Peters, Alice interview
Item
Title
Peters, Alice interview
Description
Talks about her early life in Fresno, moving to Del Rey and meeting Leon S. Peters when she worked at Chooljian's Packing Company before moving to Fresno and working for Devlin-Drew. She discusses how Leon got started with and later purchased Valley Foundry & Machine Works. She talks about how the wine industry evolved over time and how Valley Foundry adapted to meet its customers needs. She also talks about the changes that have occurred in Fresno and how the Leon S. Peters Foundation got started and contributes to the community and various organizations.
Creator
Peters, Alice
Mehas, Dr. Peter G.
Relation
Leon S. Peters Legacy Collection
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
7/23/1999
Format
Microsoft word 2003 document, 14 pages
Identifier
SCMS_lspl_00010
extracted text
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We are delighted to have Alice
introduction, everybody knows of Mrs. Peters and her
two of them are legendary in the San Joaquin Valley.
interested in just chatting. When did you first meet
bit about when you first came to Fresno.
Peters, doesn't need an
famous spouse. Together the
So Alice we're just
Lee and tell us a little
>>Alice Peters: Well I was born in Fresno.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What year?
>>Alice Peters: 1913.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: 1913.
>>Alice Peters: Right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you're a native Fresnan?
>>Alice Peters: I'm a native Fresnan but I did not live in Fresno very long. I
moved to Del Rey.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: To Del Rey.
>>Alice Peters: It's a bend in the road.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>>Alice Peters: And anyway, I lived there until I got married, which is 1943.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How did you meet Lee?
>>Alice Peters: Well he came to the place where I was working for the
Chooljian's out in Del Rey.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>>Alice Peters: Chooljian’s Packing Company, Raisin Packing Company.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And they're still in existence, aren't they?
>>Alice Peters: Oh of course, very much so. And I worked there until I decided I
wanted to move into town. I didn't move into to town but I started working in
town for Devlin-Drew.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And what was your maiden name?
>>Alice Peters: Apregian A-p-r-e-g-i-a-n.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>>Alice Peters: I started working at Devlin-Drew’s, which is across the tracks,
they were selling refrigerators while I worked in the office and so I would, you
know here in that area it's kind of hard. There's no place to eat over there.
[laughter] Occasionally I'd take my lunch but then occasionally I'd walk across
and Valley Foundry was over there on, oh what's that street there?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>>Alice Peters: You know, anyway off of Ventura there and I'd always walk across
Valley Foundry and come over to Omar Khayyam’s to have lunch.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Great restaurant.
>>Alice Peters: You know it was a great restaurant. So occasionally Leon would
be in there or would come in there and we'd sit at the counter and eat. You know
you get acquainted with people. And then he came to the office a couple of times
where I was working in Del Rey. That was before. And you know you see people and
you get acquainted. We didn't go together for a long time. We just, he was there
and he'd see me occasionally and you know how life is.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How, how many years were you married before Leon passed
away?
>>Alice Peters: 40 years.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You were married for 40 years?
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes, 40 years.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Marvelous.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Children?
>>Alice Peters: No children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: No children.
>>Alice Peters: You can't have everything in life, you know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's true. When in terms of when Lee got started in his
business.
>>Alice Peters: Well Lee stared, when we got married, just before we got
married, there was a man that had bought that business and he was a
haberdashery. Came down from Washington and he was trying to run a machine shop
which he didn't know a darn thing about. And, but Lee was working as a salesman.
He had a farm. He had a little ranch with his brother and he was working at
nights trying to sell pumps for the farmers, pumps.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Water pumps.
>>Alice Peters: Water pumps, whatever and, course it wasn't much of a business
to begin with. This guy didn't know how to run anything and so this was before
we were married and so finally the man decided he wanted to sell the business to
Leon and Leon said well I don't want to buy it until the first time you make
some money. Well the first year he made $2,000 [laughter], $2,000 and it was
time to buy that. And he, can you imagine, he paid $75,000 for it?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: $75,000?
>>Alice Peters: Which it wasn't worth it, you know but he paid for that, not all
at one time and he had that before we got married.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So that was before you met him?
>>Alice Peters: No.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I mean before you got married?
>>Alice Peters: Yes, it was before, not too long before but so he got out of the
picture and you know the wine industry, the war came along, the wine industry
and the tanks, all of that built up. He was getting on a train, this was after
we got married, at least once or twice a week he was on the train going to Mare
Island because they were building things there for the war effort.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Alice Peters: You know so he was pretty busy and the wine industry didn't
start until the war was over.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Everything was directed towards the war efforts that he
was involved with?
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes, ‘43, ‘44, ‘45, you see. I mean it was difficult. He
tried to buy a car; he needed a car you know. The only thing that he could find
was, I don't remember what kind of car it was but it was a big car and he never
had anything besides a Chevrolet Coupe [laughter] you know. And so he thought
how could I drive a big car but there was a Lincoln of some kind that he finally
ended up buying and he thought that was a terrible thing to be driving a big car
like that at wartime when nobody could get cars you know. Well anyway, so I
didn't have a car to drive around in at all either for a long time. But anyway->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When did he switch businesses? Did he stay in the same
business?
>>Alice Peters: Oh he never changed.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He never changed the entire->>Alice Peters: No, what he was doing in the business changed you know before.
The wine industry, you know after the war was over, then the wine industry,
tanks.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right, storage tanks.
>>Alice Peters: You know those huge tanks, yes those storage tanks and they
weren't doing any of that wine business at all ahead of time because it just, it
wasn't there during wartime I guess. But as soon as that was over well that just
started to grow and it did very well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I'm real, real curious, you've seen lots of changes as a
native Fresnan but through the years you've seen things in Fresno change, what
are some of the things that you've seen change that you've liked and that you've
noticed about Fresno? Now I suspect that some people still remember trolley cars
in Fresno.
>>Alice Peters: Well I remember the trolley cars. Being 86 years old naturally I
remember. [laughter] We never rode them very often but they were here and of
course then we had a car. And living in Del Rey I went to school at Selma High.
You couldn't go anyplace except with a bus so the bus picked us up. Some of the
people there, the students there in Del Rey, went to Sanger High School. And
Sanger was really closer but somehow or other there's only one or two families
in Del Rey that went to Sanger. The rest of us all went to Fowler, not Fowler,
Selma. But all the years that we went to Selma, I married Lee who was from
Fowler. I didn't even know where Fowler was. [laughter] The bus would go to
Selma, you know and we didn't know where Fowler was or anybody in it. You know
there were a lot of Armenian families in Fowler.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Lots of Armenian families that have gone on from Fowler
and have done some tremendous things.
>>Alice Peters: Oh yeah sure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We have Justice Marvin Baxter.
>>Alice Peters: Oh sure, oh sure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of the famous people are Armenian families that have
come out of Fowler.
>>Alice Peters: Well you know, Leon graduated from high school. The year he
graduated from high school his mother died.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The year he grad--? He went to Fowler High?
>>Alice Peters: That's right. Well they went to Fowler High, yes. See, I didn't
know anybody in Fowler. I married somebody from Fowler [laughter] but I didn't
know where Fowler was. But anyway when his mother died he realized that he
couldn't go to college and he always wanted to be a lawyer. Well he didn't get
to have that privilege because he was working. And Dad had five children, you
know, there were five children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He had how many brothers and how many sisters?
>>Alice Peters: There were four boys and one girl, you see. And it's pretty
tough, you know. The kids had to work.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now where was he? Was he one of the oldest?
>>Alice Peters: He was the oldest.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So he had the biggest responsibility when mom passed away?
>>Alice Peters: Well, and the sister was in the middle there. She died quite a
long time ago and anyway the dad was strict. You know those Armenian parents
were strict. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet.
>>Alice Peters: So anyway he realized that he couldn't go to college, but one
thing that the rest of the brothers and sisters would say that at least once a
week they would go into the, they had a barn of some kind, I don't know what it
was like, but he was always up in front there either telling a story or he'd be
quoting some poetry or something. And that was his, he wanted to be up in front
of people, I guess. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He was comfortable.
>>Alice Peters: Comfortable, he was always comfortable speaking. That's one
thing you could never take away from him. My goodness, all you had to do was ask
him to say something. I remember one year we were at the Giffens’, to one of
their big parties, outdoors in the summertime and somebody was supposed to be
there to say grace before dinner, well whoever it was didn't show. And they went
after Leon and he went right to it, no problem.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know when I was president of Valley Children's Hospital
he sure mentored me because he was president of Community Hospital. And as a
young, young president of the children's hospital he said, I will comfort you.
He said, we helped start Valley Children's Hospital so he said we will make sure
that it stays stable.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And he sure looked after the interest of, even though he
was president of the Community Hospital.
>>Alice Peters: Oh I didn’t.
different entity.
That's a different hospital, see that was a
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I was scared and he.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah, I don't know how they're doing there. You know that
hospital is out there a ways and it isn't everybody that can get out there, you
know and I think the community is taking care of some of those people.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I agree. I wasn't involved when they made the move to go
out.
>>Alice Peters: No.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: This was many years before when Leon was the [inaudible].
>>Alice Peters: I know, yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you're right, they went, how did Lee begin to get
involved? I know everybody knows of his tremendous success as a businessman and
how well his business had done throughout the year. But how did he begin to get-People know him for his philanthropy, his community involvement and obviously
you were a big part of that. How did that begin to happen?
>>Alice Peters: Well, how does it begin to happen? We started a foundation in
1959, ‘59, that was in December 1959 and the foundation was primarily for
giving, you know. And look how many years it's been. And look at how much money
we do, we give in the community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And how much good it has done.
>>Alice Peters: So much good and we give to so many things in the community. We,
last year we gave over $800,000 in this community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: 800,000?
>>Alice Peters: That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Last year alone?
>>Alice Peters: That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's incredulous.
>>Alice Peters: That's right. That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Absolutely incredible.
>>Alice Peters: I write all those checks. Before it was Lee, you know, when
anybody wanted anything, after we had the foundation, well all he would do is
pull the checkbook out and write checks. Well we don't do it that way anymore.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: [laughter] How do you do it now?
>>Alice Peters: Four times a year I write checks and that's all. We have our
board meetings and just family members on it and that's the way it works.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How many of Lee's.
>>Alice Peters: Nephews.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Nephews are there? Are any of the brothers still alive?
>>Alice Peters: One brother only. Pete's the only one.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Pete's the only one, right.
>>Alice Peters: Pete's the only one but there are nephews but I mean they sit on
the board and that's it. They don't do anything. They're not involved in the
community and they just are there. They feel like it's something important to be
there. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now did you have sisters and brothers?
>>Alice Peters: I have one sister left and one brother left. We were five in our
family.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Five?
>>Alice Peters: Uh huh, three girls and two boys and anyway my brother was on
the board but he has Parkinson's now so he can't handle that anymore.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>>Alice Peters: And then my nephew, I have a nephew that's with, he lives in LA.
I have two nephews.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When they, the chamber decided to do the Leon Peters
Community Award, it is probably the most prestigious. I too have been born and
raised in Fresno, a few years later [laughter], a youngster but from the time I
was a kid and through the years I've been involved, you and your husband's
reputation has been just, not only in terms of hard working, decent, caring
people but people who many people consider don’t, you don't want notoriety, you
don't want credit, you just quietly do things for the community and you've been
a very, very integral part of this community. What did it mean to Lee or what
did it mean, I should say maybe, to you to have the Leon S. Peters Award? And
you see every year and you know many of those people who have been recipients.
>>Alice Peters: Every one, I've sat up at the head table every year.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you look at the Lew Eatons and the Dick Johansons and
the Martin Nelsons and the Joe Levys, all who have enormous admiration for you
and for Lee.
>>Alice Peters: Well you try to conduct yourself in a manner to have some
admiration, I guess. I don't know. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Alice Peters: I don't know what it is but whatever it is we've been fortunate
because the business was good and you invest and that's what happens.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If--Many of our children today do not have grandparents.
In fact->>Alice Peters: We never had any.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Many of them are fortunate they live with both
parents. If you were to give some advice to some of our young people
growing up and about wanting to have some success, what advice would
them about living and things that you have learned through the years
lived in Fresno?
of their
about
you give
that you've
>>Alice Peters: Well you know the Armenian family is tough. They hang together,
you know. You've got to hang together. You don't get out of line.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well being Greek I have grown up with [laughter], you are
our cousins.
>>Alice Peters: That's right. You don't get out of line and they have a pretty
good hold on their children. I don't say they all turn out perfect. I don't
know. We didn't have any problems in our family but one never knows. You know
you just.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But there's discipline, isn't there?
>>Alice Peters: There's discipline, that's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And high expectations.
>>Alice Peters: We all sit at the table to eat at the same time. You know
today's kids, I haven't got time now. I'm busy. I'm busy. You know they'll give
you some excuse.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And there's an expectation that you won't embarrass the
family’s name.
>>Alice Peters: Well of course that goes without saying, you know. That you
expect. That you expect. I don't know. But we didn't have any problems. My
father died when I was just going to go to high school, starting high school.
That's a long time away, you know. He was 51 years old. And Mother had five
children. Well, you rise above it you see. And fortunately when we moved to Del
Rey, you see, that was early on and they had all those packing sheds, you know
and the minute school was out, we were in those sheds working, packing fruit. My
little brother, he's 80 years old now, he would do the labeling on the boxes and
my sister and I, the youngest of the two of us, we'd be there and we'd tie
ribbons. You know you had to tie ribbons on that kind of stuff. [laughter] They
don't do that anymore, I don't think. But anyway we had jobs. The minute school
was out, we were in those packing houses.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So both you and Lee were not born with silver spoons.
>>Alice Peters: No we were not.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You knew the value of work and the value of the dollar.
>>Alice Peters: Well times were tough then, you know. How many people had very
much? You know, we didn't have anything. I mean, we were poor. I never, I'm not
ashamed to say we were poor. You rise above it. But we did without. And Mother
was a very good manager, you know. She invested a little money too. She had
somebody that she had confidence in him and he invested some money so that she
was a little comfortable you know. We had a cow. We had chickens, you know.
[laughter] You figure that one out. That's how we lived.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you were poor in a monetary sense.
>>Alice Peters: Yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But probably.
>>Alice Peters: Rich in others.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Rich in a cultural family sense->>Alice Peters: That's right. That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: With care and respect. Which is far more important in the
long run.
>>Alice Peters: Well anyway today it's a different story you know. I mean I
think it’s, it’s I think it's hard to raise children now.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Difficult, it is. What did you and Lee like about Fresno,
about living here, about the Fresno area? Whether it's->>Alice Peters: Well I've been all over the world and I'm always happy to come
back. [laughter] So I can say I'm always happy to come home. And we did do an
awful lot of traveling. Not frequently. We made one big trip every year. You
know the first time we went to Europe it was two and a half months. I was sick
all the way. [laughter] It was that bad. You know because the water's different.
Whatever it was, it was pretty hard. I didn't fare very well. It didn't bother
Lee but it did bother me. So but different times, different things, you know.
No, we did, we had some good trips, very good trips.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If Lee was to look upon how the foundation and the good
things that the foundation is doing->>Alice Peters: Oh gosh.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What would you think he would say as he looked at the
tremendous things that the foundation has done?
>>Alice Peters: Well he'd be thrilled to death, naturally because I mean we make
a lot and we give a lot. You know when you give that much money a year.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Incredible.
>>Alice Peters: It's a lot.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It certainly is.
>>Alice Peters: It's a lot. You have to make it to, you know and I don't know,
it's a thrill to share.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: One of the last things, I noticed in terms of every one of
the past recipients speak of both Lee and you with enormous, enormous respect
and clearly as we look at pillars of our community, so many, many people have
been beneficiaries of you and Lee's kindness. I guess one of the things, as you
look at different families through the years that you and Lee associated with,
some of those families are still here, still doing good things in the community.
Who were some of the families that you and Lee through the years have->>Alice Peters: Well you know what I see, that families may give but they have
certain things they give to, it’s either gonna be for music or something just
special, you know no one else giving to. But we don't do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You're diverse.
>>Alice Peters: Or they give it to their school that's not in this town, you
know, that kind of thing. Like the Eaton’s, you know Stanford, Stanford; all
their kids went to Stanford. You know that's important. Well you don't see their
name giving anything today in the community, nothing. And where is that money?
You know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You give to a diverse, in fact I remember one of the
things that Lee gave when I was a young principal at Clovis High School and he
took the Clovis High band back to the Ronald Reagan inauguration his first year
as president and->>Alice Peters: That was pretty major.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And Lee was so kind. He said if it's for the students and
they learn about the history while they're back there at Washington, he wanted
to know. He took a hands-on. I remember him giving us a very sizeable check for
the young students at Clovis High School and to this day I'm very, very grateful
and the students were grateful. They went to the Smithsonian Institute. They
went to the->>Alice Peters: Sure that was special.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: National Science Museum, all, as really as a gift of the
Peters.
>>Alice Peters: How many students went?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We had roughly 350 students.
>>Alice Peters: Wow.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That went back. We chartered two, I think two DC 727s to
go back.
>>Alice Peters: Oh my word.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But I remember that was one of the last times that Lee
interacted with me as well.
>>Alice Peters: Well course he was in charge then. You know he'd just pull out
that checkbook. [laughter] I don't do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you're still in charge.
>>Alice Peters: Well but I don't want to do that just when anybody asks because
someone else, this is the second time they've sent a letter and want me to give
them some money to go to Europe for these kids that are, music, for music. Well
I did it once and I thought I'm not gonna do that again. I don't think that's a
priority. They don't have, kids in high school don't need to go that far, have
somebody pay for them to go that far. I think I'd rather feed some hungry
people.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I, I would agree with you. I think there are so many trips
that today, there's a difference, a difference between an inauguration of a
president.
>>Alice Peters: Yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Historically than visiting Hawaii or Europe just to go do
a performance.
>>Alice Peters: No that's not a priority in my opinion.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I would agree with you.
>>Alice Peters: You've got so many things here in this town. You've got the
Rescue Mission. You’ve got->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Poverello House.
>>Alice Peters: Poverello House, I mean we give to->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Boys and Girls Club, I know you give->>Alice Peters: Boys and Girls Club, Big Brother, Big Sister, you name it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You're always there.
>>Alice Peters: We're there and it's just not $50 or $100 you know. We give
20,000 to Poverello House every year, not all at one time. We split it. And then
we do Rescue Mission the same way, 10,000 and 10,000. That's 20,000 a year. Red
Cross, you name it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: United Way in the past.
>>Alice Peters: United Way we always give them.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Huge.
>>Alice Peters: $10,000, that’s, we always do that. And I don't know, TV
station, you know, Channel 18, yeah Channel 18. We always give ten, 15,000.
University we give $50,000 for scholarships and we have engineering, business,
nursing, you name it, you know, ag.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well Fresno State has been one of the biggest
beneficiaries of->>Alice Peters: I know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The generosity of the—
>>Alice Peters: I know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Leon Peters Foundation.
>>Alice Peters: I know, that's okay, that’s okay. We have it. If you didn't have
that foundation, you couldn't do it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet, well listen as we begin to sort of wrap this up
and summarize. What do you see, what do you see the direction of the future of
Fresno going? You've seen lots of changes. You've uh, you’ve lived a full life
and you have many, many more good years ahead of you.
>>Alice Peters: I hope so. I've got a lot of work to do. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What things would you like to see Fresno become?
>>Alice Peters: Well you know I, I wonder about downtown because that baseball
team isn't gonna change anything downtown, I don't think. You know the whole
city has gone north and I don't think you can bring it back. You know I just
don't think so. It looks like, Manchester doesn't look too good now. They're
putting up, they've torn down a lot of stuff, they’re, have you been by there?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yes, at least Caltrans is going to go relocate. In fact I
was talking to Councilman Perea this morning and they're gonna start in having
city colleges back doing some services in that area.
>>Alice Peters: Oh are they?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: As well as Caltrans. So you're gonna have quite a few.
>>Alice Peters: That's gonna change quite bit then.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's gonna change and then in talking to Richard Gunner
and George Engels, they're looking at doing something.
>>Alice Peters: I know. I don't know what they're gonna do. I really don't know.
Now there's Gunner, you know who has so much money. He's my neighbor you know
and I love him dearly.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I went to school with Richard. [laughter] You're right.
>>Alice Peters: But where do you ever see Richard
Not a thing you know I just, it just, that to me,
to something. You know, latch on to something and
that property there for the hospital. He's got so
giving any money to
I would think that,
give for something.
much of that stuff,
anything?
latch on
He gave
you know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And I guess maybe that has really been the signature of
you and your husband. You worked hard. You benefitted from Fresno but you gave
back so much more.
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's the advice to people, young people in this area,
the spirit of giving. It's almost what it says in the Bible, if you cast your
bread upon the water, it comes back ten, tenfold.
>>Alice Peters: But you know, I think it has to start from parents. Parents have
to have a history of starting; you don't have to do it big but whatever it is so
they'll get a picture of it. So that they and you, you, you try to impress on
them that this is an important thing. You give back to a community. Well there's
an awful lot of money in this community and I don't see it floating around. You
know, I just don't. I don't know where they give. I don't say they don't have
it. They have it. There's a lot of money in this community but I don't know. I
don't like just giving just to Symphony. All the problems we're having with the
Symphony. [laughter] Isn't that something?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You get that straightened out.
>>Alice Peters: Oh I don't know what to say about that. I mean we shouldn't have
to worry about prima donnas. That's all I can say. I mean somebody ought to give
him $100,000 and let him go. You know that's what he's getting a year. $100,000
is a lot of money.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet.
>>Alice Peters: For about ten concerts. Now I think that's a lot. When you leave
town and go other places and do concerts also so Fresno is not that big of town
to pay somebody $100,000. He started with $60,000, so->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you're a very large, the Leon Peters Foundation is a
large contributor to the Philharmonic.
>>Alice Peters: Well I give them $15,000. It was ten and then I started giving
fifteen. That's okay.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well I guess on behalf of not only the Valley Business
Conference Committee but if I can be so presumptuous to say that on behalf of a
person that's grown up in this area, I just want to thank you. Thank you for
your generosity and caring of our community. Thank you for coming in today. I
know you were reluctant because in the typical Peters fashion, you don't want
credit for anything.
>>Alice Peters: I don't need any credit for it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know you don't.
>>Alice Peters: It shows up somewhere. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It does and so we just->>Alice Peters: It shows up.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we just want to thank you for being the kind of people
you have been and for your generosity to the community and we're eternally
grateful. And the legacy of you and Leon will live long through the many, many
fine programs.
>>Alice Peters: It's amazing. Isn't it amazing? Here's he's been gone, 15, 19,
13 you know he died and he's alive here in this town. That's all. [laughter]
He's alive in this town. What can I say?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I think it says a great deal. What is that that you?
>>Alice Peters: [background noise] Well I looked to see if I could find
something. You know I turned everything over to the historical society but
there’s some stuff around the house and I thought->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh that is phenomenal.
>>Alice Peters: That's the rehab there.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah this is the rehab.
>>Alice Peters: And I thought well, I don't know if it's any.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, well here's a great, great shot of, you know in fact
one of the things I have to have, I used to have a picture of Leon that I had in
my office, the governor's office.
>>Alice Peters: I've got a lot of pictures.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I've got to impose on you to get one that I can put back
in my office again as we go from there. Can we make copies of this and then give
it back?
>>Alice Peters: You can keep it. What am I gonna do with it?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That would be fantastic. Okay.
>>Alice Peters: This was Ernest Gallo.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>>Alice Peters: Ernest Gallo, this whole thing. Well there was a wonderful
dinner here, right here at this hotel.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Californian?
>>Alice Peters: No, no.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Double Tree.
>>Alice Peters: What is it, Double Tree now? Here, yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The Holiday or Radisson.
>>Alice Peters: Yes right, well anyway it was, that was an awfully good thing
and I think it, I don't remember, now I can't remember whether it was the Boy
Scout thing.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When they honored Leon?
>>Alice Peters: They honored Leon and the Gallos were here and there were all
kinds of people here. Anyway it was very special. That was very special. Boy
Scouts, it had to do with Boy Scouts.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, I recall that. In fact I think I was at the
governor's office at the time. I know Governor Deukmejian sure thought a great
deal of Leon.
>>Alice Peters: Yes, oh yeah, I had something there at the house that he'd
signed. I don't know whether I put it in there or not.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He thought the world of him as well.
>>Alice Peters: Well I tell you, he was something different, that's all.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, Alice thank you.
>>Alice Peters: You're welcome.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We're eternally grateful for who you are and what you
given to the community.
>>Alice Peters: [laughter] Well we continue to give. I keep thinking that I
don't want anything to happen because I want to be able to give more.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
introduction, everybody knows of Mrs. Peters and her
two of them are legendary in the San Joaquin Valley.
interested in just chatting. When did you first meet
bit about when you first came to Fresno.
Peters, doesn't need an
famous spouse. Together the
So Alice we're just
Lee and tell us a little
>>Alice Peters: Well I was born in Fresno.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What year?
>>Alice Peters: 1913.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: 1913.
>>Alice Peters: Right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you're a native Fresnan?
>>Alice Peters: I'm a native Fresnan but I did not live in Fresno very long. I
moved to Del Rey.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: To Del Rey.
>>Alice Peters: It's a bend in the road.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>>Alice Peters: And anyway, I lived there until I got married, which is 1943.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How did you meet Lee?
>>Alice Peters: Well he came to the place where I was working for the
Chooljian's out in Del Rey.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>>Alice Peters: Chooljian’s Packing Company, Raisin Packing Company.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And they're still in existence, aren't they?
>>Alice Peters: Oh of course, very much so. And I worked there until I decided I
wanted to move into town. I didn't move into to town but I started working in
town for Devlin-Drew.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And what was your maiden name?
>>Alice Peters: Apregian A-p-r-e-g-i-a-n.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>>Alice Peters: I started working at Devlin-Drew’s, which is across the tracks,
they were selling refrigerators while I worked in the office and so I would, you
know here in that area it's kind of hard. There's no place to eat over there.
[laughter] Occasionally I'd take my lunch but then occasionally I'd walk across
and Valley Foundry was over there on, oh what's that street there?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>>Alice Peters: You know, anyway off of Ventura there and I'd always walk across
Valley Foundry and come over to Omar Khayyam’s to have lunch.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Great restaurant.
>>Alice Peters: You know it was a great restaurant. So occasionally Leon would
be in there or would come in there and we'd sit at the counter and eat. You know
you get acquainted with people. And then he came to the office a couple of times
where I was working in Del Rey. That was before. And you know you see people and
you get acquainted. We didn't go together for a long time. We just, he was there
and he'd see me occasionally and you know how life is.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How, how many years were you married before Leon passed
away?
>>Alice Peters: 40 years.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You were married for 40 years?
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes, 40 years.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Marvelous.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Children?
>>Alice Peters: No children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: No children.
>>Alice Peters: You can't have everything in life, you know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's true. When in terms of when Lee got started in his
business.
>>Alice Peters: Well Lee stared, when we got married, just before we got
married, there was a man that had bought that business and he was a
haberdashery. Came down from Washington and he was trying to run a machine shop
which he didn't know a darn thing about. And, but Lee was working as a salesman.
He had a farm. He had a little ranch with his brother and he was working at
nights trying to sell pumps for the farmers, pumps.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Water pumps.
>>Alice Peters: Water pumps, whatever and, course it wasn't much of a business
to begin with. This guy didn't know how to run anything and so this was before
we were married and so finally the man decided he wanted to sell the business to
Leon and Leon said well I don't want to buy it until the first time you make
some money. Well the first year he made $2,000 [laughter], $2,000 and it was
time to buy that. And he, can you imagine, he paid $75,000 for it?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: $75,000?
>>Alice Peters: Which it wasn't worth it, you know but he paid for that, not all
at one time and he had that before we got married.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So that was before you met him?
>>Alice Peters: No.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I mean before you got married?
>>Alice Peters: Yes, it was before, not too long before but so he got out of the
picture and you know the wine industry, the war came along, the wine industry
and the tanks, all of that built up. He was getting on a train, this was after
we got married, at least once or twice a week he was on the train going to Mare
Island because they were building things there for the war effort.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Alice Peters: You know so he was pretty busy and the wine industry didn't
start until the war was over.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Everything was directed towards the war efforts that he
was involved with?
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes, ‘43, ‘44, ‘45, you see. I mean it was difficult. He
tried to buy a car; he needed a car you know. The only thing that he could find
was, I don't remember what kind of car it was but it was a big car and he never
had anything besides a Chevrolet Coupe [laughter] you know. And so he thought
how could I drive a big car but there was a Lincoln of some kind that he finally
ended up buying and he thought that was a terrible thing to be driving a big car
like that at wartime when nobody could get cars you know. Well anyway, so I
didn't have a car to drive around in at all either for a long time. But anyway->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When did he switch businesses? Did he stay in the same
business?
>>Alice Peters: Oh he never changed.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He never changed the entire->>Alice Peters: No, what he was doing in the business changed you know before.
The wine industry, you know after the war was over, then the wine industry,
tanks.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right, storage tanks.
>>Alice Peters: You know those huge tanks, yes those storage tanks and they
weren't doing any of that wine business at all ahead of time because it just, it
wasn't there during wartime I guess. But as soon as that was over well that just
started to grow and it did very well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I'm real, real curious, you've seen lots of changes as a
native Fresnan but through the years you've seen things in Fresno change, what
are some of the things that you've seen change that you've liked and that you've
noticed about Fresno? Now I suspect that some people still remember trolley cars
in Fresno.
>>Alice Peters: Well I remember the trolley cars. Being 86 years old naturally I
remember. [laughter] We never rode them very often but they were here and of
course then we had a car. And living in Del Rey I went to school at Selma High.
You couldn't go anyplace except with a bus so the bus picked us up. Some of the
people there, the students there in Del Rey, went to Sanger High School. And
Sanger was really closer but somehow or other there's only one or two families
in Del Rey that went to Sanger. The rest of us all went to Fowler, not Fowler,
Selma. But all the years that we went to Selma, I married Lee who was from
Fowler. I didn't even know where Fowler was. [laughter] The bus would go to
Selma, you know and we didn't know where Fowler was or anybody in it. You know
there were a lot of Armenian families in Fowler.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Lots of Armenian families that have gone on from Fowler
and have done some tremendous things.
>>Alice Peters: Oh yeah sure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We have Justice Marvin Baxter.
>>Alice Peters: Oh sure, oh sure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of the famous people are Armenian families that have
come out of Fowler.
>>Alice Peters: Well you know, Leon graduated from high school. The year he
graduated from high school his mother died.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The year he grad--? He went to Fowler High?
>>Alice Peters: That's right. Well they went to Fowler High, yes. See, I didn't
know anybody in Fowler. I married somebody from Fowler [laughter] but I didn't
know where Fowler was. But anyway when his mother died he realized that he
couldn't go to college and he always wanted to be a lawyer. Well he didn't get
to have that privilege because he was working. And Dad had five children, you
know, there were five children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He had how many brothers and how many sisters?
>>Alice Peters: There were four boys and one girl, you see. And it's pretty
tough, you know. The kids had to work.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now where was he? Was he one of the oldest?
>>Alice Peters: He was the oldest.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So he had the biggest responsibility when mom passed away?
>>Alice Peters: Well, and the sister was in the middle there. She died quite a
long time ago and anyway the dad was strict. You know those Armenian parents
were strict. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet.
>>Alice Peters: So anyway he realized that he couldn't go to college, but one
thing that the rest of the brothers and sisters would say that at least once a
week they would go into the, they had a barn of some kind, I don't know what it
was like, but he was always up in front there either telling a story or he'd be
quoting some poetry or something. And that was his, he wanted to be up in front
of people, I guess. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He was comfortable.
>>Alice Peters: Comfortable, he was always comfortable speaking. That's one
thing you could never take away from him. My goodness, all you had to do was ask
him to say something. I remember one year we were at the Giffens’, to one of
their big parties, outdoors in the summertime and somebody was supposed to be
there to say grace before dinner, well whoever it was didn't show. And they went
after Leon and he went right to it, no problem.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know when I was president of Valley Children's Hospital
he sure mentored me because he was president of Community Hospital. And as a
young, young president of the children's hospital he said, I will comfort you.
He said, we helped start Valley Children's Hospital so he said we will make sure
that it stays stable.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And he sure looked after the interest of, even though he
was president of the Community Hospital.
>>Alice Peters: Oh I didn’t.
different entity.
That's a different hospital, see that was a
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I was scared and he.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah, I don't know how they're doing there. You know that
hospital is out there a ways and it isn't everybody that can get out there, you
know and I think the community is taking care of some of those people.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I agree. I wasn't involved when they made the move to go
out.
>>Alice Peters: No.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: This was many years before when Leon was the [inaudible].
>>Alice Peters: I know, yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you're right, they went, how did Lee begin to get
involved? I know everybody knows of his tremendous success as a businessman and
how well his business had done throughout the year. But how did he begin to get-People know him for his philanthropy, his community involvement and obviously
you were a big part of that. How did that begin to happen?
>>Alice Peters: Well, how does it begin to happen? We started a foundation in
1959, ‘59, that was in December 1959 and the foundation was primarily for
giving, you know. And look how many years it's been. And look at how much money
we do, we give in the community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And how much good it has done.
>>Alice Peters: So much good and we give to so many things in the community. We,
last year we gave over $800,000 in this community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: 800,000?
>>Alice Peters: That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Last year alone?
>>Alice Peters: That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's incredulous.
>>Alice Peters: That's right. That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Absolutely incredible.
>>Alice Peters: I write all those checks. Before it was Lee, you know, when
anybody wanted anything, after we had the foundation, well all he would do is
pull the checkbook out and write checks. Well we don't do it that way anymore.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: [laughter] How do you do it now?
>>Alice Peters: Four times a year I write checks and that's all. We have our
board meetings and just family members on it and that's the way it works.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How many of Lee's.
>>Alice Peters: Nephews.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Nephews are there? Are any of the brothers still alive?
>>Alice Peters: One brother only. Pete's the only one.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Pete's the only one, right.
>>Alice Peters: Pete's the only one but there are nephews but I mean they sit on
the board and that's it. They don't do anything. They're not involved in the
community and they just are there. They feel like it's something important to be
there. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now did you have sisters and brothers?
>>Alice Peters: I have one sister left and one brother left. We were five in our
family.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Five?
>>Alice Peters: Uh huh, three girls and two boys and anyway my brother was on
the board but he has Parkinson's now so he can't handle that anymore.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>>Alice Peters: And then my nephew, I have a nephew that's with, he lives in LA.
I have two nephews.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When they, the chamber decided to do the Leon Peters
Community Award, it is probably the most prestigious. I too have been born and
raised in Fresno, a few years later [laughter], a youngster but from the time I
was a kid and through the years I've been involved, you and your husband's
reputation has been just, not only in terms of hard working, decent, caring
people but people who many people consider don’t, you don't want notoriety, you
don't want credit, you just quietly do things for the community and you've been
a very, very integral part of this community. What did it mean to Lee or what
did it mean, I should say maybe, to you to have the Leon S. Peters Award? And
you see every year and you know many of those people who have been recipients.
>>Alice Peters: Every one, I've sat up at the head table every year.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you look at the Lew Eatons and the Dick Johansons and
the Martin Nelsons and the Joe Levys, all who have enormous admiration for you
and for Lee.
>>Alice Peters: Well you try to conduct yourself in a manner to have some
admiration, I guess. I don't know. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Alice Peters: I don't know what it is but whatever it is we've been fortunate
because the business was good and you invest and that's what happens.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If--Many of our children today do not have grandparents.
In fact->>Alice Peters: We never had any.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Many of them are fortunate they live with both
parents. If you were to give some advice to some of our young people
growing up and about wanting to have some success, what advice would
them about living and things that you have learned through the years
lived in Fresno?
of their
about
you give
that you've
>>Alice Peters: Well you know the Armenian family is tough. They hang together,
you know. You've got to hang together. You don't get out of line.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well being Greek I have grown up with [laughter], you are
our cousins.
>>Alice Peters: That's right. You don't get out of line and they have a pretty
good hold on their children. I don't say they all turn out perfect. I don't
know. We didn't have any problems in our family but one never knows. You know
you just.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But there's discipline, isn't there?
>>Alice Peters: There's discipline, that's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And high expectations.
>>Alice Peters: We all sit at the table to eat at the same time. You know
today's kids, I haven't got time now. I'm busy. I'm busy. You know they'll give
you some excuse.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And there's an expectation that you won't embarrass the
family’s name.
>>Alice Peters: Well of course that goes without saying, you know. That you
expect. That you expect. I don't know. But we didn't have any problems. My
father died when I was just going to go to high school, starting high school.
That's a long time away, you know. He was 51 years old. And Mother had five
children. Well, you rise above it you see. And fortunately when we moved to Del
Rey, you see, that was early on and they had all those packing sheds, you know
and the minute school was out, we were in those sheds working, packing fruit. My
little brother, he's 80 years old now, he would do the labeling on the boxes and
my sister and I, the youngest of the two of us, we'd be there and we'd tie
ribbons. You know you had to tie ribbons on that kind of stuff. [laughter] They
don't do that anymore, I don't think. But anyway we had jobs. The minute school
was out, we were in those packing houses.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So both you and Lee were not born with silver spoons.
>>Alice Peters: No we were not.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You knew the value of work and the value of the dollar.
>>Alice Peters: Well times were tough then, you know. How many people had very
much? You know, we didn't have anything. I mean, we were poor. I never, I'm not
ashamed to say we were poor. You rise above it. But we did without. And Mother
was a very good manager, you know. She invested a little money too. She had
somebody that she had confidence in him and he invested some money so that she
was a little comfortable you know. We had a cow. We had chickens, you know.
[laughter] You figure that one out. That's how we lived.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you were poor in a monetary sense.
>>Alice Peters: Yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But probably.
>>Alice Peters: Rich in others.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Rich in a cultural family sense->>Alice Peters: That's right. That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: With care and respect. Which is far more important in the
long run.
>>Alice Peters: Well anyway today it's a different story you know. I mean I
think it’s, it’s I think it's hard to raise children now.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Difficult, it is. What did you and Lee like about Fresno,
about living here, about the Fresno area? Whether it's->>Alice Peters: Well I've been all over the world and I'm always happy to come
back. [laughter] So I can say I'm always happy to come home. And we did do an
awful lot of traveling. Not frequently. We made one big trip every year. You
know the first time we went to Europe it was two and a half months. I was sick
all the way. [laughter] It was that bad. You know because the water's different.
Whatever it was, it was pretty hard. I didn't fare very well. It didn't bother
Lee but it did bother me. So but different times, different things, you know.
No, we did, we had some good trips, very good trips.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If Lee was to look upon how the foundation and the good
things that the foundation is doing->>Alice Peters: Oh gosh.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What would you think he would say as he looked at the
tremendous things that the foundation has done?
>>Alice Peters: Well he'd be thrilled to death, naturally because I mean we make
a lot and we give a lot. You know when you give that much money a year.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Incredible.
>>Alice Peters: It's a lot.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It certainly is.
>>Alice Peters: It's a lot. You have to make it to, you know and I don't know,
it's a thrill to share.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: One of the last things, I noticed in terms of every one of
the past recipients speak of both Lee and you with enormous, enormous respect
and clearly as we look at pillars of our community, so many, many people have
been beneficiaries of you and Lee's kindness. I guess one of the things, as you
look at different families through the years that you and Lee associated with,
some of those families are still here, still doing good things in the community.
Who were some of the families that you and Lee through the years have->>Alice Peters: Well you know what I see, that families may give but they have
certain things they give to, it’s either gonna be for music or something just
special, you know no one else giving to. But we don't do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You're diverse.
>>Alice Peters: Or they give it to their school that's not in this town, you
know, that kind of thing. Like the Eaton’s, you know Stanford, Stanford; all
their kids went to Stanford. You know that's important. Well you don't see their
name giving anything today in the community, nothing. And where is that money?
You know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You give to a diverse, in fact I remember one of the
things that Lee gave when I was a young principal at Clovis High School and he
took the Clovis High band back to the Ronald Reagan inauguration his first year
as president and->>Alice Peters: That was pretty major.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And Lee was so kind. He said if it's for the students and
they learn about the history while they're back there at Washington, he wanted
to know. He took a hands-on. I remember him giving us a very sizeable check for
the young students at Clovis High School and to this day I'm very, very grateful
and the students were grateful. They went to the Smithsonian Institute. They
went to the->>Alice Peters: Sure that was special.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: National Science Museum, all, as really as a gift of the
Peters.
>>Alice Peters: How many students went?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We had roughly 350 students.
>>Alice Peters: Wow.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That went back. We chartered two, I think two DC 727s to
go back.
>>Alice Peters: Oh my word.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But I remember that was one of the last times that Lee
interacted with me as well.
>>Alice Peters: Well course he was in charge then. You know he'd just pull out
that checkbook. [laughter] I don't do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you're still in charge.
>>Alice Peters: Well but I don't want to do that just when anybody asks because
someone else, this is the second time they've sent a letter and want me to give
them some money to go to Europe for these kids that are, music, for music. Well
I did it once and I thought I'm not gonna do that again. I don't think that's a
priority. They don't have, kids in high school don't need to go that far, have
somebody pay for them to go that far. I think I'd rather feed some hungry
people.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I, I would agree with you. I think there are so many trips
that today, there's a difference, a difference between an inauguration of a
president.
>>Alice Peters: Yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Historically than visiting Hawaii or Europe just to go do
a performance.
>>Alice Peters: No that's not a priority in my opinion.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I would agree with you.
>>Alice Peters: You've got so many things here in this town. You've got the
Rescue Mission. You’ve got->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Poverello House.
>>Alice Peters: Poverello House, I mean we give to->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Boys and Girls Club, I know you give->>Alice Peters: Boys and Girls Club, Big Brother, Big Sister, you name it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You're always there.
>>Alice Peters: We're there and it's just not $50 or $100 you know. We give
20,000 to Poverello House every year, not all at one time. We split it. And then
we do Rescue Mission the same way, 10,000 and 10,000. That's 20,000 a year. Red
Cross, you name it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: United Way in the past.
>>Alice Peters: United Way we always give them.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Huge.
>>Alice Peters: $10,000, that’s, we always do that. And I don't know, TV
station, you know, Channel 18, yeah Channel 18. We always give ten, 15,000.
University we give $50,000 for scholarships and we have engineering, business,
nursing, you name it, you know, ag.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well Fresno State has been one of the biggest
beneficiaries of->>Alice Peters: I know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The generosity of the—
>>Alice Peters: I know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Leon Peters Foundation.
>>Alice Peters: I know, that's okay, that’s okay. We have it. If you didn't have
that foundation, you couldn't do it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet, well listen as we begin to sort of wrap this up
and summarize. What do you see, what do you see the direction of the future of
Fresno going? You've seen lots of changes. You've uh, you’ve lived a full life
and you have many, many more good years ahead of you.
>>Alice Peters: I hope so. I've got a lot of work to do. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What things would you like to see Fresno become?
>>Alice Peters: Well you know I, I wonder about downtown because that baseball
team isn't gonna change anything downtown, I don't think. You know the whole
city has gone north and I don't think you can bring it back. You know I just
don't think so. It looks like, Manchester doesn't look too good now. They're
putting up, they've torn down a lot of stuff, they’re, have you been by there?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yes, at least Caltrans is going to go relocate. In fact I
was talking to Councilman Perea this morning and they're gonna start in having
city colleges back doing some services in that area.
>>Alice Peters: Oh are they?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: As well as Caltrans. So you're gonna have quite a few.
>>Alice Peters: That's gonna change quite bit then.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's gonna change and then in talking to Richard Gunner
and George Engels, they're looking at doing something.
>>Alice Peters: I know. I don't know what they're gonna do. I really don't know.
Now there's Gunner, you know who has so much money. He's my neighbor you know
and I love him dearly.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I went to school with Richard. [laughter] You're right.
>>Alice Peters: But where do you ever see Richard
Not a thing you know I just, it just, that to me,
to something. You know, latch on to something and
that property there for the hospital. He's got so
giving any money to
I would think that,
give for something.
much of that stuff,
anything?
latch on
He gave
you know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And I guess maybe that has really been the signature of
you and your husband. You worked hard. You benefitted from Fresno but you gave
back so much more.
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's the advice to people, young people in this area,
the spirit of giving. It's almost what it says in the Bible, if you cast your
bread upon the water, it comes back ten, tenfold.
>>Alice Peters: But you know, I think it has to start from parents. Parents have
to have a history of starting; you don't have to do it big but whatever it is so
they'll get a picture of it. So that they and you, you, you try to impress on
them that this is an important thing. You give back to a community. Well there's
an awful lot of money in this community and I don't see it floating around. You
know, I just don't. I don't know where they give. I don't say they don't have
it. They have it. There's a lot of money in this community but I don't know. I
don't like just giving just to Symphony. All the problems we're having with the
Symphony. [laughter] Isn't that something?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You get that straightened out.
>>Alice Peters: Oh I don't know what to say about that. I mean we shouldn't have
to worry about prima donnas. That's all I can say. I mean somebody ought to give
him $100,000 and let him go. You know that's what he's getting a year. $100,000
is a lot of money.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet.
>>Alice Peters: For about ten concerts. Now I think that's a lot. When you leave
town and go other places and do concerts also so Fresno is not that big of town
to pay somebody $100,000. He started with $60,000, so->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you're a very large, the Leon Peters Foundation is a
large contributor to the Philharmonic.
>>Alice Peters: Well I give them $15,000. It was ten and then I started giving
fifteen. That's okay.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well I guess on behalf of not only the Valley Business
Conference Committee but if I can be so presumptuous to say that on behalf of a
person that's grown up in this area, I just want to thank you. Thank you for
your generosity and caring of our community. Thank you for coming in today. I
know you were reluctant because in the typical Peters fashion, you don't want
credit for anything.
>>Alice Peters: I don't need any credit for it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know you don't.
>>Alice Peters: It shows up somewhere. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It does and so we just->>Alice Peters: It shows up.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we just want to thank you for being the kind of people
you have been and for your generosity to the community and we're eternally
grateful. And the legacy of you and Leon will live long through the many, many
fine programs.
>>Alice Peters: It's amazing. Isn't it amazing? Here's he's been gone, 15, 19,
13 you know he died and he's alive here in this town. That's all. [laughter]
He's alive in this town. What can I say?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I think it says a great deal. What is that that you?
>>Alice Peters: [background noise] Well I looked to see if I could find
something. You know I turned everything over to the historical society but
there’s some stuff around the house and I thought->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh that is phenomenal.
>>Alice Peters: That's the rehab there.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah this is the rehab.
>>Alice Peters: And I thought well, I don't know if it's any.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, well here's a great, great shot of, you know in fact
one of the things I have to have, I used to have a picture of Leon that I had in
my office, the governor's office.
>>Alice Peters: I've got a lot of pictures.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I've got to impose on you to get one that I can put back
in my office again as we go from there. Can we make copies of this and then give
it back?
>>Alice Peters: You can keep it. What am I gonna do with it?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That would be fantastic. Okay.
>>Alice Peters: This was Ernest Gallo.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>>Alice Peters: Ernest Gallo, this whole thing. Well there was a wonderful
dinner here, right here at this hotel.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Californian?
>>Alice Peters: No, no.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Double Tree.
>>Alice Peters: What is it, Double Tree now? Here, yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The Holiday or Radisson.
>>Alice Peters: Yes right, well anyway it was, that was an awfully good thing
and I think it, I don't remember, now I can't remember whether it was the Boy
Scout thing.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When they honored Leon?
>>Alice Peters: They honored Leon and the Gallos were here and there were all
kinds of people here. Anyway it was very special. That was very special. Boy
Scouts, it had to do with Boy Scouts.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, I recall that. In fact I think I was at the
governor's office at the time. I know Governor Deukmejian sure thought a great
deal of Leon.
>>Alice Peters: Yes, oh yeah, I had something there at the house that he'd
signed. I don't know whether I put it in there or not.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He thought the world of him as well.
>>Alice Peters: Well I tell you, he was something different, that's all.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, Alice thank you.
>>Alice Peters: You're welcome.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We're eternally grateful for who you are and what you
given to the community.
>>Alice Peters: [laughter] Well we continue to give. I keep thinking that I
don't want anything to happen because I want to be able to give more.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We are delighted to have Alice
introduction, everybody knows of Mrs. Peters and her
two of them are legendary in the San Joaquin Valley.
interested in just chatting. When did you first meet
bit about when you first came to Fresno.
Peters, doesn't need an
famous spouse. Together the
So Alice we're just
Lee and tell us a little
>>Alice Peters: Well I was born in Fresno.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What year?
>>Alice Peters: 1913.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: 1913.
>>Alice Peters: Right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you're a native Fresnan?
>>Alice Peters: I'm a native Fresnan but I did not live in Fresno very long. I
moved to Del Rey.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: To Del Rey.
>>Alice Peters: It's a bend in the road.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>>Alice Peters: And anyway, I lived there until I got married, which is 1943.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How did you meet Lee?
>>Alice Peters: Well he came to the place where I was working for the
Chooljian's out in Del Rey.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>>Alice Peters: Chooljian’s Packing Company, Raisin Packing Company.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And they're still in existence, aren't they?
>>Alice Peters: Oh of course, very much so. And I worked there until I decided I
wanted to move into town. I didn't move into to town but I started working in
town for Devlin-Drew.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And what was your maiden name?
>>Alice Peters: Apregian A-p-r-e-g-i-a-n.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>>Alice Peters: I started working at Devlin-Drew’s, which is across the tracks,
they were selling refrigerators while I worked in the office and so I would, you
know here in that area it's kind of hard. There's no place to eat over there.
[laughter] Occasionally I'd take my lunch but then occasionally I'd walk across
and Valley Foundry was over there on, oh what's that street there?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>>Alice Peters: You know, anyway off of Ventura there and I'd always walk across
Valley Foundry and come over to Omar Khayyam’s to have lunch.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Great restaurant.
>>Alice Peters: You know it was a great restaurant. So occasionally Leon would
be in there or would come in there and we'd sit at the counter and eat. You know
you get acquainted with people. And then he came to the office a couple of times
where I was working in Del Rey. That was before. And you know you see people and
you get acquainted. We didn't go together for a long time. We just, he was there
and he'd see me occasionally and you know how life is.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How, how many years were you married before Leon passed
away?
>>Alice Peters: 40 years.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You were married for 40 years?
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes, 40 years.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Marvelous.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Children?
>>Alice Peters: No children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: No children.
>>Alice Peters: You can't have everything in life, you know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's true. When in terms of when Lee got started in his
business.
>>Alice Peters: Well Lee stared, when we got married, just before we got
married, there was a man that had bought that business and he was a
haberdashery. Came down from Washington and he was trying to run a machine shop
which he didn't know a darn thing about. And, but Lee was working as a salesman.
He had a farm. He had a little ranch with his brother and he was working at
nights trying to sell pumps for the farmers, pumps.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Water pumps.
>>Alice Peters: Water pumps, whatever and, course it wasn't much of a business
to begin with. This guy didn't know how to run anything and so this was before
we were married and so finally the man decided he wanted to sell the business to
Leon and Leon said well I don't want to buy it until the first time you make
some money. Well the first year he made $2,000 [laughter], $2,000 and it was
time to buy that. And he, can you imagine, he paid $75,000 for it?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: $75,000?
>>Alice Peters: Which it wasn't worth it, you know but he paid for that, not all
at one time and he had that before we got married.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So that was before you met him?
>>Alice Peters: No.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I mean before you got married?
>>Alice Peters: Yes, it was before, not too long before but so he got out of the
picture and you know the wine industry, the war came along, the wine industry
and the tanks, all of that built up. He was getting on a train, this was after
we got married, at least once or twice a week he was on the train going to Mare
Island because they were building things there for the war effort.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Alice Peters: You know so he was pretty busy and the wine industry didn't
start until the war was over.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Everything was directed towards the war efforts that he
was involved with?
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes, ‘43, ‘44, ‘45, you see. I mean it was difficult. He
tried to buy a car; he needed a car you know. The only thing that he could find
was, I don't remember what kind of car it was but it was a big car and he never
had anything besides a Chevrolet Coupe [laughter] you know. And so he thought
how could I drive a big car but there was a Lincoln of some kind that he finally
ended up buying and he thought that was a terrible thing to be driving a big car
like that at wartime when nobody could get cars you know. Well anyway, so I
didn't have a car to drive around in at all either for a long time. But anyway->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When did he switch businesses? Did he stay in the same
business?
>>Alice Peters: Oh he never changed.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He never changed the entire->>Alice Peters: No, what he was doing in the business changed you know before.
The wine industry, you know after the war was over, then the wine industry,
tanks.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right, storage tanks.
>>Alice Peters: You know those huge tanks, yes those storage tanks and they
weren't doing any of that wine business at all ahead of time because it just, it
wasn't there during wartime I guess. But as soon as that was over well that just
started to grow and it did very well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I'm real, real curious, you've seen lots of changes as a
native Fresnan but through the years you've seen things in Fresno change, what
are some of the things that you've seen change that you've liked and that you've
noticed about Fresno? Now I suspect that some people still remember trolley cars
in Fresno.
>>Alice Peters: Well I remember the trolley cars. Being 86 years old naturally I
remember. [laughter] We never rode them very often but they were here and of
course then we had a car. And living in Del Rey I went to school at Selma High.
You couldn't go anyplace except with a bus so the bus picked us up. Some of the
people there, the students there in Del Rey, went to Sanger High School. And
Sanger was really closer but somehow or other there's only one or two families
in Del Rey that went to Sanger. The rest of us all went to Fowler, not Fowler,
Selma. But all the years that we went to Selma, I married Lee who was from
Fowler. I didn't even know where Fowler was. [laughter] The bus would go to
Selma, you know and we didn't know where Fowler was or anybody in it. You know
there were a lot of Armenian families in Fowler.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Lots of Armenian families that have gone on from Fowler
and have done some tremendous things.
>>Alice Peters: Oh yeah sure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We have Justice Marvin Baxter.
>>Alice Peters: Oh sure, oh sure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of the famous people are Armenian families that have
come out of Fowler.
>>Alice Peters: Well you know, Leon graduated from high school. The year he
graduated from high school his mother died.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The year he grad--? He went to Fowler High?
>>Alice Peters: That's right. Well they went to Fowler High, yes. See, I didn't
know anybody in Fowler. I married somebody from Fowler [laughter] but I didn't
know where Fowler was. But anyway when his mother died he realized that he
couldn't go to college and he always wanted to be a lawyer. Well he didn't get
to have that privilege because he was working. And Dad had five children, you
know, there were five children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He had how many brothers and how many sisters?
>>Alice Peters: There were four boys and one girl, you see. And it's pretty
tough, you know. The kids had to work.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now where was he? Was he one of the oldest?
>>Alice Peters: He was the oldest.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So he had the biggest responsibility when mom passed away?
>>Alice Peters: Well, and the sister was in the middle there. She died quite a
long time ago and anyway the dad was strict. You know those Armenian parents
were strict. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet.
>>Alice Peters: So anyway he realized that he couldn't go to college, but one
thing that the rest of the brothers and sisters would say that at least once a
week they would go into the, they had a barn of some kind, I don't know what it
was like, but he was always up in front there either telling a story or he'd be
quoting some poetry or something. And that was his, he wanted to be up in front
of people, I guess. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He was comfortable.
>>Alice Peters: Comfortable, he was always comfortable speaking. That's one
thing you could never take away from him. My goodness, all you had to do was ask
him to say something. I remember one year we were at the Giffens’, to one of
their big parties, outdoors in the summertime and somebody was supposed to be
there to say grace before dinner, well whoever it was didn't show. And they went
after Leon and he went right to it, no problem.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know when I was president of Valley Children's Hospital
he sure mentored me because he was president of Community Hospital. And as a
young, young president of the children's hospital he said, I will comfort you.
He said, we helped start Valley Children's Hospital so he said we will make sure
that it stays stable.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And he sure looked after the interest of, even though he
was president of the Community Hospital.
>>Alice Peters: Oh I didn’t.
different entity.
That's a different hospital, see that was a
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I was scared and he.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah, I don't know how they're doing there. You know that
hospital is out there a ways and it isn't everybody that can get out there, you
know and I think the community is taking care of some of those people.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I agree. I wasn't involved when they made the move to go
out.
>>Alice Peters: No.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: This was many years before when Leon was the [inaudible].
>>Alice Peters: I know, yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you're right, they went, how did Lee begin to get
involved? I know everybody knows of his tremendous success as a businessman and
how well his business had done throughout the year. But how did he begin to get-People know him for his philanthropy, his community involvement and obviously
you were a big part of that. How did that begin to happen?
>>Alice Peters: Well, how does it begin to happen? We started a foundation in
1959, ‘59, that was in December 1959 and the foundation was primarily for
giving, you know. And look how many years it's been. And look at how much money
we do, we give in the community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And how much good it has done.
>>Alice Peters: So much good and we give to so many things in the community. We,
last year we gave over $800,000 in this community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: 800,000?
>>Alice Peters: That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Last year alone?
>>Alice Peters: That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's incredulous.
>>Alice Peters: That's right. That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Absolutely incredible.
>>Alice Peters: I write all those checks. Before it was Lee, you know, when
anybody wanted anything, after we had the foundation, well all he would do is
pull the checkbook out and write checks. Well we don't do it that way anymore.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: [laughter] How do you do it now?
>>Alice Peters: Four times a year I write checks and that's all. We have our
board meetings and just family members on it and that's the way it works.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How many of Lee's.
>>Alice Peters: Nephews.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Nephews are there? Are any of the brothers still alive?
>>Alice Peters: One brother only. Pete's the only one.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Pete's the only one, right.
>>Alice Peters: Pete's the only one but there are nephews but I mean they sit on
the board and that's it. They don't do anything. They're not involved in the
community and they just are there. They feel like it's something important to be
there. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now did you have sisters and brothers?
>>Alice Peters: I have one sister left and one brother left. We were five in our
family.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Five?
>>Alice Peters: Uh huh, three girls and two boys and anyway my brother was on
the board but he has Parkinson's now so he can't handle that anymore.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>>Alice Peters: And then my nephew, I have a nephew that's with, he lives in LA.
I have two nephews.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When they, the chamber decided to do the Leon Peters
Community Award, it is probably the most prestigious. I too have been born and
raised in Fresno, a few years later [laughter], a youngster but from the time I
was a kid and through the years I've been involved, you and your husband's
reputation has been just, not only in terms of hard working, decent, caring
people but people who many people consider don’t, you don't want notoriety, you
don't want credit, you just quietly do things for the community and you've been
a very, very integral part of this community. What did it mean to Lee or what
did it mean, I should say maybe, to you to have the Leon S. Peters Award? And
you see every year and you know many of those people who have been recipients.
>>Alice Peters: Every one, I've sat up at the head table every year.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you look at the Lew Eatons and the Dick Johansons and
the Martin Nelsons and the Joe Levys, all who have enormous admiration for you
and for Lee.
>>Alice Peters: Well you try to conduct yourself in a manner to have some
admiration, I guess. I don't know. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Alice Peters: I don't know what it is but whatever it is we've been fortunate
because the business was good and you invest and that's what happens.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If--Many of our children today do not have grandparents.
In fact->>Alice Peters: We never had any.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Many of them are fortunate they live with both
parents. If you were to give some advice to some of our young people
growing up and about wanting to have some success, what advice would
them about living and things that you have learned through the years
lived in Fresno?
of their
about
you give
that you've
>>Alice Peters: Well you know the Armenian family is tough. They hang together,
you know. You've got to hang together. You don't get out of line.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well being Greek I have grown up with [laughter], you are
our cousins.
>>Alice Peters: That's right. You don't get out of line and they have a pretty
good hold on their children. I don't say they all turn out perfect. I don't
know. We didn't have any problems in our family but one never knows. You know
you just.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But there's discipline, isn't there?
>>Alice Peters: There's discipline, that's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And high expectations.
>>Alice Peters: We all sit at the table to eat at the same time. You know
today's kids, I haven't got time now. I'm busy. I'm busy. You know they'll give
you some excuse.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And there's an expectation that you won't embarrass the
family’s name.
>>Alice Peters: Well of course that goes without saying, you know. That you
expect. That you expect. I don't know. But we didn't have any problems. My
father died when I was just going to go to high school, starting high school.
That's a long time away, you know. He was 51 years old. And Mother had five
children. Well, you rise above it you see. And fortunately when we moved to Del
Rey, you see, that was early on and they had all those packing sheds, you know
and the minute school was out, we were in those sheds working, packing fruit. My
little brother, he's 80 years old now, he would do the labeling on the boxes and
my sister and I, the youngest of the two of us, we'd be there and we'd tie
ribbons. You know you had to tie ribbons on that kind of stuff. [laughter] They
don't do that anymore, I don't think. But anyway we had jobs. The minute school
was out, we were in those packing houses.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So both you and Lee were not born with silver spoons.
>>Alice Peters: No we were not.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You knew the value of work and the value of the dollar.
>>Alice Peters: Well times were tough then, you know. How many people had very
much? You know, we didn't have anything. I mean, we were poor. I never, I'm not
ashamed to say we were poor. You rise above it. But we did without. And Mother
was a very good manager, you know. She invested a little money too. She had
somebody that she had confidence in him and he invested some money so that she
was a little comfortable you know. We had a cow. We had chickens, you know.
[laughter] You figure that one out. That's how we lived.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you were poor in a monetary sense.
>>Alice Peters: Yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But probably.
>>Alice Peters: Rich in others.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Rich in a cultural family sense->>Alice Peters: That's right. That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: With care and respect. Which is far more important in the
long run.
>>Alice Peters: Well anyway today it's a different story you know. I mean I
think it’s, it’s I think it's hard to raise children now.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Difficult, it is. What did you and Lee like about Fresno,
about living here, about the Fresno area? Whether it's->>Alice Peters: Well I've been all over the world and I'm always happy to come
back. [laughter] So I can say I'm always happy to come home. And we did do an
awful lot of traveling. Not frequently. We made one big trip every year. You
know the first time we went to Europe it was two and a half months. I was sick
all the way. [laughter] It was that bad. You know because the water's different.
Whatever it was, it was pretty hard. I didn't fare very well. It didn't bother
Lee but it did bother me. So but different times, different things, you know.
No, we did, we had some good trips, very good trips.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If Lee was to look upon how the foundation and the good
things that the foundation is doing->>Alice Peters: Oh gosh.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What would you think he would say as he looked at the
tremendous things that the foundation has done?
>>Alice Peters: Well he'd be thrilled to death, naturally because I mean we make
a lot and we give a lot. You know when you give that much money a year.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Incredible.
>>Alice Peters: It's a lot.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It certainly is.
>>Alice Peters: It's a lot. You have to make it to, you know and I don't know,
it's a thrill to share.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: One of the last things, I noticed in terms of every one of
the past recipients speak of both Lee and you with enormous, enormous respect
and clearly as we look at pillars of our community, so many, many people have
been beneficiaries of you and Lee's kindness. I guess one of the things, as you
look at different families through the years that you and Lee associated with,
some of those families are still here, still doing good things in the community.
Who were some of the families that you and Lee through the years have->>Alice Peters: Well you know what I see, that families may give but they have
certain things they give to, it’s either gonna be for music or something just
special, you know no one else giving to. But we don't do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You're diverse.
>>Alice Peters: Or they give it to their school that's not in this town, you
know, that kind of thing. Like the Eaton’s, you know Stanford, Stanford; all
their kids went to Stanford. You know that's important. Well you don't see their
name giving anything today in the community, nothing. And where is that money?
You know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You give to a diverse, in fact I remember one of the
things that Lee gave when I was a young principal at Clovis High School and he
took the Clovis High band back to the Ronald Reagan inauguration his first year
as president and->>Alice Peters: That was pretty major.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And Lee was so kind. He said if it's for the students and
they learn about the history while they're back there at Washington, he wanted
to know. He took a hands-on. I remember him giving us a very sizeable check for
the young students at Clovis High School and to this day I'm very, very grateful
and the students were grateful. They went to the Smithsonian Institute. They
went to the->>Alice Peters: Sure that was special.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: National Science Museum, all, as really as a gift of the
Peters.
>>Alice Peters: How many students went?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We had roughly 350 students.
>>Alice Peters: Wow.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That went back. We chartered two, I think two DC 727s to
go back.
>>Alice Peters: Oh my word.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But I remember that was one of the last times that Lee
interacted with me as well.
>>Alice Peters: Well course he was in charge then. You know he'd just pull out
that checkbook. [laughter] I don't do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you're still in charge.
>>Alice Peters: Well but I don't want to do that just when anybody asks because
someone else, this is the second time they've sent a letter and want me to give
them some money to go to Europe for these kids that are, music, for music. Well
I did it once and I thought I'm not gonna do that again. I don't think that's a
priority. They don't have, kids in high school don't need to go that far, have
somebody pay for them to go that far. I think I'd rather feed some hungry
people.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I, I would agree with you. I think there are so many trips
that today, there's a difference, a difference between an inauguration of a
president.
>>Alice Peters: Yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Historically than visiting Hawaii or Europe just to go do
a performance.
>>Alice Peters: No that's not a priority in my opinion.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I would agree with you.
>>Alice Peters: You've got so many things here in this town. You've got the
Rescue Mission. You’ve got->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Poverello House.
>>Alice Peters: Poverello House, I mean we give to->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Boys and Girls Club, I know you give->>Alice Peters: Boys and Girls Club, Big Brother, Big Sister, you name it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You're always there.
>>Alice Peters: We're there and it's just not $50 or $100 you know. We give
20,000 to Poverello House every year, not all at one time. We split it. And then
we do Rescue Mission the same way, 10,000 and 10,000. That's 20,000 a year. Red
Cross, you name it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: United Way in the past.
>>Alice Peters: United Way we always give them.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Huge.
>>Alice Peters: $10,000, that’s, we always do that. And I don't know, TV
station, you know, Channel 18, yeah Channel 18. We always give ten, 15,000.
University we give $50,000 for scholarships and we have engineering, business,
nursing, you name it, you know, ag.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well Fresno State has been one of the biggest
beneficiaries of->>Alice Peters: I know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The generosity of the—
>>Alice Peters: I know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Leon Peters Foundation.
>>Alice Peters: I know, that's okay, that’s okay. We have it. If you didn't have
that foundation, you couldn't do it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet, well listen as we begin to sort of wrap this up
and summarize. What do you see, what do you see the direction of the future of
Fresno going? You've seen lots of changes. You've uh, you’ve lived a full life
and you have many, many more good years ahead of you.
>>Alice Peters: I hope so. I've got a lot of work to do. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What things would you like to see Fresno become?
>>Alice Peters: Well you know I, I wonder about downtown because that baseball
team isn't gonna change anything downtown, I don't think. You know the whole
city has gone north and I don't think you can bring it back. You know I just
don't think so. It looks like, Manchester doesn't look too good now. They're
putting up, they've torn down a lot of stuff, they’re, have you been by there?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yes, at least Caltrans is going to go relocate. In fact I
was talking to Councilman Perea this morning and they're gonna start in having
city colleges back doing some services in that area.
>>Alice Peters: Oh are they?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: As well as Caltrans. So you're gonna have quite a few.
>>Alice Peters: That's gonna change quite bit then.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's gonna change and then in talking to Richard Gunner
and George Engels, they're looking at doing something.
>>Alice Peters: I know. I don't know what they're gonna do. I really don't know.
Now there's Gunner, you know who has so much money. He's my neighbor you know
and I love him dearly.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I went to school with Richard. [laughter] You're right.
>>Alice Peters: But where do you ever see Richard
Not a thing you know I just, it just, that to me,
to something. You know, latch on to something and
that property there for the hospital. He's got so
giving any money to
I would think that,
give for something.
much of that stuff,
anything?
latch on
He gave
you know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And I guess maybe that has really been the signature of
you and your husband. You worked hard. You benefitted from Fresno but you gave
back so much more.
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's the advice to people, young people in this area,
the spirit of giving. It's almost what it says in the Bible, if you cast your
bread upon the water, it comes back ten, tenfold.
>>Alice Peters: But you know, I think it has to start from parents. Parents have
to have a history of starting; you don't have to do it big but whatever it is so
they'll get a picture of it. So that they and you, you, you try to impress on
them that this is an important thing. You give back to a community. Well there's
an awful lot of money in this community and I don't see it floating around. You
know, I just don't. I don't know where they give. I don't say they don't have
it. They have it. There's a lot of money in this community but I don't know. I
don't like just giving just to Symphony. All the problems we're having with the
Symphony. [laughter] Isn't that something?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You get that straightened out.
>>Alice Peters: Oh I don't know what to say about that. I mean we shouldn't have
to worry about prima donnas. That's all I can say. I mean somebody ought to give
him $100,000 and let him go. You know that's what he's getting a year. $100,000
is a lot of money.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet.
>>Alice Peters: For about ten concerts. Now I think that's a lot. When you leave
town and go other places and do concerts also so Fresno is not that big of town
to pay somebody $100,000. He started with $60,000, so->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you're a very large, the Leon Peters Foundation is a
large contributor to the Philharmonic.
>>Alice Peters: Well I give them $15,000. It was ten and then I started giving
fifteen. That's okay.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well I guess on behalf of not only the Valley Business
Conference Committee but if I can be so presumptuous to say that on behalf of a
person that's grown up in this area, I just want to thank you. Thank you for
your generosity and caring of our community. Thank you for coming in today. I
know you were reluctant because in the typical Peters fashion, you don't want
credit for anything.
>>Alice Peters: I don't need any credit for it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know you don't.
>>Alice Peters: It shows up somewhere. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It does and so we just->>Alice Peters: It shows up.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we just want to thank you for being the kind of people
you have been and for your generosity to the community and we're eternally
grateful. And the legacy of you and Leon will live long through the many, many
fine programs.
>>Alice Peters: It's amazing. Isn't it amazing? Here's he's been gone, 15, 19,
13 you know he died and he's alive here in this town. That's all. [laughter]
He's alive in this town. What can I say?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I think it says a great deal. What is that that you?
>>Alice Peters: [background noise] Well I looked to see if I could find
something. You know I turned everything over to the historical society but
there’s some stuff around the house and I thought->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh that is phenomenal.
>>Alice Peters: That's the rehab there.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah this is the rehab.
>>Alice Peters: And I thought well, I don't know if it's any.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, well here's a great, great shot of, you know in fact
one of the things I have to have, I used to have a picture of Leon that I had in
my office, the governor's office.
>>Alice Peters: I've got a lot of pictures.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I've got to impose on you to get one that I can put back
in my office again as we go from there. Can we make copies of this and then give
it back?
>>Alice Peters: You can keep it. What am I gonna do with it?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That would be fantastic. Okay.
>>Alice Peters: This was Ernest Gallo.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>>Alice Peters: Ernest Gallo, this whole thing. Well there was a wonderful
dinner here, right here at this hotel.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Californian?
>>Alice Peters: No, no.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Double Tree.
>>Alice Peters: What is it, Double Tree now? Here, yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The Holiday or Radisson.
>>Alice Peters: Yes right, well anyway it was, that was an awfully good thing
and I think it, I don't remember, now I can't remember whether it was the Boy
Scout thing.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When they honored Leon?
>>Alice Peters: They honored Leon and the Gallos were here and there were all
kinds of people here. Anyway it was very special. That was very special. Boy
Scouts, it had to do with Boy Scouts.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, I recall that. In fact I think I was at the
governor's office at the time. I know Governor Deukmejian sure thought a great
deal of Leon.
>>Alice Peters: Yes, oh yeah, I had something there at the house that he'd
signed. I don't know whether I put it in there or not.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He thought the world of him as well.
>>Alice Peters: Well I tell you, he was something different, that's all.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, Alice thank you.
>>Alice Peters: You're welcome.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We're eternally grateful for who you are and what you
given to the community.
>>Alice Peters: [laughter] Well we continue to give. I keep thinking that I
don't want anything to happen because I want to be able to give more.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
introduction, everybody knows of Mrs. Peters and her
two of them are legendary in the San Joaquin Valley.
interested in just chatting. When did you first meet
bit about when you first came to Fresno.
Peters, doesn't need an
famous spouse. Together the
So Alice we're just
Lee and tell us a little
>>Alice Peters: Well I was born in Fresno.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What year?
>>Alice Peters: 1913.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: 1913.
>>Alice Peters: Right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you're a native Fresnan?
>>Alice Peters: I'm a native Fresnan but I did not live in Fresno very long. I
moved to Del Rey.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: To Del Rey.
>>Alice Peters: It's a bend in the road.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah.
>>Alice Peters: And anyway, I lived there until I got married, which is 1943.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How did you meet Lee?
>>Alice Peters: Well he came to the place where I was working for the
Chooljian's out in Del Rey.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>>Alice Peters: Chooljian’s Packing Company, Raisin Packing Company.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And they're still in existence, aren't they?
>>Alice Peters: Oh of course, very much so. And I worked there until I decided I
wanted to move into town. I didn't move into to town but I started working in
town for Devlin-Drew.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And what was your maiden name?
>>Alice Peters: Apregian A-p-r-e-g-i-a-n.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Okay.
>>Alice Peters: I started working at Devlin-Drew’s, which is across the tracks,
they were selling refrigerators while I worked in the office and so I would, you
know here in that area it's kind of hard. There's no place to eat over there.
[laughter] Occasionally I'd take my lunch but then occasionally I'd walk across
and Valley Foundry was over there on, oh what's that street there?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>>Alice Peters: You know, anyway off of Ventura there and I'd always walk across
Valley Foundry and come over to Omar Khayyam’s to have lunch.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Great restaurant.
>>Alice Peters: You know it was a great restaurant. So occasionally Leon would
be in there or would come in there and we'd sit at the counter and eat. You know
you get acquainted with people. And then he came to the office a couple of times
where I was working in Del Rey. That was before. And you know you see people and
you get acquainted. We didn't go together for a long time. We just, he was there
and he'd see me occasionally and you know how life is.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How, how many years were you married before Leon passed
away?
>>Alice Peters: 40 years.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You were married for 40 years?
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes, 40 years.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Marvelous.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Children?
>>Alice Peters: No children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: No children.
>>Alice Peters: You can't have everything in life, you know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's true. When in terms of when Lee got started in his
business.
>>Alice Peters: Well Lee stared, when we got married, just before we got
married, there was a man that had bought that business and he was a
haberdashery. Came down from Washington and he was trying to run a machine shop
which he didn't know a darn thing about. And, but Lee was working as a salesman.
He had a farm. He had a little ranch with his brother and he was working at
nights trying to sell pumps for the farmers, pumps.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Water pumps.
>>Alice Peters: Water pumps, whatever and, course it wasn't much of a business
to begin with. This guy didn't know how to run anything and so this was before
we were married and so finally the man decided he wanted to sell the business to
Leon and Leon said well I don't want to buy it until the first time you make
some money. Well the first year he made $2,000 [laughter], $2,000 and it was
time to buy that. And he, can you imagine, he paid $75,000 for it?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: $75,000?
>>Alice Peters: Which it wasn't worth it, you know but he paid for that, not all
at one time and he had that before we got married.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So that was before you met him?
>>Alice Peters: No.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I mean before you got married?
>>Alice Peters: Yes, it was before, not too long before but so he got out of the
picture and you know the wine industry, the war came along, the wine industry
and the tanks, all of that built up. He was getting on a train, this was after
we got married, at least once or twice a week he was on the train going to Mare
Island because they were building things there for the war effort.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Alice Peters: You know so he was pretty busy and the wine industry didn't
start until the war was over.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Everything was directed towards the war efforts that he
was involved with?
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes, ‘43, ‘44, ‘45, you see. I mean it was difficult. He
tried to buy a car; he needed a car you know. The only thing that he could find
was, I don't remember what kind of car it was but it was a big car and he never
had anything besides a Chevrolet Coupe [laughter] you know. And so he thought
how could I drive a big car but there was a Lincoln of some kind that he finally
ended up buying and he thought that was a terrible thing to be driving a big car
like that at wartime when nobody could get cars you know. Well anyway, so I
didn't have a car to drive around in at all either for a long time. But anyway->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When did he switch businesses? Did he stay in the same
business?
>>Alice Peters: Oh he never changed.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He never changed the entire->>Alice Peters: No, what he was doing in the business changed you know before.
The wine industry, you know after the war was over, then the wine industry,
tanks.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right, storage tanks.
>>Alice Peters: You know those huge tanks, yes those storage tanks and they
weren't doing any of that wine business at all ahead of time because it just, it
wasn't there during wartime I guess. But as soon as that was over well that just
started to grow and it did very well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I'm real, real curious, you've seen lots of changes as a
native Fresnan but through the years you've seen things in Fresno change, what
are some of the things that you've seen change that you've liked and that you've
noticed about Fresno? Now I suspect that some people still remember trolley cars
in Fresno.
>>Alice Peters: Well I remember the trolley cars. Being 86 years old naturally I
remember. [laughter] We never rode them very often but they were here and of
course then we had a car. And living in Del Rey I went to school at Selma High.
You couldn't go anyplace except with a bus so the bus picked us up. Some of the
people there, the students there in Del Rey, went to Sanger High School. And
Sanger was really closer but somehow or other there's only one or two families
in Del Rey that went to Sanger. The rest of us all went to Fowler, not Fowler,
Selma. But all the years that we went to Selma, I married Lee who was from
Fowler. I didn't even know where Fowler was. [laughter] The bus would go to
Selma, you know and we didn't know where Fowler was or anybody in it. You know
there were a lot of Armenian families in Fowler.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Lots of Armenian families that have gone on from Fowler
and have done some tremendous things.
>>Alice Peters: Oh yeah sure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We have Justice Marvin Baxter.
>>Alice Peters: Oh sure, oh sure.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of the famous people are Armenian families that have
come out of Fowler.
>>Alice Peters: Well you know, Leon graduated from high school. The year he
graduated from high school his mother died.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The year he grad--? He went to Fowler High?
>>Alice Peters: That's right. Well they went to Fowler High, yes. See, I didn't
know anybody in Fowler. I married somebody from Fowler [laughter] but I didn't
know where Fowler was. But anyway when his mother died he realized that he
couldn't go to college and he always wanted to be a lawyer. Well he didn't get
to have that privilege because he was working. And Dad had five children, you
know, there were five children.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He had how many brothers and how many sisters?
>>Alice Peters: There were four boys and one girl, you see. And it's pretty
tough, you know. The kids had to work.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now where was he? Was he one of the oldest?
>>Alice Peters: He was the oldest.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So he had the biggest responsibility when mom passed away?
>>Alice Peters: Well, and the sister was in the middle there. She died quite a
long time ago and anyway the dad was strict. You know those Armenian parents
were strict. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet.
>>Alice Peters: So anyway he realized that he couldn't go to college, but one
thing that the rest of the brothers and sisters would say that at least once a
week they would go into the, they had a barn of some kind, I don't know what it
was like, but he was always up in front there either telling a story or he'd be
quoting some poetry or something. And that was his, he wanted to be up in front
of people, I guess. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He was comfortable.
>>Alice Peters: Comfortable, he was always comfortable speaking. That's one
thing you could never take away from him. My goodness, all you had to do was ask
him to say something. I remember one year we were at the Giffens’, to one of
their big parties, outdoors in the summertime and somebody was supposed to be
there to say grace before dinner, well whoever it was didn't show. And they went
after Leon and he went right to it, no problem.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know when I was president of Valley Children's Hospital
he sure mentored me because he was president of Community Hospital. And as a
young, young president of the children's hospital he said, I will comfort you.
He said, we helped start Valley Children's Hospital so he said we will make sure
that it stays stable.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And he sure looked after the interest of, even though he
was president of the Community Hospital.
>>Alice Peters: Oh I didn’t.
different entity.
That's a different hospital, see that was a
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I was scared and he.
>>Alice Peters: Yeah, I don't know how they're doing there. You know that
hospital is out there a ways and it isn't everybody that can get out there, you
know and I think the community is taking care of some of those people.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I agree. I wasn't involved when they made the move to go
out.
>>Alice Peters: No.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: This was many years before when Leon was the [inaudible].
>>Alice Peters: I know, yeah.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you're right, they went, how did Lee begin to get
involved? I know everybody knows of his tremendous success as a businessman and
how well his business had done throughout the year. But how did he begin to get-People know him for his philanthropy, his community involvement and obviously
you were a big part of that. How did that begin to happen?
>>Alice Peters: Well, how does it begin to happen? We started a foundation in
1959, ‘59, that was in December 1959 and the foundation was primarily for
giving, you know. And look how many years it's been. And look at how much money
we do, we give in the community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And how much good it has done.
>>Alice Peters: So much good and we give to so many things in the community. We,
last year we gave over $800,000 in this community.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: 800,000?
>>Alice Peters: That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Last year alone?
>>Alice Peters: That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's incredulous.
>>Alice Peters: That's right. That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Absolutely incredible.
>>Alice Peters: I write all those checks. Before it was Lee, you know, when
anybody wanted anything, after we had the foundation, well all he would do is
pull the checkbook out and write checks. Well we don't do it that way anymore.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: [laughter] How do you do it now?
>>Alice Peters: Four times a year I write checks and that's all. We have our
board meetings and just family members on it and that's the way it works.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How many of Lee's.
>>Alice Peters: Nephews.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Nephews are there? Are any of the brothers still alive?
>>Alice Peters: One brother only. Pete's the only one.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Pete's the only one, right.
>>Alice Peters: Pete's the only one but there are nephews but I mean they sit on
the board and that's it. They don't do anything. They're not involved in the
community and they just are there. They feel like it's something important to be
there. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Now did you have sisters and brothers?
>>Alice Peters: I have one sister left and one brother left. We were five in our
family.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Five?
>>Alice Peters: Uh huh, three girls and two boys and anyway my brother was on
the board but he has Parkinson's now so he can't handle that anymore.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Right.
>>Alice Peters: And then my nephew, I have a nephew that's with, he lives in LA.
I have two nephews.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When they, the chamber decided to do the Leon Peters
Community Award, it is probably the most prestigious. I too have been born and
raised in Fresno, a few years later [laughter], a youngster but from the time I
was a kid and through the years I've been involved, you and your husband's
reputation has been just, not only in terms of hard working, decent, caring
people but people who many people consider don’t, you don't want notoriety, you
don't want credit, you just quietly do things for the community and you've been
a very, very integral part of this community. What did it mean to Lee or what
did it mean, I should say maybe, to you to have the Leon S. Peters Award? And
you see every year and you know many of those people who have been recipients.
>>Alice Peters: Every one, I've sat up at the head table every year.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you look at the Lew Eatons and the Dick Johansons and
the Martin Nelsons and the Joe Levys, all who have enormous admiration for you
and for Lee.
>>Alice Peters: Well you try to conduct yourself in a manner to have some
admiration, I guess. I don't know. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Sure.
>>Alice Peters: I don't know what it is but whatever it is we've been fortunate
because the business was good and you invest and that's what happens.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If--Many of our children today do not have grandparents.
In fact->>Alice Peters: We never had any.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Many of them are fortunate they live with both
parents. If you were to give some advice to some of our young people
growing up and about wanting to have some success, what advice would
them about living and things that you have learned through the years
lived in Fresno?
of their
about
you give
that you've
>>Alice Peters: Well you know the Armenian family is tough. They hang together,
you know. You've got to hang together. You don't get out of line.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well being Greek I have grown up with [laughter], you are
our cousins.
>>Alice Peters: That's right. You don't get out of line and they have a pretty
good hold on their children. I don't say they all turn out perfect. I don't
know. We didn't have any problems in our family but one never knows. You know
you just.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But there's discipline, isn't there?
>>Alice Peters: There's discipline, that's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And high expectations.
>>Alice Peters: We all sit at the table to eat at the same time. You know
today's kids, I haven't got time now. I'm busy. I'm busy. You know they'll give
you some excuse.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And there's an expectation that you won't embarrass the
family’s name.
>>Alice Peters: Well of course that goes without saying, you know. That you
expect. That you expect. I don't know. But we didn't have any problems. My
father died when I was just going to go to high school, starting high school.
That's a long time away, you know. He was 51 years old. And Mother had five
children. Well, you rise above it you see. And fortunately when we moved to Del
Rey, you see, that was early on and they had all those packing sheds, you know
and the minute school was out, we were in those sheds working, packing fruit. My
little brother, he's 80 years old now, he would do the labeling on the boxes and
my sister and I, the youngest of the two of us, we'd be there and we'd tie
ribbons. You know you had to tie ribbons on that kind of stuff. [laughter] They
don't do that anymore, I don't think. But anyway we had jobs. The minute school
was out, we were in those packing houses.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So both you and Lee were not born with silver spoons.
>>Alice Peters: No we were not.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You knew the value of work and the value of the dollar.
>>Alice Peters: Well times were tough then, you know. How many people had very
much? You know, we didn't have anything. I mean, we were poor. I never, I'm not
ashamed to say we were poor. You rise above it. But we did without. And Mother
was a very good manager, you know. She invested a little money too. She had
somebody that she had confidence in him and he invested some money so that she
was a little comfortable you know. We had a cow. We had chickens, you know.
[laughter] You figure that one out. That's how we lived.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So you were poor in a monetary sense.
>>Alice Peters: Yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But probably.
>>Alice Peters: Rich in others.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Rich in a cultural family sense->>Alice Peters: That's right. That's right.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: With care and respect. Which is far more important in the
long run.
>>Alice Peters: Well anyway today it's a different story you know. I mean I
think it’s, it’s I think it's hard to raise children now.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Difficult, it is. What did you and Lee like about Fresno,
about living here, about the Fresno area? Whether it's->>Alice Peters: Well I've been all over the world and I'm always happy to come
back. [laughter] So I can say I'm always happy to come home. And we did do an
awful lot of traveling. Not frequently. We made one big trip every year. You
know the first time we went to Europe it was two and a half months. I was sick
all the way. [laughter] It was that bad. You know because the water's different.
Whatever it was, it was pretty hard. I didn't fare very well. It didn't bother
Lee but it did bother me. So but different times, different things, you know.
No, we did, we had some good trips, very good trips.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: If Lee was to look upon how the foundation and the good
things that the foundation is doing->>Alice Peters: Oh gosh.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What would you think he would say as he looked at the
tremendous things that the foundation has done?
>>Alice Peters: Well he'd be thrilled to death, naturally because I mean we make
a lot and we give a lot. You know when you give that much money a year.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Incredible.
>>Alice Peters: It's a lot.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It certainly is.
>>Alice Peters: It's a lot. You have to make it to, you know and I don't know,
it's a thrill to share.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: One of the last things, I noticed in terms of every one of
the past recipients speak of both Lee and you with enormous, enormous respect
and clearly as we look at pillars of our community, so many, many people have
been beneficiaries of you and Lee's kindness. I guess one of the things, as you
look at different families through the years that you and Lee associated with,
some of those families are still here, still doing good things in the community.
Who were some of the families that you and Lee through the years have->>Alice Peters: Well you know what I see, that families may give but they have
certain things they give to, it’s either gonna be for music or something just
special, you know no one else giving to. But we don't do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You're diverse.
>>Alice Peters: Or they give it to their school that's not in this town, you
know, that kind of thing. Like the Eaton’s, you know Stanford, Stanford; all
their kids went to Stanford. You know that's important. Well you don't see their
name giving anything today in the community, nothing. And where is that money?
You know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You give to a diverse, in fact I remember one of the
things that Lee gave when I was a young principal at Clovis High School and he
took the Clovis High band back to the Ronald Reagan inauguration his first year
as president and->>Alice Peters: That was pretty major.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And Lee was so kind. He said if it's for the students and
they learn about the history while they're back there at Washington, he wanted
to know. He took a hands-on. I remember him giving us a very sizeable check for
the young students at Clovis High School and to this day I'm very, very grateful
and the students were grateful. They went to the Smithsonian Institute. They
went to the->>Alice Peters: Sure that was special.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: National Science Museum, all, as really as a gift of the
Peters.
>>Alice Peters: How many students went?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We had roughly 350 students.
>>Alice Peters: Wow.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That went back. We chartered two, I think two DC 727s to
go back.
>>Alice Peters: Oh my word.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But I remember that was one of the last times that Lee
interacted with me as well.
>>Alice Peters: Well course he was in charge then. You know he'd just pull out
that checkbook. [laughter] I don't do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you're still in charge.
>>Alice Peters: Well but I don't want to do that just when anybody asks because
someone else, this is the second time they've sent a letter and want me to give
them some money to go to Europe for these kids that are, music, for music. Well
I did it once and I thought I'm not gonna do that again. I don't think that's a
priority. They don't have, kids in high school don't need to go that far, have
somebody pay for them to go that far. I think I'd rather feed some hungry
people.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I, I would agree with you. I think there are so many trips
that today, there's a difference, a difference between an inauguration of a
president.
>>Alice Peters: Yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Historically than visiting Hawaii or Europe just to go do
a performance.
>>Alice Peters: No that's not a priority in my opinion.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I would agree with you.
>>Alice Peters: You've got so many things here in this town. You've got the
Rescue Mission. You’ve got->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Poverello House.
>>Alice Peters: Poverello House, I mean we give to->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Boys and Girls Club, I know you give->>Alice Peters: Boys and Girls Club, Big Brother, Big Sister, you name it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You're always there.
>>Alice Peters: We're there and it's just not $50 or $100 you know. We give
20,000 to Poverello House every year, not all at one time. We split it. And then
we do Rescue Mission the same way, 10,000 and 10,000. That's 20,000 a year. Red
Cross, you name it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: United Way in the past.
>>Alice Peters: United Way we always give them.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Huge.
>>Alice Peters: $10,000, that’s, we always do that. And I don't know, TV
station, you know, Channel 18, yeah Channel 18. We always give ten, 15,000.
University we give $50,000 for scholarships and we have engineering, business,
nursing, you name it, you know, ag.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well Fresno State has been one of the biggest
beneficiaries of->>Alice Peters: I know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The generosity of the—
>>Alice Peters: I know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Leon Peters Foundation.
>>Alice Peters: I know, that's okay, that’s okay. We have it. If you didn't have
that foundation, you couldn't do it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet, well listen as we begin to sort of wrap this up
and summarize. What do you see, what do you see the direction of the future of
Fresno going? You've seen lots of changes. You've uh, you’ve lived a full life
and you have many, many more good years ahead of you.
>>Alice Peters: I hope so. I've got a lot of work to do. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: What things would you like to see Fresno become?
>>Alice Peters: Well you know I, I wonder about downtown because that baseball
team isn't gonna change anything downtown, I don't think. You know the whole
city has gone north and I don't think you can bring it back. You know I just
don't think so. It looks like, Manchester doesn't look too good now. They're
putting up, they've torn down a lot of stuff, they’re, have you been by there?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yes, at least Caltrans is going to go relocate. In fact I
was talking to Councilman Perea this morning and they're gonna start in having
city colleges back doing some services in that area.
>>Alice Peters: Oh are they?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: As well as Caltrans. So you're gonna have quite a few.
>>Alice Peters: That's gonna change quite bit then.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's gonna change and then in talking to Richard Gunner
and George Engels, they're looking at doing something.
>>Alice Peters: I know. I don't know what they're gonna do. I really don't know.
Now there's Gunner, you know who has so much money. He's my neighbor you know
and I love him dearly.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I went to school with Richard. [laughter] You're right.
>>Alice Peters: But where do you ever see Richard
Not a thing you know I just, it just, that to me,
to something. You know, latch on to something and
that property there for the hospital. He's got so
giving any money to
I would think that,
give for something.
much of that stuff,
anything?
latch on
He gave
you know.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And I guess maybe that has really been the signature of
you and your husband. You worked hard. You benefitted from Fresno but you gave
back so much more.
>>Alice Peters: Oh yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That's the advice to people, young people in this area,
the spirit of giving. It's almost what it says in the Bible, if you cast your
bread upon the water, it comes back ten, tenfold.
>>Alice Peters: But you know, I think it has to start from parents. Parents have
to have a history of starting; you don't have to do it big but whatever it is so
they'll get a picture of it. So that they and you, you, you try to impress on
them that this is an important thing. You give back to a community. Well there's
an awful lot of money in this community and I don't see it floating around. You
know, I just don't. I don't know where they give. I don't say they don't have
it. They have it. There's a lot of money in this community but I don't know. I
don't like just giving just to Symphony. All the problems we're having with the
Symphony. [laughter] Isn't that something?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You get that straightened out.
>>Alice Peters: Oh I don't know what to say about that. I mean we shouldn't have
to worry about prima donnas. That's all I can say. I mean somebody ought to give
him $100,000 and let him go. You know that's what he's getting a year. $100,000
is a lot of money.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: You bet.
>>Alice Peters: For about ten concerts. Now I think that's a lot. When you leave
town and go other places and do concerts also so Fresno is not that big of town
to pay somebody $100,000. He started with $60,000, so->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: And you're a very large, the Leon Peters Foundation is a
large contributor to the Philharmonic.
>>Alice Peters: Well I give them $15,000. It was ten and then I started giving
fifteen. That's okay.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well I guess on behalf of not only the Valley Business
Conference Committee but if I can be so presumptuous to say that on behalf of a
person that's grown up in this area, I just want to thank you. Thank you for
your generosity and caring of our community. Thank you for coming in today. I
know you were reluctant because in the typical Peters fashion, you don't want
credit for anything.
>>Alice Peters: I don't need any credit for it.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know you don't.
>>Alice Peters: It shows up somewhere. [laughter]
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: It does and so we just->>Alice Peters: It shows up.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So we just want to thank you for being the kind of people
you have been and for your generosity to the community and we're eternally
grateful. And the legacy of you and Leon will live long through the many, many
fine programs.
>>Alice Peters: It's amazing. Isn't it amazing? Here's he's been gone, 15, 19,
13 you know he died and he's alive here in this town. That's all. [laughter]
He's alive in this town. What can I say?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I think it says a great deal. What is that that you?
>>Alice Peters: [background noise] Well I looked to see if I could find
something. You know I turned everything over to the historical society but
there’s some stuff around the house and I thought->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh that is phenomenal.
>>Alice Peters: That's the rehab there.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah this is the rehab.
>>Alice Peters: And I thought well, I don't know if it's any.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, well here's a great, great shot of, you know in fact
one of the things I have to have, I used to have a picture of Leon that I had in
my office, the governor's office.
>>Alice Peters: I've got a lot of pictures.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I've got to impose on you to get one that I can put back
in my office again as we go from there. Can we make copies of this and then give
it back?
>>Alice Peters: You can keep it. What am I gonna do with it?
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: That would be fantastic. Okay.
>>Alice Peters: This was Ernest Gallo.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Oh yes.
>>Alice Peters: Ernest Gallo, this whole thing. Well there was a wonderful
dinner here, right here at this hotel.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Californian?
>>Alice Peters: No, no.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Double Tree.
>>Alice Peters: What is it, Double Tree now? Here, yes.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The Holiday or Radisson.
>>Alice Peters: Yes right, well anyway it was, that was an awfully good thing
and I think it, I don't remember, now I can't remember whether it was the Boy
Scout thing.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: When they honored Leon?
>>Alice Peters: They honored Leon and the Gallos were here and there were all
kinds of people here. Anyway it was very special. That was very special. Boy
Scouts, it had to do with Boy Scouts.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yeah, I recall that. In fact I think I was at the
governor's office at the time. I know Governor Deukmejian sure thought a great
deal of Leon.
>>Alice Peters: Yes, oh yeah, I had something there at the house that he'd
signed. I don't know whether I put it in there or not.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: He thought the world of him as well.
>>Alice Peters: Well I tell you, he was something different, that's all.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, Alice thank you.
>>Alice Peters: You're welcome.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We're eternally grateful for who you are and what you
given to the community.
>>Alice Peters: [laughter] Well we continue to give. I keep thinking that I
don't want anything to happen because I want to be able to give more.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====