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December 2021|15
Notoriety’s Price Tag
ALCapone may have died nearly 75 years ago but it’s clear interest in the infamous Chicago gangster is very much alive after some of his prized possessions were auc- tioned off for at least $3 million.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Capone’s family sold sev- eral of his belongings, including what was billed as his favorite gun, at auction in California, where his three surviving grand- daughters live.
The event, called “A Century of Notoriety: The Estate of Al Capone,” was held at a private club in Sacramento and attracted nearly 1,000 registered bidders, including 150 who attended the nearly four-hour-long event in person.
Among the items up for auc- tion was a bear-shaped humidor as well as diamond jewelry and some family photographs. The most popular item proved to be Capone’s favorite Colt .45-cal- iber semi-automatic pistol, which went for $860,000.
Most of the buyers’ identi- ties were kept private. But one whose name has been made pub- lic is Kevin Nagle, a Sacramento investor and business owner. Among the items that once belonged to “Scarface” Capone that he picked up was a deco- rative humidor for $120,000 and an 18-karat yellow gold and platinum belt buckle for $22,500.
Capone’s story is a familiar one, thanks in large part to a host of movies, television shows and books about the mobster. Called Public Enemy No. 1 after the 1929 “Valentine’s Day Massacre” in which seven mem- bers of a rival bootlegger gang were gunned down in a park- ing garage, Capone was finally convicted of a lesser charge of income tax evasion in 1934. He spent 11 years locked up in Alcatraz, a federal prison in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, and died of a heart attack in 1947 in the Florida home where he and his associates were believed to have plotted the massacre years earlier.
Well folks, it’s that time of year. You know...that time of year (holiday season) when I startbuggin’youtolooktoward helpingsomeonelessfortunate than you are. And, let’s face it, more people than ever need help this year. Not counting the pandemic, there were numer- ous other natural and man-made disasters not only in this country, but around the world. California wildfires, Louisiana hurricanes, multi-state bridge collapses, Gulf oil spills, businesses laying off employees or closing all together, and so much more.
Usually I talk about the reg- ular charities. Marine Toys for Tots is a great program set up to help kids get toys at Christmas. Founded in 1947, Marine Toys for Tots to date has distributed over 565 million toys to over 270 million children who otherwise wouldn’t have had “Christmas Joy.” The Salvation Army runs a great program every year, The Angel Tree. Established by the Salvation Army in 1979, it helps to not only provide toys for chil- dren (Angels) at Christmas, but also helps seniors (Silver Bells). Corporations can sponsor whole trees or just individuals. You don’t need to be a whole com- pany to sponsor an Angel or a Silver Bell. Individuals can go to an Angel Tree (usually found in malls and other high traffic loca- tions) and pick individual angels or silver bells to help. Last year, my company sponsored 3 chil- dren and I personally sponsored a Silver Bell.
If you observe Hanukkah and want to help in your community,
Sharon Koehler
Stone Industry Consultant
try contacting the Jewish Children’s Regional Services, headquartered in Louisiana. They do not operate nationwide, but they do operate in seven southern states, and can probably put you in touch with an organization in your area. Or if you have a Jewish Community Center in your area, that is an excellent place to turn to for information on how to help.
Homeless shelters around the country are also struggling, and need help. If you want to help but maybe don’t have the $100 (plus or minus) recommended to spon- sor an Angel or a Silver Bell, think about donating to a homeless shelter. Besides money, home- less shelters have a great need for shoes, socks, school supplies, blankets, diapers, wipes, coats, and male and female hygiene products, as well.
Something else on the home- less shelter needs list are earbuds. (I would have NEVER thought of that.) Earbuds are needed because nighttime at shelters can be noisy and earbuds help muffle the noise so people can sleep better. Who knew? Not me (until now)! A few pairs of socks or a blanket doesn’t carry the price tag of sponsoring an Angel, but can do just as much good.
Don’t have spare cash but still want to help? Donate your time. Become a volunteer somewhere. Homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other charities LOVE volun- teers. Someone has to man those Angel Tree booths, do inventory at a soup kitchen, help pass out blankets and ear buds at homeless
shelters, and ring those bells for the red kettles. (Actually, for the last two years, the guy with the red kettle at my local Walmart has played the trumpet).
My next-door neighbor helps our local county Christmas Mother program every year. Also, check with your church, synagogue, temple or mosque. They often run volunteer pro- grams where you can donate items, money or time (or all three, if you are so inclined).
If you happen to be a bit of an introvert and interacting with strangers just isn’t your thing, try contacting your local animal shel- ters. A lot of shelters try to send animals “home for the holidays” because many of their volun- teers either go away for the hol- idays, or want to be with family, so often there’s limited staff to take care of the animals. After the holidays, the pooch or kitty goes back to the shelter, and you go back to whatever you do.
The holidays can be a hectic time. There are shopping malls to visit, internet orders to track, plans to make, parties to go to, meals to prepare, traveling to do, relatives to see, choirs to listen to, trees to trim, menorahs to light ,and so much more. It is possi- ble to become a bit cranky over the holiday season, but I have a
secret that will help you feel bet- ter. Acts of charity make you feel good. IT’S TRUE! There is sci- ence behind it. Helping literally makes you feel happy. I am not a scientist, but what happens is that during the acts of charity your brain releases chemicals (endor- phins) that make you feel good. It’s called a Helper’s High (sim- ilar to a runner’s high). This in turn reduces your stress which lowers your blood pressure. It’s a win – win for everyone. The less fortunate get the help they need, and you feel better during a rather hectic time.
John Wesley, a clergyman in the Church of England back in the 1700s once said:
Do all the good you can By all the means you can In all the ways you can In all the places you can At all the times you can To all the people you can As long as ever you can
So, like Nike says, “Just do it.” Help someone, feel good and go into 2022 knowing that you did the right thing. Happy Holidays, y’all.
Please send your thoughts on this article to Sharon Koehler at Sharonk.SRG@gmail.com.
The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is
“but swindling futurity on a large scale.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1816)