A reunion 45 years in the making

On a recent Saturday afternoon there was a reunion 45 years in the making. Local war hero and centenarian Art Schimke met with Andy and David Le, two brothers who Art took into his home decades ago after they emigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam. The two men came to America as teenagers along with their father, Chu Le, escaping the bloodshed and persecution of their home country. The elder Le was a chief master sergeant in the South Vietnamese army during the Vietnam conflict, fighting alongside American troops. Sgt. Le is now deceased. The new Americans were sponsored into this country by Lodi’s Emanuel Lutheran Church. They stuffed as much of their previous lives as they could into a few suitcases before fleeing their homeland for a new life in a new country, a place they’d only heard about. They left everything else behind. The new emigres to America stayed with Art and his family for about a month while they got situated. Andy, David and their father got jobs working at the local cannery, which enabled them to rent an apartment and move out on their own. Both Andy and David graduated from Lodi High School. All three eventually moved to Stockton to begin their new lives in America, losing contact with Art. The unlikely reunion of Art and the Le brothers happened through the diligent efforts of Kevin Viet Le, a 23-year old student at UC Santa Cruz, whose uncles are Andy and David. Kevin loves history, especially military history, and has great respect for veterans because of their many sacrifices. Lately, Kevin has been working hard piecing together his family’s history. He knew nothing of the connection his family had with Lodi and Art Schimke until one of his uncles mentioned that he saw a video clip of his American host, who was celebrating his 100th birthday last year. Kevin did more research and also found an article published in the Sentinel about Art’s birthday. Eventually, Kevin sought the Sentinel’s help in putting him in touch with Art. And the rest is, well, history. Kevin’s uncles are technical engineers and live in the Bay Area. Kevin hopes to graduate with a degree in computer science. Kevin’s parents emigrated a little later, which is part of the reason he has a keen desire to give back to his country, the country that has afforded him freedom.

Dining guide

Chris Pudwill has questions about the county’s new guidelines for bars and brewpubs. He commented online: “I can’t drink a beer outside without ordering a full meal? What sense does this make? If I order onion rings, I can only have a Coke? But if I order a meal, I can have a beer? What the &%!#? If I order a pizza, I can have a beer, but if I order pizza bites, I can only have a Coke? What the (heck) difference does it make? I’m still there eating in the same chair? If I order chicken piccata I can drink all night long, but if I order chicken wings it’s NO BEER FOR YOU!”

School news

If you’ve wondered why Ham Lane around Elm Street has been so dusty lately, it’s because of all the trucks hauling away dirt and other materials from Lodi High School, where a major renovation project is underway. The north student parking lot is gone and will soon be replaced with a new classroom building. It will be the pre-constructed type built by Meehleis Modular of Lodi. … Since The Virus closed schools in the Lodi Unified School District, the district has distributed over 830,000 free meals to students, according to LUSD Chief Business Officer Leonard Kahn. The district has, or will, receive CARES Act money to help offset the cost, says Kahn. He estimates the program has spent about $2.9 million on food, so far. … The old Henderson School building has been demolished to make way for modern new classrooms. Henderson was the first school (actually, it was originally a home) to enroll Lodi-area students, even though it was way out of town (Harney and Extension road) at the time. So now everything from the original school house is gone — except the “Henderson Arch,” which was part of the building. District officials are looking for a suitable home for the historic artifact, according to Kahn.

Double your pleasure

Mike and Roxanne Hess recently retired together from their respective careers. Roxanne called it quits after —get this — 43 years of providing daycare for youngsters. “Joke is, I took care of half the kids in Lodi,” Roxanne says. “I had kids, their kids, and their grandkids,” she says. Roxanne decided to retire before she was asked to watch her clients’ great grandkids, she quips. Her husband Mike’s career wasn’t a flash in the pan, either. He called it a wrap after spending 53 years in the wholesale lawn and garden industry. Now that they’re retired, they have the pleasure of spending every waking hour together, like it or not, thanks to COVID. It’s all good.

National news

Last Wednesday, members of the Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) gathered in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the return of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team from the bloody battlefields in Europe. One of those at the speaker’s podium was former Lodian Gerald Yamada. Gerald was born at the Jerome War Relocation Authority Center, Arkansas, in 1944, but grew up in Lodi. He is son of the late Ted and Connie Yamada. Ted was part-owner of Sell-Rite Market in Lodi. Gerald graduated from Lodi High School in 1962 and is currently a semi-retired partner with the Washington, DC law firm O’Connor & Hannan.

End of an era

Lodi has always been known and admired for its beautiful parks and its extensive recreation activities, especially youth sports. One of the reasons Lodi stands above the rest is because of the efforts of Ron Williamson, retired Parks and Recreation Department director, who died last week after contracting the COVID-19 virus. Ron dedicated his life to Lodi, having served the city for 35 years — 15 of which were as P&R director. Ron was hired by Ed DeBenedetti, and would later replace Ed as department director. Jeff Hood, who also headed the department, said, “It really was an end of an era” when Ron retired in 2000. He was more than just a city employee. He was a city cheerleader. Janet Keeter, who was assistant city manager in the mid-‘90s, said Ron was “a fierce advocate for the Parks and Recreation Department … (He) really knocked it out of the park with his impact on Lodi.” Everyone liked Ron and appreciated his great enthusiasm in promoting the city. He loved Lodi almost as much as he loved golf, which is saying something. A recreation area at Lodi Lake was named for Ron after he retired in 2000, a testament to his work and accomplishments on behalf of the city. As they say, successful people stand on the shoulders of those who came before them. Future P&R directors will be standing tall because of Ron Williamson. … Former Lodi mayor and county supervisor Jack Sieglock observes the sad fact that three giants on the local sports and recreation scene have died within the past five months: Bob Johnson, Bob Casalegno, and now Ron Williamson.