Albert Vera – A Great Life

St. Augustine’s Catholic Church was filled, and the many mourners came from every part of Culver City. The City Council members, the long-time friends, the Sunkist Park neighbors,  the customers from the store, all turned out on Tuesday June 8 for Albert Vera’s memorial mass. The words, as expected of a memorial service, were of his generosity, his commitment to community, and the number of people whose lives he touched.

It would have been easy to fill another equally large building with the people who had a long-standing enmity with Vera. Those who were not the recipients of his largesse, but of his hunger for control, his anger, and his manipulation.

For everyone who has a tale to tell of how Albert’s help saved them, there is someone else with a tale to tell of how being on the wrong side of Albert meant failure and frustration. Albert’s power and fame touched thousands of people, maybe tens of thousands. Being famous does not ever mean that everyone likes you or agrees with you. Being famous just means that everyone knows your name, and they all have a different idea of who you are, or who they think you should be. In each individual interaction, another facet shines bright. An old Italian proverb reminds us “the timid are the forgotten.”

This was a great man. Not a saint or a mythical hero, but great like a Medici or a Borgia. A kind of a Caesar who refused to limit his reach, who stayed with his wife while publicly flaunting his lovers, who gave relentlessly to his city, and worked hard to bend that city into the shape he wanted.

As long as the irreplaceable and delicious Sorrento’s is still open, and there are no parking meters on that short block of Sepulveda, Culver City will remember Albert Vera and all that he did.

Albert Vera (click here for slide show)

All photography by Robert Rissman.

The Actors' Gang

1 Comment

  1. My stepfather, Eddie Mayo,(World Series MVP 1945) was a man much like Albert Vera-Known by many, loved by some, and hated by others. Rising to the top of any field is not something that is achieved easily, and in that journey, sometimes people are abused, stepped upon, and violated.

    My dealings with Albert were always of a positive nature. He was always very kind to me when we’d visit his store, often giving us small freebies. But I’ve heard many stories about his love life, and other character references that weren’t always positive. I guess we all have to judge people by how they affect us, not on speculation and conjecture.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*