My name is Matt Wirkkala.
Leo and I are both Finnish Americans, though Leo
has been one for nearly twice as long as have I.
:) Leo speaks Finnish. Though my dad, and
all of the family before him, speaks Finnish as
their first language, I speak practically none. I
am working to rectify this situation. Through
friends like Leo, I am learning about Finnish.
And, about the origins of language itself. But no
more about me. This is Leo's page ...
|
Port Hadlock, WA
USA
Leo was born in Wallace, Idaho, on October, 24th,
1925. Retired in Port Hadlock, Washington, 1987.
His many careers and adventures included being a
radio engineer/announcer with a First Class Radio
Telephone License at KJR and KOL in Seattle, also
at KVOS/TV in Bellingham, Washington. His first
Radio Announcing job was at Torrington, Wyoming
on KGOS and his last was on KEX Portland, Oregon,
from where was a graduate of Bill Sawyer's,
Northwest Broadcasting School on 13th and Alder
in Portland. There again in Portland Leo switched
back into the Restaurant field and ended his many
Maitre'D positions of Restaurants in the U.S.A
and off-shore, as in Bermuda, Aruba, one of the
ABC Islands off of the coast of South America
owned by the Dutch, also in Hawaii. Among his
Stateside Maitre'D, Captain of Waiters, Wine
Steward, and Waiter jobs [Including Alaska] were
at: The Prospector Hotel and Barnoff's in Juneau.
The Plaza Hotel at 59th and 5th Avenues in New
York, NY. Piro's later named Doro's on 711
Montgomery Street in San Francisco [for Don
Dianda and Roger Bertola], Maitre'D and The Chef,
to whom Charley Piro sold out to and moved on to
Palm Springs, California. Leo claims he worked in
285 different Restaurants and some as many as 13
times, as was the case at the Cape Cod House in
Lafayette, California. More later on some of
these and their importance to Leo and his most
different and intresting life, at least to me.
Leo joined the US Navy in 1943 and was honorably
discharged on the 23rd of May in 1946, despite
Deck Courts and near General Court for striking
an Officer on his ship the USS Barataria AVP 33.
More later about Leo's life before and after
joining the US Navy and his other various
occupations he has held in civilian life. Today,
he is an incurable horse watcher (my own
impression ;) and author of one book. But perhaps
his most prolific career these days is that of
historian and linguist. In particular: the
relationship between the origins of Futharks (runic
marks), their writing, and the representation of
sounds and meaning in language. |