Leo Paul Reno

Leo Paul Reno Resident of Oakland L. Paul Reno died September 26, 2010, after a prolonged illness. He was born April 24, 1922, the eight son in the 11 children family of William Lewis Reno and Alma Ett Smith-Reno, near Ketchum, Oklahoma. Paul was 88. He was preceded in death by all of his siblings and is survived by a myriad of cousins, nieces, and nephews scattered across the United States. Funeral services for Paul were held at the Ketchum Cemetery, on October 2, 2010, with his nephew, Dr. Harley W. Reno, presiding. Paul attended public school in northeastern Oklahoma, eventually graduating from Cleora High School in 1942. Shortly, thereafter, Paul was inducted in the Army, where he served three years, the last two of which were in the service of the 8th Air Force stationed in southeastern England. He was part of the ground crew which serviced heavy bombers flying over Europe. He was honorably discharged in the fall of 1945. In late 1945, Paul visited an aunt, brother and sister, and their families in Oakland, California. His intention was to make the visit brief, before returning to Oklahoma, where he dreamed of farming his family's homestead in Delaware County with mules. His brief visited lasted next 65 years; yet, he never abandoned the dream, even though, day-by-day, he became more integrated in the social life of the Bay Area. Ironically, the one thing he never surrendered to language of California was his Oklahoma accent-the unmistakable trade mark of his persona that endeared him to everyone he met and knew! During his tenure in California, he worked 35 years as a hydraulic mechanic for the Navy Supply Center of Oakland, before retiring in 1982. That was just the beginning of the rest of his life. He enjoyed three more careers, all of which contributed to his being recognized as a Living Legend by several regional, national, and international organizations. His second career began in 1953, when he moved into a home on Kansas Street in Oakland and started growing flowers-especially Dahlias in the backyard. Over the next 35 years, he won many thousands of ribbons showing and competing in regional flower shows throughout Central California. His gardening prowess became so familiar to Dahlia enthusiasts that his yard routinely was featured in flower magazines and newspapers throughout the State. When he began closing his "flower career," he mused to me that he would like to have his many ribbons sewn into a queen-sized quilt which depicted an Indian war chief in full war bonnet, so that he could enter the quilt in the State Fair at Sacramento and, "beat those old biddies at their own game." The quilt, made from 1,717 ribbons, has been displayed in quilt shows in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and California, where it repeatedly won acclaim and blue ribbons. Beginning in about 1980, Paul started his third career, when he developed an interest in steam-powered machinery, especially steam-powered tractors. At that time, the City of Oakland had in storage an inoperable Best 5 steam tractor. Paul and some colleagues asked the City of Oakland for permission restore that steam tractor to full operational capability. Permission was granted and, over the next several years, those retired mechanics restored the tractor. Today, there are only two functional Best 5 Steam Tractors in existence. For his work on the Best Steam Tractor and contributions to the restoration of other kinds of steam and gasoline engines, Paul was awarded membership in the Hall of Fame of the Early Day Gasoline Engine & Tractor Association in 1989. To date, he is the only member of that Hall of Fame from the West Coast. Paul's last career began in childhood, but lain fallow for 50 years, because mule- and horse-drawn farm machinery long ago was replaced by steam and gasoline powered systems. In 1987, he started restoring discarded animal-powered equipment, demonstrating and operating such equipment at public "gas-ups" and "trashing bees" on ranches and farms in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys, and building horse and mule hitching systems for pulling antiquated equipment. His many restored pieces have been donated to and on display at worthy organizations like Ardenwood Historic Farm of Alameda County, Koster Ranch of San Joaquin County, and Cabral Farms of Stanislaus County. He routinely corresponded with "horse and mule men" around the world, answering their many questions about restoration of machinery, operation of equipment, and organizing "big hitches" for public viewing and entertainment. Paul also contributed articles and technical commentary to periodicals like the Small Farmer Journal, Farm and Ranch Living, and Engineers and Engines Magazine, to name a few. Paul was a person who impacted-indeed, sometimes drastically changed-a person's life. He affected positive change in people sometimes with a smile, a soft spoken word of encouragement, a subtle wink of a sparkling blue eye, or a calculated gesture accented by boundless wit. He was magnetic! Indeed, those of us privileged to have called him uncle, mentor, and friend are better individuals today because he nourished in each person those qualities requisite to good citizenship. A long time will pass before there is another person like Leo Paul Reno of Oakland, California.