Dante Bacci, Son of Louis and Bertha Bacci and brother of Viola Sophia Bacci, mother of Patricia Colleen Meehan, Mother of Colleen Marie Meehan, Mother of Me: Sheehan David Thomson.
Granda Patty told me that Dante Bacci (her uncle) worked at the famous Ambassador Hotel. The Ambassador Hotel formally opened on January 1, 1921, and was located at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, between Catalina Street and Mariposa Avenue, in the center of Los Angeles' Mid-Wilshire District. Designed by Pasadena architect Myron Hunt, the Ambassador Hotel was frequented by Hollywood personalities and luminaries of the world, with some taking up residence. From 1930 to 1943, six Academy Awards ceremonies were held at the hotel. Perhaps as many as seven U.S. Presidents stayed at The Ambassador Hotel, from Hoover to Nixon, along with heads of state from around the world. For decades, the hotel's famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub hosted the biggest names in entertainment, such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Liza Minnelli, Martin and Lewis, The Supremes, Merv Griffin, Evelyn Knight, Charlie Chapman, and Richard Pryor. In the pantry area of the hotel's main kitchen, shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968 and following a short victory speech in the Embassy Room ballroom of The Ambassador Hotel, the winner of the California Democratic presidential primary election, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was shot along with five other persons. The Hotel was demolished in 2005 to build a school in it's place. Many parts of the hotel, including the pantry area was preserved for historical purposes.
While Dante worked at the hotel he saw many of these events take place. He lived in Beverly Hills with his wife Helen. Their house was next door to Sterling Hayden (March 26, 1916-May 23, 1986), famous American Author and Actor who said: "To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea... cruising, it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about. "I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of security. And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone. What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade. The years thunder by, the dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed. Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"
Dante suffered a major stroke that left him without the ability to work or speak. He lived in Satal sp? Army Hospital for 11 years before he died. His family would come visit Dante at the hospital. When he recognized you, Dante would cry because he could not speak.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
John J Meehan's Iron Foundry
John J. Meehan, Father of Martin Patrick Meehan, Father of Patrica Colleen Wonser, Mother of Colleen Marie Thomson, Mother of Me, Sheehan David Thomson.
Census's report that John J. Meehan owned the foundry and his sons Martin, Francis, and George helped him run it. Martin is listed as being a filing clerk. It was just another day on the job at the iron factory. Grandma Patty (Patricia) said that there was an explosion at the factory while they were casting sand. Sand casting is a type of casting in which a metal part (itself called a casting) is cast in an expendable mold made from sand packed around a replica of the object to be cast (called a pattern). After the sand is packed around it, the pattern is removed, and the molten metal is poured. After the metal has solidified and cooled, the sand is swept away, freeing the casting.
It was raining outside that day and the workers brought in wet sand for the iron moldings that were made. If the mold is not sufficiently dried a steam explosion can occur that can throw molten metal about because of wet sand. John lost his vision in the explosion and Francis lost a leg.
Viola S. Bacci, daughter of Louis and Bertha Bacci would later marry Martin and while staying over at her in-laws she would notice that the boys left John in the dark to do the dishes in the kitchen. Viola got mad because she didn't like for John to be in the dark so she would turn the lights on. Martin and Winifred (Winnie; John's wife) would always hassle Viola and ask her "why do you do that!?" He can't see anyways!
John was blind for 14 years before he died. While in his office at the foundry many of his vendors would stop by to buy goods. John had a little book keeper in the corner of his office and whenever a vendor would come and give John money he would feel it to see what bill it was. The book keeper would get on the old phone and act like he was calling someone (you had to say the phone number into the phone back then) and he would hint to John as to what the bill was by saying a phone number (and if the bill in question were a ten) the book keeper would say a number that started with 1, 0, etc. or if it were a 10 and a 5 dollar bill he would call 1,0,5, etc. saying whatever bill John had in his hand first. They really got a kick out of this because they vendors never caught on to how John knew what bill it was. John, Martin, Francis, and George were all like that; having a very good sense of humor, but the youngest, Florence was very serious.
Census's report that John J. Meehan owned the foundry and his sons Martin, Francis, and George helped him run it. Martin is listed as being a filing clerk. It was just another day on the job at the iron factory. Grandma Patty (Patricia) said that there was an explosion at the factory while they were casting sand. Sand casting is a type of casting in which a metal part (itself called a casting) is cast in an expendable mold made from sand packed around a replica of the object to be cast (called a pattern). After the sand is packed around it, the pattern is removed, and the molten metal is poured. After the metal has solidified and cooled, the sand is swept away, freeing the casting.
It was raining outside that day and the workers brought in wet sand for the iron moldings that were made. If the mold is not sufficiently dried a steam explosion can occur that can throw molten metal about because of wet sand. John lost his vision in the explosion and Francis lost a leg.
Viola S. Bacci, daughter of Louis and Bertha Bacci would later marry Martin and while staying over at her in-laws she would notice that the boys left John in the dark to do the dishes in the kitchen. Viola got mad because she didn't like for John to be in the dark so she would turn the lights on. Martin and Winifred (Winnie; John's wife) would always hassle Viola and ask her "why do you do that!?" He can't see anyways!
John was blind for 14 years before he died. While in his office at the foundry many of his vendors would stop by to buy goods. John had a little book keeper in the corner of his office and whenever a vendor would come and give John money he would feel it to see what bill it was. The book keeper would get on the old phone and act like he was calling someone (you had to say the phone number into the phone back then) and he would hint to John as to what the bill was by saying a phone number (and if the bill in question were a ten) the book keeper would say a number that started with 1, 0, etc. or if it were a 10 and a 5 dollar bill he would call 1,0,5, etc. saying whatever bill John had in his hand first. They really got a kick out of this because they vendors never caught on to how John knew what bill it was. John, Martin, Francis, and George were all like that; having a very good sense of humor, but the youngest, Florence was very serious.
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