Bob Minick -

Bob Minick after 35 years since I last saw him.

Larry D. Halstead, Bob Minick, and Rialto Councilwoman Deborah Robertson

Cheryl Brown (Black Voice News), Bob Minick,
and Councilwoman Deborah Robertson

Bob Minick, and Councilwoman Deborah Robertson

During the 1973-74 era, I was a Political Science Major at the University of California at Riverside which resulted in an internship in the office of then Congressman George Brown of the 43rd District now held by Congressman Joe Baca. It was a fabulous experience that I have always remembered fondly.

It made me a fan of the Congressman and an eternally grateful fan of Bob Minick. He really brought me into the center of what was going on and exposed me to my first glimpse of life in politics. He taught me much about Democrat strategy and political change.

I was lucky to have been there at a time when Congressman Brown was launching a return to the Victory Garden. He had a sizeable garden at his Colton office on La Cadena where I was an intern. I have a life-long passion for gardening so it was a perfect match for me to help launch this Victory Garden program which included sending out a Victory Garden Kit to his constituents which included six different seed packets for the most common vegetables and the instruction for starting a garden.

I never forgot Bob Minick and his mentoring influence during that internship and it has left me with lasting respect for Bob and what he represents as an influence and a role model. But I haven't seen him again in some 35 years - until April 4, 2008. The occasion was the memorial services for Francis Montgomery, a well loved Democrat leader who was the President of the Rialto Democratic Club. The date was also the 40th Anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King II making it all that more amazing.