Former Mayor Joe Gargiulo Dies

Reading about the passing of Joe Gargiulo in the had me savoring the times I chatted with him in recent years about veterans affairs. He was pretty media savvy for a guy in his 80s and could be quite a chatterbox.

Gargiulo, who died at age 86, was mayor of Novato in 1970-72 and was a trustee with the College of Marin. He helped found COM’s Indian Valley Campus in Ignacio and was a dedicated member of several service organizations and nonprofits.

I sat with him for more than an hour one day last year and heard him tell his story about his World War II service, during which he achieved the rank of lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was on the beach, just a few yards away, when Gen. Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines. He helped liberate the prisoners of Santo Tomas and had some close calls with kamikaze attacks.

Here is a link to my interview with him in January 2011.

If you knew Joe, add a comment about your memories of him below.