THE OTHERSIDE OF THE VOLCANO - Part Eight: Gladness, Striving and Madness - rushing about looking for the authentic in me

I loved Art with a passion.  Who knew?

The Art Department at San Jose State  http://www.sjsu.edu/art/ was exciting. I had recently discovered I loved ART with passion.  Who knew?  Not me! Fall of 1962 I registered in every Art Department class that would instruct me in the basics of art and to build prerequistes in the Department.  I signed up for Design, I took Drawing from Dr. John Devenchensi who taught at Stanford University too (he also authored the American Art History text I would use much later). I eagerly registered for my first Art History from Dr. Crespo (visiting professor from Madrid). I didn't do especially well in any other of my classes (got a D- in Geology) but I achieved excellent grades in Art. I became a Fine Art major (emphasis later,  Watercolor) and Eric Oback was a wonderful creative influence and instructor.  I obsessed with whatever it is/was that turned me on in the Art Department and I loaded myself up with art supplies, textbooks, canvas, rabbits foot glue, drawing boards, oil paints and water-colors/papers too.  Off I went to tackle my classes with a tackle box full of tubes of paint and various brushes in hand and a BIG drawing board tucked under my arm...I also partied a lot with my new friends.  Didn't everyone? ¨Let's drive up to San Francisco, it's 25 cent Beer Night¨

There were several new obsessions for me Sophmore year, 1962 at SJS.  I simultaneously discovered the excitement of a potential retail ¨buying¨ career by starting off as a part time salesperson at L. Hart and Son Department Stores.  I loved working in the Men's Furnishing Department of the main store at Market and Santa Clara, downtown San Jose.  The Buyer and Merchandise Manager scheduled me for as many hours as I could fit in.  I liked them, I liked everyone at L. Hart and Son.  I was fortunate/lucky and well-placed and later became an Executive Trainee while going to school. Alex Hart was President and he, Harry Schlisky and Nick Marafino
 became my first great merchandising mentors in my newly formed adult life: 

http://leonardoricardosanto.blogspot.com/2010/08/alex-hart-he-was-philanthropist.html

Mr. Alex Hart, President,  Hart's Department Stores

 ¨He was a philanthropist, a businessman, a civic and community leader, a social arbiter, a charming host, a gentleman and a friend...

Working 20+ hours a week, carrying a full schedule at college and having an almost every night social life too was fun and invigorating...good thing I was full of stamina and good energy at 19.  Life was extra-dandy in my 1962 personal performance/rendition/score for Camelot...our, almost everybodies, beloved President, John F. Kennedy was alive...he and ¨Jackie¨ delivered to the world a sense of security and happiness featuring lots of panache. 

to be continued

THE OTHERSIDE OF THE VOLCANO - Part Five: Catch me if you can (I began running/drinking harder than was good for me)

Fight on for Victory --Fight Hard in Everything you do!

So there I was at the end of my first year at ¨Dear Old San Jose State¨ as a fraternity escapee extraordinaire (innocent yet guilty). I worked during that summer vacation of 1962 in San Jose/Santa Clara Valley (delivering flowers from the Town and  Country flower shop while the regular delivery guy had a long holiday).  I learned how to shift gears in a big white van and shift my eyes when dead people were displayed in coffins around me.

I moved out from my fraternity house arrest (btw, I just Googled Sigma Phi Epsilon/Epsilon Chapter/San Jose State and it no longer exists -- maybe they died from homophobia, R.I.P.) back to Lad Manor.  I even had the same apartment but roomed with only one roomie.  My roomate was Don, who was also one of my ¨Sig Ep¨ brothers, who had recently had his Sigma Phi Epsilon Golden Heart removed and survived the disgrace.  WE WERE FREE. My Bro and I spent the summer looking for heart transplants to fill our voids but mostly I delivered sprays and casket floral pieces through the backdoors of mortuaries by day and busily tried to kill myself  ¨death by drinks¨ at night...¨I Wanna Hold Your Hand¨ (if I am drunk) and ¨Never Would I Leave You¨ (I was gone by sunup) played on and on.  

We discovered a Gay bar in downtown San Jose...the Crystal. It had mainly mature customers but there were a few younger guys mixed in with a few, very/very fun, Lesbians too. It was fine and welcoming as we were still in training to become full-fledged Gay guys.  We had lots to discover. The flattery didn't hurt. The Bar was tucked away just behind the Cathedral and a block away from Hart's Department Store, main branch, Market and Santa Clara, where I would soon work part-time during my second year as a Spartan. Don and I were both very underage but the management of the Crystal Bar liked that (no worries of the police bothering them we were told - it was true).  Craig the Straight bartender kept those glasses filled, with or without payment...¨it's on the house!¨  Lucille, the cranky,  been-around-don´t-mess-with-me cocktail waitress was a delight..no smiles, a veteran beat-them-with-tray-bar fighter and more! Touchdown! 

We loved being 19 and we went to San Francisco (just up the Bayshore) whenever we could (often) to further advance our homosexual studies.

Hippies we were not (even though we had brunch every Sunday at the The Cask Bar/Restaurant on Haight Street).  No drugs for me (I figured I was ¨nuts¨ enough already).  Besides, I couldn't wait to get to the Jumping Frog Bar - North Beach around 3:30 P.M Sunday afternoons and I wanted to JUMP and not crawl into the place...and so *it* began.

to be continued