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Brentwood Press - DiscoveryBayPress_08.22.08 - Index

your hometown weeKLy newspaper
Vol. 6, No. 34 Including surrounding Communities www.discoverybaypress.com August 22, 2008
Vandals
wreck Vasco
memorial
by Ruth Roberts
Staff Writer
Cameron Enriquez says that whoever desecrated
the newly painted cross and freshly planted flowers
along the side of Vasco Road last week might have
removed the tangible evidence of his mother’s shrine,
but they’ve done nothing to supplant her memory. In
fact, the 18-year-old vowed to build a larger, sturdier
and more expansive memorial in its place.
Enriquez’s mother, Patricia Altman, was killed
on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 10, 2003, when the car
she was driving southbound along a narrow stretch
of Vasco Road was struck by a cargo trailer that had
broken off of a truck and crossed over into her lane.
She was one of seven people killed that year on the
perilous roadway.
Altman’s death spurred her husband, Jeff, and
her best friend, Joanne Flynn, to lobby for improvements
along the dangerous commute corridor. The
tragedy helped spawn the multi-jurisdictional Vasco
see.Memorial.page.21A
Putting his story in ‘God’s Hand’
by Ruth Roberts
Staff Writer
Randy Agno’s story is the stuff
of which TV movies are made:
Young boy grows up in one of the
poorest neighborhoods in the East
Bay, is squeezed into a small, twobedroom
apartment with his four
siblings, mother and stepfather,
becomes a victim of sexual molestation,
takes to the streets abusing
drugs and alcohol, suffers through
two divorces and countless jobs,
but eventually turns his life around
guided by his faith and spirituality.
Agno is the author of the recently
released book “God’s Hand,”
a fast-paced, autobiographical look
at a hard-scrabble life turned around
by faith, determination and hope.
Especially hope.
“It is a grab-the-tissue-box
kind of story,” said Agno, 41. “It’s
a story of alcoholism, dysfunction,
disappointment, but also hope. It
gives the reader a chance to see what
I have struggled with and to know
that they too can come out of a bad
situation and make a better life.”
Agno does indeed enjoy better
circumstances today, but for the
Discovery Bay resident, single dad
and general contractor, the good life
was a long time in coming. Growing
up in a crime-riddled area of
Vallejo, with an emotionally absent
mother and a string of stepfathers,
life for Agno was hard. But nothing
prepared him for the onslaught of
Photo.courtesy.of.Randy.Agno
Discovery Bay resident Randy Agno is the author of “God’s
Hand,” an autobiographical story of how he changed the
abusive direction of his life through faith and spirituality.
sexual abuse by one of his stepfathers;
a scarring series of events that
forever changed his life.
“That is the main reason I
wrote the book: to try and help
kids, and parents, to see the warning
signs, to give the reader some
information and an opportunity
Photo.by.Richard.Wisdom
Cameron Enriquez, left, and Jeff Altman survey the vandalized Vasco Road memorial
to their mother and wife, Patricia Altman, whose 2003 death helped
prompt numerous safety improvements on the dangerous commute corridor.
The memorial was wrecked just days after it was refurbished in observance of
the fifth anniversary of her accident.
to change things,” said Agno. “I’ve
learned a lot of things over the
years, and I want to help others by
sharing that information.”
And although the book is
filled with stories of “suffering in
the home,” as Agno puts it, “God’s
Hand” is also about survival. Once
Agno left home for good, he ran
through a series of jobs that included
a stint in the army, various paper
routes and even shining shoes.
He also discovered that his natural
father was not the man he lived
with, but a semi-frequent visitor to
his house; a man who would come
and take him to the toy store or out
for an ice cream. It turned out that
Agno discovered later in life that
all his siblings had a different biological
father, and today, he shares
a friendly relationship with his real
dad, who lives in the Midwest.
In fact, it was his true father
who grabbed up the first few copies
of his son’s published work.
“I remember I was visiting
with my dad and I told him, ‘Hey,
I’ve sold 97 books so far,’” said
Agno. “And my stepmom looked at
see.Story.page.21A
National Award Winning Newspapers
This Week
defying
dilapidation
Liberty.High’s.Athletic.Boosters.
are.continuing.their.decadeslong.mission.to.improve.the.
school’s.sports.facilities.and.
bolster.the.Lions’.pride...
Page 9A
kids rally
to the rescue
The.tragic.effects.of.child.
trafficking.have.been.reduced.
thanks.to.the.vision.and.hard.
work.of.who.else.–.other.kids.
Page 3A
hard worker
spreads cheer
One.coach.is.doing.double.
duty.so.that.two.of.her.colleagues.can.take.a.break.without.leaving.the.program.
Page 1B
inside
Calendar.........................19B
Classifieds.......................12B
Community..................... 3A
Education........................ 6A
Entertainment.................9B
Food ..............................10B
Health & Beauty..............7B
Opinion.........................16A
Outdoors.......................18A
Public Notices..................8B
Siren Sounds.................17A
Sports...............................1B