Was known as "Mr. Soledad." Somethng of a colorful character and local legend, I found that people still talk about him in the area when I visited a family decendant in Salinas in 2002.

An election brochure exists from when he ran for City Clerk of Soledad (no date). Among his qualifications: 25 years as Chief of the Soledad Fire Department; completing a four-year term on the Soledad City Council; two years as Mayor proterm; Past President of the Soledad Chamber of Commerce; Past President of the Soledad Rotary Club; Past Commander of Soledad Post 32, American Legion; Present Commander of Southern Monterey County Barracks No. 1089 Veterans of World War I.

There is an article published in the September 13, 1961 issue of the United Grocers' United Family News, titled "Here Is Spanish Rice As A Male Cook Makes It," which gives his recipe for "Spanish Rice a la Claude Wendt." The article describes Claude Wendt as a real estate man by profession and a "gourmet cook" by avocation: "Mr. Wendt's reputation as a cook has gone far and wide. Among other tributes, he wears the white bonnet Sunset Magazine confers on its "Chefs of the West" ...he is usually called upon to direct barbecues and cook-outs in his community." I have yet to locate the copy of Sunset Magazinein which he is mentioned.

My mother has said that "Uncle Claude" was a "perfect gentleman," and would always open the car door for a lady. He owned a bar in Soledad for awhile. Once when we visited him when I was young, he gave me a collection of cocktail napkins with cartoons of pink elephants printed on them and I still have one. He never married but had one great love in his life.
His photo album contained numerous photographs of people partying, carrying on, and looking like they were having a pretty good time. There were no names written in though, so they are impossible to identify.