Poor old Pellier Park. Leonard's face scrunches up a bit when you mention it. In 1998, while reading the immensely entertaining A Postcard History of San Jose , by Leonard McKay and Nestor Wahlberg, I noticed a phone number and address listed on page ii, for a store named Memorabilia of San Jose. Although Leonard has sold off many of his history tomes, there are still poignant San Jose postcards to thumb through and various other historical gems to gawk upon. And Leonard himself.
Memorabilia specializes in book repair, especially bibles.
Recently, Leonard regaled me with an amazing story of a trip to Australia. His wife's purse had come up missing in a Sydney restaurant, and as Leonard dutifully wended his way toward a police station to file a report, he was lovingly accosted by a drunken Australian in search of a boon companion. In the act of resisting, Leonard's arm swung backward and struck a Sydney policeman, knocking the officer to the ground and nearly rendering him unconscious. Leonard recounted that as he and another officer were lifting the stricken man to his feet, the drunk gamely continued pulling Leonard, and the two officers, toward the pub door. When an Australian wants to have fun, there is no stopping him.