March 10 speaker Joe Galiardi

Posted by Andrew Ratermann

Joe Galiardi will talk about his recently published book, Hooked On Autographs. As a lifetime collector, he claims to have one of the largest autographed golf ball collections in the country. His speech will be about his one-of-a-kind collection and the behind-the-scenes excitement of tracking down celebrities from all walks of life for their autographs.

Biography

Joe Galiardi

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Joe Galiardi graduated from Penn State in 1957 where he lettered in tennis. He served two years in the U.S. Army following college.

Joe worked for an advertising and public relations agency in Pittsburgh following his two years of active duty in the Army. He came to San Francisco in 1962 to direct Wells Fargo Bank's weekly TV show, "Science in Action." Two years later he joined Allstate Insurance Company and became their Public Affairs Manager for Northern California for 30 years.

Active in civic affairs, Joe was honored by many organizations throughout his Allstate career. He was named "Man of the Year" in Sacramento in 1968. He received from Mayor Diane Feinstein an Award of Merit from the City and County of San Francisco for his involvement in the establishment of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD). Candy Lightner, founder of MADD, was on hand for the ceremony at city hall.

Joe claims to have one of the largest private collections of autographed golf balls in America. His published book, Hooked on Autographs, describes many of his favorite stories in garnering and gathering autographed golf balls from best-loved golfers, famous Hollywood entertainers, notable sports figures, and U.S presidents.

Joe is a member of the Golf Collectors Society and the Penn State Varsity Club. He and his wife, Judy, belong to the Almaden Golf & Country Club in San Jose. They have two children and three grandchildren. He lives in Cupertino, CA.

Joe is a frequent speaker about his book and hobby of collecting autographed golf balls. He is available to speak to groups located in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. He does not charge for his presentations. Please contact Joe at joe@hookedonautographs.com or call him at (408) 996-1762.