REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT by Tom Wolfe Its hard to think about Howard Storm without finding oneself in a Time Machine circa 1975. This was an era of pre-everything. Pre-AIDS; Pre-insane real estate prices; Pre-9/11. A City where you could still find a decent apartment in a decent neighborhood for a decent price. We would while away the hours watching the world revolve from high atop the Hyatt Regency in the Equinox, and dance the night away to the songs of Sylvester at a club called Oz. The city was truly magical back then; perhaps we were all bit innocent and more than a little naïve; certainly we were younger, and had more hair in most cases. And there, in the center of the Metropolis, high atop Nob Hill, Howard Storm – Master and Commander of The Stanford Court Concierge desk. Ruled by the legendary James Nassikas, one of the all-time great Hoteliers of the world, with the formidable Fournou’s Ovens in the basement, The Stanford Court was voted best hotel of the year more times than I can remember. Howard, with his folksy charm, had a natural instinct for service. James Nassikas had seen the light early on and the Stanford Court became one of the very first San Francisco hotels to adopt Concierge service. He managed to combine folksiness with sophistication, savvy and a can do attitude that just wouldnt quit. Howard was one of the three first members of our association and used to like to joke that we met in “little dark rooms.” Actually Howard was referring to one of our early meetings, which took place in my apartment at the corner of Clay and Taylor streets just across from the V-J market and both of those edifices are still there. I dont think it was really that dark although it did have dark wood paneling and dark wood beams in the ceiling, and as far as it being little, it was a formal dining room that could accommodate eight people around the table. But I daresay, compared to some of the posh surroundings we were able to come up with a bit later on, that apartment might certainly appear petite and noir-ish if you will. Howard embraced Clefs d’Or and in 1978 when our international congress was held in Vienna, Howard and his lovely wife Susan were able to attend. It was an historic moment. The USA was officially recognized as a member section of Les Clefs d’Or. Howard was instrumental in many of our earliest Clefs d’Or gatherings in San Francisco, as our European colleagues were very anxious to come visit the United States, especially San Francisco where the USA section was born. As time went on, Howard continued to be an officer in the association and had networks around the world. Although Howard is missed terribly, to me he is with us every day. His spirit lives on, in our philosophy of Service through Friendship and I still feel his presence every time I step out on California Street and glance over at the Stanford Court. Folksy, savvy, funny, sophisticated, wise Howard. Those we love dont go away, They walk beside us every day, Unseen, unheard, but always near, Still loved, still missed and very dear. Unknown Author
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 03:20:33 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015