Downtown Modesto’s Walk of Fame has six more tributes to people who love cruising
Six new names grace the Legends of the Cruise Walk of Fame, a downtown Modesto tribute to the car culture celebrated in “American Graffiti.”
The induction at Tenth Street Place was one of several events this month honoring the film by native son George Lucas about early 1960s cruising. These new names are on the tailfin-shaped pavement markers:
- Steve Pedego, a 1961 graduate of Modesto High School who with wife Linda has amassed a collection of car club jackets, cheerleader uniforms and other memorabilia.
- Jerry Sauls, part of Downey High School’s Class of 1962 and a long-time enthusiast of drag and street racing. He and his wife Toni help put on the annual Graffiti car show at McHenry Village. He owns Willey Printing, founded in 1946.
- Dub Kyle, who grew up in Tulare County but often drove north for Saturday night cruising on 10th Street in Modesto. His racing achievements include Driver of the Year for the National Sand Racing Association in 1977. He founded Kyle’s Four-Wheel Drive, now run by son Quinn.
- Bill Terpstra, an immigrant from Holland who in 1959 paid $50 for a 1930 Model A coupe he found in a Modesto barn. He, too, enjoyed cruising 10th and was a charter member of the Modesto Area Street Rod Association.
- Bob Piccinini, who built a classic car collection while also leading Save Mart, a family grocery business that became a major chain. The company sponsored NASCAR racing at the Sonoma Raceway. He died in 2015.
- The Road Rebels Car Club, started by Modesto High students at Bundy’s auto shop on Maze Boulevard in 1957. Members wore jackets with an emblem featuring a 1932 Ford pickup.
Gallo makes a Forbes list
E.&J. Gallo Winery of Modesto is the 10th best workplace in California, according to employee surveys compiled by Forbes.
The business magazine did its first-ever rankings for employers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It did not have national results.
Costco Warehouse topped the California list. It has stores in Modesto, Turlock, Manteca and Merced.
Gallo was the only company based in the Northern San Joaquin Valley to make the top 10. It employs about 6,200 people, roughly half of them in Modesto. The 85-year-old business is the world’s largest wine producer.
The list is one of dozens compiled by Forbes about leading businesses and entrepreneurs.
Here are other employers in the top 100 with a notable presence in the Valley and adjacent mountain counties (it does not include retailers that merely have a location here):
14. Kaiser Permanente, with hospitals in Modesto and Manteca.
26. Sutter Health, parent company of Memorial Medical Center in Modesto.
56. City and County of San Francisco, which draws water and hydropower from the Tuolumne River.
63. Nestle, which makes condensed milk in Modesto.
81. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which has gas and electric customers in much of the region and generates hydropower in the Sierra Nevada.
82. Manteca Unified School District.
And finally ...
Carl Evers Jr. received the Farm Manager of the Year award from the California chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. He is chief operating officer for western permanent crops with Hancock Farmland Services in of Turlock.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
