Jim Tonjann (Team Member)

1989 is the year I was hired as the Chef at Franke Tobey Jones. There was a gentleman living in Lillian Pratt whose name was Al Puddicombe. He was a formal sort of gentleman, a widower, with a British accent, who always wore a suit & jacket, complete with a starched shirt and tie.

One dark and rainy December day, Mr. Puddicombe called to say he had a few friends dropping by that afternoon and it would be nice to have some cider and cookies to serve. He gave me no clue that it was actually a special occasion. When I delivered them to his apartment, some of his guests had arrived and I learned that they were the Class of 1914, celebrating the 75^th anniversary of their graduation from Stadium High School.

Al was an avid gardener who grew wonderful tomatoes and raspberries. One day I saw him on his way to the garden and I noticed he wasn’t wearing his dentures. I pointed to my mouth and he laughed and said he liked to eat the raspberries as he picked, but they were too seedy for his teeth so he took them out.  Whenever he saw me after that he was sure to smile and point to his teeth.

Back in that day, the Spring Tea was a major yearly event that everyone attended. One Tea afternoon, I saw Al driving away in his old Ford Galaxy. He stopped to chat and show his teeth, and I asked him why he wasn’t coming to the Tea. He just laughed and said, “It’s just not my cup of tea”.

Though we were cautioned about showing favoritism to residents, Al Puddicombe has remained one of my all-time favorites. (As told to Phyllis Gill)

Back to Stories