Looney, Chas. Interview
Item
Title
Looney, Chas. Interview
Description
Talks about his friendship and working relationship with Leon S. Peters and serving in Rotary International with him.
Creator
Looney, Chas.
Richter, Bud
Relation
Leon S. Peters Legacy Collection
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
9/18/2009
Format
Microsoft Word 2003 document, 5 pages
Identifier
SCMS_lspl_00025
extracted text
>> Bud Richter: Hi, Chas. It's wonderful for you to come and volunteer to share
some of your experiences and memories that you have with our legendary Leon S.
Peters, and you've known him for some time. Tell us, how did you first get to
meet Leon Peters?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, it's rather interesting, I, I came to Fresno, after the
war, because I had been in Missouri, before the war, and was drafted, and came
in, in here, then served the entire war, I was in China, and I came back and
went to work for my father-in-law, Coleman Caine, who was in the wine business.
And, I was a son-in-law Vice President, and you really can't get much lower,
than a son-in-law Vice President. Mr. Caine thought one thing that I had to do,
was meet the proper people of the community, and he said, we have one man, if
you don't meet anybody else; you have to meet Leon Peters. Leon is the head of
Valley Foundry, one of the world's premier winery equipment manufacturing
businesses. So, we went down and met Leon, and he was very gracious, very
charming, and I enjoyed future conversations with Lee. I'd go down,
occasionally, and maybe to just, kind of look at some piece of equipment we were
thinking about buying, or maybe telling him we're going to be a little late with
the check, but he was always pleasant about it, and he -- 'cause he wanted both
of us to succeed. And, it was a wonderful experience, which I enjoyed
tremendously, because I could see his leadership qualities in the conversations
with him, he was always fair, he was always honest, and he was a little tough at
times, but he wanted to be sure that everybody took away something from the
deal. I enjoyed that very much.
>> Bud Richter: And so you were there working with you father-in-law with the
winery, and meeting Leon and getting to know him a little bit, did, did that
relationship continue, or, or what happened?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, the wine business went through some tough times. The, the
wine industry, as a whole, prospered, but some of the, wineries did not prosper,
and our winery, Fresno Winery, out on Shaw Avenue, where the, the University is
now located, was one of those that was struggling a bit, and so Mr. Caine sold
the winery, and, and I went into farming, and on the west side, and it was fun,
but it was not very profitable, over the years. And so, about 1960, I opened an
advertising agency, well, in between that time and when I had first met Leon,
the only opportunities I had to see him, were at, maybe a social event, or once
a while, or a community meeting. And, he always was, I thought, kind of on a
pedestal, because he carried himself well, he spoke well, he did not berate
anybody, and he always had time to stop and listen to whatever you wanted to
know about a particular problem, and he gave you a good, solid answer. Well,
shortly after I opened my agency, I got a call from Leon, and he said, "How'd
you like to come to dinner, or lunch, with some leaders of the community," and
he mentioned Milo Rowell, he mentioned Gib Caswell, well, my ears perked up with
that, because I was trying to hustle Allied Equipment, as a possible client, and
I thought this is wonderful opportunity. And, Leon was one to always see an
opportunity. Well, we had the luncheon, and it turned out, it was more of an
opportunity than I thought, because it was actually a fund-raiser. Now, here I
am, just getting started in my business, trying to keep the doors open, and Leon
finally said, "Well, we're all going to sign a pledge before we leave." Well,
the other gentlemen grabbed it and wrote their names faster than whatever, and I
kind of sat there and looked for a minute. I thought, well, we're just getting
started, let, let's do what we can, because Leon was a great mentor, and he was
trying to do some project for the community, and I've forgotten what it was now,
might have been the Valley Children's Hospital, but he was always in the
forefront, and very gracious in the way that he did it, and he always gave more
than he asked you to give.
>> Bud Richter: Yes. Now, you have a long experience, a wonderful experience in
Rotary, did, how did, did Leon, was he involved in your getting into Rotary at
all or how, how did you associate with him in Rotary, what happened there?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, Leon, we had new member meetings, and those new member
meetings were information meetings to get the new members to, the incoming
members to understand what Rotary was about, the history of it, not only around
the world, but here in Fresno, and the good projects that were going on. And,
Leon was at those meetings, an orator, he was the orator, because he was the
truly outstanding Rotarian, in the community, he was a Rotarian's Rotarian.
Rotary has two mottos, Service Above Self, and He Profits Most Who Serves Best,
and Leon made those two slogans a part of his daily life, and he just loved it
and we loved him. Well, as the orator, he told many, many stories and one of the
stories he told about, was how he became a Rotarian. And, you are invited to
become a Rotarian, you just don't call Joe and say, "Hey, Joe, I'd like to join
your group." So, you get invited, and you go and learned about Rotary. Now, Leon
said that he was in -- shortly after World War II, he was at a wine
manufacturing convention, in Oakland, and after the meeting was over, he went to
the Oakland Airport, to fly back to Fresno, well, the Oakland Airport was socked
in and so was Fresno, this was at that time of year. And, he saw a gentleman
from Fresno, sitting across the room from him, by the name of Lyman Perkins,
well, they obviously were both going back to Fresno. Now, Lyman Perkins was a
Rotarian, and Leon was not; so Leon said we talked, and we talked, and we
talked, and finally late in the evening, or maybe even the early morning, the
fog lifted and they got to fly to Fresno, and Leon said, "You know," he said, "I
hated his guts, because he was getting business that I thought I should have."
Well, about six months after that meeting, in Oakland, Leon was invited to join
Rotary, and his sponsor was Lyman Perkins, which is an example of how Rotary
works together with people in the community.
>> Bud Richter: Wow. Wow. And, Leon was involved in, in Rotary, quite a bit,
what is some of things that you remember about his involvement in Rotary, or how
he lived that in his life?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, as I mentioned of the Service Above Self, and He Profits,
Profits Most Who Serves Best, that is the key example. We have another little
four-way test, which I'm not going to lecture about that, but it is four good
points about how to run your life and your business, and anything else, just
tell the truth and proceed on, accordingly. Well, Leon came in, and like all
Rotarians, he started, basically at the bottom, and worked his up, in 1954-'55,
he was the President of the club, and did an outstanding job, and after that, he
continued to serve in any capacity that he was asked to serve, but he became
outstanding as an orator, and his abilities to, to express himself, and to give
confidence and to educate people in a short one-hour meeting, were amazing. I
had the opportunity to sit in on many of those meetings, and he taught me more
about Rotary than he will ever know; although, actually, I think he knew it all
the time. He was a great, he was a great teacher, and when the, the new members
would in, he would address each of them, by name, he would deliver his talk,
about how great Rotary was, and how much they did around the world, and how much
they were doing here, in Fresno, and then he concluded the meeting, and he
called again, each person, by name. And, I thought that was very impressive,
because I never could look at the notes and get the name and the face together,
in the right place, but he was just marvelous, as, as the orator, that's a job
that he held for many, many years. And, one evening, we're going to have a new
meeting, for members, and they -- Leon was in the hospital and the President of
the club called him, and he said, "Leon, we'd like to have you, but I don't
think you're up to coming to the meeting tomorrow," he said, "is there anybody
that you would like to have to represent you as the orator?" He said, "Yes,
there is." He said, "I'd like to have Chas. Looney do that job, take over for
me, for this meeting," he said, "but I'd also like to have it tape recorded, so
I can play it here in my hospital room, to see how he did." Well, we had the
meeting and it was recorded, and I thought it was a pretty good meeting, because
I don't think anybody knew how my knees were shaking, and how nervous I was,
because Leon was such a great man, and such a leader, and, and such a friend of
mine, that I did not want to let him down. Well, about three days after they had
played the, the tape in his hospital room, he called me and he said, "I want to
thank you for a job very well done," he said, "you were very good, and would you
do me a favor." And I said, "Of course, Leon, I'll do whatever you ask." And he
said, "Well, I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but would you continue
on, as the orator, until I am ready to take over?" And I said, "Certainly, I'll
do that." Well, unfortunately, Leon never came out of the hospital, and I had
many, many years of serving our club, as orator, telling stories about Leon,
that he told about himself. For example, after World War II, he and Alice were
on a business trip in Rotterdam, Holland, and he went to the Rotary club
meeting, and Alice excused herself, because at that time, they didn't even allow
ladies in as guests, and so Leon goes into the meeting, and the President rang
the bell, and he said, "Gentlemen," and he's talking to his own members, he
said, "we have an honored guest here, today, from the United States, Mr. Leon
Peters, with a classification of winery equipment manufacturing. He is the first
American that has been here, since World War II," and he said, "because of Mr.
Peters, and what the United States did for us, I'm going to conduct this meeting
in English, in his honor," which he did, and Leon used to tell that story,
brought down the house, because true stories like that, you don't run into very
often. There were many, many other stories that he, that he had, and I cannot
possibly remember all of them, but I'll try to think of one, here in a minute,
and if you ask me a good question, I'll get back to it.
>> Bud Richter: Well, Leon was known for his philanthropy.
>> Chas. Looney: Yes.
>> Bud Richter: In this community, and he was one that, I think, that never
asked someone else to do what he wasn't willing to do, himself. In Rotary, your
Rotary International Foundation, does so much good. Did, did Leon set any kind
of, did you observe things in how Leon created that Rotary International
Foundation?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, Leon, as you mentioned, was a very, very generous man,
around the community, you just have to ride around, keep your eyes open, and
that kind of reminds me of a story, with Leon and the University. Bob Duncan was
going to receive one of his many awards, and he had some relatives coming in,
from out of town, and they drove onto campus, and they stopped a student, and
says, "Can you tell me where the Peters Business Building is." And the young man
said, "Yes, certainly," he said, "St. Peters is right over there, and you can
park your car, right over here."
>> Bud Richter: [laughing]
>> Chas. Looney: So, that tells you a little bit about his generosity, but you
asked about Rotary International, we have an, an award in Rotary International,
called Paul Harris Fellow, to become a Paul Harris Fellow, you, or someone,
contributes $1,000 in your name, to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary
International. Leon made as many members of his family, as he possibly could
find, I think he went out and kicked over rocks, maybe to find some cousins,
made them Paul Harris Fellows, he was the largest contributor to the Rotary Club
of Fresno, at that time. Other men have come in, and, and followed his great
example, but that $1,000 went to Rotary International, and then eventually, to
a, a program we have, called Polio Plus, and that came on a little after Leon's
passing, so I can't discuss that.
>> Bud Richter: You've been wonderful in describing how Leon was involved in
Rotary, in his community, if, if a new member came into this community, and, and
was coming here to settle down and raise his family here, would you believe that
the legacy of Leon Peters is something that should be told to new people that
have come into this community, and if so, why.
>> Chas. Looney: Well, that's a difficult question to answer, because frankly,
he did so very much, for so many people, and so many things in the community,
his, his gifts to University, and to Community Hospital, and of course, to
Rotary, and many other facilities around here, he was always a leader, and he
always contributed heavily, on his own account. He would bring our new members
in, and try to place them in our club, and in the community, in a way that they
could better serve our club, and the community, to make Rotary and our
community, a better place, in which to live, and he practiced what he preached.
He practiced service above self, and he gave of his time and his talent, and his
worldly goods, throughout his entire life, and continues to give, through the
Peters Foundation. So, he is with us today, even though he is not with us today.
And, he's always in my heart.
>> Bud Richter: The leadership of Leon comes out in, in all of the people we
have talked to, as being one of Leon's God-given skills, or developed skills,
because he was a student in this, why he never college, he really studied how to
go ahead and, and be as fine a citizen and leader, as he could. Are there any
qualities in Leon's leadership abilities that you have not mentioned, that you'd
like to relate to others who will see this video?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I think that the, yes, that Leon was a leader, because he
didn't seem to be leading. He would engage you in a conversation, and the next
thing you knew, you were involved in whatever it was that Leon was pushing, at
the time, and he did it very quietly, he did it very efficiently, he did it very
effectively, and he always gave credit to you, for the job that he was behind,
and was pushing. He didn't, he didn't shove, he was not mean, he was not
vindictive, or anything else, he was a very wonderful, caring, sharing man. He
considered it a, a pleasure and an honor, I think, to get out of bed, and have
something to do, for his business, and for his community, and of course, for his
Rotary club.
>> Bud Richter: It sounds like Leon had a definite impact on your life.
>> Chas. Looney: He had a very definite impact. There's so many things that he
taught me, that I didn't even realize I was being taught, but he taught me how
to handle a crowd, he taught me how to handle myself when I’m making a speech,
and he taught me how to ask people for money, which is very, very important in
this world, today. And, I will never forget Leon, for all of the other things
that he did, that you just take for granted, I mean, he always had the time to
stop and talk to you, about whatever the programs were, whatever you wanted to
know, and gave you good, solid, working advice.
>> Bud Richter: Is there anything else you'd like to add to your comments of,
well, I've asked a few things, but you've, you've had a long timeless span of
years, with Leon, something else you'd like to share with your audience?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I liked to, I really liked to be in a room when Leon was,
can I use the term, working the room, because it was just magnificent to see him
walk around, very quietly, shake hands with everybody there, do a whale of job,
and if he was to give a speech, he made a marvelous speech, right to the point
on what he was trying to sell, that evening, but the thing that really impressed
me the most, was when the evening was over, to watch he and Alice, walk off,
into the sunset, holding hands.
>> Bud Richter: That's wonderful. Well, thank you very much. Nothing else you'd
like to add, or you, you, this is an opportunity to share your, with your
audience.
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I just want to thank you, for thinking enough of me, to
let me say a few thoughts about that great man, Leon Peters, who was a true
community leader, and he, as I mentioned earlier, he continues to give, through
the Peters Foundation. Thanks a lot, Bud.
>> Bud Richter: Thank you, Chas.
[Silence]
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
some of your experiences and memories that you have with our legendary Leon S.
Peters, and you've known him for some time. Tell us, how did you first get to
meet Leon Peters?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, it's rather interesting, I, I came to Fresno, after the
war, because I had been in Missouri, before the war, and was drafted, and came
in, in here, then served the entire war, I was in China, and I came back and
went to work for my father-in-law, Coleman Caine, who was in the wine business.
And, I was a son-in-law Vice President, and you really can't get much lower,
than a son-in-law Vice President. Mr. Caine thought one thing that I had to do,
was meet the proper people of the community, and he said, we have one man, if
you don't meet anybody else; you have to meet Leon Peters. Leon is the head of
Valley Foundry, one of the world's premier winery equipment manufacturing
businesses. So, we went down and met Leon, and he was very gracious, very
charming, and I enjoyed future conversations with Lee. I'd go down,
occasionally, and maybe to just, kind of look at some piece of equipment we were
thinking about buying, or maybe telling him we're going to be a little late with
the check, but he was always pleasant about it, and he -- 'cause he wanted both
of us to succeed. And, it was a wonderful experience, which I enjoyed
tremendously, because I could see his leadership qualities in the conversations
with him, he was always fair, he was always honest, and he was a little tough at
times, but he wanted to be sure that everybody took away something from the
deal. I enjoyed that very much.
>> Bud Richter: And so you were there working with you father-in-law with the
winery, and meeting Leon and getting to know him a little bit, did, did that
relationship continue, or, or what happened?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, the wine business went through some tough times. The, the
wine industry, as a whole, prospered, but some of the, wineries did not prosper,
and our winery, Fresno Winery, out on Shaw Avenue, where the, the University is
now located, was one of those that was struggling a bit, and so Mr. Caine sold
the winery, and, and I went into farming, and on the west side, and it was fun,
but it was not very profitable, over the years. And so, about 1960, I opened an
advertising agency, well, in between that time and when I had first met Leon,
the only opportunities I had to see him, were at, maybe a social event, or once
a while, or a community meeting. And, he always was, I thought, kind of on a
pedestal, because he carried himself well, he spoke well, he did not berate
anybody, and he always had time to stop and listen to whatever you wanted to
know about a particular problem, and he gave you a good, solid answer. Well,
shortly after I opened my agency, I got a call from Leon, and he said, "How'd
you like to come to dinner, or lunch, with some leaders of the community," and
he mentioned Milo Rowell, he mentioned Gib Caswell, well, my ears perked up with
that, because I was trying to hustle Allied Equipment, as a possible client, and
I thought this is wonderful opportunity. And, Leon was one to always see an
opportunity. Well, we had the luncheon, and it turned out, it was more of an
opportunity than I thought, because it was actually a fund-raiser. Now, here I
am, just getting started in my business, trying to keep the doors open, and Leon
finally said, "Well, we're all going to sign a pledge before we leave." Well,
the other gentlemen grabbed it and wrote their names faster than whatever, and I
kind of sat there and looked for a minute. I thought, well, we're just getting
started, let, let's do what we can, because Leon was a great mentor, and he was
trying to do some project for the community, and I've forgotten what it was now,
might have been the Valley Children's Hospital, but he was always in the
forefront, and very gracious in the way that he did it, and he always gave more
than he asked you to give.
>> Bud Richter: Yes. Now, you have a long experience, a wonderful experience in
Rotary, did, how did, did Leon, was he involved in your getting into Rotary at
all or how, how did you associate with him in Rotary, what happened there?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, Leon, we had new member meetings, and those new member
meetings were information meetings to get the new members to, the incoming
members to understand what Rotary was about, the history of it, not only around
the world, but here in Fresno, and the good projects that were going on. And,
Leon was at those meetings, an orator, he was the orator, because he was the
truly outstanding Rotarian, in the community, he was a Rotarian's Rotarian.
Rotary has two mottos, Service Above Self, and He Profits Most Who Serves Best,
and Leon made those two slogans a part of his daily life, and he just loved it
and we loved him. Well, as the orator, he told many, many stories and one of the
stories he told about, was how he became a Rotarian. And, you are invited to
become a Rotarian, you just don't call Joe and say, "Hey, Joe, I'd like to join
your group." So, you get invited, and you go and learned about Rotary. Now, Leon
said that he was in -- shortly after World War II, he was at a wine
manufacturing convention, in Oakland, and after the meeting was over, he went to
the Oakland Airport, to fly back to Fresno, well, the Oakland Airport was socked
in and so was Fresno, this was at that time of year. And, he saw a gentleman
from Fresno, sitting across the room from him, by the name of Lyman Perkins,
well, they obviously were both going back to Fresno. Now, Lyman Perkins was a
Rotarian, and Leon was not; so Leon said we talked, and we talked, and we
talked, and finally late in the evening, or maybe even the early morning, the
fog lifted and they got to fly to Fresno, and Leon said, "You know," he said, "I
hated his guts, because he was getting business that I thought I should have."
Well, about six months after that meeting, in Oakland, Leon was invited to join
Rotary, and his sponsor was Lyman Perkins, which is an example of how Rotary
works together with people in the community.
>> Bud Richter: Wow. Wow. And, Leon was involved in, in Rotary, quite a bit,
what is some of things that you remember about his involvement in Rotary, or how
he lived that in his life?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, as I mentioned of the Service Above Self, and He Profits,
Profits Most Who Serves Best, that is the key example. We have another little
four-way test, which I'm not going to lecture about that, but it is four good
points about how to run your life and your business, and anything else, just
tell the truth and proceed on, accordingly. Well, Leon came in, and like all
Rotarians, he started, basically at the bottom, and worked his up, in 1954-'55,
he was the President of the club, and did an outstanding job, and after that, he
continued to serve in any capacity that he was asked to serve, but he became
outstanding as an orator, and his abilities to, to express himself, and to give
confidence and to educate people in a short one-hour meeting, were amazing. I
had the opportunity to sit in on many of those meetings, and he taught me more
about Rotary than he will ever know; although, actually, I think he knew it all
the time. He was a great, he was a great teacher, and when the, the new members
would in, he would address each of them, by name, he would deliver his talk,
about how great Rotary was, and how much they did around the world, and how much
they were doing here, in Fresno, and then he concluded the meeting, and he
called again, each person, by name. And, I thought that was very impressive,
because I never could look at the notes and get the name and the face together,
in the right place, but he was just marvelous, as, as the orator, that's a job
that he held for many, many years. And, one evening, we're going to have a new
meeting, for members, and they -- Leon was in the hospital and the President of
the club called him, and he said, "Leon, we'd like to have you, but I don't
think you're up to coming to the meeting tomorrow," he said, "is there anybody
that you would like to have to represent you as the orator?" He said, "Yes,
there is." He said, "I'd like to have Chas. Looney do that job, take over for
me, for this meeting," he said, "but I'd also like to have it tape recorded, so
I can play it here in my hospital room, to see how he did." Well, we had the
meeting and it was recorded, and I thought it was a pretty good meeting, because
I don't think anybody knew how my knees were shaking, and how nervous I was,
because Leon was such a great man, and such a leader, and, and such a friend of
mine, that I did not want to let him down. Well, about three days after they had
played the, the tape in his hospital room, he called me and he said, "I want to
thank you for a job very well done," he said, "you were very good, and would you
do me a favor." And I said, "Of course, Leon, I'll do whatever you ask." And he
said, "Well, I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but would you continue
on, as the orator, until I am ready to take over?" And I said, "Certainly, I'll
do that." Well, unfortunately, Leon never came out of the hospital, and I had
many, many years of serving our club, as orator, telling stories about Leon,
that he told about himself. For example, after World War II, he and Alice were
on a business trip in Rotterdam, Holland, and he went to the Rotary club
meeting, and Alice excused herself, because at that time, they didn't even allow
ladies in as guests, and so Leon goes into the meeting, and the President rang
the bell, and he said, "Gentlemen," and he's talking to his own members, he
said, "we have an honored guest here, today, from the United States, Mr. Leon
Peters, with a classification of winery equipment manufacturing. He is the first
American that has been here, since World War II," and he said, "because of Mr.
Peters, and what the United States did for us, I'm going to conduct this meeting
in English, in his honor," which he did, and Leon used to tell that story,
brought down the house, because true stories like that, you don't run into very
often. There were many, many other stories that he, that he had, and I cannot
possibly remember all of them, but I'll try to think of one, here in a minute,
and if you ask me a good question, I'll get back to it.
>> Bud Richter: Well, Leon was known for his philanthropy.
>> Chas. Looney: Yes.
>> Bud Richter: In this community, and he was one that, I think, that never
asked someone else to do what he wasn't willing to do, himself. In Rotary, your
Rotary International Foundation, does so much good. Did, did Leon set any kind
of, did you observe things in how Leon created that Rotary International
Foundation?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, Leon, as you mentioned, was a very, very generous man,
around the community, you just have to ride around, keep your eyes open, and
that kind of reminds me of a story, with Leon and the University. Bob Duncan was
going to receive one of his many awards, and he had some relatives coming in,
from out of town, and they drove onto campus, and they stopped a student, and
says, "Can you tell me where the Peters Business Building is." And the young man
said, "Yes, certainly," he said, "St. Peters is right over there, and you can
park your car, right over here."
>> Bud Richter: [laughing]
>> Chas. Looney: So, that tells you a little bit about his generosity, but you
asked about Rotary International, we have an, an award in Rotary International,
called Paul Harris Fellow, to become a Paul Harris Fellow, you, or someone,
contributes $1,000 in your name, to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary
International. Leon made as many members of his family, as he possibly could
find, I think he went out and kicked over rocks, maybe to find some cousins,
made them Paul Harris Fellows, he was the largest contributor to the Rotary Club
of Fresno, at that time. Other men have come in, and, and followed his great
example, but that $1,000 went to Rotary International, and then eventually, to
a, a program we have, called Polio Plus, and that came on a little after Leon's
passing, so I can't discuss that.
>> Bud Richter: You've been wonderful in describing how Leon was involved in
Rotary, in his community, if, if a new member came into this community, and, and
was coming here to settle down and raise his family here, would you believe that
the legacy of Leon Peters is something that should be told to new people that
have come into this community, and if so, why.
>> Chas. Looney: Well, that's a difficult question to answer, because frankly,
he did so very much, for so many people, and so many things in the community,
his, his gifts to University, and to Community Hospital, and of course, to
Rotary, and many other facilities around here, he was always a leader, and he
always contributed heavily, on his own account. He would bring our new members
in, and try to place them in our club, and in the community, in a way that they
could better serve our club, and the community, to make Rotary and our
community, a better place, in which to live, and he practiced what he preached.
He practiced service above self, and he gave of his time and his talent, and his
worldly goods, throughout his entire life, and continues to give, through the
Peters Foundation. So, he is with us today, even though he is not with us today.
And, he's always in my heart.
>> Bud Richter: The leadership of Leon comes out in, in all of the people we
have talked to, as being one of Leon's God-given skills, or developed skills,
because he was a student in this, why he never college, he really studied how to
go ahead and, and be as fine a citizen and leader, as he could. Are there any
qualities in Leon's leadership abilities that you have not mentioned, that you'd
like to relate to others who will see this video?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I think that the, yes, that Leon was a leader, because he
didn't seem to be leading. He would engage you in a conversation, and the next
thing you knew, you were involved in whatever it was that Leon was pushing, at
the time, and he did it very quietly, he did it very efficiently, he did it very
effectively, and he always gave credit to you, for the job that he was behind,
and was pushing. He didn't, he didn't shove, he was not mean, he was not
vindictive, or anything else, he was a very wonderful, caring, sharing man. He
considered it a, a pleasure and an honor, I think, to get out of bed, and have
something to do, for his business, and for his community, and of course, for his
Rotary club.
>> Bud Richter: It sounds like Leon had a definite impact on your life.
>> Chas. Looney: He had a very definite impact. There's so many things that he
taught me, that I didn't even realize I was being taught, but he taught me how
to handle a crowd, he taught me how to handle myself when I’m making a speech,
and he taught me how to ask people for money, which is very, very important in
this world, today. And, I will never forget Leon, for all of the other things
that he did, that you just take for granted, I mean, he always had the time to
stop and talk to you, about whatever the programs were, whatever you wanted to
know, and gave you good, solid, working advice.
>> Bud Richter: Is there anything else you'd like to add to your comments of,
well, I've asked a few things, but you've, you've had a long timeless span of
years, with Leon, something else you'd like to share with your audience?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I liked to, I really liked to be in a room when Leon was,
can I use the term, working the room, because it was just magnificent to see him
walk around, very quietly, shake hands with everybody there, do a whale of job,
and if he was to give a speech, he made a marvelous speech, right to the point
on what he was trying to sell, that evening, but the thing that really impressed
me the most, was when the evening was over, to watch he and Alice, walk off,
into the sunset, holding hands.
>> Bud Richter: That's wonderful. Well, thank you very much. Nothing else you'd
like to add, or you, you, this is an opportunity to share your, with your
audience.
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I just want to thank you, for thinking enough of me, to
let me say a few thoughts about that great man, Leon Peters, who was a true
community leader, and he, as I mentioned earlier, he continues to give, through
the Peters Foundation. Thanks a lot, Bud.
>> Bud Richter: Thank you, Chas.
[Silence]
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
>> Bud Richter: Hi, Chas. It's wonderful for you to come and volunteer to share
some of your experiences and memories that you have with our legendary Leon S.
Peters, and you've known him for some time. Tell us, how did you first get to
meet Leon Peters?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, it's rather interesting, I, I came to Fresno, after the
war, because I had been in Missouri, before the war, and was drafted, and came
in, in here, then served the entire war, I was in China, and I came back and
went to work for my father-in-law, Coleman Caine, who was in the wine business.
And, I was a son-in-law Vice President, and you really can't get much lower,
than a son-in-law Vice President. Mr. Caine thought one thing that I had to do,
was meet the proper people of the community, and he said, we have one man, if
you don't meet anybody else; you have to meet Leon Peters. Leon is the head of
Valley Foundry, one of the world's premier winery equipment manufacturing
businesses. So, we went down and met Leon, and he was very gracious, very
charming, and I enjoyed future conversations with Lee. I'd go down,
occasionally, and maybe to just, kind of look at some piece of equipment we were
thinking about buying, or maybe telling him we're going to be a little late with
the check, but he was always pleasant about it, and he -- 'cause he wanted both
of us to succeed. And, it was a wonderful experience, which I enjoyed
tremendously, because I could see his leadership qualities in the conversations
with him, he was always fair, he was always honest, and he was a little tough at
times, but he wanted to be sure that everybody took away something from the
deal. I enjoyed that very much.
>> Bud Richter: And so you were there working with you father-in-law with the
winery, and meeting Leon and getting to know him a little bit, did, did that
relationship continue, or, or what happened?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, the wine business went through some tough times. The, the
wine industry, as a whole, prospered, but some of the, wineries did not prosper,
and our winery, Fresno Winery, out on Shaw Avenue, where the, the University is
now located, was one of those that was struggling a bit, and so Mr. Caine sold
the winery, and, and I went into farming, and on the west side, and it was fun,
but it was not very profitable, over the years. And so, about 1960, I opened an
advertising agency, well, in between that time and when I had first met Leon,
the only opportunities I had to see him, were at, maybe a social event, or once
a while, or a community meeting. And, he always was, I thought, kind of on a
pedestal, because he carried himself well, he spoke well, he did not berate
anybody, and he always had time to stop and listen to whatever you wanted to
know about a particular problem, and he gave you a good, solid answer. Well,
shortly after I opened my agency, I got a call from Leon, and he said, "How'd
you like to come to dinner, or lunch, with some leaders of the community," and
he mentioned Milo Rowell, he mentioned Gib Caswell, well, my ears perked up with
that, because I was trying to hustle Allied Equipment, as a possible client, and
I thought this is wonderful opportunity. And, Leon was one to always see an
opportunity. Well, we had the luncheon, and it turned out, it was more of an
opportunity than I thought, because it was actually a fund-raiser. Now, here I
am, just getting started in my business, trying to keep the doors open, and Leon
finally said, "Well, we're all going to sign a pledge before we leave." Well,
the other gentlemen grabbed it and wrote their names faster than whatever, and I
kind of sat there and looked for a minute. I thought, well, we're just getting
started, let, let's do what we can, because Leon was a great mentor, and he was
trying to do some project for the community, and I've forgotten what it was now,
might have been the Valley Children's Hospital, but he was always in the
forefront, and very gracious in the way that he did it, and he always gave more
than he asked you to give.
>> Bud Richter: Yes. Now, you have a long experience, a wonderful experience in
Rotary, did, how did, did Leon, was he involved in your getting into Rotary at
all or how, how did you associate with him in Rotary, what happened there?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, Leon, we had new member meetings, and those new member
meetings were information meetings to get the new members to, the incoming
members to understand what Rotary was about, the history of it, not only around
the world, but here in Fresno, and the good projects that were going on. And,
Leon was at those meetings, an orator, he was the orator, because he was the
truly outstanding Rotarian, in the community, he was a Rotarian's Rotarian.
Rotary has two mottos, Service Above Self, and He Profits Most Who Serves Best,
and Leon made those two slogans a part of his daily life, and he just loved it
and we loved him. Well, as the orator, he told many, many stories and one of the
stories he told about, was how he became a Rotarian. And, you are invited to
become a Rotarian, you just don't call Joe and say, "Hey, Joe, I'd like to join
your group." So, you get invited, and you go and learned about Rotary. Now, Leon
said that he was in -- shortly after World War II, he was at a wine
manufacturing convention, in Oakland, and after the meeting was over, he went to
the Oakland Airport, to fly back to Fresno, well, the Oakland Airport was socked
in and so was Fresno, this was at that time of year. And, he saw a gentleman
from Fresno, sitting across the room from him, by the name of Lyman Perkins,
well, they obviously were both going back to Fresno. Now, Lyman Perkins was a
Rotarian, and Leon was not; so Leon said we talked, and we talked, and we
talked, and finally late in the evening, or maybe even the early morning, the
fog lifted and they got to fly to Fresno, and Leon said, "You know," he said, "I
hated his guts, because he was getting business that I thought I should have."
Well, about six months after that meeting, in Oakland, Leon was invited to join
Rotary, and his sponsor was Lyman Perkins, which is an example of how Rotary
works together with people in the community.
>> Bud Richter: Wow. Wow. And, Leon was involved in, in Rotary, quite a bit,
what is some of things that you remember about his involvement in Rotary, or how
he lived that in his life?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, as I mentioned of the Service Above Self, and He Profits,
Profits Most Who Serves Best, that is the key example. We have another little
four-way test, which I'm not going to lecture about that, but it is four good
points about how to run your life and your business, and anything else, just
tell the truth and proceed on, accordingly. Well, Leon came in, and like all
Rotarians, he started, basically at the bottom, and worked his up, in 1954-'55,
he was the President of the club, and did an outstanding job, and after that, he
continued to serve in any capacity that he was asked to serve, but he became
outstanding as an orator, and his abilities to, to express himself, and to give
confidence and to educate people in a short one-hour meeting, were amazing. I
had the opportunity to sit in on many of those meetings, and he taught me more
about Rotary than he will ever know; although, actually, I think he knew it all
the time. He was a great, he was a great teacher, and when the, the new members
would in, he would address each of them, by name, he would deliver his talk,
about how great Rotary was, and how much they did around the world, and how much
they were doing here, in Fresno, and then he concluded the meeting, and he
called again, each person, by name. And, I thought that was very impressive,
because I never could look at the notes and get the name and the face together,
in the right place, but he was just marvelous, as, as the orator, that's a job
that he held for many, many years. And, one evening, we're going to have a new
meeting, for members, and they -- Leon was in the hospital and the President of
the club called him, and he said, "Leon, we'd like to have you, but I don't
think you're up to coming to the meeting tomorrow," he said, "is there anybody
that you would like to have to represent you as the orator?" He said, "Yes,
there is." He said, "I'd like to have Chas. Looney do that job, take over for
me, for this meeting," he said, "but I'd also like to have it tape recorded, so
I can play it here in my hospital room, to see how he did." Well, we had the
meeting and it was recorded, and I thought it was a pretty good meeting, because
I don't think anybody knew how my knees were shaking, and how nervous I was,
because Leon was such a great man, and such a leader, and, and such a friend of
mine, that I did not want to let him down. Well, about three days after they had
played the, the tape in his hospital room, he called me and he said, "I want to
thank you for a job very well done," he said, "you were very good, and would you
do me a favor." And I said, "Of course, Leon, I'll do whatever you ask." And he
said, "Well, I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but would you continue
on, as the orator, until I am ready to take over?" And I said, "Certainly, I'll
do that." Well, unfortunately, Leon never came out of the hospital, and I had
many, many years of serving our club, as orator, telling stories about Leon,
that he told about himself. For example, after World War II, he and Alice were
on a business trip in Rotterdam, Holland, and he went to the Rotary club
meeting, and Alice excused herself, because at that time, they didn't even allow
ladies in as guests, and so Leon goes into the meeting, and the President rang
the bell, and he said, "Gentlemen," and he's talking to his own members, he
said, "we have an honored guest here, today, from the United States, Mr. Leon
Peters, with a classification of winery equipment manufacturing. He is the first
American that has been here, since World War II," and he said, "because of Mr.
Peters, and what the United States did for us, I'm going to conduct this meeting
in English, in his honor," which he did, and Leon used to tell that story,
brought down the house, because true stories like that, you don't run into very
often. There were many, many other stories that he, that he had, and I cannot
possibly remember all of them, but I'll try to think of one, here in a minute,
and if you ask me a good question, I'll get back to it.
>> Bud Richter: Well, Leon was known for his philanthropy.
>> Chas. Looney: Yes.
>> Bud Richter: In this community, and he was one that, I think, that never
asked someone else to do what he wasn't willing to do, himself. In Rotary, your
Rotary International Foundation, does so much good. Did, did Leon set any kind
of, did you observe things in how Leon created that Rotary International
Foundation?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, Leon, as you mentioned, was a very, very generous man,
around the community, you just have to ride around, keep your eyes open, and
that kind of reminds me of a story, with Leon and the University. Bob Duncan was
going to receive one of his many awards, and he had some relatives coming in,
from out of town, and they drove onto campus, and they stopped a student, and
says, "Can you tell me where the Peters Business Building is." And the young man
said, "Yes, certainly," he said, "St. Peters is right over there, and you can
park your car, right over here."
>> Bud Richter: [laughing]
>> Chas. Looney: So, that tells you a little bit about his generosity, but you
asked about Rotary International, we have an, an award in Rotary International,
called Paul Harris Fellow, to become a Paul Harris Fellow, you, or someone,
contributes $1,000 in your name, to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary
International. Leon made as many members of his family, as he possibly could
find, I think he went out and kicked over rocks, maybe to find some cousins,
made them Paul Harris Fellows, he was the largest contributor to the Rotary Club
of Fresno, at that time. Other men have come in, and, and followed his great
example, but that $1,000 went to Rotary International, and then eventually, to
a, a program we have, called Polio Plus, and that came on a little after Leon's
passing, so I can't discuss that.
>> Bud Richter: You've been wonderful in describing how Leon was involved in
Rotary, in his community, if, if a new member came into this community, and, and
was coming here to settle down and raise his family here, would you believe that
the legacy of Leon Peters is something that should be told to new people that
have come into this community, and if so, why.
>> Chas. Looney: Well, that's a difficult question to answer, because frankly,
he did so very much, for so many people, and so many things in the community,
his, his gifts to University, and to Community Hospital, and of course, to
Rotary, and many other facilities around here, he was always a leader, and he
always contributed heavily, on his own account. He would bring our new members
in, and try to place them in our club, and in the community, in a way that they
could better serve our club, and the community, to make Rotary and our
community, a better place, in which to live, and he practiced what he preached.
He practiced service above self, and he gave of his time and his talent, and his
worldly goods, throughout his entire life, and continues to give, through the
Peters Foundation. So, he is with us today, even though he is not with us today.
And, he's always in my heart.
>> Bud Richter: The leadership of Leon comes out in, in all of the people we
have talked to, as being one of Leon's God-given skills, or developed skills,
because he was a student in this, why he never college, he really studied how to
go ahead and, and be as fine a citizen and leader, as he could. Are there any
qualities in Leon's leadership abilities that you have not mentioned, that you'd
like to relate to others who will see this video?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I think that the, yes, that Leon was a leader, because he
didn't seem to be leading. He would engage you in a conversation, and the next
thing you knew, you were involved in whatever it was that Leon was pushing, at
the time, and he did it very quietly, he did it very efficiently, he did it very
effectively, and he always gave credit to you, for the job that he was behind,
and was pushing. He didn't, he didn't shove, he was not mean, he was not
vindictive, or anything else, he was a very wonderful, caring, sharing man. He
considered it a, a pleasure and an honor, I think, to get out of bed, and have
something to do, for his business, and for his community, and of course, for his
Rotary club.
>> Bud Richter: It sounds like Leon had a definite impact on your life.
>> Chas. Looney: He had a very definite impact. There's so many things that he
taught me, that I didn't even realize I was being taught, but he taught me how
to handle a crowd, he taught me how to handle myself when I’m making a speech,
and he taught me how to ask people for money, which is very, very important in
this world, today. And, I will never forget Leon, for all of the other things
that he did, that you just take for granted, I mean, he always had the time to
stop and talk to you, about whatever the programs were, whatever you wanted to
know, and gave you good, solid, working advice.
>> Bud Richter: Is there anything else you'd like to add to your comments of,
well, I've asked a few things, but you've, you've had a long timeless span of
years, with Leon, something else you'd like to share with your audience?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I liked to, I really liked to be in a room when Leon was,
can I use the term, working the room, because it was just magnificent to see him
walk around, very quietly, shake hands with everybody there, do a whale of job,
and if he was to give a speech, he made a marvelous speech, right to the point
on what he was trying to sell, that evening, but the thing that really impressed
me the most, was when the evening was over, to watch he and Alice, walk off,
into the sunset, holding hands.
>> Bud Richter: That's wonderful. Well, thank you very much. Nothing else you'd
like to add, or you, you, this is an opportunity to share your, with your
audience.
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I just want to thank you, for thinking enough of me, to
let me say a few thoughts about that great man, Leon Peters, who was a true
community leader, and he, as I mentioned earlier, he continues to give, through
the Peters Foundation. Thanks a lot, Bud.
>> Bud Richter: Thank you, Chas.
[Silence]
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
some of your experiences and memories that you have with our legendary Leon S.
Peters, and you've known him for some time. Tell us, how did you first get to
meet Leon Peters?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, it's rather interesting, I, I came to Fresno, after the
war, because I had been in Missouri, before the war, and was drafted, and came
in, in here, then served the entire war, I was in China, and I came back and
went to work for my father-in-law, Coleman Caine, who was in the wine business.
And, I was a son-in-law Vice President, and you really can't get much lower,
than a son-in-law Vice President. Mr. Caine thought one thing that I had to do,
was meet the proper people of the community, and he said, we have one man, if
you don't meet anybody else; you have to meet Leon Peters. Leon is the head of
Valley Foundry, one of the world's premier winery equipment manufacturing
businesses. So, we went down and met Leon, and he was very gracious, very
charming, and I enjoyed future conversations with Lee. I'd go down,
occasionally, and maybe to just, kind of look at some piece of equipment we were
thinking about buying, or maybe telling him we're going to be a little late with
the check, but he was always pleasant about it, and he -- 'cause he wanted both
of us to succeed. And, it was a wonderful experience, which I enjoyed
tremendously, because I could see his leadership qualities in the conversations
with him, he was always fair, he was always honest, and he was a little tough at
times, but he wanted to be sure that everybody took away something from the
deal. I enjoyed that very much.
>> Bud Richter: And so you were there working with you father-in-law with the
winery, and meeting Leon and getting to know him a little bit, did, did that
relationship continue, or, or what happened?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, the wine business went through some tough times. The, the
wine industry, as a whole, prospered, but some of the, wineries did not prosper,
and our winery, Fresno Winery, out on Shaw Avenue, where the, the University is
now located, was one of those that was struggling a bit, and so Mr. Caine sold
the winery, and, and I went into farming, and on the west side, and it was fun,
but it was not very profitable, over the years. And so, about 1960, I opened an
advertising agency, well, in between that time and when I had first met Leon,
the only opportunities I had to see him, were at, maybe a social event, or once
a while, or a community meeting. And, he always was, I thought, kind of on a
pedestal, because he carried himself well, he spoke well, he did not berate
anybody, and he always had time to stop and listen to whatever you wanted to
know about a particular problem, and he gave you a good, solid answer. Well,
shortly after I opened my agency, I got a call from Leon, and he said, "How'd
you like to come to dinner, or lunch, with some leaders of the community," and
he mentioned Milo Rowell, he mentioned Gib Caswell, well, my ears perked up with
that, because I was trying to hustle Allied Equipment, as a possible client, and
I thought this is wonderful opportunity. And, Leon was one to always see an
opportunity. Well, we had the luncheon, and it turned out, it was more of an
opportunity than I thought, because it was actually a fund-raiser. Now, here I
am, just getting started in my business, trying to keep the doors open, and Leon
finally said, "Well, we're all going to sign a pledge before we leave." Well,
the other gentlemen grabbed it and wrote their names faster than whatever, and I
kind of sat there and looked for a minute. I thought, well, we're just getting
started, let, let's do what we can, because Leon was a great mentor, and he was
trying to do some project for the community, and I've forgotten what it was now,
might have been the Valley Children's Hospital, but he was always in the
forefront, and very gracious in the way that he did it, and he always gave more
than he asked you to give.
>> Bud Richter: Yes. Now, you have a long experience, a wonderful experience in
Rotary, did, how did, did Leon, was he involved in your getting into Rotary at
all or how, how did you associate with him in Rotary, what happened there?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, Leon, we had new member meetings, and those new member
meetings were information meetings to get the new members to, the incoming
members to understand what Rotary was about, the history of it, not only around
the world, but here in Fresno, and the good projects that were going on. And,
Leon was at those meetings, an orator, he was the orator, because he was the
truly outstanding Rotarian, in the community, he was a Rotarian's Rotarian.
Rotary has two mottos, Service Above Self, and He Profits Most Who Serves Best,
and Leon made those two slogans a part of his daily life, and he just loved it
and we loved him. Well, as the orator, he told many, many stories and one of the
stories he told about, was how he became a Rotarian. And, you are invited to
become a Rotarian, you just don't call Joe and say, "Hey, Joe, I'd like to join
your group." So, you get invited, and you go and learned about Rotary. Now, Leon
said that he was in -- shortly after World War II, he was at a wine
manufacturing convention, in Oakland, and after the meeting was over, he went to
the Oakland Airport, to fly back to Fresno, well, the Oakland Airport was socked
in and so was Fresno, this was at that time of year. And, he saw a gentleman
from Fresno, sitting across the room from him, by the name of Lyman Perkins,
well, they obviously were both going back to Fresno. Now, Lyman Perkins was a
Rotarian, and Leon was not; so Leon said we talked, and we talked, and we
talked, and finally late in the evening, or maybe even the early morning, the
fog lifted and they got to fly to Fresno, and Leon said, "You know," he said, "I
hated his guts, because he was getting business that I thought I should have."
Well, about six months after that meeting, in Oakland, Leon was invited to join
Rotary, and his sponsor was Lyman Perkins, which is an example of how Rotary
works together with people in the community.
>> Bud Richter: Wow. Wow. And, Leon was involved in, in Rotary, quite a bit,
what is some of things that you remember about his involvement in Rotary, or how
he lived that in his life?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, as I mentioned of the Service Above Self, and He Profits,
Profits Most Who Serves Best, that is the key example. We have another little
four-way test, which I'm not going to lecture about that, but it is four good
points about how to run your life and your business, and anything else, just
tell the truth and proceed on, accordingly. Well, Leon came in, and like all
Rotarians, he started, basically at the bottom, and worked his up, in 1954-'55,
he was the President of the club, and did an outstanding job, and after that, he
continued to serve in any capacity that he was asked to serve, but he became
outstanding as an orator, and his abilities to, to express himself, and to give
confidence and to educate people in a short one-hour meeting, were amazing. I
had the opportunity to sit in on many of those meetings, and he taught me more
about Rotary than he will ever know; although, actually, I think he knew it all
the time. He was a great, he was a great teacher, and when the, the new members
would in, he would address each of them, by name, he would deliver his talk,
about how great Rotary was, and how much they did around the world, and how much
they were doing here, in Fresno, and then he concluded the meeting, and he
called again, each person, by name. And, I thought that was very impressive,
because I never could look at the notes and get the name and the face together,
in the right place, but he was just marvelous, as, as the orator, that's a job
that he held for many, many years. And, one evening, we're going to have a new
meeting, for members, and they -- Leon was in the hospital and the President of
the club called him, and he said, "Leon, we'd like to have you, but I don't
think you're up to coming to the meeting tomorrow," he said, "is there anybody
that you would like to have to represent you as the orator?" He said, "Yes,
there is." He said, "I'd like to have Chas. Looney do that job, take over for
me, for this meeting," he said, "but I'd also like to have it tape recorded, so
I can play it here in my hospital room, to see how he did." Well, we had the
meeting and it was recorded, and I thought it was a pretty good meeting, because
I don't think anybody knew how my knees were shaking, and how nervous I was,
because Leon was such a great man, and such a leader, and, and such a friend of
mine, that I did not want to let him down. Well, about three days after they had
played the, the tape in his hospital room, he called me and he said, "I want to
thank you for a job very well done," he said, "you were very good, and would you
do me a favor." And I said, "Of course, Leon, I'll do whatever you ask." And he
said, "Well, I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but would you continue
on, as the orator, until I am ready to take over?" And I said, "Certainly, I'll
do that." Well, unfortunately, Leon never came out of the hospital, and I had
many, many years of serving our club, as orator, telling stories about Leon,
that he told about himself. For example, after World War II, he and Alice were
on a business trip in Rotterdam, Holland, and he went to the Rotary club
meeting, and Alice excused herself, because at that time, they didn't even allow
ladies in as guests, and so Leon goes into the meeting, and the President rang
the bell, and he said, "Gentlemen," and he's talking to his own members, he
said, "we have an honored guest here, today, from the United States, Mr. Leon
Peters, with a classification of winery equipment manufacturing. He is the first
American that has been here, since World War II," and he said, "because of Mr.
Peters, and what the United States did for us, I'm going to conduct this meeting
in English, in his honor," which he did, and Leon used to tell that story,
brought down the house, because true stories like that, you don't run into very
often. There were many, many other stories that he, that he had, and I cannot
possibly remember all of them, but I'll try to think of one, here in a minute,
and if you ask me a good question, I'll get back to it.
>> Bud Richter: Well, Leon was known for his philanthropy.
>> Chas. Looney: Yes.
>> Bud Richter: In this community, and he was one that, I think, that never
asked someone else to do what he wasn't willing to do, himself. In Rotary, your
Rotary International Foundation, does so much good. Did, did Leon set any kind
of, did you observe things in how Leon created that Rotary International
Foundation?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, Leon, as you mentioned, was a very, very generous man,
around the community, you just have to ride around, keep your eyes open, and
that kind of reminds me of a story, with Leon and the University. Bob Duncan was
going to receive one of his many awards, and he had some relatives coming in,
from out of town, and they drove onto campus, and they stopped a student, and
says, "Can you tell me where the Peters Business Building is." And the young man
said, "Yes, certainly," he said, "St. Peters is right over there, and you can
park your car, right over here."
>> Bud Richter: [laughing]
>> Chas. Looney: So, that tells you a little bit about his generosity, but you
asked about Rotary International, we have an, an award in Rotary International,
called Paul Harris Fellow, to become a Paul Harris Fellow, you, or someone,
contributes $1,000 in your name, to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary
International. Leon made as many members of his family, as he possibly could
find, I think he went out and kicked over rocks, maybe to find some cousins,
made them Paul Harris Fellows, he was the largest contributor to the Rotary Club
of Fresno, at that time. Other men have come in, and, and followed his great
example, but that $1,000 went to Rotary International, and then eventually, to
a, a program we have, called Polio Plus, and that came on a little after Leon's
passing, so I can't discuss that.
>> Bud Richter: You've been wonderful in describing how Leon was involved in
Rotary, in his community, if, if a new member came into this community, and, and
was coming here to settle down and raise his family here, would you believe that
the legacy of Leon Peters is something that should be told to new people that
have come into this community, and if so, why.
>> Chas. Looney: Well, that's a difficult question to answer, because frankly,
he did so very much, for so many people, and so many things in the community,
his, his gifts to University, and to Community Hospital, and of course, to
Rotary, and many other facilities around here, he was always a leader, and he
always contributed heavily, on his own account. He would bring our new members
in, and try to place them in our club, and in the community, in a way that they
could better serve our club, and the community, to make Rotary and our
community, a better place, in which to live, and he practiced what he preached.
He practiced service above self, and he gave of his time and his talent, and his
worldly goods, throughout his entire life, and continues to give, through the
Peters Foundation. So, he is with us today, even though he is not with us today.
And, he's always in my heart.
>> Bud Richter: The leadership of Leon comes out in, in all of the people we
have talked to, as being one of Leon's God-given skills, or developed skills,
because he was a student in this, why he never college, he really studied how to
go ahead and, and be as fine a citizen and leader, as he could. Are there any
qualities in Leon's leadership abilities that you have not mentioned, that you'd
like to relate to others who will see this video?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I think that the, yes, that Leon was a leader, because he
didn't seem to be leading. He would engage you in a conversation, and the next
thing you knew, you were involved in whatever it was that Leon was pushing, at
the time, and he did it very quietly, he did it very efficiently, he did it very
effectively, and he always gave credit to you, for the job that he was behind,
and was pushing. He didn't, he didn't shove, he was not mean, he was not
vindictive, or anything else, he was a very wonderful, caring, sharing man. He
considered it a, a pleasure and an honor, I think, to get out of bed, and have
something to do, for his business, and for his community, and of course, for his
Rotary club.
>> Bud Richter: It sounds like Leon had a definite impact on your life.
>> Chas. Looney: He had a very definite impact. There's so many things that he
taught me, that I didn't even realize I was being taught, but he taught me how
to handle a crowd, he taught me how to handle myself when I’m making a speech,
and he taught me how to ask people for money, which is very, very important in
this world, today. And, I will never forget Leon, for all of the other things
that he did, that you just take for granted, I mean, he always had the time to
stop and talk to you, about whatever the programs were, whatever you wanted to
know, and gave you good, solid, working advice.
>> Bud Richter: Is there anything else you'd like to add to your comments of,
well, I've asked a few things, but you've, you've had a long timeless span of
years, with Leon, something else you'd like to share with your audience?
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I liked to, I really liked to be in a room when Leon was,
can I use the term, working the room, because it was just magnificent to see him
walk around, very quietly, shake hands with everybody there, do a whale of job,
and if he was to give a speech, he made a marvelous speech, right to the point
on what he was trying to sell, that evening, but the thing that really impressed
me the most, was when the evening was over, to watch he and Alice, walk off,
into the sunset, holding hands.
>> Bud Richter: That's wonderful. Well, thank you very much. Nothing else you'd
like to add, or you, you, this is an opportunity to share your, with your
audience.
>> Chas. Looney: Well, I just want to thank you, for thinking enough of me, to
let me say a few thoughts about that great man, Leon Peters, who was a true
community leader, and he, as I mentioned earlier, he continues to give, through
the Peters Foundation. Thanks a lot, Bud.
>> Bud Richter: Thank you, Chas.
[Silence]
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