Steve Soto spoke to members of the Rotary Club last month as part of the observation of World Poetry Day. He shared how he has written hundreds of poems and about the praise his work received from John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach of UCLA, who became friends with Steve after his retirement from UCLA.
Steve Soto, has been called the “swimming poet”. His talent at writing poems began to show at about age seven. At first other kids would tease him about his hobby. His skills at baseball helped him transition through that period. A few years later the boys would come to him to help write cards for girls they wanted to impress.
Soto has now been writing poetry for over 60 years. His poems have helped him and many others deal with life’s challenges and obstacles. He currently is a guest poet columnist for the Desert Sun newspaper serving Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. An avid swimmer, Soto is seen frequently working out a Splash! In La Mirada.
One of Soto’s prizes possessions is a letter complimenting his poetry that he received from legendary basketball coach John Wooden, who he befriended and met with frequently after the coach retired from UCLA. He also spoke of getting to know Dodgers great Maury Wills, who set major league records for base stealing.
Rotarians gave Soto a hearty round of applause following his presentation and asked many questions about where he finds his inspiration for his poetry, his style of writing, and his favorite source of poetry.
Soto received his bachelor’s degree from Western State College of Law. After graduation he was recruited by retired La Mirada City Manager Gary Sloan and asked to apply his knowledge of real estate to assisting with operations of the La Mirada Redevelopment Agency. He was involved in bringing the North Woods Inn and Elephant Bar restaurants to the community adjacent to the La Mirada Holiday Inn. That experience would lead to a career in government as a Redevelopment / Economic Development Manager for four different municipalities.
Upon leaving La Mirada, Soto was hired by the City of Norco where he was instrumental in putting together the Norco Auto Mall. He subsequently went on to work for the City of Orange and ultimately retired from the City of Westminster.
Soto was raised in the City of Pico Rivera and went to El Rancho high school where he played baseball. He has three adult children, Lesley, Randi and Steven, and four grandchildren. Soto and his wife, Yolanda, have been married for 34 years and live in La Mirada. She is a former Broadway performer, who retired from the Norwalk Unified School District as a dance and drama instructor.
By Tom Robinson
