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TIM KANO
REGIONAL COMMANDING OFFICER
"FLASH 196"
I was born in 1958 in Newport Beach, California. At the time that was the closest hospital to my home in San Clemente. My
parents still live in the same house and are retired, alive and well. After World War II my dad came home from Europe and
picked up my Mom and two kids in Minnesota and worked his way to the West Coast. He spent some time working his way south
till he settled in San Onofre on the Camp Pendleton Marine Base. There he started a flower farm and raised commercial flowers
for the Los Angeles Flower Market. Around 1956 or so the Marines decided they didn't want a civilian town on their base and
turned off their water supply forcing all the inhabitants to move away. My folks, now with four kids, moved into the nearby
town of San Clemente and started a florist business. A couple years later I arrived on the scene.
When I am
not commanding my Flash Force Command, I am a Chief Financial Officer for a Jack In The Box restaurant franchisee. Our office
is located in Dana Point and my house is located in the very real city of San Juan Capistrano. The very same one with the
Swallows that come back every year and provide endless target practice... I mean photo opportunities!
I started
collecting RAH Joes in the early 1980's and had a sizable collection. My older daughter and I used to play for hours together
and we had endless fun. Unfortunately the fun did come to an end when my marriage ended in divorce five years later. I had
to part with my collection then and when my younger daughter came of age she took it over and the casualty rate soared. Only
a dozen survived and most of those in pieces. I eventually gave all to a fellow RAH collector to see they got a good home
and I concentrated on the 12" figures.
In 1997 I opened my first 12" figure a "Soldiers Of The
World" WWII Paratrooper. I still have this figure although I have kitbashed it a bit since. Today I have over 500 Joes
and some 60-70 vehicles in my collection. My daughters are grown and gone and I am trying to convert one of my bedrooms into
my new Joe room.
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