SOLEDAD — Students at Jack Franscioni Elementary School in Soledad celebrated the 100th birthday of Jack Franscioni himself last week.
The well-known resident turned 100 years old on Feb. 1, becoming the city’s latest centenarian. The historic moment was marked with a birthday celebration organized by school staff with assistance from the Soledad Rotary Club.
Franscioni, of whom the elementary school on Orchard Lane was named after in his honor, has been a Rotarian for 74 years. During this time, he ran Soledad Pharmacy for 40 years and also helped bring Soledad High School to fruition.
At last Wednesday’s event, Franscioni was presented with the Soledad Rotary Club’s first honorary membership and also received proclamations from the Soledad City Council and the Soledad Unified School District (SUSD) Board of Trustees in recognition of his contributions to the community.
“As I was thinking about this momentous occasion, one phrase that came to mind was: ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way,’” said Ivan Ibarra Mora, president of the Soledad Rotary Club and the SUSD School Board. “I think Jack, for the 74 years that he’s been a Rotarian and for the 100 years that he’s been alive, he’s demonstrated that and he’s left an immense impact in our schools, in our community and around Salinas Valley.”
Members of the local Rotary Club attended the festivities, which kicked off with a presentation of colors from the Soledad High NJROTC color guard.
Other current and past officials in attendance included Mayor Anna Velazquez, former mayor Fred Ledesma, Councilmembers Ben Jimenez and Maria Corralejo, School Board Member Christopher Bourke, SUSD Superintendent Randy Bangs and Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss.
“Thank you for many of your initiatives that you brought forth to the City of Soledad,” said Velazquez, recalling Franscioni’s time as the city’s mayor. “A lot of what we have in downtown is because of your tenacity, because of your dedication, and most of all because of your love for the city of Soledad. … We want to wish you a happy birthday, we want to wish you more prosperous years to come, and we want to say thank you on behalf of the community of Soledad for everything that you have done.”
In addition to celebratory cake, second- and third-grade students sang a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” to Franscioni, who was joined by his grandson, Colby Bell, and other family members.
Many of the elementary students also gave him hand-made birthday cards and personally wished him a happy birthday.
“This is a very special day for the family, and thank you for taking the time to honor him,” said Bell, who spoke on behalf of the family. “It’s been a privilege to grow up in this town, and we love to see what you all are doing to keep this legacy going and to keep Soledad going.”
This story has been updated for clarification.
