Shell in Perspective
Joe Shell had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ellie, Tommy, Mark, Justin, Matt, Emily, Jennifer, Dana, Ryan, Stacey, Brian, enjoyed visiting him in Bakersfield whenever they could.
Among his varied interests, Shell was a sailing enthusiast. He once placed third in the TransPacific sailing race in his boat called the Khamsin. He also collected classic cars. His obituary says that he "liked all dogs." Joe Shell's health began to deteriorate late in 2007 when he broke a hip in a fall. He rallied with use of a walker, but he broke two ribs in another fall early in 2008. He also developed dementia.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger extended condolences to the Shell family. In a proclamation, he called Shell “a dedicated, loyal public servant, who contributed years of service to his district and was thoroughly committed to bettering the lives of Californians.” Shell was interred on April 11, 2008 at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Bakersfield. A memorial followed at the First Presbyterian Church of Bakersfield. He was a member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bakersfield.
Dan Walters summed up Shell's political legacy in the Sacramento Bee on April 8, in an article entitled "For Joe Shell, character trumped ideology in California politics":
" Deukmejian persuaded Shell to take a seat on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board in 1989, but Shell resigned two years later, saying he was embarrassed to be paid for doing almost nothing. It was vintage Joe Shell, a crusty, old-school politician to whom character was more important than ideology. Shell died Monday at his home in Bakersfield – the same day that old enemy Jerry Brown was celebrating his 70th birthday and contemplating another run for the governorship . It's too bad Shell won't be around to see what happens."
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Famous quotes containing the words shell in, shell and/or perspective:
“Billy: You dropped some shell in there.
Ted: It’s all right. Makes it crunchier that way. You like French toast crunchy, don’t you?”
—Robert Benton (b. 1932)
“How then can we account for the persistence of the myth that inside the empty nest lives a shattered and depressed shell of a woman—a woman in constant pain because her children no longer live under her roof? Is it possible that a notion so pervasive is, in fact, just a myth?”
—Lillian Breslow Rubin (20th century)
“No one thinks anything silly is suitable when they are an adolescent. Such an enormous share of their own behavior is silly that they lose all proper perspective on silliness, like a baker who is nauseated by the sight of his own eclairs. This provides another good argument for the emerging theory that the best use of cryogenics is to freeze all human beings when they are between the ages of twelve and nineteen.”
—Anna Quindlen (20th century)