A black locust tree is showing its age

Its shade has provided relief from summer heat. It has withstood significant storms through the decades. It’s root system has held up well through the decades.

A neighbor who has lived next door since the 1940s informed us that the tree, now at least 50 feet high, showed up as a wild “runner” out of the blue at least 75 years ago. It could be even older but it’s not clear.

A quick check revealed that a healthy black locust can live to be 90, or even longer. But there’s the rub: The tender matter of health. Our black locust is showing distinct signs of wear and tear.

A rather pronounced fungus appeared on its northeast flank. We removed the offending growth. The tree’s bark is weathered, pocked, frayed and wrinkled. It’s not unlike the epidermis of an old man who has been exposed to the sun for much too long.

Our tree could be on its last legs, or, in its case, roots. It still sprouts leaves. It has begun doing so again lately. But the prognosis, at least one provided by a tree surgeon the other day, is not promising.

Age has taken a toll. We will miss it when the inevitable time comes to have it removed or, perish the thought, it simply keels over and dies on its own.

It has served our modest property — and the creatures who have made their homes on it and in it — quite well. Taking no chances, though, it’s time to dial up a qualified arborist. We are not optimistic over the long term.

AN A.P. GIANNINI PRESENTATION: He was a brilliant banking visionary, a shrewd investor, a gifted servant of the growing region’s financial needs and its determined savior at a time of dire fiscal crisis.

His story, though relatively known in some detail in history books, has not really tweaked the imagination of a new generation. That might be changing.

The remarkable life of Amadeo Pietro Giannini and his many contributions to the Bay Area, California and, finally, the nation as a whole are being told in a movie designed to inform folks who may be unaware of his legacy here.

A.P. Giannini, born in San Jose in 1870 to immigrant Italian parents, created the Bank of Italy in San Francisco in 1904, in large measure, to serve the underserved. Later, he gained control of the Bank of America, Los Angeles and converted it into what became the Bank of America.

The Bank of Italy, with Giannini at the helm, helped to sustain San Francisco’s economy after the devastating 1906 earthquake. To preserve the bank’s assets in the wake of the catastrophe, Giannini had the bank’s gold and other valuable assets and documents secretly brought to his San Mateo home, Seven Oaks, located on El Cerrito Avenue, for safekeeping.

But that’s just one anecdote in the life of a man celebrated in a year-old film, “A Little Fellow, The Legacy of A.P. Giannini.” A special viewing of this production will be 2 p.m. March 22 at the Peninsula Italian American Social Club, 100 N. B St. in downtown San Mateo in concert with the San Mateo County Historical Association.

Tickets are required and cost $20 per person. Former state Sen. Jerry Hill will emcee the event. For information call the club at (650) 343-7811.

‘BITE DOWN, NEVER LET GO’: A new book about former College of San Mateo baseball coach John Noce has hit the literary market. Authored by one of Noce’s ex-players, Jay Slotnick, “Bite Down and Never Let Go” is a carefully researched and comprehensive look at one of the most successful and impactful baseball mentors in California community college history. It is available on Amazon.