I WANT TO THANK ROGER ‘RUGGERO’ PRINCEVALLE AND THE OFFICERS OF THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION (IPA) FOR INVITING THE ‘OLD RANCERE’ TO THEIR MEETING IN SAN JOSE LAST SUNDAY. THE ‘RANCERE’ WAS A BIT APPREHENSIVE ABOUT GIVING HIS PRESENTATION BEFORE A GROUP OF PEACE OFFICERS WHO MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAD ANY TIES TO ‘LA COSTA’ OR THE ITALIANS WHO SETTLED THERE. I HAVE FOUND THAT PEACE OFFICERS ARE SOME OF THE MOST DISCERNING PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
I am happy to inform “La Nostra Costa” fans that the ‘Old Rancere” was warmly received. As he looked out onto the audience he could both see and feel the group’s attentiveness. They were definitely interested in the “La Nostra Costa” story.
This was most important to me, because one of my goals for 2007 is to take the ‘story’ away from “La Costa” (although I can never really do that) and expose other people in different areas to the rich history of the Italians ‘su per la costa’. Quite frankly, I am quite surprise that people from non-Italian backgrounds have such an interest. And I sometimes get the impression that some (certainly not all), descendants of the “rancere” and “amici della costa”, do not have that same interest. It seems to me that they take the historical significance of what the “Italiani su per la Costa” achieved, much too much for granted. Perhaps they were too close to the action to see its significance.
Now back to Santa Cruz. “The Old Rancere” will be giving a presentation at the Santa Cruz County Red Cross Office 2960 Soquel Ave., at noon this coming Monday, March 5. Seating is limited. For more information call Donna Rodoni at 831-462-2881, Ext. 23.
Ivn0
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
A MESSAGE FROM RACHEL "VOCE D'ORO" GOODMAN
Norma (Dinelli) Wilson, Rachel Goodman (head-phones and mike) and Ivano in his guise as the'Old Rancere" on the Rodoni Ranch on the North Coast of Santa Cruz, California.
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LAST YEAR, SHORTLY AFTER I PUBLISHED "LA NOSTRA COSTA", NORMA (DINELLI) WILSON, BILLY RODONI AND 'THE OLD RANCERE' MET WITH RACHEL GOODMAN OF KUSP PUBLIC RADIO (88.9 FM) ON THE RODONI RANCH 'SU PER LA COSTA'. I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT WE CONTRIBUTED TO THE MAKING OF HER PROGRAM "PASTURES OF PLENTY: A HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA FARMWORKERS". THE PROGRAM IS DESCRIBED BELOW IN HER MESSAGE. CLICK ON THE LINKS TO GET A PREVIEW. BUONA FORTUNA RACHEL. IVNO
Dear Friends and colleagues;
As you may know, I've been hard at work for the past year of "Pastures of Plenty: A History of California Farmworkers", a four-part documentary series, coming to public radio this spring.
Please visit our new web site, complete with a nifty flash slide show. http://www.coastridge.org/pastures/index.html OR listen to a preview at: http://www.coastridge.org/pastures/radio.html The project is a compilation of oral histories of immigrant and migrant farmworkers and their descendants, telling stories about coming to California to work the fields. It goes from statehood through the present. Luis Valdez, (Zoot Suit, La Bamba, El Teatro Campesino) is the host. There are many old music recordings, archival audio, letters, and other rich historic material, as well as voices of historians, writers, and poets. Our friends Janet Dows, Laurie Rivin, John Hamstra, and Paul Rangell contributed the theme music. If you'd like to have your local public radio station broadcast the series, e-mail them this link or call and ask them to air it.
I am planning a history talk/slide-show/celebration sometime in April in Watsonville, with historian, Sandy Lydon. If you'd like to come, drop me a line. My deepest thanks to all of you who have helped this project along.
Rachel Anne Goodman Coastridge Productions 415 Emerald Forest Lane Bonny Doon, CA 95060 (831)457-8098
"California is the Ellis Island of the West. It's about your grandfather, and my grandmother and everybody's grandfather. We all came in through the furrows." Historian, Sandy Lydon
Dear Friends and colleagues;
As you may know, I've been hard at work for the past year of "Pastures of Plenty: A History of California Farmworkers", a four-part documentary series, coming to public radio this spring.
Please visit our new web site, complete with a nifty flash slide show. http://www.coastridge.org/pastures/index.html OR listen to a preview at: http://www.coastridge.org/pastures/radio.html The project is a compilation of oral histories of immigrant and migrant farmworkers and their descendants, telling stories about coming to California to work the fields. It goes from statehood through the present. Luis Valdez, (Zoot Suit, La Bamba, El Teatro Campesino) is the host. There are many old music recordings, archival audio, letters, and other rich historic material, as well as voices of historians, writers, and poets. Our friends Janet Dows, Laurie Rivin, John Hamstra, and Paul Rangell contributed the theme music. If you'd like to have your local public radio station broadcast the series, e-mail them this link or call and ask them to air it.
I am planning a history talk/slide-show/celebration sometime in April in Watsonville, with historian, Sandy Lydon. If you'd like to come, drop me a line. My deepest thanks to all of you who have helped this project along.
Rachel Anne Goodman Coastridge Productions 415 Emerald Forest Lane Bonny Doon, CA 95060 (831)457-8098
"California is the Ellis Island of the West. It's about your grandfather, and my grandmother and everybody's grandfather. We all came in through the furrows." Historian, Sandy Lydon
Monday, February 19, 2007
SAN JOSE POLICE OFFICER (RETIRED) RUSS JONES REMEMBERS
I HAVE RECEIVED SO MANY E-MAILS FROM “LA NOSTRA COSTA” READERS SAYING THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I WRITE ABOUT IN THE BOOK, HAVE TRIGGERED MEMORIES ABOUT EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THEIR OWN LIVES. RUSS JONES, A FORMER SAN JOSE POLICE OFFICER, DOES AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB IN WRITING ABOUT SOME OF HIS RECOLLECTIONS. HE ALSO GIVES AN INTERESTING “LOOK SEE” INTO THE PAST WORLD OF THE SAN JOSE POLICE AND ALSO VIET NAM.
Cpt. Comelli,
Thanks for writing the book, which I found via the Farsider ( LNC: The Farsider is the SJPD Benevolent Association Weekly Publication, Bill Mattos, Editor.) I was with SJPD from 1970 - 1980.
So many memories were stirred. I was raised on a prune orchard in Los Gatos. We were really out in the country back then. Trips to Santa Cruz were frequent for my family. All the different beaches were so distinct and separate back then. Twin Lakes, Sea Cliff, Del Mar, Capitola. The Cement Boat, which you could walk all the way out to the end on. What a long trip it was on the old Santa Cruz highway. Do you remember the stop, somewhere near Scotts Valley, where they sold all you can drink apple cider? for a dime?
Your stories of the Old Carrettone reminded me of how, after getting our drivers licenses, the game in Los Gatos was to race the clock over the new highway to Santa Cruz. We could do it in under 20 minutes. Gaylord and Bart were seriously injured when they flipped Gaylords Austin Healey in a particulary windy portion just north of Summit Road. Jay was killed racing the road, but on a rather straight area in the Scotts Valley area.
And your experience stirring up the wasp/hornets nest. It reminded me of a similar story. In picking prunes, you use a long pole with a hook on it to grab the upper limbs of the tree in order to shake off the ripe prunes so they can be picked off the ground. On one occasion we stirred up a nest and the sky was dark with swarming bees. We were all stung, and hugged the ground for an eternity till they settled back to the nest. As a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam, I would again hug the ground when, after being shot down, bullets swarmed criss cross above me from both sides as my rescuers approached and held off the NVA.
While taking Admin of Justice classes, both before and after Viet Nam, I would ride once a week or so with SJPD. Usually I rode with Mike Destro, but several times with others, including a couple of times with Richard Huerta. Later, while on the PD, I was good friends with Gordon Silva and we did a lot together off duty. We stayed in touch after I left the PD, and just by chance, I was in town to speak at a Rotary club the day he died. Many things about that day have bothered me ever since, probably because I still don't know all the details. (LNC: Both Officer Huerta and Officer Silva were killed in the line of duty.)
I never worked for you while on the PD so you probably do not remember me. Out of the 10 years on the force, 6 were in Narcotics. 3 with the narcotics unit and 3 with the DEA task force. In hindsight, way too many years in such a unit, and it probably led to my leaving SJPD early. I did have many cases that made the headlines that you might remember. In mid 70's, San Jose was experiencing a sudden increase in certain violent crimes, and in patterns different and new. I discovered and exposed that the Nuestra Familia, a previously unknown prison gang, had headquartered in San Jose. In a matter of weeks I had arrested so many that they practically took over the County Jail. The resultant chaos among the Nuestra Familia led to several of my informants being murdered, along with many others who were just suspected of being informants. I got a lot of press on that case, it went on for years. I guess Prison and street gangs are just a normal part of society now days.
My expertise was working the motorcycle gangs. In the late 70's, after hanging out with and riding (as a hanger on) with the Hells Angels for years, I put together a RICO case that netted 22 Hells Angels. That case went on so long for some of those guys that, after I left the PD and was working narcotics intelligence down in Central America, I would be called back to San Francisco to testify in Fed Court.
Remember Marty the Marijuana Mouse? Made Newsweek magazine and was joked about on TV by Johnny Carson? I was the one who discovered and caught the little rascal (with some help from Anton Erickson). He was eating the MJ evidence so I set a trap. For weeks he avoided capture in a trap I set with cheese, peanut butter, meat, etc. Finally Anton suggested I use MJ, since that was what he was eating from the evidence locker. It worked.
I was always stirring the pot, sometimes a little more infamously. Remember the "I'm one of the Ten" tee- shirts depicting a rotten apple wearing a police hat? That also made the newspaper. I came up with that shortly after Chief McNamara made his remark about the PD having a few bad apples. I made $345 in one day with those tee-shirts, my first venture into capitalism and marketing.
Well I've gone on long enough. Like I said, you stirred up lots of memories. I always make the coast, Carmel, Monterrey, Santa Cruz, for a day or two when visiting Calif. A couple of weeks ago we met Rodger Cripe and his wife for a couple of days in that area.
In closing, in my travels, literally all over the world working narcotics intelligence, I found no one knows what brussel sprouts are. I love them. My wife had never heard of them, let alone eaten them, until she met me. When I can find them in the store here, ( the Hill Country in Texas ), I fix them for company and more often than not, they don't know what they are. Amazing. Not quite the same for prunes, although no one really knows they are just a dried type of plum. Most people think they are only for medicinal purposes for us old folk.
While reading the book,I often thought that it would have been fun to have had scattered throughout, or at the end, some of the family recipes for Brussel Sprouts. I have one recipe that uses mandarin oranges with the sprouts. I'll have to dig it out and fix some now.
Thanks again for the book,
Robert "Russ" Jones
SJPD 1970-1980
#383 then #1502
LNC: Thanks Russ for all those memories. Next time you are in the area, please contact me. Maybe we could exchange recipes for “Brussel Sprouts ala mandarin. Ivn0
Cpt. Comelli,
Thanks for writing the book, which I found via the Farsider ( LNC: The Farsider is the SJPD Benevolent Association Weekly Publication, Bill Mattos, Editor.) I was with SJPD from 1970 - 1980.
So many memories were stirred. I was raised on a prune orchard in Los Gatos. We were really out in the country back then. Trips to Santa Cruz were frequent for my family. All the different beaches were so distinct and separate back then. Twin Lakes, Sea Cliff, Del Mar, Capitola. The Cement Boat, which you could walk all the way out to the end on. What a long trip it was on the old Santa Cruz highway. Do you remember the stop, somewhere near Scotts Valley, where they sold all you can drink apple cider? for a dime?
Your stories of the Old Carrettone reminded me of how, after getting our drivers licenses, the game in Los Gatos was to race the clock over the new highway to Santa Cruz. We could do it in under 20 minutes. Gaylord and Bart were seriously injured when they flipped Gaylords Austin Healey in a particulary windy portion just north of Summit Road. Jay was killed racing the road, but on a rather straight area in the Scotts Valley area.
And your experience stirring up the wasp/hornets nest. It reminded me of a similar story. In picking prunes, you use a long pole with a hook on it to grab the upper limbs of the tree in order to shake off the ripe prunes so they can be picked off the ground. On one occasion we stirred up a nest and the sky was dark with swarming bees. We were all stung, and hugged the ground for an eternity till they settled back to the nest. As a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam, I would again hug the ground when, after being shot down, bullets swarmed criss cross above me from both sides as my rescuers approached and held off the NVA.
While taking Admin of Justice classes, both before and after Viet Nam, I would ride once a week or so with SJPD. Usually I rode with Mike Destro, but several times with others, including a couple of times with Richard Huerta. Later, while on the PD, I was good friends with Gordon Silva and we did a lot together off duty. We stayed in touch after I left the PD, and just by chance, I was in town to speak at a Rotary club the day he died. Many things about that day have bothered me ever since, probably because I still don't know all the details. (LNC: Both Officer Huerta and Officer Silva were killed in the line of duty.)
I never worked for you while on the PD so you probably do not remember me. Out of the 10 years on the force, 6 were in Narcotics. 3 with the narcotics unit and 3 with the DEA task force. In hindsight, way too many years in such a unit, and it probably led to my leaving SJPD early. I did have many cases that made the headlines that you might remember. In mid 70's, San Jose was experiencing a sudden increase in certain violent crimes, and in patterns different and new. I discovered and exposed that the Nuestra Familia, a previously unknown prison gang, had headquartered in San Jose. In a matter of weeks I had arrested so many that they practically took over the County Jail. The resultant chaos among the Nuestra Familia led to several of my informants being murdered, along with many others who were just suspected of being informants. I got a lot of press on that case, it went on for years. I guess Prison and street gangs are just a normal part of society now days.
My expertise was working the motorcycle gangs. In the late 70's, after hanging out with and riding (as a hanger on) with the Hells Angels for years, I put together a RICO case that netted 22 Hells Angels. That case went on so long for some of those guys that, after I left the PD and was working narcotics intelligence down in Central America, I would be called back to San Francisco to testify in Fed Court.
Remember Marty the Marijuana Mouse? Made Newsweek magazine and was joked about on TV by Johnny Carson? I was the one who discovered and caught the little rascal (with some help from Anton Erickson). He was eating the MJ evidence so I set a trap. For weeks he avoided capture in a trap I set with cheese, peanut butter, meat, etc. Finally Anton suggested I use MJ, since that was what he was eating from the evidence locker. It worked.
I was always stirring the pot, sometimes a little more infamously. Remember the "I'm one of the Ten" tee- shirts depicting a rotten apple wearing a police hat? That also made the newspaper. I came up with that shortly after Chief McNamara made his remark about the PD having a few bad apples. I made $345 in one day with those tee-shirts, my first venture into capitalism and marketing.
Well I've gone on long enough. Like I said, you stirred up lots of memories. I always make the coast, Carmel, Monterrey, Santa Cruz, for a day or two when visiting Calif. A couple of weeks ago we met Rodger Cripe and his wife for a couple of days in that area.
In closing, in my travels, literally all over the world working narcotics intelligence, I found no one knows what brussel sprouts are. I love them. My wife had never heard of them, let alone eaten them, until she met me. When I can find them in the store here, ( the Hill Country in Texas ), I fix them for company and more often than not, they don't know what they are. Amazing. Not quite the same for prunes, although no one really knows they are just a dried type of plum. Most people think they are only for medicinal purposes for us old folk.
While reading the book,I often thought that it would have been fun to have had scattered throughout, or at the end, some of the family recipes for Brussel Sprouts. I have one recipe that uses mandarin oranges with the sprouts. I'll have to dig it out and fix some now.
Thanks again for the book,
Robert "Russ" Jones
SJPD 1970-1980
#383 then #1502
LNC: Thanks Russ for all those memories. Next time you are in the area, please contact me. Maybe we could exchange recipes for “Brussel Sprouts ala mandarin. Ivn0
Monday, February 12, 2007
A DOG NAMED SCHATZ
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My friend Roger “Ruggero” Princevalle, a member in good standing with the International Police Association (IPA) recently made the following announcement:
For the 'first time' in the San Jose area, noted author Ivano Franco Comelli will be giving a presentation about his book (La Nostra Costa) at the International Police Association Brunch on Sunday, February 25, 2007, at 10:30 a.m. Also, Ivano is donating one of his signed books to be included in a raffle along with other assorted and wondrous items.The brunch will be held at The Drying Shed, 402 Toyon Avenue, San Jose, 408-272-1512. (Directions: Hwy 680 to east on McKee Rd. -- then left on Toyon Ave. The restaurant is located just before the San Jose Country Club.)
Roger is correct. This is a first. And although San Jose is not part of Santa Cruz’s North Coast, it certainly is a part of the “La Nostra Costa” story. In1959, I joined the San Jose Police Department. I worked in San Jose as a police officer for the next thirty (30) years. In fact, the location of “The Drying Shed” on Toyon is not too far from where I and my friend Police Officer Richard Huerta (LNC: p. 331-333) used to Patrol in tandem.
Basically, my Beat (B-14) was east of Hwy 101, south of Mckee Road and North of Story Road. Richard with his dog Schatz patrolled east of Hwy 101 and south of Story Road (B-17). We would cover for each other when responding to calls or on car stops. In fact, that was how I first met Richard, “filling” with him on a car stop. We became fast friends and at one time even roomed together.
As I mentioned above, Richard’s car partner was Schatz a big burly German Shepard Dog. Off duty Schatz was the friendliest “pooch” you would ever want to meet. He loved to play with kids. However, once in back of the police car (Canine Officers patrolled in station wagons) Schatz became very territorial. If anyone approached the police vehicle from the rear, he would immediately become agitated. With teeth bared he would bark and “snap” at the approaching figure.
I must confess, that this annoyed me to no end. You see Schatz didn’t discriminate between friend and foe. Every time I would “fill” with Richard on a car stop, Schatz (although he had seen me many times, both in and out of uniform) would start barking and “snapping” at me. Richard would have to come back to the rear of the car to calm the dog down.
Being upset at Schatz’s behavior, I would swear a blue streak at the agitated dog. Then I would yell at Rich to train his “blank-blank” dog not to alert on the Uniform. Otherwise, I would take matters into my own hands. (Sure, I would.) Well, Rich never broke Schatz of his (bad) habit. I had to satisfy myself by thinking up different ways to approach Rich’s vehicle to avoid alerting Schatz. None worked. Schatz always saw me coming and he never failed to give me a robust welcome. In return, I would reciprocate by verbally assaulting Schatz with a “glossary” of new swear words.
Eventually Rich and Schatz parted company, and Rich patrolled the eastside without his canine partner. (By this time I was promoted to Sergeant and the tandem of Comelli and Huerta was no more.)
Several years later, on the evening of August 6, 1970, Officer Richard Eugene Huerta, while on a car stop, was shot and killed. Ironically, the killer approached the police car from the rear and shot Richard in back of the head as he was writing a citation to a third party (not involved in the killing.)
I always believed that if Schatz had been in the police car that terrible night the killer would never have gotten close enough to kill Richard.
AMAZING INFORMATION RE: RICHARD AND SCHATZ, JUST IN FROM RETIRED SAN JOSE POLICE OFFICER TERRY MOUDAKAS:
Hi Ivan,
Just read your blog on Rich's K9 Schatz. Schatz finished his career with Noel Lanstot & upon retiring remained with Noel's family. I spoke with Noel after that terrible night of Aug 6th. He mentioned that Schatz had passed away suddenly on Aug 7, 1970. He was pretty old & nearing the end but I've often thought about coincidence of Schatz's passing so close to Richard's. The bond between an Officer & his dog is extremely strong. (The)Greek
Terry Moudakas
For the 'first time' in the San Jose area, noted author Ivano Franco Comelli will be giving a presentation about his book (La Nostra Costa) at the International Police Association Brunch on Sunday, February 25, 2007, at 10:30 a.m. Also, Ivano is donating one of his signed books to be included in a raffle along with other assorted and wondrous items.The brunch will be held at The Drying Shed, 402 Toyon Avenue, San Jose, 408-272-1512. (Directions: Hwy 680 to east on McKee Rd. -- then left on Toyon Ave. The restaurant is located just before the San Jose Country Club.)
Roger is correct. This is a first. And although San Jose is not part of Santa Cruz’s North Coast, it certainly is a part of the “La Nostra Costa” story. In1959, I joined the San Jose Police Department. I worked in San Jose as a police officer for the next thirty (30) years. In fact, the location of “The Drying Shed” on Toyon is not too far from where I and my friend Police Officer Richard Huerta (LNC: p. 331-333) used to Patrol in tandem.
Basically, my Beat (B-14) was east of Hwy 101, south of Mckee Road and North of Story Road. Richard with his dog Schatz patrolled east of Hwy 101 and south of Story Road (B-17). We would cover for each other when responding to calls or on car stops. In fact, that was how I first met Richard, “filling” with him on a car stop. We became fast friends and at one time even roomed together.
As I mentioned above, Richard’s car partner was Schatz a big burly German Shepard Dog. Off duty Schatz was the friendliest “pooch” you would ever want to meet. He loved to play with kids. However, once in back of the police car (Canine Officers patrolled in station wagons) Schatz became very territorial. If anyone approached the police vehicle from the rear, he would immediately become agitated. With teeth bared he would bark and “snap” at the approaching figure.
I must confess, that this annoyed me to no end. You see Schatz didn’t discriminate between friend and foe. Every time I would “fill” with Richard on a car stop, Schatz (although he had seen me many times, both in and out of uniform) would start barking and “snapping” at me. Richard would have to come back to the rear of the car to calm the dog down.
Being upset at Schatz’s behavior, I would swear a blue streak at the agitated dog. Then I would yell at Rich to train his “blank-blank” dog not to alert on the Uniform. Otherwise, I would take matters into my own hands. (Sure, I would.) Well, Rich never broke Schatz of his (bad) habit. I had to satisfy myself by thinking up different ways to approach Rich’s vehicle to avoid alerting Schatz. None worked. Schatz always saw me coming and he never failed to give me a robust welcome. In return, I would reciprocate by verbally assaulting Schatz with a “glossary” of new swear words.
Eventually Rich and Schatz parted company, and Rich patrolled the eastside without his canine partner. (By this time I was promoted to Sergeant and the tandem of Comelli and Huerta was no more.)
Several years later, on the evening of August 6, 1970, Officer Richard Eugene Huerta, while on a car stop, was shot and killed. Ironically, the killer approached the police car from the rear and shot Richard in back of the head as he was writing a citation to a third party (not involved in the killing.)
I always believed that if Schatz had been in the police car that terrible night the killer would never have gotten close enough to kill Richard.
AMAZING INFORMATION RE: RICHARD AND SCHATZ, JUST IN FROM RETIRED SAN JOSE POLICE OFFICER TERRY MOUDAKAS:
Hi Ivan,
Just read your blog on Rich's K9 Schatz. Schatz finished his career with Noel Lanstot & upon retiring remained with Noel's family. I spoke with Noel after that terrible night of Aug 6th. He mentioned that Schatz had passed away suddenly on Aug 7, 1970. He was pretty old & nearing the end but I've often thought about coincidence of Schatz's passing so close to Richard's. The bond between an Officer & his dog is extremely strong. (The)Greek
Terry Moudakas
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
"LA NOSTRA COSTA" IN ITALIA
And for those of you who like your news in Italian, the following article regarding our book “La Nostra Costa" (Our Coast) appeared in the News Italia Press .
Notiziario NIP - News ITALIA PRESS agenzia stampa - N° 118 - Anno XIII, 21 giugno 2006
Letteratura d'emigrazione
Comelli racconta “La nostra costa (Our coast)”
Il racconto del viaggio di una famiglia italiana verso il sogno americano
Morgan Hill – E' uscito nelle librerie il lavoro di Ivano Franco Comelli intitolato "La nostra costa (Our coast), a family's journey to and from the North Coast of Santa Cruz California 1923-1983".
Edito da Authorhouse Publishers, focalizza l'attenzione del lettore sulle storie, le famiglie e le aspirazioni degli emigrati italiani che raggiunsero la costa nord di Santa Cruz; " i ricordi che sono stipati nella mia memoria – sostiene l'autore stesso – possono aiutare le generazioni future a non perdere i valori della vita rurale sul litorale".
In particolare, Comelli, ufficiale di polizia ormai in pensione di San José racconta l'esperienza dei suoi genitori Gervasio Comelli e Valentina Bressani, cominciata in Italia a Nimis, villaggio agricolo del Friuli Venezia Giulia.
In quegli anni, i primi del regime fascista con Benito Mussolini, gli uomini si vedevano obbligati a far parte dell'esercito: unica soluzione per sfuggire all'arruolamento era seguire il cosiddetto "sogno americano", trasferendosi oltreoceano e divenire così nemico della propria patria di origine. E così fece anche Gervasio Comelli: partito dal suo paese nel 1923, sbarcò ad Ellis Island e si stabilì a Santa Cruz, 7 miglia a sud di San Francisco.
Grazie al florido periodo economico che incontrò nei primi anni della sua nuova avventura americana, Gervasio Comelli potè tornare in Italia nel 1931 e conoscere la ragazza che sarebbe poi diventata sua moglie. Così il nuovo ranchero e la sua giovane moglie appena diciottenne ritornarono negli USA e poco tempo dopo, nonostante dovessero affrontare un terribile periodo di depressione economica che si abbattè sugli Stati Uniti, nacquero i due figli della coppia, di cui Ivano Franco Comelli è il secondogenito.
Tuttavia l'autore non racconta esclusivamente l'esperienza dei suoi genitori: descrivendo infatti i modi di tutti quegli immigrati italiani lo scrittore illustra come "gli emigrati italiani dei primi anni 20 del secolo scorso colonizzarono la costa nord della California verso la città di San Fracisco. Diventarono così dei rancheros spesso improvvisati, perchè anche se continuavano a dedicarsi alle occupazioni che svolgevano in patria, si trattava di operare con persone sconosciute, di avere contatti non con concittadini, di misurarsi con una cultura e una lingua diverse.A proposito della lingua - continua l'autore - gli immigrati diedero vita ad un particolare slang qui sulla costa nelle cittadine intorno a San Francisco, una piacevole miscela di parole italiane americanizzate o viceversa, che vengono utilizzate ancora oggi, sebbene la nuova generazione sembri aver rimosso questi ricordi così importanti, questi valori trasmessi dalla tradizione".
News ITALIA PRESS
Notiziario NIP - News ITALIA PRESS agenzia stampa - N° 118 - Anno XIII, 21 giugno 2006
Letteratura d'emigrazione
Comelli racconta “La nostra costa (Our coast)”
Il racconto del viaggio di una famiglia italiana verso il sogno americano
Morgan Hill – E' uscito nelle librerie il lavoro di Ivano Franco Comelli intitolato "La nostra costa (Our coast), a family's journey to and from the North Coast of Santa Cruz California 1923-1983".
Edito da Authorhouse Publishers, focalizza l'attenzione del lettore sulle storie, le famiglie e le aspirazioni degli emigrati italiani che raggiunsero la costa nord di Santa Cruz; " i ricordi che sono stipati nella mia memoria – sostiene l'autore stesso – possono aiutare le generazioni future a non perdere i valori della vita rurale sul litorale".
In particolare, Comelli, ufficiale di polizia ormai in pensione di San José racconta l'esperienza dei suoi genitori Gervasio Comelli e Valentina Bressani, cominciata in Italia a Nimis, villaggio agricolo del Friuli Venezia Giulia.
In quegli anni, i primi del regime fascista con Benito Mussolini, gli uomini si vedevano obbligati a far parte dell'esercito: unica soluzione per sfuggire all'arruolamento era seguire il cosiddetto "sogno americano", trasferendosi oltreoceano e divenire così nemico della propria patria di origine. E così fece anche Gervasio Comelli: partito dal suo paese nel 1923, sbarcò ad Ellis Island e si stabilì a Santa Cruz, 7 miglia a sud di San Francisco.
Grazie al florido periodo economico che incontrò nei primi anni della sua nuova avventura americana, Gervasio Comelli potè tornare in Italia nel 1931 e conoscere la ragazza che sarebbe poi diventata sua moglie. Così il nuovo ranchero e la sua giovane moglie appena diciottenne ritornarono negli USA e poco tempo dopo, nonostante dovessero affrontare un terribile periodo di depressione economica che si abbattè sugli Stati Uniti, nacquero i due figli della coppia, di cui Ivano Franco Comelli è il secondogenito.
Tuttavia l'autore non racconta esclusivamente l'esperienza dei suoi genitori: descrivendo infatti i modi di tutti quegli immigrati italiani lo scrittore illustra come "gli emigrati italiani dei primi anni 20 del secolo scorso colonizzarono la costa nord della California verso la città di San Fracisco. Diventarono così dei rancheros spesso improvvisati, perchè anche se continuavano a dedicarsi alle occupazioni che svolgevano in patria, si trattava di operare con persone sconosciute, di avere contatti non con concittadini, di misurarsi con una cultura e una lingua diverse.A proposito della lingua - continua l'autore - gli immigrati diedero vita ad un particolare slang qui sulla costa nelle cittadine intorno a San Francisco, una piacevole miscela di parole italiane americanizzate o viceversa, che vengono utilizzate ancora oggi, sebbene la nuova generazione sembri aver rimosso questi ricordi così importanti, questi valori trasmessi dalla tradizione".
News ITALIA PRESS
Thursday, February 01, 2007
BOOK ON DAVENPORT CEMENT PLANT HISTORY
IN 'LA NOSTRA COSTA' I WRITE ABOUT THE BIG TRUCKS THAT USED TO CARRY CEMENT SACKS SOUTH ON THE COAST ROAD FROM THE PORTLAND CEMENT PLANT LOCATED IN DAVENPORT (LNC:pages 21-23). THE ARTICLE BELOW APPEARED IN THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL : 'BOOK BRIEFS' SECTION. OUR VERY OWN ALVERDA ORLANDO CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO THE WRITING OF THIS BOOK, WHICH DESCRIBES THE ORGINS AND HISTORY OF THE CEMENT PLANT. IT CAN BE ORDERED BY CALLING CINDY NELSON AT THE PLANT AT 831-458-5761.
Cementing a bond with Davenport
Davenport — that sweet little town on the North Coast — was built soon after the Portland Cement Co. opened the second largest cement plant in the U.S. there.
The neighbors haven't been too keen on the noise and dust kicked up by the company, but there've been pluses.
Not only did Davenport cement help build the Pearl Harbor dry docks, the Panama Canal, the San Francisco Opera House, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Oakland Coliseum and BART, but the company, in the last couple of decades, has provided community support by establishing an endowment fund for Bonny Doon School and aiding the victims of 9/11 and the Indonesian tsunami.
This history — and more tidbits — can be found in the book "Davenport Cement Centennial: Honoring Our Past, Building the Future," sub-sub-titled, "The Story of the Davenport Cement Plant and the Important Part It Has Played and Continues to Play in California's History"
Created with the help of Cemex employees, Pacific School, Bonny Doon School, the Davenport Resource Service Center, UCSC Special Collections and the San Francisco Public Library, the book was written by Alverda Orlando and Bob Piwarzyk, with publishing support from Trisa Endicott and Hilary Haycock.
Need it?
Copies are $20 and available by calling Cindy Nelson at the plant at 458-5761.
Cementing a bond with Davenport
Davenport — that sweet little town on the North Coast — was built soon after the Portland Cement Co. opened the second largest cement plant in the U.S. there.
The neighbors haven't been too keen on the noise and dust kicked up by the company, but there've been pluses.
Not only did Davenport cement help build the Pearl Harbor dry docks, the Panama Canal, the San Francisco Opera House, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Oakland Coliseum and BART, but the company, in the last couple of decades, has provided community support by establishing an endowment fund for Bonny Doon School and aiding the victims of 9/11 and the Indonesian tsunami.
This history — and more tidbits — can be found in the book "Davenport Cement Centennial: Honoring Our Past, Building the Future," sub-sub-titled, "The Story of the Davenport Cement Plant and the Important Part It Has Played and Continues to Play in California's History"
Created with the help of Cemex employees, Pacific School, Bonny Doon School, the Davenport Resource Service Center, UCSC Special Collections and the San Francisco Public Library, the book was written by Alverda Orlando and Bob Piwarzyk, with publishing support from Trisa Endicott and Hilary Haycock.
Need it?
Copies are $20 and available by calling Cindy Nelson at the plant at 458-5761.
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