DAVENPORT JAIL: PHOTOS PLEASE

I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING REQUEST FROM 'LNOSTRA-COSTA' HISTORIAN

ALVERDA ORLANDO:

Hello Ivan
I am looking for photos of the Davenport jail taken between 1910 and 1945. We are trying to restore it to its original condition. That has become a small controversy because no one really knows what the original was like. It has been "repaired" many times. In particular we need a good photo of the door.
Could you send out an SOS to your contacts to see if anyone took a photo of the jail, maybe with Aunt Mary or little Gino standing in front of it. We can deduce quite a bit from even a snapshot.
Thank you
Alverda

The article below article and the photo above was borrowed from the following website: www.cruzio.com/-scva/davenjail.html

The Davenport Jail Museum

2 Davenport Avenue Davenport, CA 95017 Voice: (831) 429-1964
The Davenport Jail Museum is administered by the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History.
Hours: Weekends, 10 am - 2 pm, and by appointment.

Built in 1914, this two-cell county jail was used only once before being abandoned in 1936. Fifty years later it was given a new purpose when it was converted into a museum of North Coast history in 1987. Its intriguing permanent exhibition explores aspects of the North Coast story such as native settlements, the natural environment, major industries, early families, and community life. Davenport Jail is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The town of Davenport is 11 miles north of Santa Cruz on Highway 1. The Jail Museum is next to the Davenport Cash Store.
Santa Cruz Visual Arts

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SPEAKING OF DAVENPORT HISTORY,ETC: Last Saturday, April 19, was the 62 Anniversary of Joe 'Pino' Brovia's ("The Davenport Destroyer') mighty homerun at Seal Stadium. In "La Nostra Costa" I write the following regarding the event:

".............Jim Sargent, in his excellent article on Pino, credits him with hitting the longest home run in the history of Seal Stadium.* Estimates had the ball traveling some 560 feet, up and over the center field wall. (Unknown to me at the time , Pino's "blast" occurred on my ninth birthday, April 19,1946.) Because of its significance, a star was place at the top of the wall marking the spot where the ball had left the stadium. After arriving in San Francisco circa 1958, Willie Mays, the legendary center fielder for the Giants, was alleged to have said of Pino's home run. "Hey, that's a five-dollar ride in a taxicab. (Five dollars took you a long way in 1958.)**

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*Mr. Sargent's article,dated 9/1/2001, appeared on the website:

www.baseball-almanac.com/hero

**"La Nostra Costa (Our Coast), page 120, copyrighted by Ivano Franco Comelli, and published by Authorhouse: http://www.authorhouse.com/

HAPPY BIRTHDAY; JOE PALOOKA E IVANO

Joe Palooka Looka Like 1944
(La Nostra Costa Photo Archives)

Above image copyrighted by Estate of Ham Fisher and appears on Toonpedia website;

www.toonpedia.com/palooka.htm

Well what do you know? Another year has passed and your ‘Grand Blaggatore’ will be celebrating another one of ‘them thar birthdays’. Guess what? Another famous character, of which I mention in ‘La Nostra Costa’ P.152, is also celebrating a birthday on April 19. Of course he is much older than I; however, I understand that he is still in very good physical shape. Happy Birthday to us, Joe Palooka.

The following was taken from the website: www.geocities.com/jnevins/pulp .




Palooka, Joe. Created by Ham Fisher, Joe Palooka debuted on 19 April 1930 and ran through 1984, one of the most successful comic strips of all time. Palooka, a genuinely nice man, was a poor man whose skill was boxing, and who used that skill to become the "undefeated heavyweight champion of the world." Actually, that's not quite correct. Palooka's greatest skill was in being human. Very much a working class hero (it's something to be), he was humble without being craven, shy without being withdrawn, laid-back without being a slacker, easily embarrassed without being a stiff, and genuinely likable. To quote one critic, "Joe personified the ideals of the American majority of old--the simple life, the virtues of the Boy Scout code, and goodness for its own sake. He also exemplified toughness and power and could be moved to intense anger when his or someone else's toes were stepped on." He really was a good guy. Palooka fought his way to the top of the fight game, and then, when war was declared, entered the Army as a private and fought through the war at that rank. Joe was assisted by Knobby, the small, nervous, twitchy and argumentative fight manager, and by Smoky, whose vocabulary and appearance was that of a racist stereotype but who was always treated by Joe as an equal and friend. (Joe, like I said, was a good human being)


In “La Nostra Costa”, I write: “Joe Palooka never lost a fight and I thought he was a great funny-book Champion. However, there was another, rival “Funny Book Heavyweight Champion” at the time. His name was Curly Kayoe. He, also, was white and he, also, never lost a fight. My greatest wish was that the two champions would one day slug it out in the same ring, and resolve once and for all the disputed “Funny Book Heavyweight Championship.” Then we would know for certain who the best fighter really was. Much to my disappointment, they never did.” *


* “La Nostra Costa” (Our Coast), copyrighted by Ivano Franco Comelli, 2006. Order on line:

www.authorhouse.com or through your favorite bookstore.

AMICO DELLA COSTA: LUIGI 'MORO' DEGLI ESPOSTI

Top photo: Luigi 'Moro' Degli Esposti (right) with brother-in-law Dante Rodoni, on the Rodoni Ranch, 'su per la costa', c.1950.

Bottom photo: Luigi Degli Esposti (center-front)in his Italian Cavalry Uniform, c. 1920s.

Photos courtesy of Roberto and Deanna Degli Esposti.

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SOMETHING SPECIAL FROM GINO CAMPIONI ARRIVED IN THE MAIL TODAY:

'AMICO DELLA COSTA; LUIGI 'MORO' DEGLI ESPOSTI IN ITALIANO. THANKS GINO.

Nel libro "La Nostra Costa" scrivo della famiglia Degli Esposti. Il seguente appare in pagina 204:

Un giorno, al solito, feci una camminata con mio fratello al rancio Rodoni per aspettare l'autobus per andare à scuola. Quando siamo arrivati Mario Rodoni ci ha portati dentro la cucina ed in una camera dietro. La, sempre nel letto, appena svegliato, era un uomo sorridente. Un uomo scuro di complessione. Era la prima volta che vidi Luigi Degli Esposti. Poi fu conosciuto dal nome "Moro".

Questa occasione era in 1948. Da quel tempo la famiglia Degli Esposti sono sempre stati buoni amici. In tutto questo tempo non sapevo quello sotto scritto da Roberto, figlio maggiore di Moro (assistito da sua bella sposa Deanna).

Ivano:

Luigi Degli Esposti, cioè "Moro", il 29 Marzo sarebbe stato suo compleanno.

I genitori di Luigi erano Pasquale e Maria, ambidue di Bologna. Quando si sposarono, sono andati à Sao Paulo in Brasile per operare una piantagione del caffè, dunque era qui che nacque Luigi con un fratello ed una sorella in Sao Paulo.

Mio padre parlava spesso di andare à cavallo sulla piatagione da ragazzo. Uno dei cavalli gli calpestò un piete, schiacciandogli un dito. Quando Luigi aveva circa 8 anni, sua madre muorì, e suo padre tornò in italia, lavorando in una fabbrica della carta in Lucca.

Quando Luigi era un giovane di circa 18 anni, era nella cavalleria italiana. Poi andò in etiopia, lavorando da chauffer per una compagnia d'ingegnieri che facevano strade.

Tornando in italia lavorava da barista alla bottega locale in Ponte à Moriano. Ogni mattina arrivava un uomo per ordinare un caffè reale per sua moglie, e Luigi lo portava à loro casa, ben che era pochi passi dalla bottega. Questo uomo e sua moglie erano genitori di una bella fanciulla dal nome Vanda. Così moro ha fatto la conoscenza di Vanda, che sarebbe mia madre nel futuro.

Nel 1939, 1940 Luigi fu chiamato di nuovo nel esercito italiano. Questa volta era cuoco.

Mi ricordo giocare con i nipotini di Mussolini nella piazza. Egli (Mussolini) aveva una casa estiva vicino à Ponte à Moriano. Mi ricordo essere nascosto in una caverna per 18 giorni durante la seconda guerra mondiale, con 20 altre persone. Questo era durante il ritiro dal' italia dell'esercito tedesco verso nord.

I primi Americani che vidi erano Americani neri. Credo che erano dalla tersa divisione del'esercito degli Stati Uniti. Questi tempi erano molto difficili per tutti. C'era pochissimo da mangiare perche i tedeschi nel ritiro avevano preso tutto. Le cose buone, se si poteva trovarle, erano farina di neccio e polenta, niente di carne.

Dopo Mussolini muorì tutti sono tornati à loro case.

Miei genitori volevano migliorarsi e fare una vita buona per me e mio fratello. Dante ed Andreina (Rodoni) fecero venire prima Luigi, poi mia madre (Vanda) con mio fratello Fabrizio siamo arrivati "su per la costa". (LNC: Andreina era sorella di Vanda.)

Arrivato in America nel 1948, Luigi lavorava nel Rancio Rodoni, per suo congnato Dante Rodoni. I lavoranti lo chiamavano Moro, per sua complessione scura. Poi in 1949 noialtri siamo arrivati da Ponte à Moriano, viaggiando in bastimento à New york, poi via treno traversando gli Stati Uniti, arrivando in San Francisco. Non sapevamo nemmeno una parola inglese, ma grazie à tanti parenti ed amici su per la costa, mio fratello ed io imparammo la lingua presto.

Luigi (Moro) ha sofferto una serie d'attacchi cerebrali nel 1982 a l'età di 76. Dopo il primo era in ospidale per circa una settimana. Vanda ci disse, "lo porto à casa e lo faro confortabile e lo tengo in cura", non sapendo che lo avrebbe dovuto fare per tanti anni. Mio pardre ha vissuto fino 1988.

A mia madre, Luigi mancava molto. Essa lo raggiunce in morte 2 anni dopo. (Venerdi Santo 1990) Miei genitori sono sepolti al Cimitero Holy Cross, vicino la sopoltura di Andreina e Dante, e non tanto distante da Bronco e Valentina (Comelli).

Grazie a voi, Pa, per averci portato à "L'America". Saremo sempre gradevoli per tutto che avete fatto per noi.

Ed ora, Ivano, sai il restante della storia. Roberto (e Deanna).

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IN 'LA NOSTRA COSTA' I WRITE ABOUT THE DEGLI ESPOSTI FAMILY. The following appears on page 204.

"One morning, as usual, my brother and I walked to the Rodoni Ranch to wait for the school bus. When we got there Mario (Rodoni) told us that his uncle had just arrived from Italy. Andreina (Rodoni) then took us inside the cookhouse and led us to a small room in the back. There still in bed, just waking up, was a very thin dark-skinned man, with a big smile on his face. This was the first time I saw Luigi Degli Esposti. Later his friends gave him the nickname Moro. Italians often use the word moro to describe a man with dark skin." *

The above event occurred in 1948. I have known the Degli Esposti family since then. In all this time I did not know what is described below, as written by Moro's eldest son Roberto (with help from his lovely wife Deanna).

Ivan0:

Luigi Degli-Esposti, AKA, 'Moro', March 29th would have been my dad's birthday.


Luigi's parents were Pasquale & Maria, both of them born in Bologna. When his parents married they went to San Paulo,Brazil to run a coffee plantation,thus he was born there along with a brother & sister in San Paulo.

My father always spoke of riding horses as a child at the plantation. One of the horses stepped on one of his toes which flattened it out. His mother passed away when he was 7-8 years old and his father went back to Italy,working in a paper mill in Lucca.

When Luigi was a young man 17-18 years of age ,he was in the Italian cavalry; after that hitch, he went for 2 years to Ethopia working as a chauffer for an engineer company, that was building roads.

Upon his return to Italy he was working as a bartender at the local coffee house in Ponte A Morino. A man would come every morning an order a coffee royal for his wife and Luigi would then deliver it, since it was only 1 block from the coffee house. The man and his wife were the parents of a lovely girl named Vanda. Thus, did Luigi meet Vanda, my future mother.

In 1939-40 Luigi was called back into the Italian army. This time he was a cook.

I remembers playing with Mussolini's grandchildren in the plaza. He (Mussolini) had a summer house close to Ponte A Morino. I remember spending 18 days in a cave during WWII, with 20 other people. This was when the German Army was retreating north out of Italy.

The very first Americans I saw were Black-Americans. I think they were from the 3rd US Army Division. Those were very difficult and hard days and times for everyone. There wasn't much of anything to eat because the Germans had taken everything as they retreated. The good staples if they were available were chestnut flour and polenta, no meats.

After Mussolini was killed everyone went back to their homes.

My parents wanted to better themselves and make life better for my brother and myself. Dante & Andreina (Rodoni) had sent for Luigi first; later my mother (Vanda) with my brother, Fabrizio and me arrived 'su per la costa'. (LNC: Andreina was Vanda's sister.)

Coming to America in 1948, he worked in the fields on the Rodoni Ranch, for his brother-in-law Dante Rodoni. The field workers called him Moro because of his dark complexion. Then in 1949, we arrived from Ponte Morino, travelling on a ship into New York and then on a train across the United States arriving in San Francisco. None of us spoke a word of English,but thanks to all the relatives and many friends up La Nosta Costa, my brother and I certainly learned the language very fast.

Luigi (Moro) suffered a series of strokes in 1982 at the age of 76. When he first had his stroke he was in the hospital for a week or so. Vanda said to us, I'll take him home and make him comfortable and take care of him, not knowing that she would do that for so many years. My father passed away in 1988.

My mother missed my father dearly. She passed away two years later on Good Friday (1990 ). My mother and father are both 'buried' at the Holy Cross Cemetery, very close to where Andreina and Dante are 'buried, and not to0 far from Bronco and Valentina (Comelli).

Thank you Pa, for bringing us to "L'America". We are forever grateful to you and Ma for all you have done for us.

And now Ivano, you know the rest of the story. Roberto (and Deanna).

IVANO SAYS: AND QUITE A STORY IT IS. IT IS THE STUFF THAT MOVIES ARE MADE OF. THANKS, ROBERTO AND DEANNA. HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE.

*As it appears in Ivano's book: 'La Nostra Costa', published by Authorhouse, http://www.authorhouse.com/, copyrighted 2006.

WELCOME GABRIELE CARMINE FALVO-CITRIGNO

-'Clicca' on photo to enlarge. Identifications (at the top of photo) can be seen more clearly.-

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IVANO SAYS: AS MANY OF MY READERS KNOW, I SPENT 30 YEARS WITH THE SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT. I KNOW THE CITY OF SAN JOSE QUITE WELL AND ACTUALLY DESCRIBED HOW I REMEMBERED IT BACK THEN IN THE BOOK.

I RECENTLY RECEIVED THE BELOW E-MAIL FROM GABRIELE . NOT ONLY DID HE E-MAIL ME, HE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SEND ME A 194I PHOTO OF THE STAFF AT THE NAPOLI CAFE, WHICH WAS LOCATED ON 1ST IN SAN JOSE. THE PHOTO APPEARS ABOVE. WELCOME ABOARD THE 'BLAGGA' TRAIN GABE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PARTICIPATION.

Dear Ivan,
My name is Gabriele Carmine Falvo-Citrigno. I recently saw your article on Gilda in the internet and I discovered your web page. I like you am 1st generation Italian American. Both my parents met each other in San Jose my father originally from Calabria and my mother originally form Abruzzo. My father came to this country in 1952 thru adoption from his aunt and uncle Marietta Falvo & Carmine Citrigno who had owned the Napoli Cafe on 1st street in San Jose. Carmine's relatives were the Felice's of San Martin Winery fame. Thus my father worked in the wine industry for over 30 years with San Martin, Felice Winery with San Jose Distributing, Regal beverages and most recently with Weibel, Mirassou and Savanaeh Shannel in Los Gatos... I myself am still single at 41. I had gone to work in Florence Italy from 2001-2005 and worked as an interpreter/project manager for a private American middle aged couple who wanted to buy and restore a villa in Florence. The villa is situated just above the hills of Florence and is named after my family's surname Villa Falvo. Unfortunately, although the business was/is named after me, I didn't own it. I decided after 3-4 years in Italy and after many false hopes and promises made to me, I decided to come back home to San Jose. At any rate, you have a very interesting web site and I'm glad I found it.
Tanti auguri!
Gabriele

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4-12-08

And this just in from Gabe:

Ok famiglia ...........cugini friends Romans, countrymen lend me your ears & eyes! How about this Gabe has now become an author on an Italian web site . I was approached about writing a weekly article about the earthquakes MLS adventures in Italian and this is the first....... here is the article and the link,,,Avete capito? Gabriele e' diventato anche giornalista........quei 3 anni di firenze hanno servito.......cave canem cave canem est est est! bohhhhhh? MAHHHHH? LEGGI E VEDRAI! --GABE .....
http://www.playitusa.com/articolo.php?id=7513
San José in cerca d'identità
di Gabriele Falvo Citrigno

VINO ROSSO DAY AT GUGLIELMO WINERY - SAT. FEB. 23

Top photo: "The Old Rancere" signing 'La Nostra Costa' books at Guglielmo Winery. Bottom photo: "The Old Rancere" with retired San Jose Police Officer Stan Tice. Both photos taken by retired San Jose Police Officer Peter Graves, last year at 'Cork Equity Day #18)

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BOTTLE YOUR OWN RED WINE: GUGLIELMO’S CORK EQUITY DAY #19,
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2008 – 10 AM – 3 PM. ‘RAIN OR SHINE.’

CORK EQUITY n: Definition: A method of saving big money by getting hands on involvement assisting in the bottling, corking and labeling of your own premium wine.

Nearly six thousand wine lovers have turned up at our cellar door on Cork Equity Day looking for a great bottle of wine at a great price. Few have been disappointed! Don’t miss your chance to meet some friends, have some fun, hear some great Italian music, enjoy our complimentary sausages and cheese, and get some very tasty wine in the bargain.

FEATURING THE STROLLING ITALAIN ACCORDION OF RENO DI BONO.

IVANO SAYS: AS AN ADDED BONUS, THE ‘OLD RANCERE’ SAYS THAT HE WILL ONCE AGAIN BE PRESENT TO SELL AND SIGN COPIES OF “LA NOSTRA COSTA” (OUR COAST); AND POSSIBLY SING A FEW ITALIAN SONGS OF OLD.


GUGLiELMO ‘S
1480 EAST MAIN AVENUE
MORGAN HILL, CA 95037
(408) 779-3166

http://www.guglielmowinery.com/

DIRECTIONS: FROM SAN JOSE TAKE HWY 101 TO E.DUNNE AVE OFF RAMP. TURN LEFT ON E.DUNNE AVE. PROCEED ACROSS HWY 101 OVER-PASS TO CONDIT RD.(2ND STOP LIGHT). TURN LEFT ON CONDIT RD AN PROCEED NORTH 0.8MI TO E.MAIN AVE.(NEXT STOP LIGHT). TURN RIGHT ON E.MAIN AVE. AND PROCEED APPROXIMATELY 1/2MI TO WINERY ON YOUR RIGHT. (LIVE OAK HIGH SCHOOL IS ACROSS THE STREET.)

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FROM: SANTA CRUZ-WATSONVILLE-SALINAS-GILROY, GET ON HWY 101 AND PROCEED NORTH TO E.DUNNE AVE. OFF RAMP. TURN RIGHT ON E. DUNNE AVE TO CONDIT RD (FIRST STOP LIGHT). TURN LEFT ON CONDIT RD. AND PROCEED NORTH 0.8MI TO E.MAIN AVE.(NEXT STOP LIGHT.) TURN RIGHT ON E.MAIN AVE. AND PROCEED ABOUT 1/2 MILE TO THE WINERY ON YOUR RIGHT.

BUONA FORTUNA E SEMPRE AVANTI.

FIGLIO DELLA COSTA - WILLIAM CAIOCCA REMEMBERED

Photo: Davenport c. 1930, where Bill and Leo Caiocca grew up and their parents Gilbert and Maria Caiocca, had their Davenport Bakery. (Photo: Courtesy of Len Klempneur).

THIS REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIAM "BILL" CAIOCCA WAS PUBLISHED IN THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL. BILL, HIS BROTHER LEO, AND THEIR PARENTS GILBERT AND MARIA CAIOCCA, WERE A BIG PART OF THE 'LA NOSTRA COSTA' STORY.


William "Bill" Caiocca

"Life's been good to me. I've done everything I've wanted to do, within reason. I have no regrets." -William B. Caiocca 12/23/2007

William "Bill" Caiocca passed away 2/06/2008 in Roseville, CA at the age of 92, following complicates of a recent stroke. William was born in Davenport, CA on July 10, 1915 to Gilbert and Maria Caiocca, who had immigrated from Switzerland and Italy. He attended the Pacific School in Davenport and graduated from Santa Cruz High School in 1934. William and his younger brother Leo helped their dad run the Caiocca & Sons Davenport Bakery as well as a grocery store in Santa Cruz. William served in the Army during World War II rising to the rank of Second Lieutenant, and served in the Army Reserves until 1953. During the war he served in military transportation and supervision of prisoners of war.
After the war William returned to Santa Cruz. With his long time business partner Joe Costella, they owned several businesses which included: The Bubble Bakery, Costella and Caiocca Hardware, Costella and Caiocca Appliances, and the Palomar Hotel with five other partners. William was also sales manager with Starr Oldsmobile until his retirement in 1976. He was a life time member of the Santa Cruz Elk's Club and held membership in the Rotary Club, the Marconi Club and the Santa Cruz County Swiss Club.
William's hobbies included duck hunting, shooting pool and making many trips with his wife to the casinos in Lake Tahoe where he enjoyed playing black jack.
William was preceded in death by his wife of 48 years Elaine in 2005 and his younger brother Leo, two months ago. He is survived by his son David & wife Lucy of Roseville, CA and three grandchildren Kelly, Tara and Patrick; sister-in-law Nara, nephews Fred and Gilbert, their families and cousin Louise Presepi. We will all miss his warm smile and sense of humor.
On Saturday March 1, 2008, 12 noon to 3:00 p.m. a memorial and celebration of life reception will be held for William at DeLaveaga Lodge Branciforte to Upper Park Rd., Santa Cruz. To be preceded by a private family grave site service at Holy Cross Cemetery, Santa Cruz. In lieu of flowers please make a memorial donation to the Alzheimer's Association of Santa Cruz, 1777 Capitola Rd. #A, Santa Cruz, CA 95062.Published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel from 2/13/2008 - 2/17/2008.

ADDIO, BILL CAIOCCA. UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN....ACROSS IL ULTIMO PONTE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADA

PHOTO ABOVE: ITALIAN PASSPORT PHOTO OF ADA MARIE CAMPIONI - C.1930. TOP PHOTO: ADA [FOREGROUND] WITH HER GOOD FRIEND VANDA DEGLI ESPOSTI, SANTA CRUZ, CA., C.1955. (PHOTOS COURTSEY OF GINO CAMPIONI.)

Ciao Ivano,

On the 13th of February it will be the 112th birthday anniversary of my mother, Ada Maria (Berti) Campioni. Her passport gives her name as Maria Ada. She was never sure which way it should be, but always signed "Ada Maria".

She used to say that she was born just one day after Abraham Lincoln. She always bemoaned the fact that she was born on the 13th, claiming that it was unlucky. Perhaps she was right, as she had a very hard life. She worked full time from the age of 9 until she was unable to work any more.

You are well aware of the labors our parents endured. They gave all they had for us, their children.

Speaking of Abraham Lincoln, around 1947, while waiting for the city bus at the corner of Bay and Mission Streets, I met a lady sitting on the bench. She told me that as a small girl, she once sat on the lap of Abraham Lincoln. She was in her late 90s when I met her. We span a long time, amico mio.

Saluti, Gino

THE FAMILY QUILICI BY NANCY (QUILICI) JACOBS

IVANO SAYS: NANCY (QUILICI)JACOBS WAS BORN AND RAISED ON A RANCIO "SU PER LA COSTA".
SHE IS IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING THE STORY OF THE QUILICI-JACOB FAMILIES. WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW SHOULD GIVE YOU A HINT OF WHAT IS YET TO COME.

PHOTOS: ALL PHOTOS APPEARING ABOVE ARE COPYRIGHTED;ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: COURTESY OF NANCY (GUILICI) JACOBS. TOP PHOTO: ALESSANDRO QUILICI (FATHER) IN ITAY 1925. PHOTO SECOND FROM THE TOP: PIA MARIE DIANDO QUILICI (MOTHER) IN ITALY 1925. PHOTO THIRD FROM THE TOP: PIA MARIE DIANDO QUILICI IN SANTA CRUZ 1960. PHOTO FOURTH FROM THE TOP: GUILIANO QUILICI (BROTHER) US ARMY 1940S. PHOTO FIFTH FROM THE TOP: NANCY QUILICI, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION,SANTA CRUZ 1960S. PHOTO SECOND FROM THE BOTTOM: DONALD LEE JACOBS AND NANCY QUILICI, WEDDING DAY 1960S. AND BOTTOM PHOTO: PIOLET DONALD LEE JACOBS,59TH STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND, FLYING HIS T-116 JET AIRPLANE,'BANSHEE', KOREA 1952. DONALD LEE JACOBS WAS A VETERAN OF OVER 100 COMBAT MISSIONS AND WAS WOUNDED OVER KOREA.




The Family Quilici

If one digs and digs one comes up with a Roman family that during Roman times moved from Rome to Pompeii and then north again and finally travelling to Lucca where they settled and stayed.

In Lucca,Italy, the family was awarded a Coat of Arms for their accomplishments.

At some point the family must have fallen on hard times. I suspect because the church wanted the families to have children and not practice birth control. I know this because my great grandmother had a fight with the church over this subject. She just wanted two or less children.

In the 1900's the family started to emigrate to America. At this time they were living in San Pietro a Vico, Italy. There were four brothers. Two of the brothers emigrated. Their father was already in America. The two brothers were Joe and Pete.
The youngest brother was Alessandro Quilici. In 1916 he sailed to America and settled near Fort Churchill with his brother Pete.

In the early 1920's Alessandro sold his share of the ranch to his brothers and went home to Italy. There he married Pia Maria Dianda of Lucca. The first born child died. But they had three more children who lived, Mario, Giuliano and Giuliana.

Pia Maria was left in Italy with the three chidren. Alessandro went back to America settling in Davenport, California. There he farmed the Modelo ranch with Modelo and then moved across Scott Creek to the Foothill Ranch and farmed there. Louis Poletti was his partner, possible part owner or full owner. My mother was a white widow which means that she was without her husband from 1926 to 1935. In 1935 Pia Maria boarded the ship Rex with her three children and landed in New York where her brother drove her acrosss the country in what I believe was a Hupmobile car. The family was taken to the Modelo Ranch. My mother did not like America at first but later loved it.

I was born in Davenport in the 1940's. My brothers and sister were more like parents than siblings. I was born Feb 17. My mother said that I was born at 1 a.m. and that they had to drive to Santa Cruz during one of the stormiest nights for me to be born. So I am a stormy weather baby!

I grew up around these things:

My father checking the dam's water level, my dad checking the water pump at Scott's Creek and my dad checking the stability of the bridge at Scotts Creek. My brother Giuliano and I driving to the Big Ranch to get hay. I loved this. I would put on my over alls and go. His name for me was Butch. My brother used to take me to the Lombardi Ranch which was not far from our own and she would serve the most delicious pudding with fresh cream and strawberries. After all these years I can still taste it! It was good! But now if you drive there there is nothing where there used to be a two story white house with a picket fence, a barn and cows.

My brother Giuliano was in WW11 and his military branch of service is ironic and has to do with La Liberte. When I write the book you will see what I am talking about!
My dad taking me to the Cash Store in Davenport and Charlie Bella's and to Louis Poletti's office. My mother cooking and cooking and cooking and washing and cleaning. Every now and then if she was happy she would sing the Italian stornelli or Italian folk songs.

On Saturday we would often go to town and I would go to a movie matinee. I remember watching numerous John Payne movies at the old Santa Cruz theatre.

I liked the barn and the horses and spent a lot of time with them but I also liked to hike to the top level of the ranch which I did on a regular basis. I loved to read and one of the first books that I read was Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I was also a little daydreamer which sometimes got me into trouble but may have also led me to my husband.

My first experience with school was when I attended Pacific School in Davenport, California. The teachers were Mrs. Thompson and Mrs Embree. At first, I did not like school but later I came to love going and learning and they could not keep me away.
It was a small school with two rooms. It tended to be windy and cold and foggy at the school. The students were from diverse backgrounds. I can remember Paul Della Santina and Antonette Stagi. I know that they were Italian. All the teaching was done in the old fashioned way. The alphabet was up above the chalk board and if a student misspelled a word they had to correct it by writing it ten times. I loved to read and kept reading and reading and reading.

Eleanor Gregory was one of my little friends as was Rosanne Franklin and her brother John Franklin.

I liked to play with the tether ball or sometimes the "teeter totter". I can still see Mrs. Thompson eating her lunch which consisted of a sandwich and an apple and whatever she had in her thermos.

My mother never had to worry about me because at a very young age I hated alcohol and cigarettes etc., but I liked to eat. I have always had a weight problem. So, all my life I have had to watch what I eat. Absolutely hate alcohol. For me the worst was "grappa" because I think it must be 98% alcohol. The adults would talk about it as if it was something special. I sneaked a peek and a small taste on my little finger when I was little. It made me feel queasy. It made no sense to me to drink something that would make you sick. EVEN AS A SMALL CHILD Nancy did not do what Nancy did not want to do! Period, Period Period! I kept to myself and tended to be very quiet.

In high school I did like to play tennis and I liked to walk for miles and miles and miles. I loved a gentle wind. On a walk like that I was in heaven!
On the ranch we had large ceramic containers filled with brine for curing olives which was another sort of distasteful thing to me. I did like the olive oil. We always bought in large quantities. I am not sure of the man who came to the ranch to sell the olive oil. His name may have been Martinelli. Panattone, the peddler also came to the ranch. That was a big event because we always needed something. I still have a black shawl that my mother bought to go to a funeral. She wanted solid black but he did not have a solid black one. He was sold out so she had to get one with gold threads sparsely mixed in. Our ranch was one of the last on his route from Santa Cruz. We were a good ten miles north of Santa Cruz!


I loved the ranch because it was so unspoiled and so unbelievably simple and beautiful. I loved exploring the abandoned barn on the third tier of the ranch. Maybe that is why to this day antiques fascinate me because they have a story to tell.


In 1955 it all came to an end. We moved to Santa Cruz. I helped design the house. I don't know why but my mother decided I should have a say in it but I did. This was ironic because when my brother died in 2002 he left me the house and I redesigned it again. I do not know what got into me but I decided to make it a sexier house using color and curves which it already had. For 1955 it must have been an impressive house because it actually impresses me today as well. George Wilson was the builder. Originally, it had wood roof shingles but someone took them off along the way and it now has asphalt tile shingles.

ABOUT ME:
I attended Santa Cruz high School, my Davenport friend there was John Franklin
I attended Cabrillo College, my friends there were and still are: Larry Wallace, Judy Nielsen and Sandy Mundt
I attended San Jose State
I attended Monterey Peninsula College, my friend is Marilyn Vassallo
I used the knowledge from Monterey Peninsula College the most
I studied art, design, law, and real estate. I have a real estate license which I maintain by doing continuing education classes.

I married Lt. Donald L. Jacobs, Navy pilot who received his wings at Pensacola, Florida and his master's degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He was from Cheyenne, Wyoming. When we met our relationship was 98% Bridges at Toko Ri and 2% Duel in the Sun.

My husband's friends were
Col. Robert F. Overmeyer, pilot astronaut of the space ship Columbia
Rear Admiral Shumaker, not sure of name spelling but the one who wrote a book about the Hanoi Hilton, Rear Admiral West, numerous other Rear Admirals, Commanders etc.
Eldon Dedini, Cartoonist for Playboy magazine
Gus Arrioloa, Cartoonist
Hank Ketcham, Cartoonist
James Watts, police Chief/Captain, Pacific Grove retired.

My husband and I both met Alex Haley briefly in Los Angeles. He wrote Roots.
I briefly met Kesey who wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in Santa Cruz in the 1960's.

My friend was Virginia Conroy, Eldon Dedini's wife for whom I posed and she did a painting of me. A "talking to friend" was Jeremy Slate.

Five years after my husband died I met Retired Navy Commander Rene Gonzales with whom I had a friend relationship, it could not be more, because, he too, was diagnosed with cancer. We met Cinco De Mayo 1995 and he was dead September 1996.
I would like to comment that the whole decade of the 1990's was spent with people who eventually died of cancer. I decided that the Good Lord was trying to tell me something and so I have been single ever since!

Life has taken me back to my beginning which I loved the most next to my husband! I don't know why. Maybe because one finds a simple truth in being close to the earth and caring for one's family.
Now, I would like to write a book, enjoy life, listen to Italian music and spend more time in Santa Cruz where I have new and very interesting friends from "La Costa".

VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL

PHOTO: FRANK AND ROZINA MODOLO,AMICI DELLA COSTA, ("La Nostra Costa":P.356) ON THEIR WEDDING DAY, C.1920. (Courtesy of Antoinetta (Modolo) Jellison).


Dear Friends:


In honor of Valentine's Day, we present the
romantic comedy,
Casomai (If by Chance) , directed by Alessandro
D'Alatri (2002). Below are the details.
We hope to see you all there with your loved ones!!
Ciao,
Dante

************************************************************************
ITALIAN FILM SERIES
Held under the auspices of Istituto Italiano di
Cultura, San Francisco
All films have English subtitles.

Sunday, February 10, 2008, 7:00 PM

The Veteran's Hall,
846 Front St, Santa Cruz

Casomai
(If by Chance)
Directed by Alessandro D'Alatri (2002)

In honor of Valentine's Day, a film all about love and
marriage; part romantic comedy and part social
commentary. Stefania (Stefania Rocca) and Tommaso
(Fabio Volo) want to have a special wedding. At
Stefania's childhood church they meet a priest who
rises to the challenge. The film transports the viewer
through the beauty of love but also the darker
challenges of marriage: the potential loss of
togetherness, temptations, interference of others. An
entertaining and meaningful look at modern Italy
through the eyes of sophisticated, urban Thirty
Somethings. 114 minutes. In Italian with English
subtitles.




Dante Alighieri Society Santa Cruz
P.O. BOX 4253
Santa Cruz, CA 95063
Contact # (831) 423-3900
Email: dantesantacruz@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.folkplanet.com/dante

LA NOSTRA COSTA -THOUGHTS AND RECOLLECTIONS BY LaNORMA

PHOTO: The pretty little girl in front is LaNorma, photographed circa 1946. Standing behind her from left to right: Quinto Neri, Norma's Uncle; Diana Dinelli,Norma's Mother,Dante Dinelli,Norma's Father, and Elvira Neri, Norma's Aunt. Notice the Coca-Cola sign in the background. The letters spell BELTRAMI'S. In 'La Nostra Costa" (P.227) I call this location "Serafina's". It was a Cafe and Gas Stop on the Coast Road owned by Serafina and Battista Beltrami. Part of the building can be see in the background behind Quinto Neri. Also, part of the Old Coast Road,running parallel to the PG&E poles, can be seen just over the Coca-Cola sign at the extreme right hand side of the photo.(Courtesy-LaNorma Family Collection)


Ivano:


That certainly was a great Blagga article regarding the recipes for ‘sprouzzi alla Jounzzi’ , Gino’s minestrone soup and Nancy’s 'ricotta pie'. And what beautiful photos. I enjoyed it all so much. By the way, is the 'ricotta pie’ recipe by Nancy Jacobs (Quilici)??


Buon Compleanno to your Mom, Valentina. She truly was a great lady. I treasure her memory so much. What stands out most for me, besides all her other assets, was her beautiful complexion. She had the peaches and cream coloring…..I so much admired. Her cheeks were always a gorgeous pink color.
I also remember my Dad (Dante Dinelli) bringing us to your house on an occasional summer day and we would all go “al mare” – that was so much fun. Valentina driving the ‘old carrettone” would also pick up my Zia Elvira and cousin Laura Neri (now Gularte). That was before seat belts etc. (Gosh!! How did we all survive?) As you say in your book – La Nostra Costa - the beaches up the coast were to be respected and we certainly weren’t allowed to play in the water as we were at the Santa Cruz beach. Great memories.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Addressing the DMV situation and our dear old timers…….. I remember my Dad telling me that in l927, there were getting to be quite a few drivers on the road. So the DMV (CHP was all one unit with DMV at the time) with some men from their Sacramento office, came to the ranches and announced, “Come up to the Ocean View Hotel in Davenport and we will give out Drivers Licenses” – guess that was how the first of the licenses to drive were issued.

Later on (I don’t remember the exact year), “il gran amico della costa”, John Battistini (John Battistini Insurance) spoke with his friend Bill Lenson, head of the local Santa Cruz DMV Office in regards to giving driver’s licenses to the ranceri and other fellow Italians. As it turned out, after their discussion, the ‘ranceri’ just had to “occasionally” take a driving test, Usually this happened if it was there first time driving. (BTW: Today, Bill is in his 90’s and lives in Spring Lakes with his Italian wife Evie).

One day in the late 40s or early 50s, my Dad, whose license was due for renewal, was getting gas at the Puccinelli (?) gas station on Water Street in Santa Cruz. As faith would have it, Bill Lenson was also getting gas there. My Dad happened to mention to Bill that he needed a new driver’s license. Bill said, “Follow me up to the office and I will give it to you” (DMV office was then where the eastside post office is on Soquel Ave. across from the Taco Bell.) That’s all it took then.

Years later, after Bill had retired and things changed drastically……my Dad did what a lot of the old ranceri did – he obtained all the tests he could get a hold of and studied them so well, that (as you said your father did) he probably memorized all the questions and answers. When the time came to take the written test, he went in with all the other English speaking Americans—and he would get 100%. Like the other Italians “su per la costa”, he did not want any special treatment for the record.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you Gino Campioni for translating all those Blagga articles into Italian. It is such great practice for me (us) to read it and keep up with our Italiano. I miss talking to the ‘old timers’ so much. It doesn’t take much to lose “la pratica” as far as the language goes.

Anyway – thank you Gino – great job – keep up the good work and hope to meet you again. Perhaps in Santa Cruz sometime soon – maybe at a get together to celebrate Ivano’s libro……and also our folks who paved the way for all of us and made the story of “La Nostra Costa” possible.

Ciao per ora – Norma Dinelli Wilson


Ivano says:

Mille Grazie for the memories, Norma. Yes, the recipe for the ‘ricotta pie’ was by Nancy (Quilici) Jacobs, who grew up on a ‘rancio su per la costa’. Nancy is living in Pacific Grove now, however, she also maintains the old family home in Santa Cruz, which is located not to far from Casa D’Valentina. Hopefully, she is continuing to work on her memoirs. (Please check out comments by Nancy. More insights on 'la vita su per la costa'. ("Clicca" on comments below-right.)

SPROUZZI ALLA JOUNZZI 2 AND MUCH MORE

IVANO SAYS: REMEMBER RUSS JONES?? FORMER SAN JOSE POLICE OFFICER AND NOW OUR 'LA NOSTRA COSTA' RESIDENT CHEF HAS COME UP WITH ANOTHER OF HIS DELIGHTFUL RECIPIES. ENJOY. THANKS RUSS. (PHOTO DIRECTLY ABOVE: RUSS JONES's BEAUTIFUL WIFE SALLY, SET TO ENJOY SPROUZZI ALLA JOUNZZI 2. PHOTOS COURTESY RUSS JONES.)



Sprouzzi ala Jounzzi #2

As a reminder, your book La Nostra Costa reminded me so much of growing up in the Los Gatos - Santa Cruz area, especially the large Brussels Sprouts farms such as you were raised on. I thought I would pass on the latest dish I served my bride over the holidays.

The Osso Buco is first braised, then slow-roasted with a zesty medley of shallots and oven-roasted garlic blended with portabello mushrooms, ripe Roma tomatoes, rosemary and thyme. Serve with Risotto alla Milanese. The vegetables, rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and, of course, Brussels sprouts, are tossed with thyme, sage and a little grated nutmeg, then oven roasted with a small amount of Marsala in the bottom of the pan.

Buon Appitito Russ


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AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PREFER A HOT BOWL OF SOUP ON THESE WET AND COLD WINTERY DAYS, GINO "D'BAFFI" CAMPIONI, SENDS HIS RECIPE FOR RANCERE STYLE MINESTRONE ALLA 'BAFFI'

Ciao Ivano,

Ho pensato di mandarti la ricetta per fare il minestrone. (1) Perhaps your mother made it this way. This is how Baffi preferred it:

Ingredients: Salt Pork
Pinto Beans (the pale colored ones with darker speckles. Baffi called them "Kentucky Wonders")
Cabbage (the dark, curly variety is preferred, but not available in Oregon)
Onion
Tomato Sauce
Celery
Parsley
Carrots
Pasta (optional) (small like rosary beads)

Soak the beans overnight or longer. (2) On cooking day, boil them till tender and force them through a sieve. Discard the husks.
Put the resulting bean puree back into the water in which the beans were cooked.
Lo Sfritto (the fry-up) Cut the salt pork into very small pieces. Place in frying pan to render it. Use the hide part also. ( left in one piece It makes
a special treat for the youngest family member)
Chop the onion, celery, parsley, and carrots and add them to the pan with the salt pork. When all is properly sautéed, put all into
the pot with the beans. Pour in a can of tomato sauce.
Cut the cabbage into manageable pieces and add to the pot. (Baffi wanted it in very large pieces)
Continue cooking until the cabbage is tender.
Add pasta, if desired, during the last 8 minutes of cooking.

For his supper, Baffi would have a huge bowl of this. Ada made 20 pints at a time, which lasted him 6 days.
He would add a large slice of French bread torn into small pieces, and top it all off with olive oil, and some of his homemade vino rosso.
(I draw the line after the olive oil)
Proportions are left up to the cook's imagination. There are as many varieties of minestrone as there are people who cook it.

(1) Pronounced: "ME-neh-STRON-eh" Means: "Big Soup".

(2) I heard on TV that if the beans are soaked in just enough water to cover them and they are allowed to begin sprouting, it
will release the explosive power that they contain. I was never able to prove that.

Allora Ivano, mangiamo? Migliori auguri.

Gino
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AND NOW FOR DESSERT. NANCY JACOBS SENDS US HER FAMOUS RECIPE FOR RICOTTA PIE. NANCY'S RECIPE MIGHT BE AS OLD AS 'LA COSTA' ITSELF. WHO CAN ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE??

CRUST
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter,softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange peel
1 tablespoon orange juice

FILLING (The good stuff)
1 container 15 oz ricotta cheese in old days they used loose ricotta sold by the pound
1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar depending on how sweet you like your sweets
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons flour, all purpose
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons finely chopped citron, optional
1 egg, separated

TO MAKE CRUST

Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
In average size bowl with egg beater (old way) now use electric mixer, beat butter with sugar and one egg until fluffy. MIX in vanilla,orange peel and orange juice. Add half of flour mixture. With a wooden polenta spoon or just wooden spoon mix until well blended.

TO THIS add remaining flour mixture. Using your hands mix until the now dough leaves the side of the bowl and can hold itself together. On the wood ranch table I used to knead this until it was all blended in together. Now set it aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

MAKE FILLING the good stuff
Put the ricotta cheese in a bowl and beat with hand beater until creamy or use electric mixer.
NOW add sugar, eggs, flour, almond extract and if you choose to use the citron, the citron.
MIX until all ingredients are well mixed.

CUT PASTRY IN HALF.
You can use waxed paper to roll out pastry or do as I do which is to use flour on the wood table and moisten the dough lightly before rolling out with rolling pin. Fit the pastry into a 9 inch pie tin or glass pyrex pie plate. Once the pastry crust is in place in the pie tin, trim the pastry to the edge, leaving about 1/4 to1/2 inch extra pastry around the edge. LIGHTLY brush the bottom of the pastry layer with an egg white.
ROLL OUT the other half of the pastry either on the wooden table or between wax paper. The pastry should be no more than 1/8 inch thick. NOW cut with a knife which is what I used but a pastry cutter can be used to cut this, go ahead and cut the pastry into strips that are no more than 1/2 inch wide.
PLACE FILLING on top of pastry in pie plate.
NOW place strips across the top about 1/2 inch apart. Design a lattice or some other design with the strips and with a fork turn the extra pastry at the edge of the pie tin upwards and with the tines of a fork press down to seal the edge.
REMEMBER THE EGG WHITE? Well now it is time for the egg yolk. Mix the egg yolk with one tablespoon of water. Now slowly brush it on the crust.
Years later I saw a similar recipe in McCall's magazine. In the McCall's recipe they used aluminum foil to go around the edge of the pie plate. I am of the opinion that this prevents too much cooking on the edge. It did get somewhat brown on the edge but not all of the time when cooked the old way.
PLACE in the oven and cook for around 50 minutes, more or less. Check it when it gets to forty five minutes.
This is a wonderful low calorie dessert and tastes good cold. So, I would let it cool and then refrigerate overnight and eat. You can serve it with various berries. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.


Enjoy,
Nancy Jacobs

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VALENTINA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VALENTINA

PHOTO: VALENTINA (RIGHT) POSES WITH ONE OF HER BEST FRIENDS AND FELLOW 'FURLANA' EVELINA CANTARUTTI. THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN CIRCA 1946 IN FELTON. EVELINA IS STILL LIVING TODAY, ONE OF THE LAST OF THE 'SORELLE DELLA COSTA'. (LA NOSTRA COSTA PHOTO ARCHIVES.)



TODAY IS JANUARY 16. IT IS MY MOTHERS BIRTHDAY. VALENTINA WAS BORN ON THIS DATE IN 1913, IN NIMIS, PROVINCIA D’UDINE, ITALY. HER PARENTS WERE GIOVANNI AND ANGELICA BRESSANI. SHE WAS THE OLDEST IN A FURLAN FAMILY CONSISTING OF ONE BROTHER, TITA AND THREE SISTERS, VALENTINA, VENERINA AND LINA. (A PHOTO OF THE BRESSANI FAMILY APPEARS ON PAGE 198 IN ‘LA NOSTRA COSTA’. VALENTINA IS NOT IN THE PHOTO BECAUSE SHE WAS ALREADY IN AMERICA AT THE TIME THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN. LINA, AT THE FRONT PETTING THE DOG, IS THE ONLY SIBLING STILL LIVING.)

I WRITE EXTENSIVELY IN ‘LA NOSTRA COSTA’ ABOUT MY MOTHER, HOW SHE LOVED US AND ALL THE HARD WORK SHE DID TO HELP SUSTAIN THE FAMILY. HOWEVER, THE ONE THING I REMEMBER MOST ABOUT HER WAS THAT SHE WAS THE DISCIPLINARIAN IN THE FAMILY. MY FATHER, BRONCO,FREQUENTLY 'BARKED' WARNINGS AT GIOVANNI PRIMO AND ME (MOSTLY ME), BUT SELDOM IF EVER TOOK ACTION. IT WAS VALENTINA WHO TOOK ACTION.

IN ‘LA NOSTRA COSTA’, (P.64-65), I DESCRIBE HOW MY BROTHER AND I WERE SUBJECTED TO THE MOST VILE CURSE WORDS IMAGINEABLE, SPEWED FORTH FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE ‘RANCERI’, (THE ITALIAN RANCHERS). USUALLY THEY COUPLED THE NAME OF THE DEITY WITH CERTAIN OFF COLOR OR DEROGATORY ADJECTIVES AND/OR PRONOUNS. VALENTINA TAUGHT US TO SUBISTITUE THE WORD ‘BUONO’ (GOOD) FOR ALL THOSE OTHER BAD WORDS. “DIO BUONO” (GOOD GOD), ACCORDING TO VALENTINA WAS NOT A SWEAR WORD, SO SHE WOULD USE IT QUITE OFTEN. HOWEVER, HER RATHER HARSH ‘DIO BUONOS’, USED WHEN SHE DISCIPLINED US CERTAINLY IMPLIED SOMETHING MORE THAN A FORGIVING AND BENEVOLENT GOD.

TO ILLUSTRATE THIS I DESCRIBE IN THE BOOK, ONE PARTICULAR OCCASION WHEN SHE CAUGHT ME SMOKING CIGARETTES WITH MY BOYHOOD FRIENDS, MARIO AND ELIO RODONI. I WAS PROBABLY 10-YEARS OLD AT THE TIME, AND AS USUAL WITHOUT A FAIR TRIAL, I WAS BLAMED FOR INSTIGATING THE WHOLE EPISODE. SENSING THAT I WAS ABOUT TO ‘CATCH HELL HERE ON EARTH’, I QUICKLY STARTED TO MAKE MY GET-A-WAY. IN THE BOOK I DESCRIBE THE ENSUING “ACTION’ AS FOLLOWS (P.65):

'As I tried to make my get-away, she (Valentina) grabbed a broom and started chasing me around the house yelling, “Dio Buono, Ivano! Aspetta quando ti piglio [peel’yo]”. In effect she meant something like, “Good God, Ivano! Just wait until I catch you!” She sure wasn’t calling on the good graces of God to bless me, on that particular day.'*

I DON’T THINK THAT VALENTINA EVER CAUGHT ME, HOWEVER, EVENTUALLY I HAD TO GIVE MY SELF UP. SHE DIDN’T USE THE BROOM ON ME, BUT I AM SURE I RECEIVED A COUPLE OF GOOD HARD “PATAFFS” (SLAPS) ABOUT THE EARS AND BUTT. AS ALWAYS,A FEW DAYS LATER, ALL WAS FORGIVEN.

DID VALENTINA’S DISCPLINARY METHODS DO ANY GOOD? WELL, I CAN TESTIFY THAT I HAVE BEEN A NON-SMOKER FOR ALL OF MY LIFE. VALENTINA'S METHODS CHANGED THE WORDS (AT LEAST IN MY MIND) OF A POPULAR SONG OF THE DAY "SMOKE,SMOKE THAT CIGARETTE" TO " DIO BUONO!! YOU BETTER NOT SMOKE,SMOKE THAT CIGARETTE".


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MA. I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU. IVANO

*As it appears in 'La Nostra Costa' (Our Coast), copyrighted by Ivano Franco Comelli and published by Authorhouse: www.authorhouse.com


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ED IN ITALIANO: TRADUZIONE PER GINO "D'BAFFI" CAMPIONI

Felice compleanno, VALENTINA

PHOTO. VALENTINA (alla destra) INSIEME DI UNA DI SUE FAVORITE AMICHE E PAESANE FURLANE, EVELINA CANTARUTTI. QUESTA FOTO ERA FATTA CIRCA 1946 IN FELTON. EVELINA è ANCH'ORA VIVA, UNA DELLE ULTIME "SORELLE DELLA COSTA". (DAL ARCHIVIO FOTOGRAFICO LA NOSTRA COSTA)

Oggi è il 16 gennaio. Era il compleanno di mia madre. Valentina nacque questo giorno nel 1913 in Nimis, Provincia di Udine, Italia. Suoi genitori erano Giovanni ed Angelica Bressani. Era la prima in una famiglia furlana con un fratello, Tita, e tre sorelle, Valentina, Venerina e Lina. (una foto della famiglia Bressani appare in pagina 198 nel libro "La Nostra Costa". Valentina non appare in quella foto perchè era gia in America al tempo che la foto fu presa. Lina, davanti carezzando il cane, è l'unica sorella sempre in vita..)

In "LA NOSTRA COSTA" scrivo tanto di mia madre, come ci voleva bene, e tutte le fatiche che fece per sopportare la famiglia. Però, la cosa che rimane piu chiara nella memoria di lei è che lei era la disciplinaria nella famiglia. Mio padre, Bronco, spesso "abbaiava" dei monimento verso Giovanni Primo e me (piu che altro à me), ma per solito faceva poco. Era Valentina che metteva i monimenti in attività.

In "LA NOSTRA COSTA", (P. 64_65) DESCRIVO COME MIO FRATELLO ED IO ERAVAMO SOGGETTI ALLA PIU VILE MALEDIZIONE IMMAGINABILE, SPUNTANDO DALLE BOCCHE DEI "RANCERI", (AGRICOLTORI ITALIANI). PER SOLITO AGGIUNGEVANO I NOMI SACRI CON CERTE PAROLE PEGGIORATIVE. VALENTINA CI HA INSEGNATO DI SOSTITUIRE LA PAROLA "BUONO" PER LE PAROLACCIE. "DIO BUONO", SECONDO VALENTINA NON ERA UNA BESTEMMIA, DUNQUE USAVA QUESTE PAROLE MOLTO SPESSO. PERO SUOI PIU DURI "DIO BUONO" QUANDO CI DAVA DISCIPLINA, CERTAMENTE CI DICEVANO UN PO PIU CHE DI UN DIO BENEVOLENTE E PERDONANTE.

PER ILLUSTRARE QUESTO, DESCRIVO NEL LIBRO, UN'OCCASIONE PARTICOLARE QUANDO MI HA TROVATO FUMANDO SIGARETTE CON MIEI AMICI MARIO ED ELIO RODONI. AVREI AVUTO CIRCA 10 ANNI IN QUEL' TEMPO. PER SOLITO, E SENZA UNA PROVA GIUSTA, HO RICEVUTO LA COLPA PER TUTTO QUESTO EPISODE. PENSANDO CHE STAVO PER "RICEVERE L'INFERNO IN TERRA", HO COMINCIATO DI FARE LA SCAPPATA. NEL LIBRO DESCRIVO QUESTA AZIONE COME SEGUITA (P. 65):

"Mentro provai di scappare, essa (Valentina) prese una granata e comiciò di rincorreremi intorno la casa gridando,
"Dio Buono, Ivano! Aspetta quando ti piglio". Sono sicuro che quel giorno non cercava le benedizioni di Dio per me.

CREDO CHE VALENTINA NON MI HA MAI CATTURATO, PERO ALLA FINE MI TOCCAVA ARRENDERMI. NON HA USATO LA GRANATA, MA MI DIEDE UN PAIO DI "PATAFFE" INTORNO LE ORECCHIE ED IL SEDERE. AL SOLITO, POCHI GIORNI DOPO, TUTTO ERA PERDONATO.

I MEZZI DISCIPLINARI HANNO FATTO DEL BENE? POSSO FARE TESTAMENTO CHE NELLA MIA VITA NON HO PIU FUMATO. I MEZZI DI VALENTINA HANNO CAMBIATO LE PAROLE DI UNA CONZONE POPOLARE IN QUEL TEMPO. "FUMA, FUMA QUELLA SIGARETTA" DIVENTO PER ME "DIO BUONO!! NON FUMARE FUMARE QUELLA SIGARETTA".

FELICA COMPLEANNO, MAMMA. TI VOGILO BENE E MI MANCHI TANTO. IVANO

FERNANDO MORO; FIGLIO DELLA COSTA - 'FIGLIO DI FERRO'

Photo: Fernando Moro (forefront) sitting atop his 'Angry Beast' with side-kick Joe Alves, in Santa Cruz, c.1950. (Courtsey Fernando Moro Family Collection).


FERNANDO MORO, THE LAST OF ‘THE FIGLI DI FERRO’ (SONS OF IRON) PASSED AWAY LAST TUESDAY. BELOW IS HIS OBITUARY AS IT APPEARED
IN THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL:


Services will be Monday for Fernando Moro who passed away January 8, 2008 at a local hospital. He was 86.
He was born in Tulare, California and moved to Davenport as a child. He grew up in Davenport where he attended school. In 1958 he married Gloria Lippi and the couple moved to Santa Cruz where he has lived since. He worked many years for Lonestar Industries in Davenport as a brick mason and retired in 1981. He enjoyed camping and was an avid motorcycle enthusiast. He was a longtime member of the Marconi Club.
He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Gloria Moro of Santa Cruz; two sisters, Yoli Chavez of Santa Cruz and Mary Brown of Santa Cruz. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Fred Moro. Services will be held Monday January 14, 2008 at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St, Santa Cruz, CA at 2:00 pm. Viewing hours will be at Pacific Gardens Chapel on Sunday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Entombment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, 2271 7th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA.


Published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel on 1/11/2008.


IVANO SAYS:


AS FAR AS I KNOW FERNANDO, THE ELDEST SON IN A FURLAN FAMILY (SILVIO AND ELENA MORO OF DAVENPORT), WAS THE LAST LIVING MEMBER OF “THE FIGLI DI FERRO”, A LOOSE KNIT MOTORCYCLE GROUP THAT RODE THE HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS SU PER LA COSTA. AS I WRITE IN ‘LA NOSTRA COSTA’ (P.178) THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP WERE JOE GEMIGNANI, (MY UNCLE), FRED DIMEO, AND ALBIE ROSSI. ALL ARE GONE NOW; ONLY THE MEMORIES ARE LEFT FOR US TO REMEMBER THEM BY .

FERNANDO WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE ARMED FORCES DURING WWII. IN 1944, HE WAS CAPTURED AND MADE A PRISONER-OF-WAR BY THE GERMANS. HE REMAINED THEIR PRISONER UNTIL THE END OF THE WAR IN MARCH 1945.

WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW IS WHAT I WROTE IN ‘LA NOSTRA COSTA’ ABOUT FERNANDO MORO (LNC: P 180):


“I thought that Fernando had the best motorcycle of the group, and he always kept it in pristine condition. His motorcycle was also one of the loudest. You could hear Fernando coming from a very long way off. He usually started his journey from his home in Davenport and came south on the Coast Road. I can still remember the vibrating sound of his motorcycle approaching the gulch, then quickly descending into il buco before roaring up the steep grade. Rushing to the side of the road, I would see Fernando, perhaps for only a split second-hunched over on the handlebars, dressed in a black leather jacket and black leather pilot’s hat with the goggles pulled over his eyes -flashing by with
a burst of speed. On his trip back from Santa Cruz, I could hear the roar of his motorcycle as it approached the bend near the Rodoni Ranch. Whoosh! Like il vento, Fernando and his motorcycle blew by the house, going down into the gulch and up the grade on the other side. All the while his motorcycle’s engine roared like and angry, attacking beast. I continued to listen to its loud growling sound until it faded completely away, su per la costa. I swear that, on a quiet evening, I could hear that “angry beast” all the way up to Davenport.” *

ADDIO FERNANDO MORO. MAY YOU RIDE ONCE AGAIN CON IL VENTO.

*Copyrighted by Ivano Franco Comelli, and appears in his book “La Nostra Costa” (Our Coast), ‘A Family’s Journey To And From The North Coast of Santa Cruz’, published by
Authorhouse,www.authorhouse.com

THE 'DAVENPORT DESTROYER' HAS A BENCH

CATHY BROVIA,THE LATE JOE BROVIA'S WIFE, WROTE THIS E-MAIL TO ME SOME MONTHS AGO. IT DESCRIBES 'LA BARRANCA PARK' IN SANTA CRUZ.

La Barranca Park is dedicated to the Italians who did something and are recognized for their contributions...

This is a park along side of Bay St., from California to Laguna St. and is dedicated to those famous Italians...

As I was driving on Bay street on my way home from a little detour from the store, I noticed a new stanchion where Centennial and Bay st. intersects.. I immediately stopped and made a U turn, and walked across, hopefully thinking Joe (Brovia) would be on that new stanchion.... LO AND BEHOLD.... he was there!!!!!! Recognizing him for his Long Home run!!!!!! Nice picture with some other very important people such as John Battistini, Julia Stefani, Lido Marietti, Al Castagnola, Judge Scoppettone, and many others...including Freddie Moro...and the committee making this all possible... I immediately called Alma Ellis, and thanked her for including my Joe, and she said the city would not allow any more, so I was so happy to think Joe got in, although Freddie Moro had told me he would be included. I believe there are 4 stanchions in all.... It is a very nice dedication to all those beautiful Italians who did so much for Santa Cruz. (I am so proud that Joe was included) Wouldn't he be proud?????????
I am sure his mother and dad would be so proud of their Guiseppi Giovanni.... (Joe's name on his Birth Certificate.)

THE STORY CONTINUES:

FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS CATHY HAS BEEN WORKING ON HER OWN WITH THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ TO HAVE A BENCH INSTALLED IN THE PARK IN THE NAME OF HER LATE HUSBAND JOE BROVIA, THE DAVENPORT DESTROYER. 'LO AND BEHOLD' AS CATHY WOULD SAY, THE BENCH HAS FINALLY BEEN INSTALLED. I KNOW THAT CATHY DOES NOT LIKE ME TO MENTION THIS,BUT I THINK THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT CATHY PAID FOR THE BENCH HERSELF. " IT IS SOMETHING I WANTED TO DO FOR MY, JOE" SHE SAYS. CONGRATULATION CATHY. A JOB WELL DONE. JOE BROVIA, 'THE DAVENPORT DESTROYER' WOULD HAVE INDEED BEEN PROUD....
OF YOU.


PHOTOS: THE INSCRIPITON ON THE BENCH READS: "IN LOVING MEMORY OF JOE BROVIA 'THE DAVENPORT DESTROYER' 1922 - 1994 SEMPRE AVANTI LOVE CATARINA" (LNOSTRA-COSTA ARCHIVES)

'SWINGING JOE BROVIA', PHOT0 OF PICTURE WHICH HANGS IN CATHY'S LIVING ROOM. (LNOSTRA-COSTA ARCHIVES C. 1950)

CATHY BROVIA RECEIVING JOE BROVIA'S PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CERTIFCATE WITH MARK MACRAE (CATHY BROVIA COLLECTION SEPTEMBER 2005)

TOP PHOTO WAS TAKEN FROM A GROUP PHOTO (C.1929) AT LAGUNA, JUST SOUTH OF DAVENPORT.
A VERY YOUNG JOE 'PINO' BROVIA CAN BE SEEN AT THE CENTER ON HIS 'HAUNCHES'. JOE'S BELOVED FATHER, PIETRO 'PETE'BROVIA CAN BE SEEN AT EXTREME RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE
PHOTO KNEELING ON ONE KNEE. CATHY SAYS THE 'SEMPRE AVANTI' ON THE BENCH IS IN HIS MEMORY. (ALVERDA ORLANDO DAVENPORT COLLECTION).

ADDIO MI BELLA GILDA

IVANO SAYS: WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW IS AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL REGARDING THE LIFE AND DEATH OF GILDA STAGNARO. THIS WONDERFUL WOMEN WAS ONE OF "LA NOSTRA COSTA'S" BIGGEST FANS. WHEN VISITING HER RESTURANT SHE WOULD CALL ME 'BELLO' AND I WOULD CALL HER 'BELLA'. THE PHOTO DIRECTLY ABOVE IS OF GILDA TAKEN FROM THE SENTINEL ARTICLE.

THE PHOTO AT THE TOP WAS TAKEN LAST YEAR AT "GILDA'S" BY MARVIN DEL CHIARO. GILDA HONORED ME BY POSING WITH THE 'OLD RANCERE' AND FRIENDS INSIDE THE 'STAGNARO HALL OF FAME'. GILDA IS ON THE 'RANCERE'S' RIGHT, 'LaNORMA' (NORMA DINELLI WILSON) IS ON HIS LEFT,AND ALVERDA ORLANDO,SANTA CRUZ AUTHOR AND HISTORIAN,IS ON THE END HOLDING A COPY OF 'LA NOSTRA COSTA'.


January 5, 2008
Gilda Stagnaro, 'queen of the wharf,' dies outside her restaurant after coronary incident
J.M. BROWN
SENTINEL STAFF WRITER
SANTA CRUZ -- Gilda J. Stagnaro, the beloved matriarch of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf who for more than 35 years ran the landmark family restaurant that bears her name, died Friday morning after collapsing in the driving wind and rain just 90 feet from the business. She was 83.


<< >>


GILDA J. STAGNARO

BORN: March 31, 1924.
DIED: Jan. 4, 2008.
EDUCATION: Santa Cruz High School, 1941.
SURVIVORS: Sister Yolanda 'Lindy' Stagnaro Dunn, brother Robert 'Big Boy' Stagnaro, numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.
SERVICES: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel,
1050 Cayuga St. Private interment.
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The official cause of death was not immediately available Friday, but family members said her cardiologist determined Stagnaro suffered a coronary-related incident outside Gilda's Restaurant shortly after arriving to work about 9 a.m. Stagnaro, who had a history of heart trouble and two hip replacements, was pronounced dead at Dominican Hospital a short time later.
"It is how she wanted to die," said nephew Geoffrey Dunn, a Santa Cruz author and historian. "She told everybody she wanted to die with her boots on at the wharf."
Dunn said several people reported seeing her fall near her parking space outside Gilda's, but it was not clear if the high wind from Friday's severe winter storm contributed to her death. Ironically, Stagnaro told the Sentinel in May 1971 that she loved spending stormy days at the wharf, much like the one that caused widespread power outages and numerous traffic accidents Friday.
"I love these days," she told reporter Wallace Wood for an article about Gilda's, which is known for its breakfasts and sandwiches. "The trouble is that the wharf makes me seasick, it moves so much."
After a brief career as a school secretary, Stagnaro, the ninth of 11 children born to an immigrant Italian fishing and market dynasty whose first business opened in Santa Cruz in 1884, launched Gilda's on the site of her family's former Sport Fishers Coffee Shop. Gilda's is the last holding of the family corporation, C. Stagnaro Fishing Co., that she and brother Robert "Big Boy" Stagnaro, 79, have headed for several decades. The company is not connected to the Stagnaro Bros. Seafood Inc., also on the wharf, or the former Stagnaro Liquors in Santa Cruz, run by other Stagnaro families.
Stagnaro's older sister, Yolanda "Lindy" Stagnaro Dunn, 92, was the last to see Stagnaro alive Friday when she left the house the two women have shared for two decades on the family compound near Bay and Laguna streets. Dunn said her sister, who had been complaining of heart problems in recent days but seemed in good spirits, looked "beautiful" as she left carrying Dunn's Burberry tote bag.
"I asked her, 'Are you sure you can make it,' because it was quite stormy this morning," Dunn said. "She was very anxious to get to the wharf. She lived a life on the wharf -- that is where she was the happiest."
Besides her brother and sister, Stagnaro is survived by numerous nieces and nephews, and more than 100 cousins. She never married and had no children.
Relatives, friends and civic leaders remembered her as "queen of the wharf," where she continued to work 40 hours per week as a hostess, cashier and sometime waitress and table busser who knew customers on a first-name basis. She was a longtime advocate of saving the wharf when piling replacement and other costs associated with maintaining one of California's oldest wharfs threatened its closure numerous times.

"It's a total tragedy -- she is definitely going to be missed," said six-term Santa Cruz City Councilman Mike Rotkin, who has dined at Gilda's regularly. "She is an institution in the community."
Nephew Malio Stagnaro said he and brother Dino will continue to manage the restaurant with their father, "Big Boy," but said it will be impossible to fill his aunt's shoes. The restaurant was closed Friday, along with the rest of the wharf, because of the storm, but will reopen whenever the wharf opens.
"We are kind of in the grieving process, but right now we are planning on holding down the fort," Malio Stagnaro said. "She basically was the caretaker of the family. If anyone was sick or in trouble, they came to Gilda."
Noting that Gilda's didn't close during the Loma Prieta earthquake or 1982 flood, Geoffrey Dunn said, "She would have been livid that they closed the wharf on Friday."
"Gilda was the queen of the wharf," said Bill Tysseling, executive director of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce. "She ran the restaurant like it was her own kitchen, welcomed everyone like they were the next-door neighbor, treated the regulars like they were family."
Born in March 1924 in Santa Cruz to Cottardo Stagnaro Jr. and his wife Battistina Loero, she graduated from Santa Cruz High School in 1941. She was named after a sister born before her who died of pneumonia at age 2.
In the 1940s, after working at Mission Hill Junior High School, Stagnaro joined the family's wharf businesses begun by her immigrant grandfather Cottardo Stagnaro Sr. She managed the coffee shop that later turned into her own restaurant, where relatives said she was not above performing any job, including seating diners, taking orders, cleaning tables and keeping the books.
"There was a point in the 1970s and 1980s that she worked 16 to 18 hours a day," Geoffrey Dunn said. "It was pretty phenomenal. She did whatever needed to be done."
After she suffered a heart attack about 12 years ago, he said, "We all tried to caution her to slow down. Quite frankly, she didn't want to."
Rotkin, whose son used to worked at the restaurant, said, "These are working class people who, although they own their own business, never saw themselves as anything other than salt-of-the-earth workers. They were incredibly gracious hosts."
Brother "Big Boy" called his sister's death "a great loss" for the family and the community.
"There wasn't a person that she never met that she never loved -- that was her great trait in life," he said. "It was the Santa Cruzans that gave the family the chance to become successful."
Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, a former mayor and longtime councilman, said, "It's hard to imagine the wharf without her." She was "always a leader of the wharf" whose "life was her family and the restaurant."
Contact J.M. Brown at 429-2410 or jbrown@santacruzsentinel.com.

LEN KLEMPNAUER SAYS;

Ivan,

I copied your photo of Gilda Stagnaro et al and re-posted it to the Class of '54 web site.

Incidentally, one of our SCHS teachers from the
1950s, Sharmon Nash, is a daily customer at Gilda's.

Al Mitchell, former lifeguard, board surfer and Mission Hill Jr. High teacher, who was a member of the Class of '54, is also a frequent customer. Caro Ivano:


LaNORMA SAYS:

Our dear friend and fellow Italian Gilda Stagnaro has passed away….
She died on the wharf by her restaurant as she had always said
how she wanted to go.

We all feel so sad and she will be sorely missed by all….she truly
Was a great lady and proud to be an Italo-American.

SEMPRE AVANTI FOR 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM IVANO FRANCO AND HIS LOVELY WIFE MILDRED, TO ALL THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD.

WE WANT TO THANK ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND HELP IN SPREADING THE ‘GOOD WORD’ ABOUT THE RICH ITALIAN HISTORY OF SANTA CRUZ AND IT'S NORTH COAST. WE ESPECIALLY WANT TO THANK THOSE OF YOU WHO PURCHASED ‘LA NOSTRA COSTA’ AND ALSO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED ARTICLES AND COMMENTS TO THE ‘LNOSTRA-COSTA’ BLOG. THIS BLOG WOULD NOT BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT IS, WITHOUT YOUR PARTICIPATION AND HELP. SO WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2008?. LET’S START IT OFF WITH A GREAT BIG ‘SEMPRE AVANTI’. MILDRED AND IVANO

'LA NOSTRA COSTA' (OUR COAST), 'A FAMILY'S JOURNEY TO AND FROM THE NORTH COAST OF SANTA CRUZ,CALIFORNIA' (1923-1983),IVANO FRANCO COMELLI, AUTHOR, IS PUBLISHED BY AUTHORHOUSE AND IS AVAILABLE ON LINE AT:www.authorhouse.com , OR BY TELEPHONE AT 1-888-280-7715. OTHER SITES AND LOCATIONS AVAILABLE ON THE LA NOSTRA COSTA WEBSITE: AT:www.lanostracosta.com-a.googlepages.com

DAVENPORT - A MOMENT IN TIME

IVANO SAYS: I AM RE-PUBLISHING THIS ARTICLE BY PATTY MORELLI BECAUSE (1) I THINK IT IS VERY WELL WRITTEN DESERVING A SECOND LOOK, AND (2)I RECEIVED A PHOTO OF THE CASH STORE PHOTO (ABOVE)FROM LEN KLEMPNAUER, FORMER SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL REPORTER. THE PHOTO ADDS DRAMATIC EFFECT TO PATTY'S ARTICLE. (FOR PHOTO CREDITS SEE COMMENTS BY LEN KLEMPNAUER.)



Patty Morelli grew up in Davenport. In fact she and her family lived in New Town, in the very same house were my parents lived when I was first born. Maybe our urge to write about Davenport and "La Costa" can be traced back to that house on First Street. Thanks for the memories, Patty.






A Moment In Time In Davenport
By Patty Morelli

I have so many wonderful experiences to share about my childhood in Davenport. Both my Mom, Evelyn Collins, and my Dad, Mac Morelli, grew up in Davenport. Their parents (Gilda Bertacca and Tony Collins; Tootsie Morelli and Violet Dingwall) lived much of their lives in Davenport, as well. So, as a result, I grew up with quite a legacy of ‘stories’. And, of course, I have a bunch of my own.

I lived in Davenport until I was 13 years old, and then we moved to Santa Cruz. I remember very well the day we left. It was the day after Easter vacation started in 1953. We had stuffed the last of our boxed up belongings between my 2 sisters, Margo and Carole, in the back seat of our old Chevy. My brother Macie and I climbed halfheartedly into the front seat. My Mom was driving and I could see she was eager for this move. She’d been a Davenport girl since she was 3 years old and now she was starting a new life ‘in the big city’. As we pulled away from our house on First Street in Newtown, she chatted happily, creating wonderful scenarios of times to come. I remember feeling quiet and depressed.

I loved my little town and now that the car was moving, I suddenly felt the consequences of not living there. It dawned on me that I would no longer see Pacific School and my teachers, Mrs. Emery and Mrs. Thompson. Even more, I would miss becoming the long awaited upperclassman of the school and graduating from 8th grade with my classmates.

As we continued down the road past the Cement Plant, more thoughts came rushing. I realized I would never again climb up into the tree house my brother and I built in the dusty eucalyptus trees near the railroad tracks. We loved sitting in the safety of “our fort” while the huge, black train engine would slowly puff beneath us as it pulled filled boxcars from the Cement Plant.

I probably would never again see Lenny Domenicelli’s horses, Pal and Babe, who were corralled near our home. My brother, Macie, my sister, Margo, and I would pet them, feed them rich green weeds that we pulled from the fields, and then finally chase them and each other all over the hillside.

I would miss seeing Georgie Mungai, my very first crush. My Dad bartended at the Ocean View Hotel and we would often stop by with our Mom to visit. Once in awhile, Georgie would drop in and my heart would skip a beat…… my brother , Macie, would tease me and call out “Georgie….Patty loves you!” And I would hit him.

I thought about Catechism class at St. Vincent de Paul’s Church and wondered where I would go for Catechism in Santa Cruz. I thought of many other things.

While my head raced with anxious worries, there whorled in the background the sound of sirens. By this time we had moved onto Highway 1 and were approaching Gregory’s Gas Station. Suddenly, in the distance, I saw smoke on the left hand side of the Highway. My Mom slowed down, and just as we approached the Davenport Cash Store it became evident that it was on fire. I remember having this great feeling of panic and I begged my Mom to stop, to pull over. But we couldn’t stop, she explained, because we had to meet the landlord at our new house, and we were running late. “Don’t worry, honey” she said. “They’ll rebuild it. Davenport can’t be without a grocery store.”

Somehow that didn’t appease me. I knew it didn’t matter, even if they did build a new store. I knew it would never be the same…..not the old Cash Store with its oiled floors, its glass display cases, its hanging sticks of salami and white balls of cheese, and its gasoline pumps outside with the small windows that whirled gas as it was being pumped into waiting cars. As we continued on we kids turned around in our seats and watched through the car‘s rear window as smoke and flames billowed out of the roof of the building. My heart sank. We continued down the Highway towards Santa Cruz in silence and soon we no longer could see the smoke, the hills had gotten in the way. We turned in our seats then and focused on the road ahead. Still no one spoke.

It was a time of transition for us as a family and a long period of ‘breaking away’ for me. I was becoming a teen-ager, yet I wanted so badly to hang onto my childhood. Who wouldn’t want to? I felt so protected in Davenport. I knew everyone and everyone knew me. I had the whole countryside as my playground, and the bright blue sky and the sparkling gray-blue ocean for my times of wonder. Never mind the cement dust that caked our sidewalks and coated our cars. Never mind the wind that fluffed my curly hair into a halo of fuzz around my face. Never mind that we didn’t have a movie house or television reception and that there were no Boys Scout or Brownie Troops. My best friends and favorite playmates were my brother and sisters and we pretty much covered it all. We caught frogs in the small ponds near the railroad tracks; we played pirates and fought bravely with our swords made of wild carrot stalks; we ate sprouts and artichokes fresh picked while we played in the fields….much to our Mother’s disapproval; we were delighted with 10 cents worth of penny candy as a reward for ‘just being good’.

I survived the move, but it took a long time, or what felt to be a long time. I slowly learned ’to be a lady’ and gave up my Tom Boy ways. I adapted to my classroom with as many kids in it as were in the whole of Pacific School in Davenport. I found new friends while my brother went on to play Little League and my sisters joined the Brownies. But, for me, I will never forget my childhood in Davenport. I will never forget who I was when we lived there. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t want to.