Just Plain Amazing Lester Rougeot
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, May 15, 2008 --- It’s amazing, Lester Rougeot has spent seventy years in the Grange. Even more amazing, his wife Barbara has put up with him for most of those years.
After all, he is a bit of a rascal. A true California potluck of John Wayne righteousness, Ronald Regan charm, and Buster Keaton calamity. His life in the Grange plays out like a John Ford Western, complete with outlaws and frontier justice, swindlers and sidewinders, and almost ending in an OK Corral-style shootout.
Spend an hour listening to Les spin his tales, all decked-out in his Stetson hat, wrangler jeans, and pointy-toed black cowboy boots and you find yourself hankering for a chaw of tobacco. Your gaze alternates between his shirt pockets stuffed with more supplies than the local Office Depot, the little farm tractors pictured on his wide suspenders, and his striking blue eyes.
His parents and grandparents were Granger members. He’s been the Master of the San Luis Obispo County Pomona Grange since 1975 and Pasa Robles Grange since 1993. Les and Barbara’s grandson, Donny, represents a fifth generation of Grangers from the Rougeot blood line.
Les’ notorious Grange career started in 1939 when he joined as a Juvenile in the Estrella Grange. Almost immediately, he gained a reputation, when during a full-on ritual ceremony, he was caught rolling grapes to a pal across the Hall.
His irreverence didn’t bide well with two elderly ladies of the Grange who objected when Les’ Grandmother later made him a Deputy at age 17 and asked him to install new officers for seven Granges. It must have been get-it-right or the woodshed because somehow Les pulled it off, giving his Grandmother bragging rights and reason to go nose-to-nose with the two old ladies, snickering, “What do ya think of my boy now?”
Les has been married to Barbara for sixty-two years. “She never had it so good,” says Les, laughing out loud. Barbara sits behind him, looking indignant.
“You know the Grange got the vote for women,” remarks Les, settling down. Barbara snaps back, “Yeah, and they still won’t let us talk.”
Les and Barbara met at a Grange dance in 1945. “Dances were a big thing back then.” says Les. After a second dance at Hames Valley Grange, Les proposed marriage on January 12, 1946.
“The first time he asked me, I didn’t take him seriously because he was drunk on the couch.” explains Barbara, as to why she didn’t jump at the opportunity.
Undaunted, the next day Les took Barbara squirrel shooting. After all, what better way to win a girl’s heart than take her out killing rodents? And there, at the mouth of Buzzard Canyon, says Les, he asked Barbara, “So, are you gonna marry me, or what?” How could a girl say no? “And we been spliced together ever since,” cackles Les.
Barbara and Les share a scary story of how they got caught in a raging snow storm one night, on the “old road” coming back from Santa Maria where they had installed Grange officers. “We left Santa Maria at 10:00pm and we didn’t get home till 4:00 in the morning.”
It’s an example of how they have survived together. through thick and thin.
In recent years, Barbara has coped with some health problems. So revered in their community, when Barbara returned from the hospital recently, “the boys and girls of the Ranchita 4H came to our home and served us dinner for seven days.” Humbled, his blue eyes swell.
Ed Hale, the Pasa Robles Grange Treasurer, and Les have been pals for years. “I couldn’t have done it without Ed,” says Les, about leading the Pasa Robles Grange.
“You couldn’t ask for more honest or conscientious treasurer than Ed.” Les adds with a laugh. “If Ed loses a penny he spends two days looking for it.”
The charming adobe-style Pasa Robles Grange sits on a couple of acres in the highlands overlooking green rolling hills and valleys to the south. The Grange sells about 100 pancake breakfasts every month, served-up by the Pasa Robles 4H. Ed and Les have fun teaching the kids how to cook. Eggs are Ed’s specialty.
Every morning Les and Barbara eat breakfast at “Old Joes” café in the nearby hamlet of Templeton. “Best breakfast anywhere,” insists Les. Les and Barbara are such regulars that the proprietor has personalized two coffee mugs, just for them. “The proprietor, Joe, donates the bacon for our pancake breakfasts every month,” comments Les.
Les has carried on a tradition started years ago by Past Master Randy Bernard of the San Bernardo Grange. Every July, for the California Mid State Fair and City of Pasa Robles, Les and Ed cook a free breakfast in the city park. They serve orange juice, coffee, pancakes, eggs and bacon to as many as 1,500 people. A couple of years ago, they cooked so many breakfasts that they knocked-out the electrical power and shut down City Hall for a day. “Now they make us bring generators,” says Ed, plainly.
For his contribution to the community, Les was recently awarded the prestigious Western Blue Ribbon from the California Mid State Fair, awarded to only one person each year.
According to Les, the Grange instigated the California Mid State Fair in 1942, originally known as the San Luis Obispo County 16th District Agricultural Fair. The first Fair Chairman was the Estrella Grange Master.
At one time, there were many more Granges in the area, including Creston, Shandon, and Parkfield, where Barbara came from. When membership slacked-off at those Granges, many remaining members demitted to the Pasa Robles Grange.
“Today everybody is after everything and they can get anything they want,” offers Les as an explanation of why membership has decline over the years. “But everybody needs some kind of help. You’ll see membership grow if we get into another depression like 1932. That was the heyday of the Grange. People needed each other.”
What would Les say to communities where Granges have closed? “I’d say, look, you have a Hall. Do something with it.”
The Pasa Robles Grange draws income from a few rentals. “We have a Karate class that meets here and a weight-watcher group that call themselves TOPS. That stands for Take Off Pounds. They come get themselves weighed and then go out for one hell of a big breakfast,” chuckles Les.
Les loves to barbeque. It’s a religion. His tri-tip is still remembered fondly by Grangers that enjoyed it being served by Les at State Conventions. The Pasa Robles Grange has two huge barbeques that are used for various events and lent to Future Farmers of America (FFA) for fund raisers. Les’ loyal fans often request his special barbeque seasoning, known as “Lester Dust”.
At one barbeque, a woman told Les she loved garlic bread and asked him if he could grill some for her. Les obliged. Tasting the bread, the woman declared, “That’s the best garlic bread I’ve ever had.” Les said, “That’s good, cause there ain’t no garlic on it.” The woman was confounded, until Les explained his technique of throwing a bunch of garlic in the fire.
Les is also renowned for his auctioneering skills. He used to auction baked goods at Grange conventions.
In Pasa Robles, the local 4H organization was only raising about $400 per year for their cookie auctions. Les volunteered to be the auctioneer. Last year, the cookie auction raised $4,800.
“You see, I get the husbands and wives bidding against each other”, whispers Les, sharing a trade secret.
Ed protests. “That ain’t it. He’s got a shill in the audience.” Les doesn’t deny it and laughs out loud.
Les tells the story of how one year he coaxed the Pasa Robles Mayor into buying a cake for $120 and a berry cobbler for $85. “The Mayor ain’t been back since,” says Les, proudly.
Les retired in 1978 and then went back to work in 1990 as a used car and farm equipment salesman. In his first year, he sold five combines, more than the dealership had sold in the previous twelve years.
“I almost got myself shot once,” says Les, out of the blue.
It seems that, in his will, a good-hearted philanthropist had left a ranch to be used for a youth camp, now known as the 7X Youth Camp. But apparently one of the heirs contested the donation of the land for this purpose and fought legally to have the will changed.
Les found out about it and took up the challenge of keeping the land for the youth camp. It ended up costing the heir hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Needless-to-say, he was quite angry with Les’ interference.
So much so, that he told Les that if he ever caught him on the property, he would shoot him dead. Les replied, “Make the first shot a good one. Cause you won’t get another.”
Les confesses, “Funny thing was, I don’t even carry a gun.”
But there was enough fire in those blue eyes to wart off the heir. The ranch is now used by boy scouts, girl scouts and other youth groups. It has the original residence, a recreation hall, guests houses and a museum, all of which Les and Ed helped put together.
A widely re-told story about Les has to do with when he was the Gatekeeper at the annual California State Grange Convention. He fell asleep in a chair at the door and a photo ended up in the Grange News.
Les’ infectious laugh, get ‘er done attitude, dedication to youth groups and his community, is only out done by his humbleness. Les Rougeot embodies the very best qualities of what it is to be a true Granger.
Along with his lovely wife, Barbara, and good friend Ed, we may see what can be accomplished working together with pride, commitment and friendship.
Les is a shining example of what the Grange once was, is today, and can be tomorrow.