I want to talk about someone that has always been in my life. It all started in San Francisco a long time ago. When I was young, I begged my dad to put me on his bike and chase down cable cars. So he would do it – one of the first guys who rode a bike through the city streets around the late 60’s and early 70’s. To this day, you’ll still find him outside — on a walk, biking, or on his stationary bike, because some habits never die.
He was equally passionate about basketball. He and his buddy, Fred kept up their basketball games well into their seventies — slower, sure, but still getting out there and having fun! He played one-on-one with me until I finally outgrew him at age 12, and he tried to outdo me in cardio, insisting there would be “no out-of-bounds’ limits,” and even that didn’t work!
He was always available, whether it was him running to the store in the middle of the night for pimple cream or cooking up his legendary breakfast: The Grand Slam!
He loved to fish, and I remember when I turned seven years old, we went out on a friend’s boat by Candlestick Park (the old San Francisco Giants Stadium) and fished for striped bass. We had a great trip, everyone reached their limit, and I landed a 7 pound bass by myself with a lot of patience and some encouragement — what great memories! We would also fish in Lake Merced, rain or shine, with a San Francisco Giants or A’s game playing on an old transistor radio (yes, no iPhones back then) at our feet. This is also the same man who ran a full marathon in his 40s, only to have me tell him, “What took you so long? Even those old timers beat you!” He also helped me study in middle school, and even dangled the promise of a Moped if I ever got straight A’s… I didn’t. B average, but I gave it my all.
My dad turns 85 years young in June — just in time for Father’s Day. Whether our dads are still with us or not, let’s take a moment to reflect on all the memories we’ve shared with our loved ones — the good times, the bad times, and everything in between.
Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads. To my dad, Happy Father’s Day!