Tribute - Bill Stringfield
I went 8 years to St. Francis of Assisi grade school in Los Angeles (near the corner of Sunset Blvd and Micheltorena)
My freshman year was spent at St. Agnes High School in Los Angeles near USC. When my father was transferred to Lockheed in Ontario we moved to Pomona and I began my sophomore year at Pomona Catholic. My memories are dimmed somewhat by age but the experience there was very pleasant with great friendships and with many I am still in contact. I remember the Senior Prom at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills. I double dated with Jim Williams and Lucy Daley. My date was Barbara Belle. We went in Jim’s Cadillac and after the dance, went to the Crescendo on the Sunset Strip and saw the Jerry Mulligan Quartet and social comedian Mort Sahl. My parents had given me $20.00 – a large sum in those days – and all of it went that night at the Crescendo. I learned years later that Barbara had died at a young age. I never knew what caused her early death. During the summer months, Joe Vera and I cleaned the hillsides on Ganesha. Great fun in 90 degree heat but it provided us with some income. I and two other classmates (I can’t remember who now but I believe one was Fred Schoonmaker) went to Cable Airport in Claremont for a $5.00 plane ride. I later took flying lessons at Brackett Field and soloed in 1959 in an Aeronca, a 1946 plane with and altimeter and gas gauge and little else. I continued flying until 1973, when finances were needed for my business.
After graduation and to avoid being drafted at a later date, I enlisted in the Army. After boot camp I was stationed in Korea with the 7th Infantry Division on the Demilitarized Zone. I was there for 16 months and ended my service at the infantry training center in Fort Gordon, Georgia.
After discharge, I interviewed for employment with a company at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). I began work in 1964 in little known industry for a Customs House Broker. I would work in that field for the next 57 years – the last 47 in my own business.
That year I was to meet my future wife, Brenda, who came to California from New York on vacation and stayed. She had graduated as a business major. (She was Miss R.I.T. in her senior year). Seven years later in 1971 we were married and still are 51 years later. We have no children.
I began my business in 1973 in Longview, Washington – a port on the Columbia River. I was licensed by the Treasury Dept. and the Federal Maritime Commission – required to represent importers before the Customs Service and perform international freight forwarding. In 1980 I opened an office in Long Beach as containerization was eliminating vessel stops at all but the largest ports. I maintained the Longview office until 2002 and devoted full time to Long Beach. On May 18th, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted. We were able to view the volcano from our home. Logs came down the Cowlitz River and eventually blocked the Columbia River to ship traffic so our business was affected until the river could be dredged.
During my working life I arranged Customs clearance for about 200,000 shipments – most for companies like Petsmart, Kmart, Albertsons/Sav-on and similar large importers. Some jobs stand out for companies and individuals. I cleared the hot air balloon now at the Great Park in Orange County. It and the gondola were made in France. I cleared a Rembrandt for Norton Simon. It was valued at over a million dollars and we sent it to Mr Simon in a Bekins Van Line with 4 armed guards. The painting is now in the Norton Simon museum in Pasadena. 20th Century Fox sent me to El Paso, Texas, to clear the horses crossing the border that were used in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” filmed in Mexico. The horses were specially trained in California – the same facility that trained the horses used in the chariot scene in “Ben-Hur”. I worked for and met many political and entertainment people – Pierre Salinger came to the office to pick up dishes from France for his new wife. Salinger was briefly a Senator from California but is better known as JFK’s press secretary. I handled Edward G. Robinson’s art purchases as well as Vincent Price’s. Price was a buyer for Sears art department. Paramount Studios sent me to meet people returning from overseas filming to ensure that they had no problems with Customs. I cleared the animals when they returned from the original Dr Doolittle (filmed in England) and Steve McQueen’s pistol taken from him by Japanese Customs. I closed the office in 2020 having spent most of my life in international trade. At this time I am providing limited consulting to companies who need regulatory guidance and import duty tariff rates.
One last item. In 1967 I applied for admission to the Peace Corps. With the help of Sister Mary Anilla, I was accepted for training in Escondido, Calif. After 4 months I was sent to Medellin, Columbia. I was on a leave of absence from my employer. In late 1968, I was offered a management job in Longivew, WA., that I accepted. When the company was sold in 1972, I began my own business the following year.
I sincerely look forward to renewing acquaintances and friendships with my classmates in a few weeks.
