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Jeff Gardiner
While I didn’t see Jimmy or Mike frequently over the years, we made it a point to meet at least once a year and I always felt as though our relationship then was even better that it was when we were in school together. For the last 20 years a group of us spent a few days each year at Jimmy’s Lake Tahoe condo. Last October, Jimmy, Mike, Abe Baily, Jim Gould (a year behind us at Cubberley) and I were able to spend a couple of days together visiting. Even though Jimmy said his hip was bothering him we were all in good spirits and enjoyed the camaraderie of friendships going back almost 70 years (Jimmy and Mike even longer).
Abe is happily married and living in Chico where he held many important positions during a long career with the University there. Jim Gould, a widower, was a consultant to the airline industry living in Humboldt County for many years. He now resides in Portland where he is near his daughter. My wife and I never got very far away from Palo Alto and now live in Menlo Park. We are fortunate to have all our children and grandchildren living nearby.
Like all of you I was saddened to hear of Mike’s passing in December. I was a little surprised since for someone our age he was doing well only a couple of months earlier. When Mike retired from the San Jose PD he and his family moved to the foothills northeast of Fresno. They lived in a new home on several acres. One year Jimmy and I stayed at Mike’s while the three of us fished in the Sierras south of Yosemite. I remember Mike telling me at the time that he and his wife, Sylvia, planted over one hundred trees on their property – whew! Jimmy and I slept in their one outbuilding which was Mike’s man cave. It looked like a sports bar inside with a pool table and other games. This was long enough ago that the three of us could stay up late at night drinking beer and telling the same old stories about high school sports, girls, and hi-jinx. For one or two years after college Mike was invited to the Pittsburgh Steelers football training camp. He didn’t make the roster, but always cherished the experience. That explained why Mike had a large Pittsburgh Steelers logo beautifully plastered into the bottom of his swimming pool…it was very impressive. A few years ago Mike and Sylvia moved to Fresno to be closer to their daughter, Layla, and son, Michael. Michael followed in his father’s footsteps and is with the Fresno PD. When Sylvia told us Mike wanted to be buried at Alta Mesa Cemetery, Jimmy said he would be honored if he could give them a burial plot he had purchased years ago when his father died and he wasn’t going to use. Mike’s memorial service was held at Alta Mesa in January where there was a SJPD honor guard. Abe and his wife, Jim Gould and I and my wife attended the ceremony. Don Scott who was a year ahead of us at Cubberley and a Deacon in the Palo Baptist Church (I think) did a beautiful job speaking. Also at the ceremony were Connie Stevenson who was a year behind us in school and Ray Hamm who was with us at Wilbur Jr Hi.
When we were together in October it seemed as though Jimmy thought his pain was from a bad hip in need of replacement. When I saw him in late December Jimmy was in a lot of pain, but I mistakenly chalked it up to a bad hip. While it made sense after I thought about it, I was shocked when I first heard about his advanced cancer only a few weeks later. Jimmy worked at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital laboratory. One thing I remember him enjoying during those years was playing in an adult soccer league. Also, he liked kayaking which he did at Lake Tahoe and (if I remember correctly) with Jim Gould in the ocean off the Humboldt County coastline…brr. When Jimmy retired, he and Nancy moved to a wooded area in Nevada City where they had a large house that could accommodate their children and grandchildren as well. He enjoyed spending time repairing his cars and trucks and with his chain saw cutting firewood. Initially Nancy split her time between Nevada City and their home in Palo Alto before eventually joining Jimmy full time in Nevada City. I’m pretty sure Jimmy’s family are planning a celebration of his life in the Palo Alto area in 2 - 3 months or so. If I hear anything I will post it here because I know he would like you to celebrate with his family.
We knew how fortunate we were growing up in Palo Alto in the 1950s, and that included spending our high school years with our classmates at Cubberley. I was constantly amazed at the breadth of friendships both Mike and Jimmy had with so many of you, and how fondly they spoke about their time with you. In high school we knew they were both great athletes, but I have realized over the years that they were even better friends.
Jeff Gardiner
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