I KNOW THAT WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF TIME, SO IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING AFTER I AM DONE YOUMAY DO SO UNTIL IT IS TIME TO GO.
I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT JESSE THROUGH LITTLE BROTHERS EYES. BEING 5 AND A HALF YEARS APART, MY FIRST 12 YEARS WERE JUST KIDS MEMORIES OF PLAYING IN THE STREETS WITH ANYTHING WE COULD FIND. DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER HOW TO PLAY KICK THE CAN? MY BROTHER STEVEN AND I WERE IN THE CUB SCOUTS AND JESSE WAS THE DEN CHIEF. WHEN I BECAME A BOY SCOUT, I ALSO BECAME A DEN CHIEF. STATISTICS SAY THAT SINCE THE BOY SCOUTS BEGAN IN 1912 ONLY 2 PERCENT MAKE IT TO EAGLE SCOUT. JESSE MADE IT TO THE RANK OF LIFE, EAGLE WAS THE NEXT LEVEL RANK STEVEN AND I BOTH MADE. THE REASON I MENTION THAT IS BECAUSE WHEN JESSE GRADUTED FROM BOOT CAMP, WEARING THOSE DRESS BLUES. I THINK THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I REALLY FELT PRIDE FOR SOMEONE ELSE. I WAS JUST HAPPY THAT I WAS HIS BROTHER, AND AT THAT MOMENT I WANTED TO BE A MARINE.
JESSE WAS THE FIRST BORN, YOU GUYS THAT ARE, KNOW WHAT I MEAN, GETTING THROUGH THAT LEARNING CURVE BETWEEN PARENTS AND CHILD, WHICH LASTS AROUND 20 YEARS. IN HIGH SCHOOL HE GOT KICKED OUT OF ALMOST ALL THE SCHOOLS IN THE WHITTIER SCHOOL DISTRICT. HE AND HIS BUDDIES EVEN BLEW UP THE MONTE VISTA MUSTANG MASCOT. A LIFE SIZE STATUE OF A HORSE. HE ENDED UP AT ST PAUL HIGH SCHOOL WHERE THE JESUITS STRAIGHTENED HIM OUT ENOUGH TO GRADUATE.
JESSE AND I SPOKE ON THE PHONE A LOT OVER THE YEARS AND THESE LAST FEW MONTHS WHILE HE WAS CONVALESCING; IT WAS WEEKLY. HE SPOKE OF HIS TIME IN THE MARINES, TRAVELING IN THE SOUTH, WITNESSING THE RACISM, GETTING BEAT UP WITH A BAG OVER HIS HEAD, FIGHTS IN BARS. YOU KNOW THE USUAL MARINE STUFF. BUT THAT TRAINING KICKED IN WHEN JESSE, BEA, IRENE, AND STEVEN WENT TO THE CHICANO MORATORIUM PROTEST IN EAST LA. THE PEACEFUL PROTEST WENT ALL BAD WHEN THE COPS SHOWED UP. THROUGH THE CHAOS, TEAR GAS AND GUN FIRE, JESSE NAVIGATED HIS BROTHER AND SISTERS AWAY FROM DANGER ON FOOT THROUGH SIDE STREETS UNTIL THEY REACHED THE SAFETY OF OUR GRANDFATHER’S HOUSE.
JESSE WAS ALWAYS INVOLVED WITH THINGS THAT MADE PEOPLE HAPPY. ONE OF THEM WAS MANAGING A GROUP CALLED DENADA. IT STARTED SMALL WITH BACKYARD PARTIES, THEN HE TOOK ON SOME OTHER GROUPS AND AND ANOTHER PARTNER AND THE PARTIES GOT BIGGER. I DON’T KNOW THE DETAILS BUT THEY RENTED THE OLD ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER. IT WAS NICE, 4 OR 5 BANDS PLAYING AT THE SAME TIME. YOU MOVED FROM BALL ROOM TO BALL ROOM DEPENDING KIND OF
MUSIC YOU LIKED. I USED TO HELP JESSE COUNT THE MONEY, THEY TOOK IN 10,000 DOLLARS AT THE DOOR.
AS YOU KNOW, JESSE NEVER GOT MARRIED OR HAD ANY KIDS. AND IF ANY ONE KNOWS ANY DIFFERENT, I WOULD LIKE A LITTLE SIDE BAR LATER. I WAS GLAD WHEN GRACE CAME INTO HIS LIFE. THEY SHARED A LOT OF MILES ON THE ROAD, VISITING FAMILIES AND SEEING THE SIGHTS UP AND DOWN THE COAST
AND EVERYTHING BETWEEN HERE AND VEGAS. WHEN THE NEXT GENERATION OF KIDS STARTED COMING HE TOOK ON THE ROLE OF GODFATHER. IF ANYONE OF HIS NIECES AND NEPHEWS NEEDED SOMETHING ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS ASK AND HE WOULD FIND A WAY TO HELP OUT. HIS FAVORITE
THING WAS TAKING THE LITTLE ONES TO LEGO LAND. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT WAS A THING UNTIL JESSE TOLD ME ABOUT IT. DISNEYLAND AND KNOTS BERRY FARM WERE BOTH CLOSE SECOND.
JESSE WASN’T PERFECT, AND IN MANY WAYS HE WAS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT. HE WAS A LOT OF THINGS TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. TO ME HE WAS A ROLE MODEL. I LEARNED A LOT AS I GREW UP WATCHING HIS DOS AND DON’TS. THE YOUNG DAYS THE DON’TS AND LATER THE DO’S. BUT THROUGH BOTH STAGES HE WAS ALWAYS A LOVING AND PROTECTIVE BROTHER. I HEARD A SAYING A FEW WEEKS AGO ON THE RADIO. “GRIEF IS THE PRICE OF LOVE.” GRIEF DOESN’T END, BUT IT CHANGES. IT IS A PASSAGE, NOT A PLACE TO STAY. IT IS NOT A SIGN OF WEAKNESS, NOR LACK OF FAITH. IT IS THE PRICE OF LOVE.