Go down and sign that book for me...

 Go down and sign that book for me...



                                             photo by Trig Svendsen

     One of the most repeated stories from the annals of Greg was one that came out of a great tragedy. A fine Gate family was the Nigel and Sighle White household over on Walnut ave. The great Sighle has been mentioned before, a finer lady never lived in the city but she had to suffer the kind of heartbreak every parent fears. Nigel and Sighle came to  the U.S. in 1956 with their three small children Connla, Niall and Cliona where they eventually set up a veterinary clinic on the edge of South Gate. Like many unfortunate local boys Connla was drafted into the Army and while on leave in Okinawa in 1972 he drowned in a canal under mysterious circumstances. The shock of this terrible event reverberated around the city and most of the family's friends attended the funeral over on Long Beach boulevard at the Moreland mortuary. Connla's brother Niall, being a close friend of Ed Carroll was a special guy to us and the sad event was observed by all. The rosary was the night before and Greg set out to attend when his father, ensconced on the couch with cigarette in hand said the fateful sentence that irritated his son to the end of his too short life. "Do me a favor will you and sign that book for me." It was a lazy way of paying respects to the family but Greg took it as insensitive political bullshit and was inscensed. While I only spent one fun evening with Connla, I can guess he was a pretty cool dude and who attended meant nothing to him but Greg took this as an unforgiveable peccadillo. He often repeated the story that then snowballed into his father's insistence on staying in South Gate to be a big fish in a little pond. That one gesture, certainly a bad one was held up as a grievous sin by the son who made a few himself. Looking back at our fathers we remember the shamefull behaviors while forgetting the sacrifices they made. I saw John as a great mentor but Greg liked to remind me that he was just a man.



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