Ken Fry is a hard person to get to sit down . When I started to write this story , I got him to meet me at Sandy ’ s Café at the south end of town for lunch . It would not be unusual for him to be driving one of Jessup Trucking Company trucks to Arizona . As I was completing this story , I found him in Las Vegas at a conference . But that is indicative of Ken and who he is . No job is too small or insignificant . So , when he found himself meeting and working with Chef Val Filice in 1972 , it was not difficult to accept the dish washing assignment that Val gave him .
Ken came from Reedley , California , and , interestingly enough , the incoming Garlic Festival President Dennis Harrigan is from Sanger , California . I ’ m sure that when they are together they reminisce about the Sanger Apaches and the Reedley Pirates . He is the father of two daughters ( who are teachers ) with four grandchildren .
Ken has a great attitude about any volunteer assignment that he takes on . This year , he will be in his third year on the cook-off stage sharing the chairmanship with Rene Harrigan . He has been a part of a number of firsts . At the beginning of the Garlic Festival , he teamed up with Val and Bob Filice in initiating the world famous pyro chef flame up , which is the signature of the festival . He was a part of the first cioppino feed fundraiser at Christopher Ranch , now in its 34 th year , and contributes to Gilroy Athletics . He went to Sacramento to cook for then Assemblyman Rusty Areias , which was on behalf of farmers . He worked with Val and now Bob Filice for Don and Bill Christopher ’ s annual holiday gathering at the ranch . He teamed up with Allan Heinzen to co-chair Gourmet Alley and was a member of the Garlic Festival Board of Directors . Anything that Ken takes on , he feels that he can ’ t give enough . In fact , he does not turn in hours for the work that he does at the Garlic Festival . He is very proud of the accomplishments of the festival . We are very grateful to Ken for all that he gives to the festival and Gilroy . Ken would easily be voted as an all around great person and fun to be with .
Ken Fry
Gloria Mondelli Pollack was born in Gilroy to a farming family . She met Eddie on a blind date and they were married in 1981 . Her Godparents were Val and Elsie Filice , also farmers . Because of them , Gloria and Eddie have been a part of the Garlic Festival from the beginning . In fact , she remembers that her godfather Val used a tractor disk for the first stir fry wok in Gourmet Alley . Gloria served as chair / co-chair of the children ’ s area for four years . Both Eddie and Gloria worked in Gourmet Alley . Eddie coached basketball at St Mary ’ s and Gilroy High School . He worked with the basketball team doing trash pickup driving the tractor . He said “ you learn a lot about the kids when you ’ re with them for 10 hours .”
Gloria has been a member of the Gilroy Assistance League since 1995 . Their main fundraiser is the beautiful Impressions Home & Garden Tour that occurs in May of each year . When you pass Wheeler Manor senior housing between 5 th and 6 th streets remember that she was apart of a group of Gilroyans that campaigned to bring senior housing to a reality rather than to sell the property and build houses . Gloria assisted Karen La Corte in Karen ’ s fabulous fashion shows at St Mary School .
I don ’ t think former Mayor Al Pinheiro will ever forget when Eddie , at his own expense , joined the Vickroy brothers ( pyro team ) and then president Greg Bozzo at Gilroy ’ s sister city in Angra do Heroismo , Azores . Mayor Al taught the group how to say thank you which is Obrigado . Eddie didn ’ t get it so he used avocado to say thank you .
Gloria loves to get involved . She is a graduate of the Leadership Gilroy program and a mentor for the Gilroy Leadership Foundation Youth Board . And just a few weeks ago Eddie and Gloria assisted in serving a fabulous seven course meal to the donors who gave over $ 9,000 to assist St Louise Hospital . The fundraiser and dinner was held at the beautiful Chialla Family estate in Morgan Hill .
Gloria Mondelli Pollack
I often reflect on the many hours , months and years of giving that the above Gilroy Citizens have given . Recently , I found a book that speaks of kindness and giving that had a saying by Saint Thomas Aquinas : “ Man should not consider his material possessions his own , but common to all , so as to share them without hesitation .” And that ’ s what I love about our wonderful people and town of Gilroy .
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