Honoring the memory of World War II

I was privileged to attend the opening of the Museum of Idaho's World War II exhibit Thursday, and it got me thinking about the people who fought fascism and won.

In my years with the Post Register, I interviewed plenty of WWII vets and their families. Memorial Day, Pearl Harbor Day, Veterans Day ... invariably the assignment would be to find a vet and conduct an interview. Being a WWII history buff who never gets tired of hearing the stories, the assignments usually came my way. A couple of them stand out in my memory.

One WWII piece I can recall was about Lloyd Gneiting of Rigby, an 89-year-old vet who'd gone into Germany with Patton, liberating the Buchenwald concentration camp. He had photos that had miraculously made it home, which, horrible as they were, could only hint at what he'd seen with his own eyes.

The interview took place in 2003, a few months after the Iraq War had begun, and Lloyd was having a hard time with his memories, which were being triggered by everything he was seeing on TV. There was no Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in 1945, it was called shell shock. For Lloyd, the memories he'd suppressed for nearly 60 years were coming back with a vengeance. It was a hard story to write, and a reminder that not all was roses for the men and women who came home from Europe and the Pacific. Judging from this YouTube video from last Memorial Day it appears he is doing better than when I saw him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABwAmTBGMDE

The second story that comes to mind -- a happier one -- is the one I did in 2004 after receiving a letter from a woman in Rambouillet, France, asking if we could find any relatives of Harold Grout of Firth, a combat engineer who'd been killed in an ambush in August 1944 during the Allied drive toward Paris. They were planning to add his name and a few others to a monument, and wanted to invite family members.

With legwork, I was able to locate Grout's widow, Melva, who had remarried after the war but had two daughters by her first husband. In the end, the entire family went to France for the dedication and the two daughters, who had only a very dim memory of their father, were able to visit his grave at the Allied cemetery on the coast of Brittany. Melva also discovered she was entitled to a pension from the Veterans Administration, a nice bonus for an 88-year old widow on a fixed income.

Much has been made of the "Greatest Generation," people who came home to enjoy the post-war economic boom and the best standard of living the American middle class has probably ever had. I think of my father-in-law, Ed Juell, who served in the Pacific and then went to work 42 years as an engineer for Westinghouse, raising a family and sending five children to the University of Utah.

What strikes me is that the children of the Depression did not preoccupy themselves with big houses, flat-screen TVs in every room and every kind of toy easy credit could buy. I hear about how tough times are today, and I know they are for many, but I think about choices people make and the men and women born in the second and third decades of the 20th century. They came out of the Depression to save the world, many of them sacrificing their lives, many more paying with arms, legs and their central nervous systems.

After the war (and thanks in great part to the G.I. Bill), they enjoyed prosperity, not to mention security, working for employers that viewed them as people to be developed, not "full-time equivalencies" to be cut in the name of short-term profit.

They wanted the best for their children and future generations. As they leave us, our best hope for honoring them is by being the best people we can be, embracing their ideals and committing ourselves to the liberty they fought to preserve.

Lucy's opens Hitt Road pizzeria

Lucy's Pizzeria has opened a second location in the greater Idaho Falls area, at 2489 S. 25th East, formerly Sundae's Eats and Treats.

Owner Jeff Padigimus said they had been looking for an Ammon location when Sundae's owner Marshall Egan approached them (for those of you who miss it, Lucy's is still carrying Sundae's ice cream and a few of their desserts.) Padigimus jumped at the prospect of 3,000 square feet on one of the busiest thoroughfares in the area.

A native of Roberts, he started Lucy's there in June 2009. The Idaho Falls location, at 725 E. Anderson opened in November 2009.

His idea at first was to do hot-and-ready pizza part time, but the slowdown in the construction industry (in which he was employed) made him think again and so did his introduction to Rich Franco, who showed him how to make New York style pizza. In fact, Lucy's is named after Franco's bulldog, Lucy, and the pizza ovens and equipment came from Franco's kitchen on First Street.

Word of mouth has been building since the Hitt Road store opened Sept. 15, and they have done a mailer and started advertising on the radio. Padigimus (the name is Lithuanian, in case you're curious) said he is optimistic that they can make a go of it in two locations, especially since what they offer is so different from anything anyone else has.

In true NYC fashion, Lucy's sells pizza by the slice, which makes them an automatic lunch destination in my book.

To look at the menu, check out the web page, http://lucysnypizza.net/.

Ad agency buys downtown I.F. building

MCS Advertising has not only got a new address in downtown Idaho Falls, but a new building.

Agency owner Lisa Fischbach said they were determined to keep an actual address downtown. “We’d been to a seminar on advertising agency principles, and they really advocated owning your own place,” she said. “We love it downtown and want to be part of the community. We want to have a real location.”

While visiting Grandma’s Relics on B Street (indulging her passion for vintage plastic and glass), owners Debbie Hipps and Elaine Gray told her they and their silent partner, Karin Fry, were looking for someone to buy their building, which is on the corner of Park Avenue and B Street, next door to the Center Theatre. After some negotiation, the deal was done.

Fischbach said they’ve taken to calling their property “Block 22” after its legal description, which dates back to 1884. They have gotten lots of paperwork that dates back to then, including the original warranty deed. “I can’t believe this came all this way with all these owners,” she said.

MCS has its offices on the second floor. Fishbach and her real estate agent, Kevin Cutler, are looking for tenants for the street level. They are also looking into finding grant money that will allow them to pull off the plastic siding that was put on in the 1960s and restore the building to its original splendor. The found an excellent picture in a Polk’s City Directory from 1920, on which they plan to base their efforts.

The agency’s clients include Blacker’s, Taylor Group Automotive, MicroServ, Idaho Falls Regional Airport and Doug Andrus Trucking. It’s web address is http://www.mightymcs.com.

Novayx partner appointed to head Idaho Department of Commerce

I'm going to be meeting with Jeff this morning, so there will be more. In the meantime, here is the story that broke on the wire:

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced the appointment today of Jeff Sayer – an eastern Idaho businessman with extensive experience in private-sector financing, strategy and leadership – as the new director of the Idaho Department of Commerce.

Sayer will begin work Monday, October 3rd. He succeeds Don Dietrich, who resigned in August. David Fulkerson, deputy administrator and State financial officer at the Division of Financial Management, is serving as interim director.

“I am eager to reach out to every corner of our state and tap into the great ideas and incredible talent we have here. I’m passionate about the possibilities and excited to be part of a team that can help Idaho continue toward that great potential,” Sayer said.

“Jeff’s diverse, bottom-line experience in private business and his commitment to Idaho make him a great choice to join my team. He brings an extraordinary skill set to this position that’s so crucial to helping businesses create career opportunities for Idaho citizens,” Otter said. “Jeff has invaluable experience in applying responsible business principles to achieving strategic goals. He understands what employers need to succeed – because he’s been one – and he will take the reins at Commerce surrounded by like-minded colleagues throughout my Cabinet as devoted as he is to Idaho’s success and prosperity.”

Sayer has 20 years of experience in building, leading and growing companies. He most recently has been managing partner of Novayx Group, a business consultancy, and previously was president and chief financial officer for Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls. He started out as an entrepreneurial specialist with Ernst & Young in the Silicon Valley, and then was engaged in various Utah-based technology, construction, and financial services companies before settling in Idaho Falls. Sayer also served on the Governor’s Select Committee on Health Care and various boards of directors, including the Idaho Falls Auditorium District, Hospice of Eastern Idaho, and the Idaho Governor’s Cup.

J. Robb Brady, 1919-2011

Hearing about the death of a former employer, how many Americans would feel like they lost a friend? Not many, I would suppose, but J. Robb Brady was different.

Robb, publisher of the Post Register from 1977 to 1988, died Sunday at age 92. No one would say he went before his time. His rest is won, but he will be missed.

Any one of us can be good, but Robb simply was good -- although his humility would prevent him from acknowledging a statement such as this.

I came to work for the Post Register in 1981 as the paper's central Idaho staff writer based in Challis. Robb, a leading voice on environmental issues in Idaho, was concerned about the Thompson Creek molybdenum mine that was being dug between Clayton and Stanley, near his beloved White Clouds. He wanted a reporter there to keep tabs on whether the company was keeping its commitments. Robb didn't just put his money where his mouth was. He put it where his heart was.

Two years ago, while I was still working for the Post Register, I was asked to write a story about him turning 90. He didn't see the point of it, and the assignment eventually lost its shelf life. We had set up an appointment, but he had other things to do: tennis, inline skating, meeting with old friends. Most importantly, he was taking care of his wife, Rose, who was ailing.

Rose died in January this year, and frankly I didn't see Robb holding on for too long after that. They had been married 69 years. While I mourn his passing, I rejoice to think he is reunited with her -- and probably fixing a White Russian for her as I write this.

I can't imagine Robb resting in peace. He was much too active a person for that. So let's imagine the Kingdom of Heaven as he reflected it -- green hills, sunshine at Grand Targhee, good company and unlimited kindness -- and conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of his memory until we rejoin him in the fullness of time.