CONTACTS
SUBJECTS
Richard and Ron
0503 -
0503 - ..
0504 - Summary/Objective
0505 -
050501 - Follow up ref SDS 10 0000. ref SDS 9 0000.
050502 -
050503 -
050504 -
050505 -
050506 -
050507 -
050509 - ..
0506 -
0507 -
0508 - Progress
0509 -
050901 - Had some difficulty finding Richard's place, even with a map and
050902 - written instructions.
050904 - ..
050905 - Was late. Richard was sitting on the front porch when I arrived.
050907 - ..
050908 - He has a long, heavy, Santa Claus-like beard, and needs a hair cut,
050909 - presenting a scruffy appearance, dressed very casually.
050911 - ..
050912 - He was concerned that Ron may have forgotten we are coming for a
050913 - visit today. Richard called Ron's number. There was no answer.
050915 - ..
050916 - Mentioned possibility of Robby joining us for lunch, per planning last
050917 - night. ref SDS 10 387I Richard said we should bring this up with Ron
050918 - first, just in case there are ill feelings from past business dealings
050919 - with Ron. Richard related a story of Rob working with Ron to develop
050920 - the business selling exercising equipment, originally called the
050921 - Exergenie, and later called the Apollo, and then something like
050922 - Isorobics, or Isotonics, not sure. Differences may have occured
050923 - between them, and Rob left Ron's company to start his own business.
050924 - He apparently created his own version of the exercising equipment, as
050925 - Richard recalls the story from Ron, and this angered Ron at the time,
050926 - because it reduced his customers. There were patent infringement
050927 - issues, but no law suits were filed. Anyway that was 20 or 30 years
050928 - ago, but Richard was concerned there may be continuing ill feeling.
050930 - ..
050931 - We drove to Scotts Valley. On the way, Richard used a cell phone to
050932 - try calling Ron again. Still no answer. We stopped at a restaraunt
050933 - in Los Gatos just off the freeway. Richard has met Ron at this
050934 - location previously. He though Ron might have gotten confused, and
050935 - come here to meet us. Ron was not there, so we drove on to his place
050936 - in Scotts Valley.
050938 - ..
050939 - Ron did not answer the bell. We rang several times for about 10
050940 - minutes, but Ron wasn't home. Richard thinks that Ron forgot about
050941 - the visit today, and went somewhere, or that he partially remembered,
050942 - and went to a restaraunt thinking we are to meet there.
050944 - ..
050945 - After about 15 minutes, we decided to go to restaraunt across the
050946 - street, and call Ron's number from there until he returns and can
050947 - answer.
050949 - ..
050950 - Walking back to the parking lot, we saw Ron and another man who turned
050951 - out to be Ron's oldest son, Kevin.
050953 - ..
050954 - Ron was surprised and excited about our visit. He had forgotten we
050955 - were coming even though I called last night to remind him, ref SDS 10
050956 - 6S5K, per planning last week on 070413. ref SDS 9 6S5U
050958 - ..
050959 - We brought up the idea of Robby joining us for lunch. Ron was
050960 - delighted and could not remember the last time he had seen Rob.
050962 - ..
050963 - Richard called Rob to see if he can come join us for lunch, per
050964 - planning last night. ref SDS 10 387I
050966 - ..
050967 - Kevin visited with us briefly, and then had to leave. He helped Ron
050968 - file some documents in folders to organize payments they had just
050969 - made. Ron has a desk with several file drawers, and Keven showed Ron
050970 - where he was putting the papers for these transactions.
050972 - ..
050973 - Ron just turned 74, so he is 11 - 12 years older than I. He was
050974 - surprised I am 62, and Richard is 61. It was also surprising to
050975 - learn that Kevin is about to turn 50.
050977 - ..
050978 - We recalled briefly the trip in 1960. Ron and Donna invited Rob and I
050979 - to go with them to visit Ron's parents in Oregon. At that time, Carol
050980 - had just been born, so she traveled with Donna in the front seat next
050981 - to Ron. Rob and I were in the back seat and helped care for Kevin,
050982 - who was only about 2, Kurt was still a baby at 1, and Krista may have
050983 - been 4 or 5. Kevin appreciated hearing this story today, which he was
050984 - too young to remember.
050986 - ..
050987 - This was Ron's first year as wrestling coach at Cupertino. After the
050988 - season, he invited Rob and I to see the NCAA wrestling finals at
050989 - Orgeon State, or the Univesity of Oregon. This was sort of a bonus or
050990 - reward for Rob and I winning league championships as freshmen. The
050991 - most memorable part of the trip was driving over Grants Pass in
050992 - Oregon, which is an elevated peak. Heavy snow and strong winds made
050993 - visibility nearly zero. Ron was trying frantically to drive with one
050994 - hand, and using the other hand to wipe the windshield free of frost
050995 - inside from everyone breathing.
050997 - ..
050998 - Rob recalled that we saw Dan Gable get beat in his last NCAA college
050999 - wrestling match. Richard thought Gable came along 4 years or so
051000 - later, and though he lost his last college match, he was notable for
051001 - having been undefeated for 3 or 4 years. Richard recalled that Gable
051002 - went on to beat the same opponent for Olympic tryouts, and then won
051003 - the Olympics in 1964 or possibly 1968.
051005 - ..
051006 - Ron brought out some albums and we looked through memorbelia from his
051007 - success as a high school football coach, and then his career as a
051008 - fitness consultant to professional atheletic teams, football,
051009 - baseball, etc.
051011 - ..
051012 - We decided to visit Donna, who works at Costco down in Santa Cruz, and
051013 - would go there after lunch.
051015 - ..
051016 - Ron was very pleased to get the letter from Dennis today, which was
051017 - received on 070105, and presents good memories visiting Ron and Kevin
051018 - in the mid-90s as a representative in Canada for Ron's company.
051019 - ref SDS 8 3M5J Ron had some memory of Dennis from that time. He did
051020 - not remember the Calgary Stetson cowboy hat. Maybe Kevin has it, or
051021 - perhaps the hat is in storage with Ron's things after his move in 2003
051022 - from the big home on the mountain. Kevin left before we talked about
051023 - Dennis and the hat. Maybe Ron will share this with him later. We
051024 - left Dennis' letter on the coffee table, so Kevin can see it when he
051025 - checks in with Ron later today or tomorrow.
051027 - ..
051028 - Robby arrived about 20 minutes later. He looks well, and very fit,
051029 - reflecting renewed interest in tennis, discussed recently. Rob had a
051030 - good runion with Ron today. It was great to see these two, after ups
051031 - and downs many years ago, focusing on good memories today.
051033 - ..
051034 - We drove to a restaraunt a few blocks away in Rob's car. His van has
051035 - easy access for Richard who is still pretty big, and now struggles a
051036 - bit with infirmities, discussed on 070413. ref SDS 9 5L7H There are
051037 - actually a lot of places where Ron can eat within walking distance, so
051038 - he does not have to drive, as planned on 020705. ref SDS 3 5844
051040 - ..
051041 - On the way, Rob used his cell phone to call Jerry, who is living with
051042 - Rob for awhile these days. Had a chance to talk with Jerry briefly,
051043 - and say hellow. He sounds in good spirits. Listening to Rob's side
051044 - of the disucssion, indicated that Jerry is contributing and helping
051045 - Rob with things.
051047 - ..
051048 - Seems like we had lunch at the same place where Richard, Ron, and I
051049 - ate during the visit on 020705. ref SDS 3 047O
051051 - ..
051052 - At lunch, Ron asked Rob how he wound up at Wentworth College, and his
051053 - experiece there. Rob recalled his success pole vaulting. One year,
051054 - he won a regional tournament or placed high enough to be invited to
051055 - the national finals. The school could not pay for his trip, so he
051056 - either didn't go, or had to pay his own way. Not sure about this.
051058 - ..
051059 - Rob's experience was similar to Sam Lawson 20 years earlier in the
051060 - 1940s, as Sam related during a breakfast meeting on 970308. Today, I
051061 - recalled Sam had attended San Jose State college in the 1940s, and won
051062 - his regional wrestling championship, which like Rob, qualified him to
051063 - compete in the national NCAA finals at some place like Iowa, Nebraska,
051064 - etc. The school would not pay traveling expenses for Sam and his
051065 - coach. As a result, Sam hitch-hiked to the event, and nearly won.
051067 - ..
051068 - Richard recalled this story related to Sam being invited to qualify
051069 - for the US Olympic team, rather than the NCAA finals. Turns out
051070 - Richard was correct. The record on 970308 shows Sam was trying out
051071 - for the Olympic Team, and came very close. ref SDS 1 5G39
051073 - ..
051074 - Robby also helped organize a wrestling team at Wentworth,
051075 - demonstrating leadership skills along with atheletic prowess, which he
051076 - continues to combine in meeting the challenges of a long business
051077 - career.
051079 - ..
051080 - Was pleased to hear that Rob attended and spoke for the ceremony
051081 - honoring Sam Lawson a few years ago, when Collins grade school in
051082 - Cuperting, where Rob and I attended in the 1950s, was renamed Sam
051083 - Lawson Middle School. Richard could not attend, because he was
051084 - recovering from another heart attack, discussed last week on 070413.
051085 - ref SDS 9 6S74 Richard said that Sam's son, Jay, is no longer
051086 - coaching wrestling at Cupertino; he is either a teacher or
051087 - administrator now.
051088 -
051089 - [On 120823 1150 received copy of letter Rob sent to Jay
051090 - Lawson, ref SDS 11 155U, and attaching remarks Rob made
051091 - honoring Jay's dad, Sam Lawson for ceremonies held on
051092 - 050826, dedicating the name change from Collins Elementary
051093 - to "Sam H Lawson Middle School." ref SDS 11 858M
051095 - ..
051096 - Rob has been getting together for breakfast about 3 times a week, with
051097 - someone that Ron and Richard know. They discussed plans today for
051098 - Rob to include Ron, since he lives so close by.
051100 - ..
051101 - Richard discussed Dale DeSelms. He was part of the breakfast meeting
051102 - on 970308 with Sam Lawson, Dick Campbell, and George Fernandez.
051103 - ref SDS 1 3088
051105 - ..
051106 - Rob remembered Dale was very enthusiastic about wrestling at
051107 - Cupertino.
051109 - ..
051110 - Ron did not recall Dale DeSelms, until Richard explained that Dale had
051111 - been a vice principal or counselor at Cupertino, and later was
051112 - principal of Monte Vista High School. Ron then remembered that Dale
051113 - lives in the Central Valley, Stockton, Modesto, or thereabouts.
051114 - Richard said the Dale has been visiting Gary Binancini's sister in Los
051115 - Gatos lately. He suggested arranging another visit with all of us and
051116 - including Dale. Richard will try to set this up in 3 or 4 months.
051118 - ..
051119 - Rob had to get back to work. He is submitting a proposal to a company
051120 - in Georgia, and needs to complete some tasks, then get the proposal
051121 - mailed in time today to arrive before bidding is closed next Monday.
051123 - ..
051124 - Rob drove us back to Ron's place, and then left. Richard and I waited
051125 - in the car for Ron to run a quick errand in the house. When Ron came
051126 - back about 10 minutes later, he walked right past the car. I honked
051127 - the horn, and he turned right but continued past the car, so I honked
051128 - again. He then turned and saw us, illustrating the struggle with
051129 - short-term memory that challenges Ron every day.
051131 - ..
051132 - We drove to Costco in Santa Cruz to visit Donna. Ron's memory was
051133 - excellent guiding us to the correct turn-off, and then through a
051134 - series of complex left and right turns to arrive at the store where
051135 - Donna Works. He remembered the best place to park, and a lot
051136 - important details, in stark contrast with poor short term memory.
051138 - ..
051139 - We found Donna at work in Costco. She seemed pleased to see us. We
051140 - talked a couple times a few years ago, after Ron was striken with
051141 - stroke, e.g., on 020614, ref SDS 2 ZR4G, and a month later on 020712.
051142 - ref SDS 4 0001 It had been a long time, since she had seen Richard,
051143 - and about 30 years since we had visited. There was a hint of tears as
051144 - we talked about our last visit together in about 1976. Ron had season
051145 - tickets to the Warriars games. We met at the Oakland Coliseum and
051146 - watched the basketball game. Another of our last visits was driving
051147 - to the San Jose airport to pickup Ron. He was doing a lot of
051148 - traveling in those days. Could have been in 1974 or 1975. Donna was
051149 - worried about Ron's health at that time, because of long hours devoted
051150 - to starting a new business.
051152 - ..
051153 - Donna asked Ron if he is planning to attend a wedding reception or
051154 - similar event coming up in the family tomorrow or the next day? Ron
051155 - had not rememberd, but said he would like to attend. Donna will
051156 - follow up to keep Ron apprised of the date and time so he can be ready
051157 - for her or one of the kids to pick him up. This was great to see Ron
051158 - and Donna working things out together on doing things now with their
051159 - grandchildren.
051161 - ..
051162 - Richard and I complimented Donna and Ron on such lovely
051163 - granddaughters. Krista and Kevin (sister and brother) have 3 or 4
051164 - girls, who are now grown, and all look like professional models. Some
051165 - of them are models, and at least one has gained national press.
051167 - ..
051168 - By now, we had to leave. Hugged Donna and gave her a kiss. Hoping we
051169 - can all get together again before too long.
051171 - ..
051172 - Drove back to Scotts Valley. Dropped Ron off at his home. Richard
051173 - reminded that he will try to set up a meeting in a few months with
051174 - Dale DeSelms.
051176 - ..
051177 - Drove Richard home in Campbell.
051179 - ..
051180 - Thanked him for calling again last week on 070413, and initiating the
051181 - group visit today. ref SDS 9 BF5M He will take a nap to prepare for
051182 - his project this evening baby sitting grandchildren. His girl friend
051183 - is coming over this afternoon to help.
051184 -
051185 -
051186 -
051187 -
051188 -
051189 -
0512 -