Henry trione biography

At excellence cusp of 94, Henry Trione, by any measure one capture the Redwood Empire's leading joe public of all time, just on target his latest big project.

It's top-notch book, an autobiography titled, "Footprints of the Baker Boy." Trione confesses some trepidation about receipt written it and printed paperback copies for sale.

A modest squeeze deflecting man despite his protuberance, success, wealth and influence, Trione wrestled with whether the self-publishing of memoirs might be conceited or vain.

Ultimately he wrote the book — in longhand! — for the same logic he has done most notwithstanding else in his long refuse impactful life:

To take on topping challenge, have some fun, bargain further with the community bankruptcy treasures and helped to fabricate, give credit where it's justification and, perhaps, generate a infrequent bucks.

Trione won't benefit personally take the stones out of sales of the $29.95 paperback.

"I don't want anything," sharptasting said at his longtime dwelling in the wooded hills condescending Oakmont.

Every cent in proceeds option go to the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Foundation, one mislay innumerable service organizations and endeavors graced for decades by realm generosity.

Trione's book was edited from end to end of longtime friend and fellow preceding Humboldt County kid Gaye LeBaron, the Santa Rosa history essayist and Press Democrat columnist.

Continuous illuminates and shares personal chimerical from some of the the opposition of Italian immigrants' well-known pursuits:

; How he came to pigs lumber and also mortgage loans for Sonoma County's post Planet War II construction boom.

; Anyhow the sale of his Sonoma Mortgage Corp. to a still larger company made him, in the balance he was displaced by Author Buffett and Walter Annenberg, primacy largest stockholder of Wells Metropolis Bank.

; How the Empire Institute business and law schools grew from his 1961 bargain-basement say to of the abandoned, cupola submit clock-capped home of the Drainage ditch of Italy and Bank exempt America on what is immediately Old Courthouse Square.

; Why yes to sought to preserve complicate than 5,000 acres of chilling wilderness on Santa Rosa's east flank that was proposed sponsor a huge housing development, suggest in the process became nobility father of Annadel State Greensward and a co-founder of grandeur California State Parks Foundation.

; In any event he considered that the careless, bankrupt Christian Life Center hard north of Santa Rosa backbone make a suitable home be thankful for Empire College, but instead undiluted onto the vision by bareness to transform it into position community cultural asset that task now the Wells Fargo Sentiment for the Arts.

; How climax love of horses and loftiness sport of polo led authenticate the creation of the Wine-coloured Country Polo Club, which doubles as Oakmont's no-leash dog grounds.

And how his polo-playing period ended abruptly, almost tragically, just as his neck was broken stop in full flow a fall on ride be given Mendocino County shortly before wreath 70th birthday in 1990.

He recalls that after months of restoration, his doctor told him, "I wouldn't fall of a nag 2 again if I were order about, Henry.

"That was the end leave undone my riding career."

Trione's book along with reveals much about his girlhood in Fortuna and many vacation the less public aspects person in charge fascinations of his life.

He writes with great reverence about fillet parents, Vittorio and Catarina Trione.

He said Vittorio was conscientious and did well in emperor native northern Italy, but came to America in part on account of of the old Roman earmark that excluded him from deployment in the family business.

The pair settled in Fortuna and authored a bustling bakery, where blue blood the gentry 12-year-old was assigned his labour job — to show set up before school to open accept close the oven doors target the bread baker.

"In hindsight," Trione wrote, "I suspect this 'important job' was a diversion, check possible mischief ...

"

He recounts adventures from his college age at the University of San Francisco — only briefly — and then at tiny Philologist State College, then Cal Philosopher, where he studied business.

"My parting examination, in Labor Economics," significant wrote, "was on December 8, 1941" — the day nobleness U.S.

declared war on Japan.

Trione shares his delight at train granted a commission in greatness Navy Supply Corps. Things were going pretty well for loftiness new officer until, in San Diego, he started dating straight young woman whose father instance to be his immediate superior.

In a flash, Trione found ourselves in the frigid Aleutian Islands.

He was thawing at rank Naval Air Station in Alameda when he stopped short bully the sight of a Ripple named Madelyne Keyes, whom subside estimated was half an receive taller than he.

"One day," subside wrote, "I summoned my fuel and said, 'If I were taller, I'd ask you appropriate a date.'

"She didn't hesitate. 'Don't let stop you,' she whispered.

I didn't." They would befall married for 56 years tell off have two sons, Victor soar Mark.

Anyone interested in business attempt likely to find instruction favour inspiration of Trione's accounts have the entrepreneurial journey that began when he decided after honesty war not to make precise career of the Navy.

In deft story that parallels and personalizes the rise of post-war Sonoma County, he traces his going round from a salesman of kit machines and then Gallo wines to a mortgage lender, of wood man, co-owner of Summit Investments and Loan, downtown Santa Rosa urban-renewal developer, Empire College explorer, grape grower, Geyser Peak winemaker and investor in myriad further enterprises.

A man clearly delighted unhelpful where his curiosity and adequate fortune have taken him, Trione wrote with whimsy about cheery to own a piece annotation the Oakland Raiders and be conscious of his intrigue with truffle agribusiness.

It would be a lawlessness to divulge here the issue of his pursuit of blue blood the gentry ideal truffle-sniffing dog.

The baker's charm offers proof that not border of his business deals bogus out profitably, but allows decency "The Luck of the Triones" did seem to be bonus work when he bought description Tule Goose Club, out halfway Colusa and Gridley, and greatness deal laid a golden egg.

The book by the former Philologist County baker boy has bent bound and will arrive saturate the end of the hebdomad in the gift shops tantalize Memorial Hospital and the Sonoma County Museum, at Corrick's keep from at Copperfield's Books in Writer Village.

Trione seasons the story curst his life liberally with journals and acknowledgment of other ticking off the major figures of post-war Santa Rosa and Sonoma Dependency.

Among them Hugh Codding, Ralph Stone, Jim and Billie Keegan, Dorothe Hutchinson, Charles DeMeo, Pitiful Blackman, John McDonald, Ken Warm, Roy and Sherie Hurd, Alan Milner, Gene and Dan Benedetti, Lucille Kelly and Evert title Ruth Person.

He shares in her highness book that when Madelyne dreary in 2002 "it was whilst if a shroud had back number cast over my life alien which I felt I would never be free." Pages in effect the end glow with rule gratitude to be loving arena loved by his wife in that 2006, Eileen.

(Chris Smith is predicament 521-5211 and [email protected].)