I am working on a project to collect the autograph of every boxer
Muhammad Ali ever fought professionally- of the 50 boxers Ali faced
one of the few signatures I am missing is that of Alejandro Lavorante-
Lavorante fought Ali on 7/20/62 and in his next figrt in LA on 9/21/62
was critically injured and died in Argentina on 4/01/64.I am looking
to locate the signature of Mr. lavorante preferably on a fight
contract, insurance policy, application or any such document.Will pay
a generous fee for this signature- Can you help me locate this missing
autograph?

---

Request for Question Clarification by guillermo-ga on 01 Aug 2002 11:51 PDT

Hi, Stephen, thank you for reposting the question. It's a pity that
all the precedent communication was left on the previous one, so I'll
post the corresponding URL here, to facilitate getting there if
needed.
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=35765
We'll keep in touch.

Best regards,

Guillermo

---

Clarification of Question by flash-ga on 01 Aug 2002 15:02 PDT

Hello Guillermo- Glad to hear from you- hope all is well-wishing you
continued good luck in the search for Alejandro Lavorante's signature-
stay in touch- Warmest regards-Stephen

---

Request for Question Clarification by silviares-ga on 12 Aug 2002 15:56 PDT

Hello flash-ga

I was wondering if you have already tried contacting the California
State Athletic Commission. During my research I got this information
from one of the sellers of Boxing Memorabilia

"
.....

Hopefully by now you have obtained the signature you are looking for. 
If not, may this information will help.
 
The fight was held in Los Angeles, CA, so by contacting the California
State Athletic Commission you should be able to get all the
information you need, i.e.. promoter, matchmaker, managers plus the
commission itself should have the fight contracts on file.
 
If that fails you can look up Lavorante's record and contact the
commissions of places where his other fights took place, hopefully one
of the commissions will still have a signed contract on file. May not
be the one against Ali but will be a genuine signature.
 
Hope this helps and good luck.
 
Aurelio Martinez"

I tried contacting the commission by email but so far nobody reply but
if you haven't contacted them I can be more persistent and try calling
them on the phone

silviares

---

Request for Question Clarification by silviares-ga on 12 Aug 2002 16:13 PDT

Sorry ... in my previous message I forgot to mention that the
Commission can be reached at

Athletic Commission 
1424 Howe Avenue, 
Suite 33
Sacramento, CA 
95825-3217
Phone: (916) 263-2195
   Fax: (916) 263-2197
boxing@dca.ca.gov

silviares

---

Clarification of Question by flash-ga on 13 Aug 2002 05:16 PDT

Dear Silviares- Thank you for your imput relative to my quest foe a
Alejandro Lavorante autograph- Your suggestions about contacting the
state athletic commissions could potentially help us- We have not
ventured down this road at all yet- Please feel free to persue this
lead and please advise if you strike gold! Wishing you yhe best of
luck- Warmest regards- Stephen/Flash

Dear Stephen,

Although I know I’ve worked thoroughly and motivated for this quest,
the value you gave to my job is really most satisfying for my
self-esteem. I’m so grateful. You may say “don’t thank me, you earned
it” –then I’ll thank you twice.

That said, I’ll give you a summary of what we’ve got to so far –as
discussed in clarifications and comments- as an answer.

I tried the Luna Park –box stadium and management organization-, the
Argentine Box Federation, the House of Boxers, several sport
journalists, three siblings, a nephew, and none of them could really
help. As suggested by my fellow researcher Silviares, I telephoned the
California State Athletic Commission, where I was told that they don’t
keep records dated before 1990.

Finally, I thought of trying governmental records in Argentina, and
found out that Mr. Alejandro Lavorante’s signature is most likely to
be in archives at the Policía Federal Argentina (Argentine Federal
Police), which is the only governmental agency that has ever issued
passports in this country, and Lavorante must have had a passport
because it’s a fact that he traveled abroad. Confirming that almost
certainty, when I talked to his sister she first thought she might
have kept Alejandro’s passport, what unfortunately later proved to be
wrong.

Besides that, according with what I was told by police officers at the
personal documentation office, regular procedures are to keep files as
old as those we are interested in, and even much older, including
signature image.

The obstacle is that personal files kept by the police are classified
and not even the relatives can request view of them. The only
possibility is to present a legal appeal at Courts, invoking reasons
such as historical interest or similar. I’m waiting for information
about what could be the costs of that course of action, and how likely
it may be that a judge approved this kind of appeal.

If you consider following this approach –and I understand you do- I’d
be glad to let you know about reliable legal advise in Buenos Aires.
In case a more fluent way of communication between us was required -if
you are thinking I may play a role in that process- I’ve sent an email
to the editors asking how it could be done, if possible. For the
moment, we can always communicate through clarifications or comments
on this same page. Clarification requests seem to be better for I’ll
be sent an email every time you post one.

Thank you again for your challenging question and the estimation of my
work.

Best regards,

Guillermo

---

Request for Answer Clarification by flash-ga on 30 Sep 2002 06:24 PDT

Dear Guillermo- Happy Monday morning- Hope all is well- Thank you so
much for the address and phone number of Alejandro's brother- I have a
very good friend locally who speaks Spanish fluently and who has been
assisting me in this project- As a matter of fact on my behalf he has
been speaking with Alfredo Evangelista in Spain and we hope to have
his signature very shortly- Unless you feel uncomfortable I hope to
have my associate telephone Mr. Lavorante early this week-Will of
course keep you posted-Thanks again for your spectacular efforts on my
behalf- Warmest regards- Stephen

---

Clarification of Answer by guillermo-ga on 30 Sep 2002 12:17 PDT

Dear Stephen,

Please feel free to manage your further actions regarding Lavorante's
signature the way you think will be the best. I suggested a letter
since I didn't know you had the Spanish speaking possibility, what
will undoubtedly make communication easier. Please keep me posted, I
don't want to miss the finale, and remember you can count on me if you
need so, including for the legal try if the family one fails.

Best regards,

Guillermo

---

Request for Answer Clarification by flash-ga on 04 Oct 2002 12:00 PDT

Rear Guillermo- Happy Friday afternoon- Hope all is well-Earlier this
week the local newspaper did a nice story on my project- The web site
for this paper is www.theunionleader.com- the article ran on Tuesday
10/01 so scroll down to previous editions to locate this story- I
think it will put a smile on your face- Also earlier today we called
the Lavorante family in Argentina- We spoke with Alejandro's nephew,
who was in fact named after his famous uncle- He was very cordial and
thought it unlikely that the family would be able to find a documented
autograph- Nonetheless he said he would speak with his
uncle,Alejandro's brother,and that we should call back again next
week, which we will obviously do. Will keep you posted- As always your
information was just spectacular- Thanks again for all your help-
Enjoy your weekend- Warmest regards- Stephen

---

Clarification of Answer by guillermo-ga on 05 Oct 2002 04:41 PDT

Hello, Stephen,

Great column! And I'm glad you finally made contact. Hope things will work out!

Best regards,

Guillermo

---

Clarification of Answer by guillermo-ga on 11 Oct 2002 08:43 PDT

Dear Stephen,

You did put a smile on my face with the article about your quest. It’s
unusual to see customer’s look in this job, as unusual is this search,
and even more rare to see it published. This all turned out to be most
exiting.

Now let me put a smile on yours. I like box, though am not a big fan
right now, but I used to be when I was a kid and a teenager, mainly
because my old man is, and I enjoyed very much going with him to the
box stadium. (We had quite a bunch of great boxers here in Argentina.)
I’m 42 now, and when I was 10, in 1970, my dad took me in an airplane
with a couple of his friends and we all went to New York. Another
friend of my father, an Argentine who was living in NYC, had already
bought the tickets for all of us to see Mohammed Ali vs. Oscar “Ringo”
Bonavena at the Madison Square Garden. When this friend met me for the
first time, he told my father: “Man, you didn’t tell me your son was
so young; they won’t let him in being under 14”.

Have you ever tried to make understand a 10 years old kid, who has the
illusion to see his idol trying to beat the greatest one, having flown
about 10,000 miles, that he’s to stay at the hotel while all the
grownups enjoy the party? Or have you tried to convince a father who’s
used to watch the box with his only male son that he wont be able to
enjoy his company in what would probably be the greatest box fight
ever seen by any of them?

The first step was the pathetic efforts of my father and friends to
make me look older -when I was a pretty short baby face 5th grade
child- by selecting clothes and hairstyle. It was fun, but it
obviously didn’t work. The guy at the entrance asked for my ID. Then,
my dad, who didn’t speak real English, but who’s always been a very
persuasive businessman, told the guy the emotional story, that we had
done all the way from Argentina, that we were all Ringo’s and Ali’s
fans, and blah, blah. You know, the man at the entrance of the Madison
Square Garden, he loves box too! He couldn’t help getting touched by
my old man’s speech. My English was less than basic by that time, but
I did understand when he said: “OK, fourteen years…” and let me in,
moving his eyes discretely from one side to another, trying to make
sure he wasn’t being controlled.

That was a great experience in my life that I’ll never forget. I was
completely aware of who Mohammed Ali was, and although I didn’t have
the satisfaction of seeing my fellow countryman win, I saw a great,
tough fight, a real titans duel, and is a historical memory for me,
and an unforgettable time with my dad.

Best regards,

Guillermo

---

Request for Answer Clarification by flash-ga on 11 Oct 2002 11:56 PDT

Dear Guillermo- Happy Friday afternoon- Hope all is well- Thank you so
much for sharing that beautiful story about your Dad taking you to
America to see the Ali Bonavena war at Madison Square Garden- You are
certainly blessed to have such wonderful memories from your childhood-
I am also very blessed with a fantastic extended family that is the
center of my universe- On another front I am not fairing so well
communicating with the Lavorante family- After speaking with
Alejandro's nephew last week we tried atleast 5 or 6 times this week
to speak with Alejandro's brother with no luck- Next week I will try
again and also write a very personal letter to Juan Antonio Lavorante
in the hopes of finding his brother's autograph- Will keep you posted-
Again thanks for all your help and for sharing such an intimate part
of your life with me-Enjoy your weekend- Warmest regards- Stephen

---

Clarification of Answer by guillermo-ga on 11 Oct 2002 12:36 PDT

Dear Stephen,

I was sure you'd like my story, and just now I realize that it’s been
your question that brought up to my mind those nicest memories.

About your approach with the Lavorantes, I think a very personal
letter is a great idea. Please let me know the news.

Best regards,

Guillermo

---

Request for Answer Clarification by flash-ga on 01 Nov 2002 09:16 PST

Dear Guillermo- No correspondence for weeks and now 2 emails in one
day- A friend who is doing a book on Ali's opponents had asked me to
find out, if I could, Lavorante's city of birth- When we requested
this information from Lydia she said she had already given this
information to someone in Buenos Aires- Would you happen to be the
recipient of this information and if so could you share it with us?
AGAIN LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU- WARMEST REGARDS- STEPHEN

---

Clarification of Answer by guillermo-ga on 03 Nov 2002 11:09 PST

Dear Stephen,

Sorry for not answering earlier. I happen to be out of town these
days. About Alejandro's place of birth, I think the city was Mendoza,
but to be honest I should confirm it, before taking it for sure.

Regarding the money negotiation, it's a very difficult issue to give
an opinion about. Just to give you an idea, the ammount you offer is
equivalent here to a monthly salary of, say, a qualified junior
programmer. Then, it's a matter of how significant that ammount is for
them, in relation to their brother's memory. When I talked to her, she
told me the same she told you about the ammount, and also that she
wanted "the person whom I represented" to make direct contact, and
that's how finally Juan Antonio gave me his garage's phone number. For
that reason, although I'd be pleased to help you to accomplish the
deal, at this point my intervention might be counterproductive. My
suggestion is to wait for her answer and then see how things go on.
However, I'm still at hand if I become the best option, for this or
whatever other task.

About verifying signature's authenticity, I want to help, but I'll
have to figure out how. Maybe some legal procedure would make it, I'll
find it out when back in Buenos Aires (after Wednesday).

Now please forgive me about a little but not minor thing I must tell
you. In your good will to facilitate my contact with Ms. Lavorante,
you didn't realize you were posting personal contact information on
this public site. For that reason, as a Google researcher, I have to
ask the editors to pull that text out. I'm sure you'll understand. My
apologies.

Well, you'll have news from me in a few days. Have a nice week!

Best regards,

Guillermo

---

Clarification of Answer by guillermo-ga on 14 Nov 2002 10:05 PST

Dear Stephen,

I owe you some information about if there's a legal way to verify the
authenticity of a signature claimed to be of Alejandro Lavorante if
eventually his siblings provide one. (BTW, have you heard from them
yet?). I couldn't make contact with my lawyer yet, in part because
I've been traveling for work, and also because he is facing a health
problem. I think that before next Wednesday I'll have news about it.

Also, please remember that if the family try leads to no result,
there's still the legal way.

I noticed that the editors removed your post. It seems that removing
only the telephone number was not possible. I'm sorry about that.
Anyway, I keep record of it.

Let's keep in touch.

Best regards,

Guillermo

---

Clarification of Answer by guillermo-ga on 14 Nov 2002 13:04 PST

I almost forgot. About Lavorante's place of birth, I think I was
wrong. It's more likely that he was born in the city of Rosario,
Argentina. I've sent an email to another source to confirm. Let's see
if I get any feed-back.

Regards,

Guillermo

---

Request for Answer Clarification by flash-ga on 14 Nov 2002 13:54 PST

Dear Guillermo- Happy Thursday afternoon- Nice to hear from you- Hope
all is well- Since we last exchanged emails we have made significant
progress with Alejandro's sister, Lydia- Lydia has located Alejandro's
passport, several signed pictures, diaries, and assorted other items-
Lydia is a very nice but determined woman- I offered $500.00 for the
paassport, she asked for $5000.00- After several days of serious
negotiations I reluctantly agreed to $2500.00 for the entire package
of memorabilia- For the last 10 days we have been trying to arrange
the logistics for a money for goods swap- After numerous ideas that
didn't work we are hoping to consumate the transaction at the branch
office of the local Salvation Army in Cordoba or Mendoza-Apparantly
our New Hampshire Salvation Army captain knows his counterpart in
Argentina quite well- It is very exciting to finally see light at the
end of the tunnel-Again appreciate all your help and imput- Will keep
you posted- Warmest regards- Stephen

---

Clarification of Answer by guillermo-ga on 18 Nov 2003 18:03 PST

Hello,

Although the last message posted as a request for clarification is not
really ment to be answered, and I can't see any newer one, I have a
message in my records asking me to clarify answer. This is the reason
for this message. Anyway, if you Stephen happen to read it, have my
warmest regards, I always remember the adventure that your question
led me to. Bye.

Guillermo

Guillermo was innovative and relentless in the pursuit of finding the
answer to my question- Just a joy to work with- Could not have had a
better partner! Literally searched around the world to help me- This
guy is the real deal-Five stars are not enough for this researcher.

Hi! I'm glad to find you guys back here :) Good luck again. 
I was out of town and offline last week... now I know you are back on
the road! :) Best wishes. Lrargerich.

Dear Lrargerich-Welcome back- hope you are well-as you have seen we
are still searching for the Lavorante autograph- hopefully Guillermo
will make some headway very shortly- also still searching for the
elusive Alfredo Evangelista's autograph as Mr. Filipovich seems very
firm at $1500.00 for the signature. Any new ideas or thoughts you have
for either of these missing signatures would be very welcome- Thanks
for your continued help and interest- best wishes for a great day-
Warmest regards- Stephen

Hi, folks. I'm starting to believe that if no signature is ever found,
at least we'll become good friends. ;-) Actually, I hope both things
will finally happen!!
No news yet, but still working on it -not all the doors have been
knocked yet.

Best regards for both of you,

Guillermo

Dear Guillermo-Happy Thursday morning-Thanks for the update-appreciate
your persistence-as I have stated before, if anyone can locate this
elusive autograph,you're the man! Please keep knocking until the right
door opens- continued good luck- Warmest regards- Stephen

Dear Stephen,

Please forgive the time past. Although I’ve found a place where
Lavorante’s signature is most likely to be in archives, it’s not an
easy job to make it available.

I’m talking about the Argentine Federal Police, which is the only
governmental agency that has ever issued passports, and since it’s a
fact that Lavorante traveled abroad, he did have a passport. I also
confirmed that regular procedures are that the Police Department keeps
files as old as this one and even much older, including signatures, so
Lavorante’s should be in their archives.

The problem is that personal files are classified, even for relatives,
and only under a judge’s order could be seen.

No need to tell you that all other possible sources did not work. I
tried the Luna Park –box stadium and management organization-, the
Argentine Box Federation, the House of Boxers, several sport
journalists, three siblings, a nephew, and none of them could really
help. I began to feel kind of sorrow for this young man who’s barely
remembered, and when he is, would be for his tragic death instead of
his boxing talent.

I waited for Silviares to try h. idea about the Athletic Commission,
but after ten days I assumed it was OK to try it myself so I
telephoned them, and they told me they don’t keep records dated before
1990.

So, what can be done now? You’ve been suggested to post an
announcement on boxing or sports magazines offering money. I wouldn’t
say don’t, but wouldn’t encourage it either. I seriously doubt that
anyone would keep an autograph of a boxer that most people do not
remember. Even those who do, like in the House of Boxers, for example,
where there’s a lot of memorabilia posted on the walls, don’t keep
such objects about Lavorante. You could give it a try, but you also
risk to meet the unscrupulous who’d seek to cheat you.

May I suggest trying the legal approach. A legal appeal can be
introduced in the Court so a judge may authorize to deliver an image
of the signature one hundred per cent reliable. Next week I’ll find
out how much this may cost and how likely it is that a judge issued
such authorization. What I’ve found out for the moment, is that
consistent reasons should be included in the appeal, such as
historical interest or similar.

Well, you’ll have news about it next week, and if you consider
following this approach, I might help you contact a lawyer’s
institution in Argentina for further professional advise.

Best regards,

Guillermo

Dear Guillermo- Thank you for your spectacular assistance in our
attempts to locate Alejandro Lavorante's autograph- Even though we
have not achieved our goal yet you have been a wonderful source of
inspiration and a very enthusiastic partner in this project-If we need
to use a legal approach to locate Lavorante's signature I am all for
it and of course would love for you to be the point person- In the
mean time I think it only fair that you receive some compensation for
your Herculean efforts-Please touch base with your thoughts about how
I can forward compensation directly to you. Again, I appreciate all
your help and with you at my side still have hope of locating
Lavorante's autograph- Look forward to hearing from you at your
earliest convenience- Warmest regards- Stephen

Dear Stephen,

I’m more than grateful that you want to compensate my efforts, even
though we haven’t reached our goal yet. I can’t see any other way than
doing it through Google Answers system, in order to follow its rules.
Please notice that the system allows customers to change the money
offer while the question’s still active (in this case, until August
31). Then, my suggestion is that you change the offer to the amount
you consider a fair compensation, knowing that 25% of it will be
Google Answers’ fee for producing the service -which includes site
administration and researchers selection, among other tasks. If you
agree, please just do it, otherwise let me know.

About the possibility of opening a more direct way for further
communication, as to count with my help in Buenos Aires if you wish to
try the legal approach, for instance, I’ll ask Google Answers Editors
for appropriate possible ways to follow. If you want, you may do as
well to answers-editors@google.com.

Best regards,

Guillermo

Dear Guillermo- Happy Thursday morning- Hope all is well in Argentina-
After much thought and consideration, I think it fair and equitable
that even though we have not located a Lavorante autograph you receive
$150.00 minus the Google administative costs-I hope that this meets
with your approval- If so merely answer the Lavorante question
suggesting that we get the signature via the courts- As we discussed
earlier, I would like to follow up this lead with you as the point
person- Will anxiously await your directions- Warmest regards- Stephen

Dear Guillermo- Happy Friday morning- Thanks again for all your
help-Please proceed with legal approach and keep me posted-Anxiously
look forward to hearing from you- Best of luck- Stephen

Dear Stephen, apart from heartily thank you again, I didn't know what
to say after seeing the stars you gave me and, above all, the opinion
you posted. But later, I read some messages from fellow researchers,
referring to a certain customer, outstanding for his kindness and
respect for the researcher’s work. Now I know what to say: I say
“guess who that customer was”.

About our next steps, I’ve had some email correspondence with the
Editors, so I think we will know soon how to proceed with our
communication. Besides that, I’ll continue searching for information
about how to deal with the legal approach, and keeping you informed of
any significant news.

Best regards,

Guillermo

Dear Stephen,

Please don't think I've forgotten our quest. I'm just waiting for the
legal feedback I asked someone of my confidence for -just may take a
couple of days more.

About our communication from now on, the Editors confirmed that we
should stick to service's guidelines, what means to remain into the
Google Answers system. That is OK for me, and I hope you find it good
for you as well. I think it’s good to maintain the service quality,
and should set no obstacle to go ahead with the legal procedure we’ll
probably initiate, with me as your point person.

But, first things first, so let’s wait for the information I asked
for, to set our action plan. We’ll keep in touch.

Best regards,

Guillermo

Dear Guillermo- Happy Thursday morning- Thanks for the update- Will
patiently await word from you as to how we will proceed next-Enjoy
your day-Warmest regards- Stephen

Dear Guillermo-Have you been able to make any progress with our
project via the legal system? If not perhaps we could revisit the
Lavorante family-I am willing to pay a large finders fee {$500.00 or
even more}for a documented signature- For a large cash payment they
might be more aggresive in their search-Please stay in touch- Regards-
Stephen

Dear Stephen,

I entered here to post a message for you, and found you've been here
first. Sorry for the time past. I've been out of town for work since
last Friday to Tuesday. Just today I was able to contact the person
-actually my legal adviser- who is finding out for me the
possibilities of a legal procedure. He's not a specialist on that
particular area, but is contacted with four colleagues who are. Two of
them have already told him they didn't see very likely to succeed in
such a procedure. Still, my lawyer told me, literally, "don’t throw
the towel in yet" since there are the other two specialists to ask
about left.

On the other hand, I made contact again with Lavorante's sister, and
told her about your fee offer. We had quite a long conversation. She
sounded somewhat apprehensive about all this business, finding it
strange, but did not close the door though. She still wasn’t able to
assure that there is in fact a document in their possession with her
brother’s signature, but she’ll talk with her other brother again and
we’ll keep in touch.

These are my news. I’ll keep you informed.

Best regards,

Guillermo

Dear Guillermo- Happy Friday morning- Thanks for the update- By no
means am I ready to throw in the towel- We will keep plugging away
until we hit paydirt-Good luck on your end both with the Lavorante
Family and through the legal system-As always please stay in touch-
Warmest regards- Stephen

Dear Stephen,

This is the situation now. Lavorante's siblings seem to be more
cooperative now. They told me they’re looking again for a document of
their brother. Still they can’t assure they’ll find something. They
asked me for a few days to do their search. In case this lead fails
again, we can try the legal approach. One of my lawyer’s colleagues
believes that there are possibilities to succeed giving it a try.
First step, there is a pre-Court procedure. After what I was told, its
cost would be –all of them in US Dollars- around $300.00 if
successful, or no cost at all if unsuccessful. Then, if it gets to the
Court, I’ve been told that the fee would be around $500.00 if
successful, or a lower fee for the work done if unsuccessful
–estimated, $200.00. Since I’m not the one who charges fees here, I
don’t know if any variation could occur. Anyway, you can always ask
for their business contact information if you wish to open a direct
way of communication.

That’s all so far. We’ll keep in touch.

Best regards,

Guillermo

Dear Guillermo- Thanks for the information- I'm hopeful the Lavorante
family can locate a documented signature- If not, locating a signature
via the legal system seems like the next logical step. Again a million
thanks for your Herculean efforts on my behalf-I am still hopeful we
will both find gold at the end of the rainbow! Warmest regards-
Stephen

Dear Stephen,

I hope will get, by Thursday, a final definition on whether the next
step would be Lavorante’s siblings and you getting in touch, or the
beginning of the other approach via the legal system. For one case or
the other, I’d post here the corresponding business contact
information, since -as you probably know- personal contact information
is not to be posted here, in order to protect individual’s privacy.

I'll write to you again no later than Thursday.

Best regards,

Guillermo

Dear Guillermo-Happy Tuesday morning-Hope all is well- Thanks for the
update- As always will patiently await your directions- By the way I
know that you have a lot of time and psychic energy invested in this
project and if we eventually locate a documented Lavorante signature
my plan of action includes a generous finders fee for you-Please keep
me posted- Warmest regards- Stephen

Dear Stephen,

Well, there’s an interesting step to follow, now. Lavorante’s siblings
want to make direct contact with you. Since our guidelines state that
personal contact information is not to be posted here –and I explained
so to Alejandro’s siblings- his brother gave me the telephone number
and address of the garage he owns, and where he works, as his business
contact information, what is permitted to be posted.

There’s neither email address, nor fax, and no one would be able to
hold a conversation in English at that telephone number, so the best
way would be that you send them a letter, explaining what you’re
looking for, the nature of your project, and how to keep in touch. I
suppose this may bring out some of their old memories and feelings, so
your usual gentle style would be most appropriate. Don’t worry about
the language, since although the Lavorante siblings do not speak
English, I’ve been told that there are people able to translate in the
family. Still, to make sure a clear understanding, I’d suggest plain,
neutral, general English, avoiding local or colloquial expressions.
I’m posting the address as it’s to be written on the envelope:

Sr. Juan Antonio Lavorante
Calle Francisco de La Reta 683 
CP: M5519BJI
San José de Guaymallén
Provincia de Mendoza
República Argentina

For your information, “calle” means street and “CP” is equivalent to
zip code. The corresponding telephone number is (including area codes)
54-261-432-2388.

Depending on the service you hire, the local post office told me that
the letter could take something in between 4 to 13 days to reach its
destination. So, if you wish to, once you had issued the letter you
may let me now, pointing out when it should be arriving, so I can call
them when it’s time and let you know.

From now on, any further negotiation would be directly between you and
them. Still, you can always count on me if you want to monitor from
closer how things work out. And remember there’s still the legal
system option as our last chance, if this one had no result. Just keep
posting here anything you need. I suggest you use the clarification
request feature, since it triggers an email to me.

And, of course, ring a bell if you touch gold: I’ll uncork a bottle
and drink a distant toast with you!

Best regards (and best luck!),

Guillermo

(Answer to a message posted on question thread "Locating an obscure
Muhammad Ali opponent"
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=149911 )

Dear Stephen,
I’m most grateful for your praising words, and your getting the “holy
grail” has already put a smile on my face. Now, if I don’t get it all
wrong, you insist in keeping me smiling, and I appreciate it. If
that’s the case, maybe I’m not very imaginative, but I think of the
smiling power of a tip ;-)
There’s a new tip feature that I don’t know if works for older
questions. If not, a follow up question “for Guillermo only” would
make it. It’s up to you, Steve.
Now, if I misunderstood it, just forget it: you’ll always have a good
friend down here in the “far south” just the same.

Best regards,

Guillermo