Berkeley
High School
Senior Year (1947)
Muz was in class, looking out the window when a new muscular kid walked by in a tight-fitting, white T. And yes, the sleeves were rolled up. Muzz went home and told her mother that she just saw the man she was going to marry.
Sports!
> Until Pops was much older, he didn't tend to tell anyone about his many accomplishments. Most of the boys didn't even know he boxed, bowled or did several other things until after they were out of the house. This, despite him being a Golden Glove champion and having numerous bowling trophies, etc., etc.
> In golf, if you’re playing faster than the group ahead, it is customary for the group ahead to let the faster group to “play through.” Meaning, typically on a Par 3, the slower group will tee off, then go to green and wait and watch as the golfers behind them tee off, then come and finish the hole. If you’re the ones playing through, having other golfers closely watching you’re every stroke can be very unnerving. Pops was halfway through a story of when he and Frank were playing through. Frank teed off first and put the ball a few feet from the hole. Impressive. Then Pops did the same. Listen to the rest of the story here—it is every golfer’s dream…
AUDIO: World's Best Playing Through Story
> When Pops was in his 60's, he was at The Bunnery Café in Jackson when a fly flew by. It was not like the fly was bugging anyone. It was the first time it had appeared. While Pops was talking, he reached up and snagged the fly out of the air. Then he dropped his hand to the table. It became clear he didn't even know what he had done. So, stopping the conversation, Pops was asked to open his hand. He did, and out flew the fly.
> The house in Thermop had a big lot across the alley, where Mudda, Muzz's mother, built a full-court basketball court for the community. Asphalt, all the lines, night lights, and all. One evening, after a tournament, the high school coach, who had played college ball, and several other of his friends who were all top-notch players, struck up a rough and tumble game. The passing was so sharp and fast that the ball would hurt you if you didn't properly control it. Pops got down and dirty in the mix with elbows flying and fake upon fake to find a sliver of daylight. You couldn't tell one lick of difference in skill between these former college players and Pops, despite them all being considerably younger.
> Pops had five sons who played football and baseball. So, that meant playing catch with at least one son most evenings. After several years, he started throwing perfect spirals underhanded. They were so perfect no one even bothered to ask why. Years later, we discovered that he had thrown overhand so much he developed a bad case of bursitis in his shoulder that never went away. He never told us and never would have.
> Coming from Pops and Muzz's genes, all the boys were excellent athletes, In Thermop and Cheyenne, we had a Ping Pong table. Despite nearing the prime of our athletic lives, Pops would beat every one of us 21-0 virtually every game. It took us years to figure out that he was playing left-handed.
> Pops used to tell how you could completely ruin an opponent's game by simply making one short, sweet comment about how much you liked the little hook they make with their clubhead at the top of their swing. By the end of the round, the poor guy could barely hit the ball. Brutal. And a side of Pops he successfully overcame.
After Jesus, Pops used his powers only for good. This made everyone think of him as loving and supportive of everyone else. Which he surely was. But, put him with someone who could take as well as they could dish, and the old Pops would pop right out. But, now, always in a good-natured way.
The Romance Begins
Mudda knew what Pops didn't, so the parents concocted a scheme to send them out for ice cream. It worked.
> Sometime after Muzz first saw Pops strolling across the quad and fell for him, Pops and Muzz' parents became fast friends. Mudda and Fadda (Bill and Marion Jaeger) Muzz' folks, and Unca Bunk and Essie (Frank and Esther Brunk) began to think how great it would be if Don and Jo became an item.
Pops was absolutely convinced he could never get a girl like her. He said she was the Student Body Vice President, who could stand before the entire school and speak with eloquence and poise, something he said he could never do. She had lots of friends, was very smart, and was, as anyone could see a world-class beauty. He truly believed she would never be interested in him. He often said what so many do about her being, "way out of my league." But Pops meant it, deep down in his soul.
> But Mudda knew what Pops didn't, so the parents concocted a scheme to send them out to get ice cream. It worked. From that moment forward, they were basically inseparable. For the last 30 years of their lives, they were together 24/7 and wouldn't have it any other way.
To her, he was the most handsome, rugged, manly man on the planet. Look at the pictures. Would that we all of us had anyone ever look at us like that for even a moment, let alone for the rest of our lives. To him, she was an angel sent to save him. So, he protected, provided, and cherished her with inexhaustible care right up until the very difficult end. As he always said, "she gave me everything; I just want to do likewise."
Tahoe
Marla Bay, Lake Tahoe
