Almaden Volunteer of the Week:
Ben Angileri

Graffiti really ticks off Ben Angileri. The Almaden grandfather has been jumping out of his car to delete unsavory scribbles since 1989.

“I remember once I was going home for lunch and I was driving by a soundwall and I saw some graffiti on the wall. So I turned my car around and went to a hardware store for a can of paint and a paintbrush and I drove back to the soundwall. Cars were whizzing by and people were honking, no doubt thinking, “What the heck is that guy doing, taking his life into his own hands to clean up graffiti?”

But, that is just what Angileri has done ever since that first day. “I became a one-man Anti-Graffiti advocate,” he said. “This was before the City of San Jose had an Anti-Graffiti Program.”

Angileri recalls the many times he saw graffiti out in Almaden and when he came back with his paint can the graffiti was already gone. It turns out there was another graffiti buster out in Almaden, Rob Boyles. “Rob laughed when I came walking up to shake his hand,” said Angileri. “’So you are the other guy who’s cleaning up graffiti in Almaden!’ Rob has done an exemplary job for the city as the head of the Anti-Graffiti program. But for me I just do it as a volunteer. I tell people, at my age I don’t volunteer for my resume, I’m not running for public office and I have no ax to grind – I just do it because I think it should be done!”

Now there is very little graffiti in Almaden and throughout San Jose thanks to people like Angileri and city officials who have made graffiti abatement a top priority.Unfortunately, it’s not a top priority in other areas of the world yet.

“My wife and I have traveled all over Europe and it was disheartening to see beautiful buildings in Rome, London, Paris and even Switzer-land, covered with graffiti,” said Ang-ileri. “I am very proud to say that the City of San Jose has a strong group of volunteers and a strong commitment by city government to keep the city graffiti free.”
Angileri, who helmed his own business in the medical supply field, started volunteering years ago when his boys (Thomas, John and Ben Jr.) were in Almaden Pop Warner Football. Angileri served on the board of directors of the organization.

More recently Angileri has helped to form a Neighborhood Watch program in his country club area neighborhood in response to a spate of summer break-ins. “We’ve had a really good response,” said Angileri. “There are about 20 families participating.”