Slats' Kidnap to Glory

At the turn of this century, a Catholic parishioner in the town of Ely, Nev. watched in bewilderment, as Father Caesar J. Caviglia, affectionately known as “Slats,” pastor of the local church, wearing his Roman collar, walked out cheerfully from a well-known brothel. Repercussions were immediate; the Sunday church collection dropped significantly. Rumors of other similar sightings ran rampant, and eventually the whole truth came out. More on that later. Slats was born the youngest of three children to Italian immigrants, who settled in the mountain mining town of Ely. During World War II, Slats was attending high school, while his older brother, Tommy, served three years in the U.S. Navy.

In the spring of 1946 Slats graduated from White Pine High School, and received an apprentice award to work as a machinist at Kennecott Copper, the largest employer n White Pine County.

Tommy had decided, with the help of Rev. Father Anderson, a local parish priest, to go to Saint Mary’s College, while Slats had no intention of doing so, due to his apprenticeship acceptance. However, Slats agreed to tutor Tom in math, and take the entrance exam with him to help his preparation. They were both accepted, however, Slats was adamant about staying in Ely to work as an apprentice. He wanted to make money.

Tommy, as the older brother, simply was going to rule the roost, Slats had to follow Tommy’s wish. Tommy went so far that in September 1946, when the start of the college semester arrived, Tommy conspired with his college-bound buddies Harry Johnson, Eddy Garro, Jim Monaghan and a few others to hogtie, pack and kidnap Slats, throwing him into the rumble seat of Tommy’s Model A, driving him to Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. They were convinced a good college education would ultimately be better for Slats, leading to his goal of making more money.

Because it was cold in the open-air rumble seat, Slats got pneumonia, losing two weeks of classes. The next year Slats went back willingly to Saint Mary’s. And, by the third year, he was there two weeks early. The rest is history, herein briefly outlined.

Tommy and Slats roomed together for four years. Their room was the headquarters for penny-ante poker players, despite the watchful eye of Brother Albert, former Saint Mary’s president, supervising certain dorm rooms. During that time, Slats joined the champion Phantom intramural touch football team, organized, coached and quarterbacked by Bob Emmons ’50. But Slats mostly sat on the bench, without complaint.

Slats was known for his sense of the comical. Serving on the committee for my election to the Saint Mary’s student body presidency, he devised a plan to place my name before every potential voter. Slats opined, “When you got to go, you got to go. At that time, Saint Mary’s was an all-male school. Over every urinal, except one, Slats placed a sign reading, “Casalnuovo for President.” Unfortunately, although I won the election, my name also became forever linked with urine.

Slats was a happy-go-lucky kid, majoring in business. He was a good student, but not at the brilliant level of classmates such as Dan Arzac, Bob Kozlowski and Don Rauber. Nor was he active in social improvement projects. His friends never suspected Slats had the concern, skill and drive that would let him accomplish the diverse benefits for so many. That simply was not in his make-up, so we thought.

His diverse contributions to the state of Nevada were wide-ranging. He founded, organized and successfully pushed for a community college, and also family guidance, legal services for the poor, a senior citizen center, meals on wheels, home repair for the poor and more. He was credited with successfully lobbying for a new convention center, downtown improvements for the town of Henderson, pressuring the state department of transportation for a new freeway between Las Vegas and Henderson, and landscaping for Henderson worth $8 million, thereby lifting that town from low-income to middle-income status, and nudging out Reno as Nevada’s second largest city. He was even elected president of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce.

Nevada’s U. S. senators called upon him for advice. And, importantly, as pastor he oversaw the demolition of old St. Peter’s Church in Henderson, and construction of a much larger church with a bell tower modestly fashioned after the campanile of Saint Mary’s.

At our 50th reunion, from the pulpit at our reunion mass, he related how in Ely, there were three legal brothels and four grocery stores, and the residents complained there were too many grocery stores.

At the turn of the century Slats had his final tour as pastor for the local Catholic church. Slats had acquired a puppy to keep him company. One day, while driving his car, Slats came to a stop, and his puppy jumped out the open car window, up the nearby steps of a brothel. Slats went up, retrieved his puppy, and walked down the steps, when the parishioner saw him.

At his funeral mass in July, 2013 I had the privilege of delivering the eulogy, in the form of a comic poem. I must admit, that I think Slats would have appreciated that I had the Bishop and 300 in attendance rolling in the aisles with laughter and smiles. Hey, I miss you Slats; rest in peace.