Gene Kaplan

1945 - 2008

A remembrance

by Thad Ballard

When I was a freshman in high school here in Wells, I persuaded Claire Morrow to show me the Bulls Head Bar. I had a big dream of turning it into a recreation center for kids. Unfortunately every good idea eventually deteriorates into hard work but I kept hoping, planning and looking for opportunities to preserve and develop Front Street because I remember when Front Street had the Presbyterian ladies thrift store in the Bulls Head, John Quilici was giving out franks, DiGrazias were keeping Elko County in spirits from the Capital Club, Bill and Gerry Williams had the bowling alley, Ditty Baysinger was handing out the mail and the Wells Progress was coming out of the Ryan Café.

Then Gene and Peg Kaplan came into my office with the walking tour brochure that I had developed. Gene tried to be diplomatic by suggesting that he could do some research and had some photographs that might fill in some of the gaps. He talked about how Front Street could be a destination and how he was buying the Bulls Head and his plans for restoring it. I knew I had just met kindred spirits.

Gene found or created opportunities to promote our community in every situation. When Jack Carter was making a campaign stop here, Gene twisted my arm into going. “Elko County is a swing county in a swing state. All of the politicians are going to have to come here and we need to make a good impression on them. If we look like we support them, maybe they will be able to help us later on,” Gene insisted. So I succumbed to Gene’s persuasive argument, as I almost always did, and I went. Jack said that although he had been born in Georgia, he had repented and come to Nevada as soon as he could. I think that Gene had fully repented of being born elsewhere, and when he and Peg drove over the California border, he became a Nevadan, heart and soul.

The historical research that Gene and Peg amassed on Wells surpassed any that had been done previously. In working with them to turn that research into brochures, I learned more about the community that has always been my home. Sometimes the information that Peg and Gene revealed conflicted with the accounts that I heard while growing up. While I didn’t always believe that he was correct in every detail, I never found an instance where I could be sure that Gene was wrong. If Gene were here, this would be the time when he would interject and clarify that although he had conducted meticulous research, he reserved the right to make revisions if new, credible information became available. I envied his ability to recall details and the time he was able to devote to uncovering the past.

Gene endured countless meetings here, across the county and across the state. His experiences and excellent recall allowed him to make a transition in every conversation. He understood the complexities of politics at every level and the workings of bureaucracies. He could decipher statutes and plan and execute an information campaign that would literally put Wells on the map. If you have seen this year’s official State map, you know that the cover photo is the road to Angel Lake and that there are multiple references to Wells. Gene always had his black briefcase full of brochures and never missed an opportunity to tell the story of Wells. He shared it with visitors who happened by his home. He repeated it at tourism conferences. He re-enacted it at gatherings of historians. He lived it as he and Peg restored the wonderful buildings along Front Street. He articulated a vision of the future of a rebuilt Front Street to the press even as his own home lay in shambles as a result of the earthquake.

Heidi and I were talking about how anyone could possibly summarize a life as interesting and varied as Gene’s. She suggested that the best word to characterize Gene was “citizen”. Gene served his country in the armed forces. He served his neighbors in law enforcement. He served the future by teaching college courses. He served the past by capturing history and making it live. He served this community by providing a vision of a reborn downtown.

I am grateful to have been his friend and accomplice. I am grateful that Peg so generously shared Gene with us. Although I miss him and am certain that he misses us, I am also sure that Gene is interviewing Colonel E. P. Hardesty and Al Fisher hoping to unravel the mystery of Soya Lung’s store. I hope there are old card catalog cards in Heaven so Gene can keep taking notes on the back. I hope there is a table in the deli so they can sit and visit and I know that because of the Atonement of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, that someday there will be chairs there for all of us.