Life journey takes many turns

WASILLA -- Calvin Rocquemore is somewhere in his mid-70s and has a long and growing list of creative projects and to-do lists yet to accomplish.

He just completed his first acting role in more than 40 years, when he played a lonely old black man, Crooks, in the Valley Performing Arts' production "Of Mice & Men." Rocquemore is a trim and fit 70-something, who keeps himself busy. Moments before an interview last week he wrestled with a lawn mower as he mowed through the knee-high grass in his backyard. His wife of 24 years, Christine Rocquemore, sat on the back steps of their red mobile home, fending off mosquitos with smoke sticks, watching her husband work.

A few minutes later, in the comfort of his small but cozy living room, Rocquemore sat back in a brown kitchen chair, stroked his salt and pepper beard and let stories and poems flow from his memory of seven decades. Rocquemore's winding journey started in the small town of Butler, Ga.

"I was born in 1930," said Rocquemore in his gravely voice, "but they took a year off because I had no proof. When I was born, my aunt Christine wrote it down on the back of an envelope but we had a fire and it was never found. That was during the worst part of the Depression. I was born at home just like my brother and sister. At that time we were all born in the same house."

Rocquemore is working on his somewhat fictionalized memoirs, which breaks his life down into different chapters or decades.

"You know the song, 'What A Difference A Day Makes,' well my book will be called 'What a Difference a Decade Makes,'" Rocquemore said. "Each chapter is a decade, from the 1930s up to today," he explained. "I had a life before I came to Alaska and I've had a couple of other lives too."

Before coming to Alaska, Rocquemore cut concrete from Detroit, Mich., to Miami, Fla., during the big interstate highway building project. In the early 1970s he arrived in Alaska as a self-described vagabond.

"You see, I'm a guy and this is all I need," he said, holding out his calloused hands. "People say, 'what do you got?' You got yourself -- that's what you got," he said. "I came to rape the country. I was a carpetbagger, to tell you the truth. I came up to make as much money as I could and get the heck out of here. But I fell in love with it and never left."

After shining shoes at the Anchorage International Airport, sterilizing doctor's tools at an Anchorage hospital and later owning his own cleaning business, Rocquemore found himself approaching 70 years old and needing a new job.

Almost six years ago, on his birthday, July 19, Rocquemore walked into the little yellow grocery store near Hatcher Pass to find work.

"Some people have had careers, I've had jobs," said Rocquemore with a chuckle.

Jim Turner owns the little store, Turner's Corner, and he immediately offered Rocquemore a job.

"I told Jim I didn't have anything to do, so give me something to do," Rocquemore said, "and Jim said, 'When can you start?' -- just like I was a new employee." I'm retiring this July 19th because I started six years ago on my birthday and I'll stop on my birthday."

In the six years he has worked at Turner's Corner, Rocquemore has left a unique imprint on the little store. He regularly brings a video camera to work so he can film the little moments of life that unfold there. Just recently he finished filming the little kids who come into the store to get ice cream cones. Rocquemore enjoys filming the sticky-fingered children as they struggle to say their names and their favorite ice creams, while on camera.

"I'm an amateur photographer," Rocquemore said. "I gave myself the title camcorderologist/documentarian and I film things like weddings, birthday parties, church events, plays and things like that."

He plans to compile all the shots of kids with their ice cream cones and then create a video to be shown at the store for the kids and their parents.

Rocquemore said he wants to capture, on film, the little things that make up life.

"I have some shots of the moon and one of a rainbow that stretches over the whole Valley," he said. "I have shots of Hatcher Pass from as many different angles as you can imagine."

Eventually he plans to put together his shots in a film he will call "The Signs of Our Times."

With his retirement only a few weeks away, Rocquemore has already planned his first day off.

"I'll play basketball. I always play basketball on my birthday as a present to myself. The kids will be out of school by then and I should be able to find a hoop somewhere."

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.