle.
She said that her decision to move to her current home was an excellent one.
“I decided I would stay at Mercy McMahon, because it’s a wonderful facility for older people with nice people, good food and good care,” Bunny said.
Despite residing in this facility, Bunny, who enjoys reading historical novels and occasionally playing bridge, remains very independent, as she takes her own medicine and is still mobile on her two feet.
In reviewing her life as a soon-to-be centenarian, Bunny said, “I’ve been lucky. I’ve had a wonderful life.”

LIFELIKE. The bodies of these bird figures were carved from solid blocks of wood into amazingly lifelike representations. The Wildlife Art Festival will feature this unique American art form in Sacramento on July 14 and July 15. / Valley Community Newspaper photo, Susan Laird

America is famously known as a “melting pot” – where all peoples bring the richness of their culture to the table and the nation embraces those gifts as its own.

However, there is an art form that is unique to the North American continent. And the world has embraced it.
What is this mysterious craft that is indigenous to North America? It is the art of bird carving.

Thousands of years old
For thousands of years, Native American Indians spent countless hours carving figures of birds for use as decoys. These tools were used to catch birds for food and ceremonial purposes.

A cache of Native American decoys was discovered a century ago. Miners discovered some 10,000 artifacts from a cave in northern Nevada. The decoys were individually wrapped and highly detailed. Some even sported feathers for a realistic look. The find was dated to 200 B.C.
European settlers who traded with the Indians also learned hunting skills from them. The settlers also learned how to carve their own decoys.

Uniquely American
“You don’t find decoy carving originating on any other continent,” said Jim Burcio, membership vice president the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association. “When plastics came along after World War II, the art form started to die because people could buy plastic decoys.”

In the early 1970s, several organizations were started throughout the United States to save the craft. The purpose was to continue an American heritage that began with the hand carved decoy.

Life-like
Today, the art of bird carving is practiced throughout the world – and not just for the creation of decoys. Artists create carved birds for display in homes and businesses that are so realistic, one would not be surprised if they moved. Some of the models even boast personalities, they are so life-like.

This is true wildlife art.

Check it out
The Pacific Decoy Association will host its 42nd anniversary Wildfowl Art Classic – the second oldest annual show in the nation – at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sacramento on July 14 and 15.

“We live in the Pacific Flyway, so it was natural that we would have a club doing bird carving,” Burcio said. “People now carve any bird in the world.”
Several categories of bird carvings will be on display at the show: decorative lifesize wildfowl carvings, decorative miniature wildfowl carvings, gunning shorebirds, decoys, miniature decoys, game birds and more.

Over 500 carvings will be on display from all over the United States and Canada. Additional features of the show include raffles, a banquet auction, a junior carver event and activities for kids. There will be items available for purchase, as well.

The 42nd annual Wildlife Art Festival will be held on Saturday, July 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday, July 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The DoubleTree Hotel is located at 2001 Point West Way in Sacramento. Admission is $5 for the weekend and children under the age of 12 are free. To purchase tickets to the banquet or for more information, visit www.pacificflyway.org or call (925) 687-2013.

It has been nearly seven decades since former Land Park resident John Kanelos served as the lead radio operator aboard a Consolidated B-24J Liberator warplane. But he will soon be at the radio controls of one of these classic American heavy bombers once again.

JOHN KANELOS, former Land Park resident of 15 years, shows off a photograph of himself from his war days in 1943. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

During World War II, John, 88, was a member of the 15th Air Force, 450th Bombardment Group, which flew out of southern Italy. Altogether he flew with the group in 57 missions.

Because of his experience aboard this bomber, John, who presently lives in Elk Grove, was selected to participate in a living history event on Friday, June 1.

On that date, John will be traveling aboard an original B-24J that will leave Stockton at noon, fly above McClellan Airfield, then land at McClellan at 1 p.m.

This flight is part of the Wings of Freedom Tour, which will also feature a North American P-51 Mustang and a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

And as a special, previously unannounced bonus, a German Messerschmitt will also be on display at McClellan.

John said that his cousin, Jack Stavros, a 90-year-old, former flight instructor, will be a passenger aboard the P-51.

Considering that John is the only member of his crew who resides in the greater Sacramento area, his presence at the event is one of both convenience and honor.

Vanishing breed

Certainly John’s firsthand stories of his wartime involvement aboard these bombers are of increasing value as the number of living World War II veterans continues to diminish.

Evidence of this fact was well presented last week during John’s meeting with this publication.

While holding a 1943 photograph of his bomber crew, John said, “The only two (people) alive out of the whole crew are (the pilot Fred “Pick”) Pickering and me.”

John Kanelos poses on the wing of an American Bell P-39 Airacobra in 1943. The photograph was taken in the Italian city of Manduria. / Photo courtesy, John Kanelos

Continuing, he ran his finger along the old, faded photograph, stopping at various faces to provide commentary.

“(Pickering) is a Sacramento boy,” John said. “This is my pilot right here, Fred Pickering.”

And moving his finger to other faces, he said, “This is the guy who got blown up in the plane. He’s gone. This guy is dead. This guy is (dead), too. And so is this guy.”

With his crew, John was stationed in southern Italy from 1943 to 1945 and participated in missions in Romania, Greece, Italy, Germany, Yugoslavia and North Africa.

John, who grew up in the old town of Florin and graduated from Elk Grove High School in 1943, acknowledged that he was one of the fortunate military men to return home alive.

Close calls

His most notable near-death experience occurred when he came within inches of being killed.

“I caught a 20-millimeter (cannon round),” John said. “We were flying at 28,000 feet and I saw the shell leave the plane – I was in the radio room, sitting right behind the co-pilot – and that 20 millimeter came up right through the bottom of the plane between my legs and left a (large) hole (in the top of the plane) when it went out. It was a dud. It didn’t explode. We were lucky. I think about it today and I shudder.”

Of the 20 planes that participated in that mission, John said that 15 planes returned.

During a separate mission, John survived another dramatic incident, in which his plane was hit by a 20-millimeter cannon round that knocked out its number three engine and caught on fire above the Adriatic Sea.

Both John and Pickering said that, of their 57 missions, there were only five missions in which they were never hit by enemy fire.

Deadly mission

An incident that has vividly remained in John’s mind since his war days was witnessing the death of a new squadron member during the bombing of the Ploesti (spelled Ploiești in Romanian) oil fields.

“We made some (bomb) runs over Ploiești, Romania and I was the only one who could break radio silence, because my pilot was a full bird colonel,” John said. “And when we were heading toward the target, we had 40 planes on the squadron and in Ploiești, we lost six planes over the target. And we lost a (squadron) member. He was 18 years old and on his first mission. And I saw him get a direct hit right over the target. The 24 is a good-sized plane. When they got hit, we had three 2,000 pounders on it and that plane went up just like you’d light a firecracker. That plane disappeared and he lost his life on his very first mission.”

Stateside adventure

In addition to his overseas wartime experiences, John shared details about his pre-European military days, including a crucial moment that could have prevented him from ever making it to Europe.

ONE HUNDRED MISSIONS. The 15th Air Force, 450th Bombardment Group pose in front of a Consolidated B-24J Liberator warplane. / Photo courtesy, John Kanelos

“We were out at (Edwards Air Force Base on the border of Los Angeles and Kern counties) and they said, ‘Okay, you guys are flying out tomorrow and you’re going overseas, but you cannot call your parents or anything,’” John recalled. “So, that night, we flew from Hamilton Field (near Novato) to Amarillo, Tex. When we got into Amarillo at about six in the evening, it was dark and it was raining, drizzling. We landed there and I and a buddy of mine, we got out and I called my folks (Andrew and Thomasina Kanelos) and I said, ‘I’m not supposed to tell you, but we’re going overseas.’ The next morning, we got up and headed for Stewart Field in New York to the military academy. It was about five or six in the evening when we ran out of fuel over Wilkes-Barre, Pa. We made an emergency landing. My pilot, who was a colonel, he said, ‘Look around and see if we have a small base here that you can contact.’ So, I picked up a base there and I told them, ‘This is Army, B-24 and we’re headed overseas and we’re out of fuel and we want to make an emergency landing.’ And the guy said, ‘Man, you’re crazy. The biggest thing we’ve had land here was a Piper Cub. You can’t land on this field.’ I said, ‘We’re coming in.’ I remember coming in over some cornfields and there were some people picking corn and it was drizzling. Well, when we hit the runway, our wheels were on the outer edge of the runway. The only thing that stayed on the runway was the nose wheel. We came in at about 200 miles an hour and we landed in a canal and the whole front end dug down, nose into the canal. So, we were lucky we got out of there all right. People from the town came out. I think there were about 200 or 300 people there.”

Portuguese connection

John added that shortly after leaving to the United States, his crew lost a generator and had to make another emergency landing in the island of Faial in the Azores Islands of Portugal.

The crew soon afterward made another emergency landing in South Africa.

During a telephone interview last week, Pickering, 90, who grew up in Fair Oaks, attended San Juan High School and now resides in the state of Washington, was asked to comment about John’s work as a radio operator.

“He was a damn good radio operator,” Pickering said. “He didn’t cause me a bit of trouble. He knew what to do all the time.”

Fear of flight

Pickering noted, however, that when it came to flying, John never felt comfortable in any of the missions.

“He told me that he was scared all the time,” Pickering said. “I said, ‘Okay, I’ll protect you.’”

In discussing his fear of flying, John, who was married four times in his life, but had no children, said, “I never did care to fly. I later flew to Hawaii with my wife at the time on four occasions and I never liked any of (the flying).”

Nonetheless, as he did during his military days, John will ignore his fear of flying and board a B-24J, and land at McClellan Airfield, where he is expected to be greeted by a crowd of friends, aviation enthusiasts and other spectators.

For additional information regarding the Wings of Freedom Tour, call (800) 568-8924 or visit the Web site www.cfdn.org.

Local orchestra conductor Michael Neumann studies the music of Beethoven’ Symphony No. 9. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

During his exclusive interview with this publication, Michael presented a chronological summary of his personal musical journey, which began in Durban, South Africa.

Michael said that he was born in South Africa, because his parents, Gary and Lilo Neumann, had fled there during World War II.

“I was the son of basically refugees from the Holocaust,” Michael said. “They came from (Berlin) Germany and went to South Africa. That’s why I was born there (in South Africa in 1948).”

During his years growing up in South Africa, Michael gained a love for classical music through concerts that he would attend with his parents.

Inspired by this genre of music, Michael began studying violin, and was taught at a young age by Maria Neuss, the great-great granddaughter of the famous Czech

In addition to his notoriety as a premier orchestra conductor, Michael Neumann enjoys playing the violin. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904).

It was not until the early 1960s that Michael immigrated to America with his family, which also included his brother, Frank.

Michael’s family eventually resided in San Francisco, where Michael was enrolled in the prestigious Lowell High School.

Continuing his schooling through a music scholarship, Michael studied at San Francisco State College (present day San Francisco State University).

During his first semester at San Francisco State, Michael applied for and received a full-ride music scholarship from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for violin performance.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in violin performance at the Cincinnati university, Michael earned a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the same institution.

Michael Neumann shows off his Beethoven Symphony No. 9-themed gate, which leads to his home studio. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

Shortly after receiving his master’s degree, Michael obtained employment with the Birmingham Symphony in Alabama. For about five years during the 1970s, he played in this symphony’s first violin section and conducted the Birmingham Youth Symphony.

Michael’s longtime connection with Sacramento followed his time with the Birmingham symphonies, as he was hired in 1978 as the assistant conductor and as a violinist in the orchestra for the now-defunct Sacramento Symphony.

A year later, Michael began the first of his 32 years as the conductor of the Sacramento Youth Symphony.

Additionally, Michael continued his work with the Sacramento Symphony, which promoted him as its associate conductor, a position he obtained in 1989 and continued until the symphony disbanded in 1997.

Fortunately for Michael and the Sacramento Youth Symphony, the youth symphony filed for independence prior to when the Sacramento Symphony was discontinued. The youth symphony became its own non-profit organization, which is still in existence today and is led by Michael as its artistic director.

Michael, who is the conductor of the youth symphony’s premier orchestra, said that he made a very conscious decision to dedicate himself to and develop the youth symphony, which debuted as the Northern California Junior Philharmonic Orchestra in 1956.

Michael Neumann conducts a performance by the Sacramento Youth Symphony. / Photo courtesy, Michael Neumann

With the support of the youth symphony’s board, Michael has contributed greatly to the youth symphony’s success.

Since the time that Michael became involved with the Sacramento Youth Symphony, the symphony has grown from 55 youth and one orchestra to 400 youth, three 90-piece orchestras, a summer chamber music workshop, flute and clarinet ensembles and a beginning string orchestra, called the Vivace Strings.

And next year, the youth symphony will add a beginners’ orchestra, called the Prelude Strings.

Michael, who has a wife named Allison and two sons, Gary, who is a guitarist, and Joshua, who plays cello in the nationally touring, major label band, Brandi Carlile (visit www.brandicarlile.com), explained that the Sacramento Youth Symphony, which has performed in several countries outside of the United States, offers a very important educational opportunity for many youth in the Sacramento region.

Michael Neumann spends a moment with members of the Sacramento Youth Symphony during one of the symphony’s tours. / Photo courtesy, Michael Neumann

“There are many, many young people in Sacramento and the surrounding vicinity who want to play music, and especially now with the school systems, as many schools don’t even have an orchestra, because of the budget cuts, etcetera, etcetera,” Michael said. “Well, we provide a very high quality musical education for our young people.”

In addition to his work with the Sacramento Youth Symphony, whose performances have included tribute concerts such as its popular Veterans Day concerts at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Michael is also the music director and conductor of the Folsom Symphony and is occasionally a guest conductor around the country.

As a well accomplished and highly recognized conductor, Michael has received many awards, including the “Arts Educator of the Year” award from the Arts and Business Council of Sacramento – an award which he received last year.

Michael said that one of his favorite items of recognition that he has received is a hand-carved, wooden gate that leads to his former one-car garage, which was converted into his home studio in about 1999.

“There was a gentleman whose daughter took violin (lessons) from me and whose daughter was in the (Sacramento) Youth Symphony and he was so grateful for what I was doing that he said, ‘Michael, I do woodwork and I want to make you a gate, because I want to show you how much I appreciate what you do.’” Michael said. “He said, ‘I’ll put anything you want on (the gate) and all you have to do is pay for the lumber.’”

Pointing to the hand-carved portion of his gate, Michael, whose favorite composer is Beethoven, said with an upbeat tone to his voice, “This is the opening of Beethoven’s 9th. This is the violin part.”

Michael Neumann has won many awards for his work as an orchestra conductor. / Photo courtesy, Tom Thompson

In reviewing his career in music, Michael said that he is grateful to have spent so many years working in a field that he loves.

“There’s a certain satisfaction level that I feel (working in music),” Michael said. “When I see people in their work, in their jobs, who hate their work and look at (the clock) and say, ‘In another 10 minutes, I’m out of here,’ well, I’m never on a podium going, ‘In 10 minutes, I’m out of here.’ So, I’m grateful to be doing what I’ve set my mind and my heart to be doing. There’s a great deal of satisfaction in that.”

For those interested in attending a performance by Maestro Neumann and the Folsom Symphony, the symphony will perform a special concert, called “Land That I Love,” at Three Stages at Folsom Lake College, 10 College Parkway, in Folsom on Saturday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and information, call (916) 357-6718 or visit www.folsomsymphony.com.

American Red Cross Capital Region Chapter members gather together at the chapter’s headquarters near Cal Expo. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

It was on May 21, 1881, thus nearly 130 years ago, that the ARC was founded by Clara Barton.

Furthermore, on a national level, this is currently a very notable time for the organization.

This month is Red Cross Month, a recognition that has been a tradition since President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was serving as the honorary chairman of the organization, first declared March as a special month for the organization in 1943.

Since then, United States presidents have continued to proclaim March as Red Cross Month on an annual basis.

As a fundraising campaign with a goal of collecting $125 million, the original Red Cross Month received an overwhelming response as the goal was reached in less than six weeks.

Further proving that the public did not recognize Red Cross Month as a drive with an expiration date, funds continued to be donated to the organization. By June 1943, the drive had resulted in donations totaling about $146 million.

Because of this initial success, Red Cross Month became a tradition that has assisted the Red Cross in fulfilling its mission, which reads as follows: “The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.”

Clara Barton, who was also known as the “Angel of the Battlefield,” founded the American Red Cross in 1881. / Photo courtesy of the American Red Cross

Furthermore, the ARC described its role as an organization that “shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.”

With a long history of responding to the nation’s needs, the ARC, which is strictly a charitable, non-government agency that relies on the volunteer support of the American public to perform its services, has grown with the times.

For all the good that the ARC does to assist others in needs, none of the many services of the organization would have been possible without the work of its founder.

And for this reason, it is important in any overview of the ARC’s history to highlight Clara Barton.

Born Clarissa Harlowe Barton in Oxford, Mass. on Christmas Day in 1821, Barton can be considered a holiday gift for countless people who have benefitted from the services of the ARC since its founding.

But in order to have a better understanding of how long Barton maintained a deep interest in assisting others in need, it is necessary to know that Barton was active in helping such people long before she founded the ARC.

With the beginning of the Civil War, little time passed before Barton was dedicating her time to helping soldiers in her home state.

Initially, Barton cooked for soldiers and also ripped sheets into towels and handkerchiefs for them.

But her efforts did not stop there, as Barton was dedicated to bringing comfort to the sick and the wounded from the battlefield, and fought for permission to bring food, medicine and supplies to soldiers on the frontlines.

An American Red Cross worker speaks to an injured soldier in a field hospital in Vietnam. / Photo courtesy of the American Red Cross

Through these efforts, she received the nickname, the “Angel of the Battlefield.”

Following the war, Barton was commissioned by President Abraham Lincoln to search for missing Union soldiers and she also initiated a movement to have a national cemetery constructed for Union soldiers who died in the Andersonville prison – the Confederate prison of war camp, which was officially known as Camp Sumter – in Andersonville, Ga.

Barton’s goodwill nature and experience in helping those in need led to her founding of the American Association of the Red Cross – the name was later shortened to the American Red Cross – which evolved to become known as the nation’s premier emergency response organization.

In understanding that disasters result in human suffering, Barton, who served as the Red Cross’ first president, recognized a need for a volunteer organization that would be available during emergencies.

Barton, as well as the Red Cross symbol, became synonymous with the fact that comfort would be offered by the organization to those who suffered due to disasters.

The first American Red Cross chapter was organized at the Lutheran Church of Dansville, N.Y.

Among the early service of the Red Cross was its assistance to victims of the Ohio and Mississippi floods of 1884.

Nurses work at an American Red Cross recruiting station to field new members during World War II. / Photo courtesy of the American Red Cross

Five years later, the Sacramento Record-Union printed the following quote regarding Barton: “The sublime life of this plain, simple, unpretentious and self-sacrificing woman is one of the grandest monuments to charity and merciful kindness the world has witnessed.”

In 1898, the Red Cross played a very significant role in the Spanish-American War, as the organization assisted refugees and prisoners of war.

Since its early beginnings, the ARC has expanded to other cities across the nation, and today the organization, which also provides assistance in other countries, has many chapters throughout the nation.

Sacramento’s chapter, which was previously known as the Sacramento Sierra Chapter and is presently known as the Capital Region Chapter, was established in 1898.

The founding of the Sacramento chapter was very timely, considering that only seven years after its organization, the chapter was assisting in the relief efforts of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

This 1956 “On the Job” recruiting poster by John Gould is among the many posters that were designed to recruit American Red Cross volunteers. / Photo courtesy of the American Red Cross

The Red Cross’ local and national response to this disaster prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to describe the Red Cross as “the national organization best fitted to undertake the outpouring of the nation’s aide.”

The ARC also provided assistance during the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic and World Wars I and II.

Leftover ARC funds from the Great War were utilized to create the “Baby Clinic,” which became part of the Sacramento Health Clinic in 1927.

During World War II, the Sacramento chapter was a 24 hours per day operation, and overall, Sacramento contributed $468,037 to the National War Relief Effort.

The Sacramento chapter responded to five American River floods and the Yuba City-Marysville floods during the 1950s, and during the Vietnam War, ARC programs were expanded to assist the military and their families.

In more recent times, the ARC’s Sacramento chapter has continued to provide local and national assistance, including its aide to Hurricane Katrina.

Trista Jensen, communications and marketing director for the Capital Region Chapter, said that as a representative of the American Red Cross, she is pleased that the organization has been able to successfully operate with consistency for the past 130 years.

“I think what’s remarkable about the American Red Cross is that we are still doing the things that we started doing 130 years ago,” Jensen said. “We started serving people in the battlefield, responding to disasters and helping people in their greatest time of need. Whether that’s a house fire across the street, a hurricane across the country or a major disease breakout across the world, we’re still responding in the same manner that we were 130 years ago.”

lance@valcomnews.com

Following his time as a Pacific Coast League umpire, P.R. “Tony” Tonelli served in the Navy during World War II. / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

Although the name Tony Tonelli is not a familiar name for the majority of local baseball fans of this era, those who attended baseball games at this local stadium at just about any time during the years 1939 to 1941, likely have at least a vague recollection of seeing Tony.

This is a certainty when considering that Tony was a regular at these games, as he called balls and strikes from behind home plate, which was located at what is now the northwest corner of the Target parking lot.

At 88 years old, Tony admits that many of his memories of his days of working as a Pacific Coast League umpire have faded with time.

Love of the game

But that does not take away his love for this part of his life or his place in the grand history of baseball in Sacramento.

As a baseball city, Sacramento was once home to a large, 10,000-seat, mostly wooden stadium that was home to the Pacific Coast League’s Sacramento Senators or Solons, depending upon the era.

Originally known as Moreing Field and later receiving the name Sacramento Ball Park, then Cardinal Field, Doubleday Park and lastly Edmonds Field, the stadium stood at the corner of Riverside Boulevard and Broadway from 1922 to 1948. A second Edmonds Field opened at the same Land Park site in 1949. 

The PCL years

It was the first Edmonds Field, however, where Tony spent three seasons working behind the plate.

As a PCL umpire, Tony never resided in Sacramento, as he instead lived in Oakland, which was one of the six California cities that were home to PCL teams.

Although the league consisted of eight teams, including teams in Portland and Seattle, Tony said that he only umpired games in California.

P.R. “Tony” Tonelli points to a photograph of the USS Saratoga, the aircraft carrier that he served on for more than two years during World War II. Tonelli described the vessel, which carried about 4,000 workers, as a “city onto itself.” / Valley Community Newspapers photo, Lance Armstrong

In addition to its teams in Sacramento, Oakland, Portland and Seattle, the league, during this time, included teams from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hollywood and San Diego.

Among the Sacramento players who Tony recently recalled from his years of umpiring were: Art Garibaldi, Gene Handley, Robert “Buddy” Blattner, Walker Cooper, Al Sherer, George “Red” Munger, Max “Milo” Marshall, Herman Franks and Averett “Tommy” Thompson.

Tony, who was born and raised in Cottonwood, Ariz. by his parents, northern Italy immigrants Peter Tonelli and Julia (Arigoni) Tonelli, also recalled Pepper Martin, the former Major League All-Star who became Sacramento’s manager in 1941.

Although Tony does not immediately recall the names of former Sacramento players and managers, he was certainly quick to name Dominic “Dom” DiMaggio as his all-time favorite baseball player.

Dom DiMaggio, who was the brother of the legendary New York Yankees slugger Joe Dimaggio, played for the PCL’s San Francisco Seals from 1937 to 1939. He later had a lengthy Major League Baseball career with the Boston Red Sox.

Despite maintaining a longtime involvement in baseball, Tony said that he did not play baseball during his childhood.

“I was probably 19 when I first started playing baseball,” Tony said. “I was a catcher. My father passed away when he was 42 in 1932 and I was the only boy. I was 10 years old at the time. I had two sisters, Margaret and Mary, and one half-sister, Eleanor. We owned a motel – we called them cabins back then – so, I had to help my mother out with the business.”

The U.S. aircraft carriers USS Saratoga (CV-3), foreground, and USS Enterprise (CV-6) are underway with aircraft spotted for launch in this August, 1942 photo from World War II. / Photo public domain

Tony said that his road to becoming an umpire included his coaching of a youth team in Southern California.

“There were about three complexes in the area and all the kids had one team and we were undefeated for two years,” Tony said. “I wish I could remember the name of the kid that was on the team, but he ended up playing on, I think it was the San Diego Padres. His (batting) average in Major League Baseball was about .280.”

Pre-WWII ump in Japan

Tony said that his time as an umpire began through his friendship with a man, named Chris, whose last name, to the best of Tony’s knowledge, is spelled, “Peliciutus.”

“(Chris) asked me to be an official at a baseball game at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo,” Tony said. “He said, ‘I have letters from people over there who would like to see an American umpire.’ So, we went to Japan. I was (umpiring) behind the plate and (Chris) was (umpiring) at first base. That was something. There were probably 10,000 people there. I naturally got butterflies and so did Chris, but we thought it was great.”

Tony said that Chris wanted him to work as the home plate umpire due to his ability to speak Japanese.

“I spoke enough Japanese to get by, so that’s why I went behind the plate,” Tony said.

In addition to learning English and Italian in his childhood home, Tony developed a fascination with languages at a young age and he eventually learned Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese.

Although he was only working as a guest umpire for one game, Tony said that there was nonetheless added pressure to be accurate on his calling of balls and strikes.

“Japanese are very fanatic about being precise on their calls and umpires are considered upper class in Japan,” Tony said.

Due to his friendship and baseball experience with Chris, Tony, who also umpired community baseball games in Southern California, was asked by Chris to be a PCL umpire. And to become qualified for this position, he spent six weeks attending an umpire school in Florida.

World War II

Tony’s time as a PCL umpire ended with the U.S. involvement in World War II.

P.R. “Tony” Tonelli (front, center) gathers together with other Fleet Reserve Association members in this 1981 photograph. / Photo courtesy of Tony Tonelli

Having joined the Navy on June 6, 1939, Tony said that he was called to sea in 1942.

“I had orders (from the Navy) to go to sea,” Tony recalled. “I went aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga, CV-3, which went from Long Beach to the Pacific, between the states and Hawaii. I was aboard the ship for two and a half years.”

Tony’s subsequent duties included assignments on the USS Midway, USS Coral Sea, USS Ticonderoga and a converted carrier, known as USS Salvo Island.

Altogether Tony spent 42 years in the Navy and also worked as an attorney at law and was a dedicated parliamentarian.

Today, Tony enjoys spending time with his wife Dorothy, participating in USS Saratoga Association and Fleet Reserve Association of the West Coast Region gatherings and annually donating funds to Easter Seals.

Reminiscing about his many experiences in life, Tony said, “In knowing what I did, I’d do it all over again. That’s how much I loved the work that I did.”

lance@valcomnews.com