After much delay and outright apathy, we finally present to you
The Caribou Recap 2015
Since this is being released in March, we've thrown in a couple of items from 2016. If you don't recognize anyone, send us photos.
Below, Here's a celebration from February, 2016 at Bob's Restaurant in Sunland. If you want a Big Boy with a sports bar, this is the place!
Can you pick out the dancer with the real hair?
The Caribou Club kicks off the New Year (actually Dec 28) at Bay St
in grand Aloha fashion with a
Hula tribute to
Pat Leahy
for surviving 70 years on Planet Earth.
Above here's Pat's sister Kathy partying with Dennis Watson, Sherry and Chuck Collazzi, and a security guard yet to be identified.
For more photos of this party, click on
Caribou Recap 2014
Below: Group shot. Lookin' good!
So far nobody's been cut.
Don't see any baseball mitts. Or beers.
Never forget to hydrate.
Above, Gene is assisted by his brother Jeff in making calls and filing paperwork attempting to qualify the Caribou Club as a non-profit corporation. The plan is to raise money to help seniors,(also Jeff) with non-covered medical expenses, but
Jeff's funding plan is based on copying previous success:
Success: 1-800-Kars for Kids
Jeff's version: 1-800-Caribou
Below:
Caribou webmaster Terry holds the completed application
February
The Caribou Club Receives Letter of Incorporation.
But,
The biggest challenge awaits:
How to qualify the corporation as a non-profit.
(I know, many punch lines here),
Our Favorite:
"Well, you've got the perfect personnel to not make a profit."
Lily Leahy and grandson Marcus visit Death Valley,
a place that's obviously near and dear to all Caribou.
Below, we celebrate Jeff's 69th birthday at his home in Van Nuys.
Here's Jeff, surrounded by his friends (from left clockwise)
Trish and Bill McMenamin, Dennis Watson, Tom Campbell, Paul Atkinson, Kenny Furlano, Ron Metz, Gene Meyer, Jim McDonald, Rudy and Norma Hernandez, Leticia Flores, and John McLaughlin (with hot dog)
Above, Chef John of the Cerveza Bros. prepares a famous Latin American Birthday dish, the "Completo,"
an all beef hot dog on a bun garnished with everything you can put on a
hot dog, a hamburger, a pizza, and a taco (plus Mayo)!
Below, one more:
Jeff hangs out with (L to R) Kenny, John, Darwin Chacon, Charlie Collie, Gene, Paul, daughter Kelly, Leticia, and Tom. Nice tiara.
March
Time for Spring Training.
The Caribou are out in full force as they try to make the team again.
Unfortunately, most of them lost their baseball gloves 40 years ago.
Reminder for 2016: Plenty of sunscreen and hydration (Beer)
Patti Atkinson Healy, and Dennis Watson
demonstrate how influential they are with the scoreboard people
at the Cub's Stadium
Below: Dennis meets a guy who's wife thinks they were separated at birth. You be the judge.
Below: Thought we'd throw in a photo for Caribou in the North. Here's Bootsy, Sybil and Vicki, (celebrating her 70th)
Yikes!
Below, Gene shows his nephew
Cameron from Utah
where all the experienced fishermen hang out in the Channel Islands
Don't let that O'Douls sign fool you.
Also in Spring, Caribou stalwart and staff photographer
Paul Atkinson moves to Ventura
Here's a shot below of Paul in his heyday as a chef
in a popular So Cal Jazz Joint
(He's cleaned up since then)
Pinky Ebert and Pete Savage
enjoy a moment back in Van Nuys
Above, here's a happy 100th birthday to the late Marc Leahy,
golfer, father, great storyteller, and occasional surfer.
It's May
and we salute new retiree
Don Phillips
who together with wife Kathy have decided to move
from So Cal back up to Roseville, California
where many of their (14?) grandkids live.
L to R: Gene, Terry, Don, Kathy, Abby, Cheryl Jeanne, Veda, and Dennis
Below: Dayna Marks reports in on another year of good health!!!
She's still keeping busy with Valley Theater in Santa Clarita
We have to get this info in for all surfers.
Dave Sweet, one of the original surfboard makers in So Cal. passed away in 2015
Here is a price list from 1962 when Jeff, Gene, Paul, and Bill
were at his shop.
June
Rafaela Batista, daughter of Patrick Meyer and granddaughter of Jeff & Penny, fights off the forces of Santa Monica High School to graduate and is accepted at California State University, Northridge
alma mater to many Caribou members. Congratulations, Rafa!!!
Above, Collin Campbell and his new wife Michele at their San Francisco wedding,
co-hosted by his parent$, Tom and Karen.
July
Above, John McLaughlin appears at the legendary
El Portal Theater in North Hollywood
in the lead role of Bains in the production of
"Old Friends"
written and directed by Bob Arnold,
based on the book by Richard Hulse.
Also in the cast is Caribou stalwart Charlie Collie.
Below, the cast and crew surround their star.
Bill Kelly retires and moves back to SoCal
His first order of business in 2016?
Spring Training in Phoenix
Congratulations, Bill, enjoy your retirement.
You'll need plenty of Aloha shirts.
Also retiring, moving south, and going to spring training: Patti McNamara, shown below with Bill, Gene, Pat, Darlene, and Paul.
Rudy and Norma Hernandez 50th Anniversary
We celebrated at our favorite "dining-with-a-sports-bar" venue,
Bob's Big Boy in Sunland
Here's to Rudy and Norma, all the best on their
Golden Anniversary.
When asked the secret of their longevity, Rudy said,
"Sorry, I can't hear you. I lost my hearing aide."
Best old joke of the day:
Jeff: Is that your new hearing aid, Rudy?
Rudy: Yeah, It's really a good one.
Jeff: What kind is it?
Rudy: It's five-thirty.
August
Mid-summer finds the Caribou back at our
annual minor league baseball gathering.
Here we are in San Bernardino for $2 beer and taco truck night.
Seats behind home plate? $14
August 5, Happy 100th Birthday to the late Ef Young, father of Debbie,
and grandfather of Michael Young
Here's a shot of Ef in his younger days before he drove a Cadillac.
Happy birthday also to Debbie, who was born her dad's birthday.
September
Once again, the Caribou Club participates in the annual C Street Classic, a longboard surf contest held each year at California Street in Ventura.
No, we are not contestants, but we run the Beach Marshall station each year. 2015 turns out to be special:
Dennis wins a beautiful
Ventura Surf Shop longboard (Value: about $1000) in the contest raffle.
(To find out what he did with it, see Caribou Foundation further below)
"Death of a Fruitcake"
Many Caribou owned and cared for the fruitcake, starting way back with Michael Atkinson. The Deed of Gift you see on the link below will attest to that. But after too many years to count,
(and after so much traveling that it smelled horrible),
the Fruitcake finally bit the dust, so to speak.
Actually, we buried it at sea.
Click below to see the history of the fruitcake and its demise. Make sure you see the photos (in super-slo-mo by Paul Atkinson) of the final moments.
The Mickey McAdam Memorial FruitCake
All these guys survived first grade together!
October and Happy 70 to Caribou Kane Healy.
Kane and Pam are living a happy and healthy
life on Maui with Kids and grandkids.
Best wishes also go to Joe Payette, North
South softball legend, stalwart Caribou, and 1st grade classmate of everyone pictured above,
who celebrated his 70th on Christmas Day.
Above are Kane and Joey playing goal posts for Paul Atkinson, Jeff Meyer, and Kenny Furlano, back in the day.
November and it's Caribou Poker time. This year's event was again held in Ventura and after a tough night of stud, draw and holdem'
the winner was previous champion Dennis Watson.
Above, Rudy poses with the Caribou Club Foundation's new surfboard.
Good job, Rudy. Not a ding. (In the board, either)
December
and it's time for more Caribou 70th Birthdays
Above, Kathy Campbell falls victim to a 70th surprise birthday party when she visits her son Michael and his wife in Santa Clarita. Here's a photo of the birthday girl, with her family (especially her 3 grandkids), and her friends.
Long may you run.
Below: Ukulele recruitment continues in the Leahy household as
Pat & Lily's granddaughter Chloe practices on her uke while checking out the Dodger game.
"I'm thinking about auditioning to
replace the organist at Dodger Stadium next year," she says.
Members of the Ventura Surf Club form
"the Ukulaliens"
(Our name compliments of Mike Young)
Here's the band playing at Ventura Harbor Marina.
If you're not burnt out yet, click below for more press from
the Ventura County Star.
Up next: Ukulaliens World Tour
Below, Steve Thompson tries out his new amp for his neighbors. So far for the Ukulaliens world tour, we have to buy him an extra seat. We're trying to talk him into a ukulele, but not much luck yet.
Below, Buck Meadows applies for the vacant position of Manager for the Dodgers. He get's bumped. "What's a guy gotta do," he says.
Gotta throw in a fishing photo.
Here are Tim and Terry doing what they do best.
I know, if this is the best they can do....never mind.
Horn still has plenty of air.
December
After filing and refiling,
The Caribou Club Foundation receives its
Non Profit 501 (c) (3) Certificate of Incorporation
This means that people who want to donate cash or property to the Caribou Foundation will be allowed to deduct the amount of the donation
on their income tax returns, (As Jeff said, "Just like the Red Cross.")
And what's the first donation we receive?
Dennis donates his longboard from the C St raffle!
Jeff did not live long enough to see this process through,
but it is in his memory that we keep both
the Caribou Club Foundation going.
In Memoriam, 2015
We want to mention at the beginning the passing of
Hy Klaus, age 72,
stalwart Van Nuys veteran,
and father of Maggie Klaus
Hy passed away in Oregon in Feb, 2016,
but we still include him here.
Bill McDuffee
Our lifelong friend passed away 2 months after being diagnosed with cancer.
We'll miss the hell out of him
Click on
Dan Neal, Brother of Veda Meyer
Age 85
Here's a photo of Dan when he worked in New York as a disc jockey.
L to R: Johnny Ray, Eddy Fisher, Nat King Cole, and Uncle Dan
So Long Dan. Go Navy!
Jim Heaney, friend of all Caribou and mentor to many.
Above is Jim doing some political work in Ireland.
For more click below.
Ken Hearth
Ventura Surf Club Member and great friend in the water
Fred Brewster and Marie Brewster,
brother and sister of stalwart Caribou and all around
San Fernando Valley guy,
Greg Brewster and his wife Karen
Freddy and Marie were also childhood friends of many
Van Nuys veterans of the 50's
Below, here's Marie with her pals Michael Atkinson and Paul Campbell, and below that, Freddy at a birthday party. For a free Caribou hat, can you name everyone in the photo?
Del Boulger, age 99
Van Nuys institution
Father of Kathy Phillips and pal of son-in-law Don
Click Below for more
DELMAR LITCH BOULGER's Obituary on OCRegister.com
Robert Hernandez
son of Caribou Club Mentor Rudy Hernandez,
and stepson of Norma,
passed away in December after a two year battle with cancer
Above is a photo of
Jeff, Bobby, Rudy and John after a roofing job at Jeff's house.
We love you Rudy and Norma
Bertha Furlano
Mother of siblings Toni Ann and Kenny Furlano and friend of many Caribou, age 94
Click below for
And finally, we all said farewell in March of 2015 to a
founding member of the Caribou Club,
Jeff Meyer
Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, and Friend
of anyone who ever surfed or owned a used car.
Please click below on Jeff's name for a
video, photos and words from his lifelong fans.
Additions welcome
If you didn't make it into the Recap, send me stuff in 2016.
Please think about ideas and ways you can help The Caribou Club Foundation
