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Commander ready for his 15 minutes

Tribune

Name: Curt Emrie

Occupation: I’m a slot technician at Harrah’s. I’ve been there 38 years. I’m also the Commander of American Legion Post 795.

Marital status: I’ve been married to Jerry for 38 years. We got married at the courthouse in Carson City.



Family: Our two cats have us, I’d say. Sadie and Sophie. My wife’s daughter, Deborah, works for El Dorado County.

Birth date: St. Louis, Mo., on July 28, 1941.



First job: I joined the Navy after high school. I was stationed at Moffett Field in San Jose. We worked on big four-engine propeller transport planes.

I moved to Tahoe because: Some friends of ours in San Jose worked up here every summer for Harveys. I had been waiting to get on with one of the government subcontractors such as Lockheed but the jobs dried up. Our friends said, well, we’re going up to Tahoe, why don’t you come. I said, what’s Tahoe? I’d never been here. So we came. I started running change for Harrah’s, which was how everybody started. We lived in a studio apartment on Pioneer.

Favorite TV show of all time: I work nights. At 2 a.m. there’s not much on.

Favorite movie: I’m a John Wayne Fan. “Sands of Iwo Jima.”

Book I’m reading: “Silent Joe” by Jefferson Parker. I like murder mysteries.

I’m most often heard saying: Don’t worry about it, we’ll get it done.

Favorite musical artist: I like blues. I have a couple of Willie and Waylon CDs in my car. And Diana Krall. She’s like the female Sinatra.

If I could be one person for a day, I’d be: Ben Hogan. I started playing golf when I was about 46, relatively late in life, and he was one of the greats.

Fondest memory: When I was stationed at Moffett Field, if you wore your uniform you could get into Candlestick Park or Kezar Stadium for free. Afterward we’d take our money and hit the bars in San Francisco. We’d go to Alioto’s on the wharf. We’d go to the Tanforan racetrack.

My favorite dessert is: Anything chocolate.

Latest accomplishment: Being voted in as commander of American Legion Post 795. It’s a very democratic process.

What the American Legion does: We contribute locally to community organizations. We’ve done Christmas Cheer, the El Dorado County Canine Patrol, the Boy Scouts. One of our main things is Boys and Girls State. We want to get the kids to see how government works.

Dream goal: If anyone out there knows someone who’d like to contribute $20,000 to the Post, that would put us about even. Or anything in between. Stop by anytime and drop it off.

My ideal date would be: My wife and I sitting on the beach in Monterey or Carmel watching the sunset with a nice bottle of wine and some chocolates.

If I won the lottery I would: Pay off all the family bills. Contribute to Our Lady of Tahoe church. Then we’d try going on a short cruise to see if I could stand the confinement of it.

Happiest moment: Getting married to my wife at the courthouse in Carson City. Then driving to the old Golden Casino in Reno and seeing a show. It was sort of an impromptu thing. We went back to work the next day.

Nicest thing a stranger’s ever done for you: One time when I was in the Navy, three of us went out partying. We were in uniform. We met this couple, a mom-and-dad type at this restaurant. They invited us to their house for dinner the next night. So we went and ended up meeting their whole family. It went way into the evening. It was pretty nice because it was so unexpected.

Pet-peeve: Inconsiderate people. People flipping a cigarette out the window driving down Highway 50.

Last time I broke a sweat: The other weekend, barbecuing burgers for the arts and crafts fair at the American Legion Hall.

Scariest moment: Off the coast of Washington state in a boat. The waves were taller than the boat. We were bailing water. We kept thinking, not now, not now.

What keeps me going: My wife. Without a doubt. She retired last year as a waitress from Harveys. She started at the Sage Room, then went to the Top of the Wheel and finally to Lewellyn’s.


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