At rest in the church that Harold built
Hundreds of friends came to the church that Harold Tseklenis had been the driving force to build. Father John Constantine had said during the service, “Harold was unassuming, not the sort to say, ‘I built that.’” But he did.
And before this church? Worship services were originally conducted in a renovated vacant store on the present property, and the iconostasis, or rood screen that separates the congregation from the altar, was actually made by Harold in his wood-finishing workshop.
“When it was done,” Harold said then, “I drove in the middle of the night the one-mile distance from my garage to the church, with the screen balanced on top of my car. It was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life.”
“Were there many Greek families in Downey,” I asked Harold, “when you and Anna came to live here in in the 50’s?”
“No,” said Harold, “there was only one Greek family here. We came to Downey because it was freeway-convenient, and had excellent schools. And gradually so did other Greeks.”
Those “other Greeks” were the parishioners who nearly filled St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church for the Harold’s services. The G. in Harold’s first name stood for George, St. George, the beloved patron saint of Greece. Harold once confided that most male Greeks are named George. That’s why Harold went by his middle name.
“It’s impossible to write about Harold Tseklenis, who died on December 29, without writing about the city of Downey as well,” Lawrence Christon wrote in his tribute in The Downey Patriot. The proof of that statement was in the variety of attendees. Dr. John Garcia, superintendent of the Downey Unified School District was there, with Martha Sodetani, member of the school board.
Don Marshall, president of the Downey Symphonic Society was present, as was Sharon Lavery, music director of the Downey Symphony. “I loved Harold,” Sharon said.
Mark Keller and Joyce Sherwin were there from the Symphonic Society Board, as was Ryan Keene and long-time supporter Lea Fratello. Said Joyce, “Such a decent man, effective, gallant, sheer pleasure to be with.”
Harold was practically a founding board member and promoting classical music in Downey community was his passion for over 50 years.
People Harold had worked with in the community sat next to neighbors on Eighth Street, like Annie Rojes, whose Model A Christmas party Harold and Anna had walked across the street to attend less than a month ago. Downey Police Department Officer Rick Tuttle (retired), who also attended that party, lamented, “I was Harold’s neighbor for 30 years.”
Members of Harold’s Rotary Club of Downey came. Barbara Lamberth, Bill Kirkwood, John Lacey, Jorge and Maru Montero, as well as Ray Mesler, Greg Welch, and Ray Andazola. Chuck Hutchinson had sponsored Harold in Rotary and his widow Lynn came too.
As Rotary President Nathan Mahoney said, “We have lost a great humanitarian and an even more amazing Rotarian.” Shirley Johnson echoed those sentiments.
Former Mayor Rick Rodriguez was busy preparing to give his State of the City address at the Rio Hondo Event Center, but he had sent word, “Rest In Peace old friend. A huge volunteer of our city!!”
Also seen: Marian Curtis and Adele Alexander from the Assistance League, Priscilla Winslow came from Berkeley, and Dick and Barbara Sterling, Mary Coates came back to the Downey.
“He was such a great spirit, said Priscilla, “not only in recent years but from my teenage memories. He seemed timeless.”
Also remembering Harold from 50 years ago were Carrie Parks Wylie who drove up from Laguna Niguel, and Jeff Parks from Bellflower, and David’s childhood chum Alan.
Marian Curtis, Adele Alexander Abruzzo and Judy Faust were there from the Assistance League. So many more faces that I did not know, but you can be sure Harold had touched their lives.
Pat Gil represented the Downey Arts Coalition, which Harold had helped found in 2011, according to Andrew Walhquist, the first president.
“Harold said to me that Downey could really benefit from all of its arts organizations and advocates joining forces, in what could be an arts coalition, to encourage the city to start an official arts commission to support the arts in Downey,” said Andrew.
Harold was a tireless voice urging city support for the Downey Museum of Art, the Downey Symphony Orchestra, the Downey Civic Light Opera, and the Downey Theatre.. As Andrew’s wife Lana Joy, said, “He never stopped being a vocal and optimistic advocate for the arts in Downey. Your work is done now, Mr. Tseklenis, and you did well. Rest in Peace.”
Friends, neighbors, colleagues, they all came in respect for the many contributions Harold had made to the community.
Anna and Harold’s son, David, who lives in Seattle was there beside his mother with wife Carol. David had delivered the eulogy the evening, before at the memorial service, and now he greeted the well-wishers and mourners. Harold and Anna’s god-son Jonathon Otis also from Seattle and his wife Steffanie were in the family pews.
Big floral wreaths were placed against the white stone wall at the entrance to the church, and wreaths of evergreens were hung at the entrance to the pews. The colors of the flowers were repeated in the paintings on the white walls, gilded saints and icons of the church, all created by a husband and wife team who come from Athens every few years to add to their work.
But the church wasn’t always this splendid. In 1982 it was determined there was enough of a congregation to warrant a church here, and a drive was started to raise the funds, and this is where Harold was instrumental. As Father John said, “It was also Harold who steered us with the city, and saved us when we might have made big mistakes.”
By 2002, a door-opening ceremony was conducted by the Metropolitan Anthony from San Francisco. The church was complete but the floor was bare. The wooden pews that the worshippers used had been bought when “retired” from other churches, and supplemented by folding chairs.
It was the job of the church members to make it beautiful. As funds became available, the floor was carpeted, the beautifully carved iconostasis acquired; more paintings and vestments. The carpet now covers the architect’s chalk marks that were still fresh when the church held its first services. And the huge dome that now has frescoes of Christ Pantocrator was once a steel skeleton that swayed in the wind on a morning in 2001, when the church was being built, and a huge crane lifted it up into position.
John Adams, editor of the Downey Eagle, covered that event with his own dramatic photographs, and I wrote a poem that with Harold’s encouragement I sent to the paper. It was published, and that marked the beginning of my return to writing poetry seriously. One more assist to Harold.
Seeing that everyone made their entrance and exits comfortably was Sasha Vithoulkas, president of the Parish Council of the church. I had met her in June at the annual Greek Festival, when the Greek community in Downey shares its cultural and ethnic heritage. I covered that event for this paper (June, 2019).
On that day, Harold had taken me around behind the scenes to meet the people who really ran the show. Sasha was in the food tent, inside, where the workers were packaging the orders, seeing that the boxes of lamb dinners were ready to go. To meet Sasha is to remember her, sparkling black eyes and vivacious manner.
After the interment at Rose Hills, friends were welcomed into the church hospitality hall. A room that at the spring Greek Festival hold treasures on display, today was decked with white cloth-covered tables with richly hued roses and white hydrangeas in a center bowl.
A picture of Harold, actually a photo-montage from the family’s art collection, stood on a table at the entry, showing Harold in full-face and then from several angles, like Odysseus, “the man of many turns” in Homer’s Odyssey. In the hospitality nook was a table with soft drinks and bottled water, and also a tray with wine – a California chardonnay - as well as Metaxa, the Greek brandy, and another tray with shots of whiskey, Harold’s favorite sipping drink.
Here I found Sasha again, supervising the hospitality and the serving of Harold’s favorite salmon with tomato salsa and quarters of lemon. Greek salad with feta cheese, spanakopita the Greek spinach pie wrapped in flaky phyllo dough, a fruit tray and pastries completed the meal.
Everything spoke of the simple yet cosmopolitan tastes of the man who was born in Pyrgos, Greece, came to Downey, California and changed for the better our perception of the good things in life.
Yamas, Harold. We shall not look upon your like again.