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IN MEMORIAM WALTER JOHNSON 1924-2012 - FRIEND, ACTIVIST AND LEADER Walter Johnson died in San Francisco of a heart attack on January 12, 2012 at the age of 87. Walter devoted most of his career to the department store and retail clerks unions in San Francisco. He also served as head of the San Francisco Labor Council for nearly 20 years. Walter was a genuine humanitarian, friend, activist and labor leader. He will be missed by all who were fortunate to know him.
JAY M. JACOBUS 1921-2012, contributed by Jay William Jacobus
Jay M. Jacobus died after a short illness in Modesto on January 4, 2012. He was a longstanding member of both AFTRA and SAG. He enjoyed radio, television, acting and directing. He was a staff announcer at several local radio stations and did freelance work as a football and basketball play-by-play announcer for the local colleges. He was the announcer for KRON’s Science in Action from 1952-65, a show that won several Emmys in the early years of television. He acted in more than 25 theatrical films and was a regular player on The Streets of San Francisco. He made several industrial films for the Armed Forces and served as the public address announcer for many of the West Coast Intercollegiate Rowing events.
CLARENCE “CLANCY” CASSELL 1920-2012, contributed by Christina Cassell Small Clarence “Clancy” Larkin Cassell, KCBS radio newsperson from the mid-1940s until 1983, when he retired. My dad didn’t say much when we were growing up. I think it was because of those hours at CBS. His afternoons were his time to sleep. Living in Palo Alto to take advantage of the good schools and neighborhoods, he made the sacrifice for his family to get up every morning at 3 a.m. and hit the Bayshore Freeway to the station in San Francisco. My dad always wore a great-looking suit and tie to work every day. He was 6’2” with long arms and long legs, and that signature space between his teeth. When he retired, the suits were gone and he lived in a red V-neck sweater and khaki pants. The space between the teeth still remains however — I inherited it from my dad, as did my brother and daughter. “Poppy,” as his granddaughter called him, believed in unions and was a member of both AFTRA and SAG. He joined both unions in 1952. I remember the year he went on strike at KCBS and walked the picket line. At that time, KCBS was on top of the Palace Hotel. My recollection is that he was nervous for his family and what was going to happen on the line. Then, the food trucks started to deliver to the restaurant at the Palace Hotel. No way. The strikers had all the entrances covered and those men would not cross the picket line with their trucks. The union also provided us with the best mail on the block. The letters from Charlton Heston were always a thrill. When I went into his room for the last time, I looked at his side table. There they were. He had lined up his wrist watch, a battery operated clock, and a large face clock. He never went without a schedule and a time for everything. I miss him. He was a very special man.