There’s an obituary in today’s Kansas City Star that probably won’t register with the vast majority of area residents.
But for those of us who have been around 30 or 40 years or so and who have followed the news closely during that time, this particular obit is of keen interest.
Pete Tamburello
Below a photo of a smiling, gray-haired man with large-rimmed glasses is the name Peter Joseph Tamburello. Mr. Tamburello lived to the ripe age of 83. His obit starts out like this:
“Peter was a lifelong Kansas city resident, a graduate of Northeast High School, and an Eagle Scout. He served in the United States Army during the Korean conflict.”
Ah, yes, an Eagle Scout and a war veteran.
But wait, there’s more!
It’s not in the obit, but Pete — I’m switching to the more familiar mode now because I sort of met him once (more on that in a minute) — also was:
:: A “soldier” in the Kansas City’s La Cosa Nostra during the mob’s “glory years” in the 1970s.
:: A close associate of the longtime Kansas City mob boss Nick Civella.
:: A twice-convicted felon. Once for his role in a Las Vegas casino money-skimming scheme and another time for attempting, along with Civella, to bribe a prison official to get favorable treatment for a Civella nephew who was incarcerated.
Pete served several years in prison. I couldn’t find the lengths of the prison terms, but I think they were significant, especially in the casino-skimming case.
**
Last December, I wrote about my 1980 encounter with Pete and Nick. It was at Game 5 of the 1980 World Series — the series the Royals lost in six games to the Philadelphia Phillies.
In brief, Nick and Pete attended the game with tickets that a friend had finagled from state Sen. Harry Wiggins. Early in the game, Wiggins went to the seats to see who the friend had given them to and, to his shock, found Civella and Tamburello in the seats.
Wiggins called The Star, and an editor got ahold of me (I was on assignment at Kauffman Stadium). A photographer and I then approached Civella and Tamburello, and I interviewed Civella — with Tamburello standing beside him — in the lower concourse, down the first base line.
The encounter got a little testy. During the interview, Tamburello shoved a camera being held by a KMBC-TV cameraman, and Civella slapped at the Star photographer’s camera. After the interview, the two men returned to their seats but left the game a short time later. It was one of my most invigorating days as a reporter, and the story was on the front page the next day.
At the time, both Nick and Pete were awaiting trial on the bribery charges.
There were two skimming cases — the Tropicana and the Argent — where the mob muscled into ownership and exacted a portion of the revenue. The mob’s share was paid out regularly, in cash, to trusted couriers. Pete was charged, along with several other mobsters, in connection with both cases.
In the Tropicana case, a grand jury indicted 11 people in November 1981. Pete was the only one to be acquitted. In the Argent case, which was a few years later, he pleaded guilty.
Civella also was indicted in the Tropicana case but was never prosecuted because he was in prison on the bribery conviction, dying of cancer. He died in March 1983, six months before indictments were handed down in the Argent case.
**
Back to that obit…After returning from the Korean War and getting his discharge, Pete operated a plumbing supply business before entering the restaurant business.
“He owned and operated several restaurants…including Antonio’s Pizzeria, Hello Dolly’s, Taco Pete’s, Georgie Porgie’s, Sir Kenneth’s Fish & Chips and Marty’s BBQ.”
Antonio’s Pizzeria, which had its beginning on Troost just south of 47th Street, was a nexus for KC’s mobsters. After one or more of his arrests, Civella listed his occupation as part owner of Antonio’s Pizzeria. I don’t know if Civella ever made any of the pizza, but it was damn good; I was a regular there in the early ’70s.
…And so, on Monday, Pete will be laid to rest after a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Patrick Catholic Church in the Northland.
I’d like to hear the eulogy, but I don’t think I’ll attend. Just like at Game 5 of the World Series, there will be a lot of eyes on people who aren’t part of the immediate and extended families.
Way to go, “Hearne Jr. Kick the dead when they can’t kick your ass. On Good Friday, no less. You are some Christian. You couldn’t find one more subject to comment on? So trotted out your old story from before. Pathetic.
When Nick died, Lee Judge did a cartoon which Jim Hale said was the only one he ever vetoed. It was a tombstone that said, “I told you I was sick.” That was too rough even for Hale. Lee will correct me if I’m wrong. I heard only Hale’s side of it.
Good story from the publisher’s office, Mike…That sounds like Lee.
Yes, unfortunately it does.
Maybe you explained this in the other post, but how did you happen to interview Civella on the concourse, and what were you asking him?
Click on the link, Gayle — “Last December…” etc. — and it will pop right up. Otherwise, you can use the “search” bar at the top right of the page to search for any subject I have written about since 2010.
I know; it’s also under “Related.” I was being lazy and hoping you could explain in a few words so I wouldn’t have to re-read the whole story. :-)
Fascinating stuff, Fitz.
Thanks, John.
Those were colorful days; current Kansas City crime is but a slow and dreary appropriation by comparison.
Well…except for the constant Eastside carnage.
I also really liked Antonio’s, even in the late 60’s I parked cars with my Kansas City North high school friends at Club Royal on Main. Now OfficeMart or something. They knew all about Antonio’s. It was a regular stop at the end of the evening. So good.
I also liked Marty’s on Vivion Road, why not?
It’s Office Max. They kept the facade of the old Club Royal, which a lot of people used to pronounce as if it had an “e” on the end…Also, I’m quite sure Antonio’s didn’t move to Main Street until at least the early ’70s. I distinctly remember going to Antonio’s when it was on Troost, east side of the street, just south of 47th. That’s when it had the best pizza. I can’t recall ever going there when it was on Maid; I think it was strictly carryout after that.
Could have been 1970 and 1971. Was on the east side of the street. We didn’t carry out. I’ll try to research it.
I parked cars with my high school classmates at the Club Royale, I think it was as you say with an ‘e’. 3 deep. I’m not going to say too much but it was a big mistake to let a bunch of high school kids park cars for drunk cowboys and cowboyettes. Looking back on it now, that place was the original Jerry’s Westport Country Playhouse. Probably even better really.
No, you had it right, Bill — Club Royal. I said a lot of people used to pronounce it as if it had an “e” on the end, but it didn’t. I think it would be difficult to pin down exactly when Antonio’s moved from Troost to Main, but it had to be in the early 70s.