Al Arnold; Venice Pioneer, Merchant Mariner

Al Arnold, 84, a pioneer in Venice and a sought-after source on the history of that colorful community. Arnold was a native of the beach city--which came into being in 1905 as Venice of America, a city of canals and gondoliers. His father ran a restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles and commuted to the house on Thornton Avenue where Al lived at his death and where his older brother, Arch, 90, continues to live. Arch Arnold became a mortgage banker while Al was a career merchant mariner. As boys, they were fixtures on the sand, putting up beach umbrellas for tips and selling newspapers. As elderly men, they sat each day on a public bench at Thornton Avenue and Ocean Front Walk, reminiscing about the glory days of Venice to whoever would listen. In Venice on Wednesday.