 On The Line -- Issue 569 -- February 10, 2006  Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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On The Line -- Issue 569 -- February 10, 2006 Online News and Views of Life in San Benito County with Herman Wrede Published by HollisterOnline.com -- Copyright 1995-2008 HollisterOnline.com
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Hollister and San Benito County are poorer for the loss of three men, who died within a short time of each other this past week.
Frank Felice was the long-time city clerk of Hollister who was known for his integrity as well as a close attention to detail. When he presented figures dealing with municipal expenditures to Council, one could be sure that they were always accurate. His devotion to his profession carried over into his private life, and his family and friends never had anything but the best of him. He was a quiet man by nature but enjoyed humor and often saw in many places where it was not always evident to other eyes. He was a kind man but never let himself stand upon that if a friend asked his advice on some course he was considering. Felice would tell him frankly and forthrightly about the merits and disadvantages of the plan in question. George Shore also was a quiet man who enjoyed humor. Like his grandfather, who was among the earliest of the county's supervisors, Shore campaigned and was elected for a board post in the 1970s. He also adhered to strict rules. If a friend thought to sway him to a decision he did not consider proper; he explained why he would not deviate from the rules in such a manner that the friend, although disappointed, saw the justice in it. Shore grew up to the idea of service and saw his position on the board as a way to give something back to the community in which he grew up and loved. His family and a wide circle of friends benefited from his compassion, and his constituents admired him. Dick Hill was best known for his involvement in history. He, with Jack O'Donnell and the late Fred LaSelve, were moving forces in the county Historical Society and in establishing the Historical Park. Hill was considered by some people to be a feisty man and, to the degree that he spoke his mind if he suspected sham or an ignoring of rules, those who defined him that way were correct. Some years back, there was a saying: "Don't ask Dick's opinion unless you're sure you'll like the answer." But to his friends he was a kind man who did not have to be asked to help out if he suspected that help was needed. He volunteered it and followed through. If ever a history is written of San Benito County in the 20th Century, each of the three will have a well-deserved place in it. That knowledge may help console those close to them when the grief of their passage has been eased by time. The Hollister chapter of the Exchange Club is made up of a fine group of local men. The club is known for its contributions to local youth and its hospitality to guests, a tradition established many years ago and practiced by its members over decades. But sometimes, those same members let down their hair and act much as -- well, much as a classroom of rowdy boys might when the teacher is called away from her duties for an hour or so. To begin with, at its regular evening meeting at Paines' Restaurant on Feb. 6, the club met in the large back room rather than the private dining room where meetings are usually held. Also the president was absent and Gary Guerra, the president-elect, was not there to conduct the meeting. By popular acclaim, Mac Mota, the most recent past president, was called upon to chair it. Now Mota is a popular man, known for jollity. That by itself may have not invited the whimsicalities of his colleagues but there was no program or speaker that evening to remind them of their duties as hosts. It was a group made up of Eddie Falcone, Dean Croft, Sunny Flores, Gene Francis, John Arballo et al that is normally within the bounds of accepted behavior. But the air seemed to be charged with the spirit of anything goes, so members sensed fun as keenly as a shark does blood in the water. Several attempts were made to steal the bell that the presiding officer raps with a gavel to call to order and fines were levied upon the unsuccessful miscreants. The mood was evident when Leland Lyter was called upon to report on the impending crab dinner. "Yeah, we're going to have it," Lyter responded and was rewarded by gales of laughter from the others. At that point, a member ordered more wine from the waiter and others at the table followed suit. John Hodges and Leonard Poletti sat together and directly across from them was Hodges' guest for the evening, a former member and affable old party falling well into his dotage, seated next to Tom Ament but one chair away. The guest is largely known around town for his harmless drivel which has made most of his listeners immune. When asked what kind of chicken it was as the waiter said guests had a choice between steak and chicken, the old party said, "It's a pullet surprise." Poletti arose then, got Mota's attention and proposed that Hodges should be fined a dollar for each one-liner his guest made. When the guest suggested that Poletti should be fined a dollar for every quip he did not deliver, Poletti gently explained, "Shut up." His motion carried by acclaim, even from those who didn't hear it, and Poletti sat down with eyes gleaming, sure in his heart that he would enrich the club's coffers by many of Hodges' dollars that evening. Gary Nicklaus, sitting to Poletti's left, smiled broadly, interested in the interplay. Hodges paled at what he thought would be the inevitable draining of his wallet, especially with Ament sitting near the guest, because Ament has been known to be boisterous from time to time, and would certainly offer him ample opportunity. All through dinner, Poletti leaned forward with hearing aid turned up to catch the guest in a joke and to denounce him. But somewhere deep in the old party's mind, an idea formed that he could enjoy himself instead by baiting Poletti. Several times he started a conversation with, "You know, Tom,…" or "Did it ever occur to you, Gary.." and Hodges turned whiter and Poletti was set to spring but the old gaffer finished it by saying, "this is a fine steak" or some other harmless bit of chit-chat. Once when Mota rang the bell and Ament and the guest went into their mimicry of two punch-drunk fighters leaping to the signal and battling it out, but without words, Poletti was again balked. Hodges was fined several times for his own delinquencies but paid in silent awe at his guest's good behavior. Toward the end of the meeting, Poletti laughed sourly and even with a little disappointment every time the guest opened his mouth but uttered nary a joke. Doug Skow was the recipient of half the fine money for choosing the number in which the wheel spin ended, and he had a handful. Even so, it must have occurred to him that he would have had much more if the guest had not complied with the stricture on his behavior. After the meeting adjourned, Poletti, Hodges and the guest lingered over coffee, and the puns, wisecracks and quips bubbled out of the restrained old party. Hodges' laughter was full voiced as was Poletti's although the latter's was tinged with a little bitterness. Hodges remarked that it would be recalled as the evening that the club decided to muzzle a guest, something never before known in its history. Poletti responded, "I thought we would do without his one-liners but I got them all at once instead of over the course of the evening." He even told Fernando Gonzalez and other incredulous friends about it the next day, shaking his head all the while at a good scheme that came to nothing. |
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