Mesa Musings:

Do you feel as blessed this holiday season as I do?

With Thanksgiving only hours away, my lengthy appreciation list grows by the minute. It includes the following:

A new granddaughter, born this year;

Five other beautiful grandchildren;

Three daughters and their husbands;

A wife who far exceeds anything I dreamed of, or deserve;

Siblings, nieces and nephews, assorted relations, friends and others who bring texture and meaning to my life; and my 85-year-old mother who courageously keeps on being my “Mom.”

Of course, I’m thankful for this country, for the military that defends it, for health and safety personnel who guard our well-being, and for the wonderful residents of Newport-Mesa who make this the best community anywhere. And I’m also thankful for those indispensable people among us who daily mete out love, compassion and kindness, and serve as shining examples for all of us.

To whom shall I express my gratitude this Thanksgiving? To the Zeitgeist of the age, or some distant and anonymous cosmic spectator? No — and, some of you will find this amusing and decidedly politically incorrect — I shall thank the “Ancient of Days,” who revealed himself in the Old and New Testament scriptures.

Thanksgiving has been an annual tradition in this nation since the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863 — shortly after horrible bloodletting at Gettysburg and Vicksburg — encouraging the nation to observe a “day of thanksgiving and prayer to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” His personal faith issues aside, Lincoln’s words are unambiguous.

Thanksgiving became a federal holiday in 1941.

A particular community member comes to mind as I reflect on “indispensable people” this Thanksgiving. He is Wally Roda.

If you visited Orange Coast College’s campus between 1982 and 2005, chances are rather good that you made Roda’s acquaintance; particularly if you locked your keys in your car in the parking lot, needed assistance carrying something heavy from your trunk to a classroom, or required a jump-start for a dead battery.

Roda, a safety officer, helped everyone — and loved it. The hale and hearty senior citizen patrolled OCC’s 164 acres with gusto for 23 years.

Wally died Nov. 11 — Veteran’s Day — just a few days shy of his 92nd birthday. Vibrant and active throughout his long life, he was using a wheelchair in his last year after falling and breaking his hip.

Raised in Philadelphia, Roda never lost his gruff Philly accent or demeanor. But he was a pussycat.

He served as a U.S. Army mechanic in Italy during World War II, and was in the Navy during the Korean War. He worked for 30 years as a civilian security guard at the Philadelphia Naval Supply Depot. When he retired in 1978, he and his wife, Jenny, moved to California to be closer to their grandchildren.

Four years later, at the age of 65, Roda was hired as an OCC security guard. He retired at 80, but continued to work part time until he was 88! Everybody loved “the old guy” in the starched uniform, gold badge and spit-polished shoes.

Roda frequently worked the night shift. According to security Chief John Farmer, he was the “king of the staff” at tracking down unlocked doors. Roda took it as a personal challenge to find and lock every unlocked classroom and office door before midnight.

Orange Coast College Foundation Director Doug Bennett labels Roda “a pleasure to work with.” I agree.

During my many years with the college his professionalism, dedication, generosity and friendly manner deeply impressed me. To many, he was the “face” of OCC because he was the first person they encountered on campus.

Roda loved his wife, who preceded him in death by 11 years. He was devoted to his son, Rich, and daughter-in-law, Mary, his three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. During the last six years of his life, he adored his cat, Barbie. He was also an ardent Angels fan. Roda enjoyed playing cards at the senior center and singing Frank Sinatra ballads.

I’m grateful to our “beneficent Father” for giving me a little peek into Roda’s world. It enriched my life enormously!

JIM CARNETT lives in Costa Mesa. His column runs Wednesdays.