Hy Seiden

1915 - 2011

Hy Seiden 1915 - 2011 Hy Seiden was born February 12, 1915 in New York, NY to Celia R. and Harry M. Seiden, as the 6th of 11 children. At the age of 2 he moved to Yonkers, NY with his family and resided there until moving to California in 1948. He is survived by his sister Edythe and Irving Zimbler of New York, NY; son Stuart Seiden and Mary-Alice Avila of Visalia, CA; son Richard Seiden of Bakersfield, CA; grandson Rishon Seiden and Jessica Johnson of Everett, WA; granddaughter Alyse Seiden of San Francisco, CA; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death were his wife of 56 years, Ruth Pearl Goldstein Seiden; parents Celia and Harry Seiden; siblings Nathan Seiden, Gertrude Stone, Maxwell Seiden, Jacob Seiden, Robert Seiden, Morris Seiden, Ginny Barry, David Seiden and Roselle Stein. Growing up during the depression, he and his three elder brothers had an extensive paper route in Yonkers to help with the family finances, where they made $75 per week during the depth of the depression. The paper route also allowed him to save money to enter Yonkers College in 1933, spending 2 years majoring in pre-med. When funds ran out, Hy moved to Oklahoma to attend Oklahoma A&M to continue his pre-med studies. Jobs and finances continued to be scarce so he decided to make his way to California in search of employment to afford to return to school. Jobs were found to also be scarce in California but the trip planted a desire to return to a place where the snow and ice could be enjoyed from afar and sunshine and balmy skies were common. In 1941, as the United States moved towards WW ll, Hy enlisted in the Army and was deployed to the Hawaiian Islands aboard the USS Calvin Coolidge sailing from San Francisco in June 1941. He was assigned to Fort Kamehameha at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu serving in the Royal Hawaiian Coast Artillery. The percussive bomb explosions of December 7th woke him up prior to his breakfast engagement on one of the ships docked in the harbor. After the attack he was assigned to Kahuku Point manning the artillery guns guarding the north shore of Oahu. Unfortunately, the move was undocumented and he was reported as missing in action for 3 months until he returned to his previous duty station. Six months after the attack he was sent to Officer's Candidate School at Camp Davis, North Carolina, followed by 3 years of service in Colon, Panama, guarding the Panama Canal. He left the service with the rank of Captain. On April 18, 1948, he married Ruth Pearl Goldstein of Yonkers and by June 1st, they had driven across country with 8 other family members and arrived in California. Ruth claimed he never asked her to marry him but told her he was moving to California and asked if she wanted to join him. It was a story often repeated within the family. They landed in Riverside and eventually ended up in Los Angeles where Hy majored in Geology. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1950, including a year of graduate studies. He soon went to work for Standard Oil in Bakersfield, Coalinga and Taft as a geologist. While at Standard their first son, Stuart arrived followed by Richard four years later. He left Standard Oil at the end of 1960 to venture out as a consulting petroleum geologist. To bridge the financial divide in the early consulting years, Hy was a substitute teacher in Bakersfield's schools; sold snacks for a food distributor and sold swimming pool covers. In December 1962 the Asphalto Oil Field was discovered in the center of 3 dry holes. The discovery of the field triggered resurgence of the Kern County oil industry from a 10-year slump. The discovery of Asphalto was followed in 1964 by the discovery of the smaller Holmes Pool field. By the early 1970's the oil industry found itself in another slump. Hy and Ruth acquired Panorama Liquors, which they retained until mid-1976. In acquiring the business, they just traded one vital fluid for another. He also completed his thesis and received his Masters degree in Geology from UCLA. After the sale of Panorama Liquors, Hy semi-retired spending more time playing golf with long-time friends and extended vacations in San Luis Obispo. The 1980's saw the birth of grandchildren and the opportunity to spend time with them. In addition to golf, he taught them to play cribbage, took them on fossil hunts and excursions to Bakersfield's Pioneer Village. Besides family and career, he was active in the community, much of it driven to improve the lives of the developmentally disabled, which includes son Richard. He was a long-time board member of BARC, a non-profit sheltered workshop for the developmentally disabled; a founder and long-time board member of the Kern Regional Center; and a member of the Civitan Club that supported activities for the developmentally disabled. He was an active member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association chapter until it disbanded, but continued to organize the Memorial Service each December 7th until a brief hospitalization in late 2007. He also served for several years as a board member of Congregation B'nai Jacob. The family wishes to acknowledge the excellent medical care their parents have received over the years from the physicians and staffs of Kaiser Permanente, Mercy Hospital and most recently, San Joaquin Community Hospital; and the community of Bakersfield that has embraced them for the past 60+ years. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Hy's memory to the following: " BARC 2240 South Union Ave. Bakersfield, CA 93307-4158 " Congregation B'nai Jacob 600 - 17th Street Bakersfield, CA 93301 www.bakersfield.com/obits