LATHROP – There’s nothing wrong with Fifth Street in Lathrop. But perhaps it needs a new name that would reflect this part of the Old Town District’s historic past - a name that would honor one of the town’s pioneer families.
Bennie Gatto Way – that street name has a nice ring to it.
New development would be one way of christening thoroughfares. Case in point is the Mossdale Landing area. This part of town was primarily agriculture when it was still an unincorporated part of San Joaquin County. The McKee family was among the few that tilled the swath of farm land bordered by the San Joaquin River to the west and Interstate 5 to the east for decades. One member of that family, Steve McKee, later became the first mayor of Lathrop after incorporation in July 1989. He also served on the council for more than two decades, and was a four-term mayor which is a record to this day. New development led to the demise of the family farm. So when Mossdale Village became a reality, developers decided to honor the McKee family. Today, McKee Boulevard cuts through the heart of the family’s old ranch where the former mayor grew up.
I’m not sure about the process that would be involved in renaming an existing street or road. But I think the time is ripe for Lathrop’s second mayor, Bennie Gatto, and his family to be similarly honored.
Perhaps, Mayor Joseph “Chaka” Santos can take this up as one of his first projects as the city’s top elected official. The surprise plaque of appreciation he presented to the Gattos during last year’s National Night Out celebration was a noble gesture that took a long time coming (see the reasons below). Having a street named in Gatto’s honor – and that of his family, too – would be a step in the right direction.
Here are 12 reasons why I think Fifth Street should be christened Gatto Way. The reasons given below are not necessarily in their order of importance or significance.
•1. Served on the first Lathrop City Council. Gatto was one of the first five who served on the first Lathrop City Council. According to the chronology of elections put together in 2005 by then City Clerk Rick Caldeira, Gatto was one of the five top vote getters from a total of 19 candidates who ran during the special election held on June 6, 1989. During the same election, Lathrop voters were also asked to vote if they wanted to become an incorporated city. Incorporation passed by 81.6 percent of the votes cast, or 783 in favor and 177 against. Voter turnout was 44.6 percent, with 981 out of 2,198 registered voters at the time going to the polls. Finishing first was Steve McKee, who was named the city’s first mayor, followed by the late Apolinar Sangalang, Mac Freeman, Darlene Hill, and Gatto.
•2. Lathrop’s second mayor, and was appointed for the second time in 1994. Gatto became the second mayor to serve Lathrop following McKee. He served in that capacity twice. Until 1994, when voters passed Measure D by an overwhelming 94.4 percent of the votes in favor of having the mayor’s position chosen by election, the council members simply rotated among themselves to serve as mayor.
•3. Eight years on the city council and 13 years on the Planning Commission. He served on the council for nearly eight years, and as a Planning Commissioner for more than 13 years – starting in 1997 when he finished his second term as a council member, until last year when he finally hang his commissioner’s hat.
•4. Twenty-two years as a volunteer firefighter, followed by stints on the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District board of directors from 1981 to 2010; serving as chairman of the board for six years. Eons before he got involved in the council and planning commission, and long before city incorporation was even a twinkle in any resident’s eye, Gatto was already serving his community as a volunteer firefighter with what was then known as the Manteca-Lathrop Rural Fire District – now the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District. He started as a volunteer firefighter from the 1950s to the 1980s when the district was an all-volunteer operation. After that, he became an elected member of the fire board which he chaired twice for a total of eight years.
•5.He served in the U.S. Navy from 1947 to 1956; twice he was assigned on a carrier, each for nine months.
•6. Worked for 32 years at the fertilizer plant in Lathrop – from the time it was known as Best Fertilizer, to the time it became Occidental Chemical, and finally to J.R. Simplot that it is today. His claim to fame as an employee of the company: he was never absent, not even for a single day or a sick day, during the more than three decades he worked for the company.
•7. Indefatigable community volunteer. Throughout the years he served on the fire board, the council and the Planning Commission, Gatto never stopped volunteering in a variety of community activities and projects.
•8. Volunteer cook at the monthly Senior Center breakfast since the facility opened about a decade ago.
•9. Volunteer cook for many years at the annual picnic for Disabled Veterans of America members and their families at Micke Grove Park in Stockton. He also serves on the local DAV board.
•10. During Lathrop’s heyday in the early 1900s, the Gatto family owned and operated the Lathrop Hotel on Seventh Street. When the first two-story hotel was gutted by fire, Gatto’s father built another one at the same location. Pictures of the old Gatto family businesses are on display at the Manteca Historical Museum.
•11. Still lives on Fifth Street on property that had been with the family for decades. The property is just a stone’s throw from the district’s main fire station on J Street. In fact, part of his land is being utilized by the district.
•12. A true native son, born and raised in Lathrop. Gatto left town only when he went to serve his country in the Navy just after the Korean conflict.
Bennie Gatto Way – that street name has a nice ring to it.
New development would be one way of christening thoroughfares. Case in point is the Mossdale Landing area. This part of town was primarily agriculture when it was still an unincorporated part of San Joaquin County. The McKee family was among the few that tilled the swath of farm land bordered by the San Joaquin River to the west and Interstate 5 to the east for decades. One member of that family, Steve McKee, later became the first mayor of Lathrop after incorporation in July 1989. He also served on the council for more than two decades, and was a four-term mayor which is a record to this day. New development led to the demise of the family farm. So when Mossdale Village became a reality, developers decided to honor the McKee family. Today, McKee Boulevard cuts through the heart of the family’s old ranch where the former mayor grew up.
I’m not sure about the process that would be involved in renaming an existing street or road. But I think the time is ripe for Lathrop’s second mayor, Bennie Gatto, and his family to be similarly honored.
Perhaps, Mayor Joseph “Chaka” Santos can take this up as one of his first projects as the city’s top elected official. The surprise plaque of appreciation he presented to the Gattos during last year’s National Night Out celebration was a noble gesture that took a long time coming (see the reasons below). Having a street named in Gatto’s honor – and that of his family, too – would be a step in the right direction.
Here are 12 reasons why I think Fifth Street should be christened Gatto Way. The reasons given below are not necessarily in their order of importance or significance.
•1. Served on the first Lathrop City Council. Gatto was one of the first five who served on the first Lathrop City Council. According to the chronology of elections put together in 2005 by then City Clerk Rick Caldeira, Gatto was one of the five top vote getters from a total of 19 candidates who ran during the special election held on June 6, 1989. During the same election, Lathrop voters were also asked to vote if they wanted to become an incorporated city. Incorporation passed by 81.6 percent of the votes cast, or 783 in favor and 177 against. Voter turnout was 44.6 percent, with 981 out of 2,198 registered voters at the time going to the polls. Finishing first was Steve McKee, who was named the city’s first mayor, followed by the late Apolinar Sangalang, Mac Freeman, Darlene Hill, and Gatto.
•2. Lathrop’s second mayor, and was appointed for the second time in 1994. Gatto became the second mayor to serve Lathrop following McKee. He served in that capacity twice. Until 1994, when voters passed Measure D by an overwhelming 94.4 percent of the votes in favor of having the mayor’s position chosen by election, the council members simply rotated among themselves to serve as mayor.
•3. Eight years on the city council and 13 years on the Planning Commission. He served on the council for nearly eight years, and as a Planning Commissioner for more than 13 years – starting in 1997 when he finished his second term as a council member, until last year when he finally hang his commissioner’s hat.
•4. Twenty-two years as a volunteer firefighter, followed by stints on the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District board of directors from 1981 to 2010; serving as chairman of the board for six years. Eons before he got involved in the council and planning commission, and long before city incorporation was even a twinkle in any resident’s eye, Gatto was already serving his community as a volunteer firefighter with what was then known as the Manteca-Lathrop Rural Fire District – now the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District. He started as a volunteer firefighter from the 1950s to the 1980s when the district was an all-volunteer operation. After that, he became an elected member of the fire board which he chaired twice for a total of eight years.
•5.He served in the U.S. Navy from 1947 to 1956; twice he was assigned on a carrier, each for nine months.
•6. Worked for 32 years at the fertilizer plant in Lathrop – from the time it was known as Best Fertilizer, to the time it became Occidental Chemical, and finally to J.R. Simplot that it is today. His claim to fame as an employee of the company: he was never absent, not even for a single day or a sick day, during the more than three decades he worked for the company.
•7. Indefatigable community volunteer. Throughout the years he served on the fire board, the council and the Planning Commission, Gatto never stopped volunteering in a variety of community activities and projects.
•8. Volunteer cook at the monthly Senior Center breakfast since the facility opened about a decade ago.
•9. Volunteer cook for many years at the annual picnic for Disabled Veterans of America members and their families at Micke Grove Park in Stockton. He also serves on the local DAV board.
•10. During Lathrop’s heyday in the early 1900s, the Gatto family owned and operated the Lathrop Hotel on Seventh Street. When the first two-story hotel was gutted by fire, Gatto’s father built another one at the same location. Pictures of the old Gatto family businesses are on display at the Manteca Historical Museum.
•11. Still lives on Fifth Street on property that had been with the family for decades. The property is just a stone’s throw from the district’s main fire station on J Street. In fact, part of his land is being utilized by the district.
•12. A true native son, born and raised in Lathrop. Gatto left town only when he went to serve his country in the Navy just after the Korean conflict.
