Poncho a man of many talents, from lumber to bees
CONCORD, CA—Martinez native, Pompeii Emilio Bacciglieri, “Poncho” as most people knew him, was a self-made businessman.
He was born Jan. 10, 1913, at his home in the Vine Hill district. His father died when he was five months old, leaving the family to fend for themselves.
After graduating from Mount Diablo High School in 1930, Poncho worked in farming for three years. Due to the Depression and “the shortage of dollars,” he headed north in his Model T Ford with a blanket and a frying pan.
In the late summer of 1934, he was employed at the Coulee Dam in Washington as a laborer and advanced quickly to a journeyman carpenter’s pay. Being an ever curious soul, he left in 1936 to work in Alaska to build mining camps. He then built the first four-story concrete girls dormitory at the University of Alaska. Later, he built the Mount McKinley Hotel. By this time, Poncho had worked in temperatures of 110 to 75 below.
Home from the war
While employed by the Alaskan freight lines during World War II, he injured his back slipping on the ice and had to come to San Francisco for a spinal fusion. That brought him home to his neighbor and love of his life, Delma DeMartini. They married in 1944. Their first daughter, Lorraine, was born in 1945, adding daughter Linda in 1949.
In 1948, he purchased 3.36 acres off of Clayton Road and started his El Monte lumberyard with Bruno Nardi. He added a storage business in the 1960s, with son-in-law Deno Davi running that portion.
Poncho was a large man with huge hands, yet he loved carving the smallest of ivory crosses and making wood-crafted cradles and toys for his grandchildren. He was also set on building the sturdiest structures.
The astute businessman bought six of his own trucks so that he could cut out the middleman. He would travel to the mills himself and sometimes take one of his daughters to get his lumber.
To help you understand the character of this man, there was a time when one of the mills sent him a fairly large check that he didn’t deserve, so he sent it back to them.
Little daisies
After his family, his biggest joy in life was his bees. He started beekeeping in 1960 and had so many hives, he had to cut down to the regulated 35. He called them his “little daisies,” and they seemed to love him. The school kids would take field trips to see his bees.
Poncho also had an acre of fava beans because he thought it would put nitrogen back in the ground, aside from being a good Italian dish. He loved to garden and share his fruits and vegetables with family and friends.
While in Alaska, Poncho’s great friend was Bill Egan. Once Alaska was accepted into the union, Bill ran for governor and won. One of the highlights of Poncho and Del’s life was being invited to the inaugural celebration – twice. Bill won a second term, so back they went to Alaska.
As a close family friend once said, Poncho’s passion for the bounties of God’s earth was in his daily life: tilling the soil, driving a tractor, making his wine, caring for his honeybees or nurturing his garden. He would generously share the gifts of the earth and the talents God gave him with those he loved.
Poncho died on March 30, 1994, and last year his daughters sold the lumberyard to an investor who will sell it to a developer who will build housing.
It’s sad that another pioneer family is losing their roots and the buzzing of bees will be replaced with the pounding of nails.
Carol Longshore has been a Concord resident since 1950. She is a community leader and past president of the Concord Historical Society. Send comments and suggestions for future topics to editor@PioneerPublishers.com.