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Identifier
BenetVernon_2013_CRP
Description
Vernon Benet was a young man who was raised by both his parents and also his six siblings including three brothers and three sisters, in a small town in Arkansas. Benet left Arkansas in 1951 when he got listed into the military. Soon after that he was then brought over to California in late 1951 with some of his family, more in specific his older brother when he moved to Richmond California. Vernon Benet came into the service of Camp Robert California, where he took his basic training there and after he was enlisted for two years he would then go spend a year and a half down there before they closed Camp Robert and then get transferred to Ford Ord. Benet in 1953 got honorable discharge and would than move down to Monterey where he worked for a little garage, while he applied for service charge at Ford Ord. Benet would do orderly work which meant he would take care of the patients and he did this for about a year or so. Soon after that Benet decided that he wanted to continue his career in food management. Benet applied for a food service job at Ford Ord and he was hired permanent and worked there for over 30 years straight with no broken time. Benet would wake up at 5 AM and fix the breakfast and deliver breakfast, when all the patients would finish eating than he would go back around Ford Ord and collect all the food trays that he previously dropped off to them, he would continue you this throughout the day until 1:30 came and he was able to go home because of a second shift coming on. Vernon Benet first came to Chinatown while working at Ford Ord, the main reason to coming to Chinatown was because of his older brother who was called Big Duke and that’s the reason they call Benet Duke. Benet was a huge fan of gambling and that’s what he would do on a daily event. Vernon explained to me that his normal day on Chinatown insisted of: “walking up and down the street and just talking to friends. I would sometimes go into bars and get a beer or even a shot. I liked to gamble and I did that mostly in Chinatown, if it wasn’t right than I would go to Monterey and gamble some more out there. Vernon Benet is now a resident of the now Chinatown that consists of mostly homeless people, drug dealers, CSUMB Learning Center workers, and also volunteer workers at Dorothy’s Kitchen or at the Learning Center. I asked Benet if Chinatown is any different today than it used to be in the 1960s and 1970s. He expressed that it was way different, all of the building were open compared to now they are closed, there was more people and a mixed diversity at that with Philippines, Japanese, Black, Mexican, and White. He also explained that there are people on the streets but there doing their own thing, Benet just walks around and says hi to the people he knows and then usually sits in his car for most of the day and in his car is where I found him all the times 1 went down to Chinatown. Benet claims he has a house with his son, and there is no room for me to disagree with him, but on the other hand when I talk to Jeff he mentions to me that Vernon Benet is always there and always sees him. Jeff explained to me and the group that homeless people are sometimes in denial when it comes to their living situations and that’s why they say residents instead of homeless. Overall Vernon Benet had great energy and a great personality, he really is going to make an impact on my life, and while I hope I had an impact on his!
Interview Date
10-24-2013
Interviewer
Ryan Nitz
Geographic Coverage
Salinas (Calif.)
Subjects
Chinatown (Salinas, Calif.); Fort Ord (Calif.); Hospitals--Food service; Gambling; Cultural pluralism
Type
Moving Image
Genre
Oral histories
Digital Format
video/mp4
Language
eng
Digital Collection
Chinatown Renewal Project
Repository
Archives & Special Collections of California State University, Monterey Bay
Disclaimer
These oral histories express the personal views, memories, and opinions of the interviewee. They do not represent the policy or views of California State University, Monterey Bay.
Recommended Citation
Benet, Vernon and California State University, Monterey Bay, "Interview with Vernon Benet" (2013). Chinatown Renewal Project. 15.
https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/ohcma_chinatown/15
Rights Statement
