Father’s Day and Flag Day

He was a New Yorker and a Giants fan before they moved to San Francisco. He attended many games at the Polo Grounds in person and later on in life when we moved to the suburbs he would watch on TV. He told me as a boy he would skip school on Fridays when there was a home game. Later on when he took over ownership of his father’s men’s clothing store many of the customers were members of the Giants baseball team. They would come to his store on East Broadway, get measured for a suit or sports jacket. Their purchase was hand delivered to their homes.  

My father knew them all. He became a friend of Mel Ott, the famous Giant’s outfielder (right field). Ott gave my father a large cat’s eye ring. My father gave it to me when I was married and had children. I often wore it. But it was stolen. And that’s another story to be told another day.

My father lived with us after my mother died. He was a perfect “guest.” He had few demands. He was fastidiously neat. He dressed in a business suit and tie each day even though he didn’t have anywhere to go. He was not handy around the house or interested in gardening. He was definitely a city boy. He watched TV, mainly baseball when he was not napping. He read the New York Times each day. It was too bad the Regent or Stafford senior housing facilities in San Mateo were not built then. He loved to play bridge. And he would have had no trouble finding a game once word got out that he was a bridge genius.

My father commuted by train and subway. The train ride from New Rochelle to Grand Central was about 25 minutes. On the way home, there was always a game of bridge. My mother and I would meet the train at the station. It would stop and remain stationary until the bridge players finished their game.

He never went to college. He had to take over management of the clothing store instead. He was more cut out for university than business. He was amazing at math. He could add or divide large numbers in his head. At bridge, he could figure out who had what card based on the dummy and the bidding.

He played cards at the store and left it to others to sell.  

He was a very kind man and let others take advantage of him. But his employees loved him. That made me very proud. I regret not spending more time with him, discussing the history books he loved, what his life was like as a boy. Don’t make the same mistake. Dads are special every day of the year.

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I own an American flag. I have only flown it once. After 9/11. That was a special time when most Americans came together and showcased their love of country. I still keep a small flag from Barack Obama’s inauguration. That day was full of pride of country, too.

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James Coleman, South San Francisco councilmember, will be 25 years old June 21. He has come along way since defeating a popular incumbent. He was elected in the middle of his senior year at college in 2020, defeating 18-year incumbent Richard Garbarino with 52.27% of the vote. He became the city’s youngest ever and first openly LGBTQ+ councilmember.

Today, he is popular with young progressives. And as fits a seasoned politician, he is using his birthday as a fundraiser. But his views and advocacy remain the same as they were four years ago.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo.

Her column runs Mondays. She can be

reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.