The Elks Club dining room was more crowded than usual because the meeting was a celebration of the late Rotarian Jim Howard’s 101st Birthday. President Matthew Owen called the meeting to order and asked WWII veteran Ken Stodder to lead us in the flag salute. Mike Cunningham gave the invocation and noted that member Bruce Smith is in the hospital and not doing well.
Special guests included former City Council Members who had served with Jim, Mayor Frank Yeager, Members of Howard’s immediate family and several former Rotarians including Laurie Lazio and Craig Perrone. The Mayor commented that Jim Howard had lived through a century of progress, from the first bi-planes to the moon landing, though two world wars and a few smaller ones. He experienced 18 Presidents from Woodrow Wilson through Barack Obama. Pat Folkins recalled the ceremony in 2014 when we added his name to the weekly raffle, now the Spengler Howard Raffle.
Former Councilman Jim Worthen said it was Jim who first had a vision for the renovation of 2nd Street, which once had 17 Bars between C and H streets. Former Councilman Ed Davenport once asked Jim what he liked about Eureka and he said “because the only time I know I’m a black man is when I look in the mirror”. Jay Bahner recalled that Jim was the Rotarian who sponsored him. Ziggy Ziegenfuss said he’d known Jim for 49 years and that he was an honest man and a gentle man but every time he went in Jim’s business he was violating the Brown Act. John Winzler noted that everybody that was anybody frequented his Shoe Shine Parlor.
Tom Schallert noticed that when Jim sold you a raffle ticket he looked down at your shoes to see if they were properly polished. Chuck Ellsworth recalled Jim teaching him how to sell tickets and to catch anyone who tried to sneak around the table to avoid buying one. Finally the cake was cut and served and there were a few more comments, and a reminder to visit the plaque that honors Howard at the former site of his Shoe Shine Parlor. then the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted by Hank Ingham.
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