Letter: Remembering 3 good friends (March 17)
This last month of February, three good friends of mine passed away, and I have real good memories of them.
The first was Henry Soto, who died Feb. 18. I first met Henry when he was working for Shebelut Chevrolet. That was at the corner of 6th and D streets, across from the Post Office. Henry used to work in the body and fender shop.
In 1950, another friend of mine, Frank Molina, started a softball team called the Owls Club, and Henry joined the softball team, so once again I met Henry playing ball with us. In 1952, the Night Ball Association started a softball league, and we, the Owl team, joined the softball league.
While in the Young Men’s Institute, I also joined the softball league. Angelo “Hank” Massetti played first base for the YMI, and he was good first baseman and a good hitter. “Hank” was also a great basketball player in high school. He was the most valuable player in 1937. Last Saturday while talking to Joe Campos he told me that “Hank” used that hand-pivot shot, and it made him a good basketball player.
I first met Angelo “Hank” Massetti at Radio T.V. Hospital, in 1954 when I bought a Philco radio to listen to the Giants, and boy that is a good radio, and I still have it, and later on we bought a TV from Angelo, while playing softball against the YMI. It was just like the Giants playing the Dodgers and these are good memories of Henry and Angelo “Hank.”
Another good friend of mine, was Thomas “Tom” Solorio, who passed away Feb. 28, and I have some good memories of him. When I had the Madera Merchants baseball team he played with us in 1966. He was a good ballplayer, nice and quiet; he just enjoyed playing baseball. He played a few years with us, and those are my good memories of Tom. He also had a brother, Vince, that played with us.
Eddie Chapa,
Madera
