James Robertson Daneke

Dad had keys to this building, The Bank of California, downtown San Francisco. He loved that bank. He served it from the early 60’s maybe late 50’s. It was the only bank that had branches on another state. No other bank was in three states. Bank of California was in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle Washington. Dad knew all the big guns because he was one.  Dad started at downtown Bank of California and was soon promoted to Vice President and Branch Manager of the Watt Avenue and King’s Way Arden branch.  Dad was a member of the Arden Rotary and Del Paso Country Club. He stayed at that branch until he was transferred to San Jose Main in 1971.

In San Jose Dad was in charge of Santa Clara Bank of California locations (4) as it was becoming Silicon Valley. When Sumitomo Bank of Japan took over Bank of California, Dad allowed his customers to easily follow him to Bank of Santa Clara where he became the president. That was in late 70’s. It’s not mentioned in Bank of California history but I lived it After running Bank of Santa Clara for some he for whatever reason came back to Sacramento to Gold River where he formed American River Bank with Buzz Oates, Bill Witherow, Wayne Matthews, M.D., and others. He ran that until he and Mom retired in Palm Desert.  She died in 1995 and he in 2008. He moved back to Carmichael and lived at El Camino Gardens, and what is now the Atria.

Dad had cat eyes and attended Bohemian Grove once that I remember and maybe more as I went to school in Iowa. in the late 70’s. He was Beta Theta Pi, Sainte Claire Club. Good Will, Boy’s City Boy’s Club, and he went inside the mountain in Colorado and he went up in a blimp and he was 6’4″ 240 ex-army quartermaster Sgt with a nasty temper sometimes. You needed to be careful.