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Williams Pioneer Review About the community...For the community
Volume 1 Issue 1
OUT OF THE ASHES
Les Schwab Tire Center to Host BBQ for the Glenn-Colusa Cattlewomen’s Association February 23 See page 6 for details
Williams Pioneer Photo/Andrea Moore Members of the Granzella’s family were surrounded by friends, family, media and dozens of other supporters as they broke ground friday feb. 15 officially beginning the reconstruction process.
GRANZELLA’S BREAKS GROUND FOR NEW BUILDING By Andrea Moore Editor Scores of people turned out Friday, Feb. 15, for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Granzella’s Restaurant reconstruction, marking a new beginning for the Granzella family. Back in October the family restaurant was destroyed by a fire, leaving 125 people without a job. “This is a big time tragedy. Granzella’s is probably the biggest business in Williams,” this from Williams City Manager Jim Manning the day of the fire. But now out of the ashes, comes a new beginning for so many people, a new beginning for the city. “We’re all looking forward to getting the building built and people back to work,” said Mayor Pro Tem Don Barker. News crews were out in force to document the momentous occasion, each vying for the best shots and sound bites. Jim and Beverly Granzella moved to Williams from the Bay Area to start a family business—one that would be around long into the future. Over the 37 years since they started it all, Granzella’s Restaurant not only became
a well-known landmark, but also the major employer in the area. Colusa County Chamber of Commerce member Catherine Bernard told the WPR that she had just spent a week down at the Farm Show in Tulare in a booth sponsored by the chamber. She said that more than one person claimed not to know where Williams was until the name ‘Granzella’s,’ was mentioned, then they knew right where it was at. “Granzella’s was the one identifier of Colusa County,” Bernard said. “I’d like to thank the Williams Fire Department for their extra effort to save all our [animal] trophies from the sports bar,” he said. The bar held an extensive trophy display that included a full grown polar bear, most of which would have been irreplaceable. Owners of the restaurant hope to be back in business by July 1. Originally they had hoped to have construction completed in May, but record January rainfall put a damper on those plans. Now, the family has the monumental challenge of hiring employees to fill the vacancies. While they were able to retain a core crew of original employees in their interim deli, a majority of the former employContinued Page 5.
Inside Opinion page 2 What’s Cooking? page 2 Trivia page 2 From the desk of... page 3 On Patrol page 3
Agriculture page 3 City news page 4 Looking Back page 6 Classifieds page 7
February 22, 2008
A local legend Dr. Charles McCarl still “practicing” after all these years By Andrea Moore Editor
Everyone has a story. Driving by the little non-descript white building on E. street, most would never realize the history behind those walls. Not only of the building itself, but of those who work inside those walls. Nearly 60 years have passed and still Dr. Charles McCarl prac-
tices medicine in the little town of Williams. This is his story… So far. On April 9, 1922, Charles McCarl was born in Portland, Oregon. His mother, unable to make it to the hospital in time, gave birth to McCarl in the family’s Model T Ford. A notable entrance if there ever was one. The family resided in Portland until McCarl’s father was transferred to California where he became the assistant port manager for Oakland. Growing up, McCarl enoyed sports, he played basketball and was later the team’s captain, his senior year. That same year he was also the Student Body President. One day during McCarl’s junior year, one of his friends convinced him to accompany him to a gym he had been frequenting. McCarl agreed, little knowing what an impact it would have on his life. During his trip to the gym he met a fellow by the name of Jack Lalanne [Lalanne was later known as a fitness guru and was also the first to have a televised exercise program]. McCarl wanted to join the gym but was unsure if his parents would allow him the privilege. After all, he was only 14 years old. Hearing this, Lalanne offered to speak to his parents, McCarl gladly accepted. After Lalanne’s visit and McCarls vow to spend his own money he had earned delivering newspapers, his parents gave him the permission he had hoped for. This began a long and enduring friendship. McCarl was very much into working out and body building and in 1941 he participated in the Mr. America competition in San Francisco. At one point McCarl and Lalanne had a hand balancing act where one would hold the other up with one hand. A true mentor, Lalanne was the one who convinced McCarl to go into medicine. “Jack told me “You are going to be a doctor,” McCarl recounted the conversation that had taken place over 60 years ago “I am? I said,” he laughed. “He told me that as much as I enjoyed health and dieting that I had to go into medicine,” said McCarl. He ended up taking Lalanne’s advice and went to medical school at the University of Continued Page 8.
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