Smith: The lawyerly luncheon won’t be the same without him

Hundreds and hundreds of chairs in tight rows filled Santa Rosa’s Friedman Event Center on Friday afternoon.

But there weren’t enough. Gene Traverso, the retired banker and lifelong friend of late attorney and community patron extraordinaire Jack DeMeo, ascended the few steps to the stage and beheld the throng.

“We should have charged admission,” Traverso mused, and the celebration-of-life crowd sent up a belly-laugh Jack would have appreciated.

The Santa Rosa native and widely beloved attorney died ?10 days ago at age 82.

Friends, colleagues and family members spoke about Jack’s superb skiing and his integrity.

About his taste for Maker’s Mark and his humility.

About the Mick Jagger strut that delighted his grandkids and his quiet generosity.

About his strawberry milkshakes and his respectfulness.

About his racehorses and his diligence.

About his jazz piano and his humor.

About his essential support of Cardinal Newman High School and the Valley of the Moon Children’s Home and his playfulness.

So many stories. Judy DeMeo recalled how she and her future husband met: As kids, both entered a talent contest at the Sonoma County Fair.

Jack played his accordion. Judy sang.

She placed second.

“The cute little Italian boy with the big accordion won first place,” she told the overflow assembly. “He paid for it the rest of his life!”

Judge Gary Nadler recalled Jack’s obvious pride as his son, Brad, took the oath as a judge and, a bit later, his granddaughter, Emily, appeared in court for the first time as an attorney.

Nadler told also that it was before Jack took ill that his colleagues at the Sonoma County Bar Association selected him, once again, as the best.

The local bar had created the Michael F. O’Donnell Civility Award in tribute to professional courtesy and the late partner in Geary, Shea, O’Donnell, Grattan & Mitchell.

Jack was to receive the first-ever O’Donnell Award at the bar association’s Pro Bono Luncheon on Nov. 18.

He learned of the honor shortly before he died, and you know how he responded.

Humbly, graciously.

HHHHHH

THE PROPHECY is on the mind of Adam Villagomez, as the Windsor resident of Native American ancestry reflects on his and his children’s donations run to the Standing Rock oil-pipeline protest.

“For all of us, it was a spiritual experience,” said Villagomez, who is 44 and works as a substance-abuse counselor with Sonoma County Indian Health.

He sees the historic camp-in and protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline, commonly called the “black snake,” as fulfillment of a prophecy that a new generation of Native Americans will rise up to mend the harm done by centuries of abuse.

Villagomez drove to North Dakota with 14 other Sonoma County adults and children.

They carried 500 pounds of rice, 200 pounds of corn and also beans and medical supplies for protesters who maintain the pipeline would violate treaties and threaten drinking water and sacred tribal sites.

Even if the 1,172-mile pipeline is constructed, Villagomez said, “This is already a victory for our people. This has been a massive awakening.”

Chris Smith is at 707-521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.