This Memorial Day, Remembering Our City's Late Leaders

As we grow closer to Memorial Day of 2012 many people come to mind from the past of my long residence in Santa Monica. It seems like yesterday when my father would take up his city concerns with the late and wonderful mayor Clo Hoover. She was always dignified and polite and especially patient to a very concerned resident and to his young children. My late father was so committed to Santa Monica that the folks he knew then called him "Mr. Mayor" just to tease him a little.

I remember well in early 1961 when President John F. Kennedy came to our city. Some of us were fortunate to be at Wilshire and 12th at the time that his motorcade was passing by. The new president loved people so he left his Lincoln limo. and spoke to all of our fellow residents that were assembled. I remember being shocked to see the young president and to get a handshake from him. There he was our hero of PT109 in the flesh, being welcomed by Santa Monica Mayor Rex Minter.

Our family were also friends with character actor Wendell Corey who was also the President of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1961 to 1963. Mr. Corey was elected to the Santa Monica City Council in April of 1965. In an interview with the Outlook Mr. Corey was asked what he would do with his $50 a month stipend. His reply was, "I will spend it to see what the hell is going on!"

In later years we would come to mourn the passings of Christine Reed, Ken Edwards, Herb Katz and the irrepressable and much loved Ken Genser. Ken was Santa Monica's "Man for All Seasons." No one on the council was ever better prepared on any issue more than Ken was. The Ken we knew was honest, modest and even courtly in his manner. Fire him up though and he was equal to the contest. Ken was as friendly to any regular city employee as he would be to the Governor. We remember him as "a mensch."

On this Memorial Day I would especially like to remember former city employee Tony Ardizzone who died doing his job on Friday June 5, 1992. It will soon be the 20th anniversary of his death. Tony was a WWII veteran of the Navy on active duty in the Pacific Theater of the war. Tony worked for the city of Santa Monica before his untimely death in city service. Tony did his job on the Third Street Promenade and contributed much to the Promenade re-model of 1989. He left us with the same unheralded dignity in which he worked expressing many times that he would be forgotten. So for this Memorial Day former city employee Tony Ardizzone will be very much on my mind.