I should have realized something wasn’t right when I didn’t receive an email from Gene Paleno, long time Record-Bee columnist, nonagenarian, historian, former school teacher, former Chairperson of the Western Region Town Hall in Upper Lake, former board member of the Lake County Silver foundation and celebrated storyteller.
On June 11 I wrote in an email:
“Gene I hope you are well. I am out of Witter Springs Chronicles and history columns; the last history column printed last week, it was World War 1 history part 5.”
In the back of my mind I worried because Olga Martin Steele, a good friend of Gene’s, had informed me the last time I asked about him that he was slowing down. Evidence of this came last summer when he said he regretted he had to step down from his duties as chair of the Upper Lake advisory board.
It had already been a very hectic start to the week for me, in addition to spending Monday afternoon at the KPFZ studios in Lakeport after meeting our print deadline for this newspaper earlier in the day, I spent a great deal of Tuesday evening preparing to host a biweekly news program for the station and reviewing our coverage of the Board of Supervisors’ meeting and COVID update from earlier in the day. That’s when I caught the dedication posted on Gene’s page and on the county Facebook page which had also been streamed on the County’s social media channel. I had to collect my thoughts and share them with the community which loved the man so much.
Up until very recently, Gene wrote a twice weekly column for this newspaper and has been syndicated in other print publications. Personally, I will always owe a debt of gratitude to Gene, as will a great deal of Lake County residents for learning about our history via not only the descriptive pieces he wrote for the Record Bee, but also through his dedication to piecing together local historical events.
I can clearly recall checking out Gene’s book “History of Lake County” from the library to try and familiarize myself with the area three years ago when I arrived on Lake County after my transfer from Mendocino.
Regular readers of the Record-Bee and the Lake County Bloom already know that Gene Paleno was very attached to his cat Cleo. I can only trust his friends will find Cleo a good home now that he has passed. Gene stopped by the old Record Bee newsroom one busy day (really every day is a busy day in a newsroom) a few years back saying he had an idea bout a third column he wanted to write to increase readership of our publication. It would be a humorous piece, a twist on the old advice column format, but instead of Gene dispensing advice, it would be Cleo doing the honors.
I thought it was the most clever piece of writing I read in years. I really chuckled for a while after reading the copy and remembered thinking it was quintessential Gene and a great example of his wit and humor. I have linked a copy to this article and will be reprinting some for print in the near future. Unfortunately, Cleo did not get a lot of questions, or maybe something else came up, I forget, the column was discontinued and like some good things, it had a short run.
I felt guilty on some days when Gene would show up unannounced at the newsroom wanting to give us a news tip, a recap of the latest WRTH meeting or upcoming agenda, wishing to suggest a story, or just generally wanting to spend some time with the reporters. We all treated him like a king, but I only wished I had more time to sit with him during his impromptu visits. Being a writer himself though, I think he understood deadlines and never overstayed his welcome.
I remember how passionate he was advocating against the Dollar General stores springing around town a few years back because he felt that they were not a good option for the county because they did not contribute as much financially and offered few jobs to locals. That was one of the final battles he waged for the people in the county.
Gene’s philosophy about our purpose in life was captured in a moving tribute streamed at the BOS meeting this week, expertly pieced together by County videographer Sam Euston: “The only thing we will be remembered for when we leave this small blue planet in space when we are gone is what we’ve done for other people and the knowledge I am doing something for other people, specially older folks like myself, gives me a good feeling.”
It would be an understatement to say that Gene Paleno was a bit of an institution in Lake County. I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at a meeting of the Democratic Party where he was a featured speaker one evening. I recall he explained that evening to a captivated audience that after his wife passed away, he poured his energies into writing and that was very therapeutic for him. I hope they are reunited past this mortal coil and sharing a good laugh together. Rest in peace old friend. To say you did something for other people would also be an understatement.
Ariel Carmona Jr, a veteran of the journalism industry for over 15 years is the managing editor of the Lake County Record-Bee
