on the cover / By North Coast Journal Staff

Roger Rodoni,

1940-2008

(May 1, 2008) Supervisor Roger Rodoni, who was killed in a car accident last week, was a Renaissance man — an artist, rancher, historian and politician. He made an impression on thousands of people during his 67 years. Here are just a few stories.

If you get this paper Wednesday morning, you might want to know that there will be a memorial for Roger Rodoni at Bellotti Hall (Humboldt County Fairgrounds, Ferndale) at 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 30. Memorial contributions can be made to the Roger Rodoni Scholarship Fund, which is being handled through the Fortuna Rotary Club. The address is PO Box 273, Fortuna, Calif., 95540.

Roger Rodoni. File Photo.

GALLERY >

Dennis Mayo

I’ve known Roger pretty near my whole life. I lived out on Rainbow a couple of times; my Uncle Irv ran the ranch up there in the ‘50s, way before Roger had it. My family knew his family. It was a pretty tight community with the ranchers.

So, back when I was 11 or 12, my Uncle Irv was helping Andy Amsbaugh with some of the rodeo stock. We hauled all these horses up to Crescent City for a rodeo up there. I believe that was Roger’s first year at Cal Poly, so he’d been gone. I hadn’t seen him for a while. I was there helping work the chutes and stuff, whatever an 11-year-old kid could do at a rodeo. They ran all the first section of bulls, then they ran the calf roping. Then the first section of saddle bronc riding. They saved out one horse. They said there’s a kid coming up; we’re saving a horse for him.

Andy and Roger were very good friends. Andy had been one of Roger’s mentors throughout his life.

So all the cowboys were kind of pissed. “What’s this saving a goddamn horse for some guy?” They went ahead and ran the barrel race, the team roping. Then here comes this guy they’ve been saving the horse for. Well, it’s Roger.

And Roger, you know he had that swagger. I was a little guy and kind of looked up to him. He come in there and he rode that horse. I’m gonna tell you what, it’s still in my mind, and I’ve seen lots of buckin’ bronc riders, I’ve rode a lot of buckin’ horses, I knew guys like Monty Henson, Larry Mahan, great bronc riders. I’ve seen some great rides. But that’s the one that sticks out in my mind.

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