Author Archives: Woody

Column: List For Santa

by Woody

Last-Minute List for Santa

 

            Okay Mr. Ho Ho Ho, it’s almost go-go-go time. Before you finish checking your list twice and taking off on your Amazing Race around the world, here are a few last-minute gifts to pack in your sleigh.

 

            Give anyone who is upset about Ventura’s new ban on plastic shopping bags a couple reusable ones or a roll of dimes to pay the fees for paper bags.

 

Give small local businesses more of our business.

 

Give the world another Nelson Mandela – or as close a facsimile as possible.

 

Give a lump of coal to bullies – and a deadly computer virus to cyber bullies.

 

Give the NSA 40,000 copies of George Orwell’s “1984” for all its employees – or, more simply, just play one audiobook version over a cell phone and the NSA will take it from there.

 

Give Vin Scully a few more years behind the mic.

 

Give Dodgers fans the same as above.

 

Give Russia some enlightenment on homosexuality.

 

Give many Americans the same as above.

 

Give the 2014 Boston Marathon the most glorious Patriot’s Day imaginable.

 

Give all CEOs the mindset of Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard who helped create the “1% For The Planet” program and since 1985 has donated 1% of company sales ($46 million) to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment.

 

Give each and every member of Congress a pink slip.

 

Give America some sensible gun-control laws.

 

Give teachers extra school supplies so they don’t have to use their own money to buy them for their students.

 

Give every child spending the holidays in a hospital cancer ward a complete cure.

 

Give all adults battling cancer the same as above.

 

Give Rhiannon Potkey, who daily displays far more determination and courage than the athletes she covers, a cure for Fibromyalgia.

 

Give Mike and Bob Bryan each an extra trophy case – they’ll take care of filling it.

 

Give the Star’s Julius Gius Bellringer campaign a record total.

 

Give my humble Holiday Ball Drive, as it nears 100 new sports balls donated this year, a few more assists like these already dished out by, to name just a handful: Howard Reich, nine basketballs; Tom and Karyne Roweton, one football and one soccer ball; Sally and Tom Reeder, one volleyball, one soccer ball and one basketball; Glen Sittel, one football, one soccer ball, one basketball; and Alan Hammerand also one football, basketball and soccer ball, noting: “I chose the Boys and Girls Club because I saw the valuable services they provided to our youth during my career in probation. Quality after-school programs are a critical component in steering kids away from delinquency.”

 

Meanwhile, Linda and Jerry Mendelsohn donated 10 basketballs and 10 soccer balls to the Westpark Community Center, but the recipient children aren’t the only winners. As Jerry shared: “I took my grandson Garrick, now 3 ½, to purchase the balls with me, explaining to him how some kids are not as fortunate as he with toys, sports equipment, etc., and doing this will make them happy as well as us for helping out.”

 

And Jim Cowan helped out with his annual gift of 10 NBA basketballs, explaining: “These are in honor of the many people in my life that assisted me in developing enough skill at basketball that I was able to receive a college education! Among these folks was my dad, John Cowan. He nailed a coffee can to the garage door when I was a little boy, gave me a tennis ball to shoot with, and that was my start.

 

“Also my many coaches, including Cal Houston, Ventura Junior High School (now Cabrillo) who just turned 95 on Dec. 7; Bob Tuttle, Ventura High School; Elmer McCall, Ventura Junior College; and Aubrey Bonham, Whittier College. They not only taught me about basketball, but many life lessons as well. They were models I tried to emulate when I went into the field of education.”

 

Who can you honor by dropping off a new ball at a local youth group, fire station or other worthy charity in the next couple days? (If you do, email word of your donation to woodywriter@gmail.com).

 

Lastly, Santa, give anyone who reads this far a happy holidays and healthy 2014.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His new memoir WOODEN & ME is available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com and Amazon.com.

 

Column: This, That and Ball Drive

by Woody

Notes, Thoughts and Ball Drive Update


            It is beyond remarkable the number of organizations – too many to begin to list them all – and countless individuals in Ventura County who provided gift toys and winter coats and meals to those in need this holiday season.WonderfulLife

 

Seemingly every day of December My Favorite Newspaper ran a story about a person or group that has helped turn Ventura County into Bedford Falls by selflessly giving to those in need.

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Speaking of Bedford Falls, my two cents says “It’s A Wonderful Life” remains the best holiday movie followed by “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

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            Three unsung “heroes” people love to see: the UPS deliveryman on Christmas Eve when you were worried that the last-minute gift you ordered wouldn’t arrive in time; a plumber on Thanksgiving when your house is filled with guests and a pipe has broken or the hot-water tank has burst; and a tow truck driver when your car breaks down on the freeway.

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            Another often-unsung “hero” is a gifted and caring family medicine doc who through the years provides such warm and expert care – especially to your kids, even when they become adults – that he (or she) seems like a member of the family.

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            It is amazing and maddening how many rude drivers there are on the roads, but perhaps more amazing and gladdening is how many polite ones.

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            It is a small thing, but I hate it when I’m paying cash and the total due runs a few pennies over a round dollar figure and I don’t have any small change and there’s no “Take A Penny, Leave A penny” dish at the register – meaning I am going to now have a pocketful of coins.

 

            But I love it when this happens and the employee rounds the figure down and hands me back the dollar bill that was going to cover the few cents.

 

            And I really love it, because it’s so unexpected, when this kindness happens at a big-name franchise that can usually seem so impersonal.

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            While I am generally not a fan of “big box” stores, Costco is the huge exception because its return policy is unbelievable. Basically, with a few exceptions for electronics, if you have a receipt they will cheerfully give you a full refund with no explanation for your return required. If you aren’t happy, they want to make it right.

 

            For example, while waiting in line to return a memory foam mattress topper that didn’t live up to expectations after three months – and feeling a little guilty because I waited so long while still sleeping on it – a woman in front of me returned half of a huge package of chicken. While it looked like it might have already fed a family of six, the customer walked away with a full refund no questions asked.

 

So did I.

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            However, my favorite store for customer service and a return policy that is second-to-none is our local (and world as well) treasure Patagonia Great Pacific Ironworks.

 

            When a zipper broke on a year-old backpack, I took it in to see if they could repair it and instead they replaced it – with a newer, better model.

 

            And when an aluminum water bottle got smashed beyond use after a couple years of heavy – and careless – use, I showed it to a worker almost to brag at the abuse it took while purchasing a replacement and to my great surprise was not charged. In my view, that even trumps refunding the full purchase price for half a bag of uncooked, dripping chicken.

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            Facebook makes keeping up with friends easy year-round, but there is simply nothing like an old-fashioned holiday card – usually with a photo, often with a newsletter – that arrives in the mail.

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Lastly, deepest thanks to each and all who contributed to Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive this year, including these Good Samaritans from the past week – Ron Bale, Brad and Mia Ditto, Ann Drescher,Draza Mrvichin, Roselind Seats, Jo Stalder, Stephenie, and Anonymous – who collectively donated 38 new sports balls to help bring the total of smiling faces this Christmas morning to 103!

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His new memoir WOODEN & ME is available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com and Amazon.com.

 

Column: A Christmas Story

by Woody

Visiting Santa in a Nick of Time

 

            Seeing children visiting Santa at the mall the other day made me wonder what they are asking for – Xbox One, Razor Crazy Cart, and Big Hugs Elmo top the Toys“R”Us 2013 hot toys list – and also got me to reminiscing.

 

The winter I was five there was only one thing I wanted for Christmas. No, not a bike or baseball mitt. I already had a twice-hand-me-down two-wheeler with coaster brakes that could skid on a dime and a thirdhand mitt better than brand new because it had been broken-in to supple perfection by my two older brothers.Santa

 

What I wanted was a rope. Moreover, for some reason it had to reach from the far wall of the dining room across the house to the kitchen’s furthest wall.

 

            Mom had always taken us to Lazarus Department Store to see Santa; always on the very first day he arrived; and always she came home on the edge of a nervous breakdown after trying to keep three rambunctious young boys in line – and in line – for an hour.

 

But this year Pop promised Mom he would take us. As each day passed and Christmas drew nearer and nearer, he kept putting the visit off. When Jim, Doug and I started to whine, Pop took us aside and shared a big secret we were not to tell Mom.

 

            “If you go too soon,” he explained, “Santa sometimes forgets what you asked for. Think of all the kids he talks to. So the closer you wait until Christmas, the better the chances are Santa will remember who you are, where you live, and what you asked for. If we go see Santa on Christmas Eve afternoon, there is no way he will forget you.”

 

Pop’s real secret, of course, was this: There is no line whatsoever to see Santa on Christmas Eve afternoon because only a knuckleheaded parent would torture kids by making them wait so very long.

 

            Christmas Eve finally arrived, and sitting on Santa’s lap I said: “I want a rope that reaches all the way from the kitchen wall to the dining room wall.”

 

            “Ho-ho-ho. What else do you want, young man?”

 

            “That’s all, Santa. A long cowboy rope.”

 

            Like my parents, and Saint Nick, you surely are wondering, “Why a rope?”

 

            Gee whiz, to make a lasso for roping our dog Mac and swing from a tree like Tarzan and play Batman by making foot traps to catch Penguin and Joker (my big brothers) and a thousand other things.

 

            When we returned home from our Lazarus excursion a half-hour later – the 10-minute drive each way included – Mom shot Pop a stare that would freeze Prestone and scolded: “I told you that you waited too long! Santa was gone and now don’t you feel terrible? I’m so sorry kids … ”

 

            Pop: “They saw Santa.”

 

            Jim, Doug and me (in happy unison): “We didn’t even have to wait in line!”

 

            I’m guessing Mommy didn’t kiss Santa Clause underneath the mistletoe that night.

 

            Early Christmas morning, we tore down the stairs and tore open our presents and inside one was a fat, silky-soft, white nylon rope, the tips of both ends melted coal black to prevent unraveling.

 

Before celebrating the glorious gift, I made Pop hold one end against the dining room wall while I marched across the house with the other end.

 

            Pop admitted many years later he was literally at the end of his rope in panic because he had not measured the actual distance between the two walls; he just went out and bought a generous length of the nicest rope he could find.

 

He also confesses that as I neared the far kitchen wall, and the rope began to grow taut, he pulled his end away from the dining room wall about two feet – which, in my excitement, thankfully went unnoticed by me.

 

Indeed, I not only thought Santa came through meeting my exact specifications but I was certain this was because we waited until Christmas Eve afternoon to see him so my gift request was fresh in his mind.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His new memoir WOODEN & ME is available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com and Amazon.com.

 

Column: My 2013 Reading List

by Woody

‘So many books, so little time’ in 2013

 

“I guess there are never enough books,” the great author John Steinbeck once said while the late musician Frank Zappa offered this contrary observation: “So many books, so little time.”

 

I think they both hit the mark. Indeed, because I was so busy this past year writing my own contribution for the world’s endlessly expanding bookshelf – “Wooden & Me” – I found there was far too little time to reach my annual reading goal of 52 books.CaliforniosCover

 

From the 44 books I have read thus far in 2013, here is a short stack of high recommendations.

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“The Art of Fielding: A Novel” by Chad Harbach. This is not a sports novel, it is simply a terrific novel with a backdrop that happens to be a baseball diamond. Imagine Rocky Balboa as a scrawny shortstop at a tiny college suddenly destined for greatness in the Big Leagues – although underdog Henry Skrimshander’s gift could be music or painting or any other passion. Add in love and death, second chances and friendships, and a series of roller-coaster story lines and you have a one-hit shutout that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final out – or throwing error.

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In 2012, I recommended “The Grapes of Wrath” and “East of Eden.” This year I went on a full-out John Steinbeck spree with “Cannery Row”, “Sweet Thursday”, “Tortilla Flat”, “The Winter of Our Discontent” and “Cup of Gold.” I recommend all five, and highly, although I think “Sweet Thursday” is my favorite of the handful.

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Jeff McElroy, a gifted author from Ventura County whose awards include first place in the national Writer’s Digest Short Story Contest, has long admired Steinbeck’s work and the influence is on display in “Californios: A Collection of Stories” that features powerful and gritty, yet elegant, storytelling that the master himself would have surely enjoyed.

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            Were I picking only three books to endorse this year, “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” byDaniel James Brown would without question make the podium – and perhaps atop in the gold-medal position. This inspirational true story is the eight-oar crew racing equivalent of the track-and-field standard “Chariots of Fire.”

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            On the topic of battling long odds, “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants” by Malcolm Gladwell is a flat-out winner from start to finish.

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“One Summer: America, 1927” by Bill Bryson is a historical tapestry weaving together a wide range of people and events, although my favorite piece of yarn is Charles Lindbergh’s quest to become the first man to fly nonstop across the Atlantic.

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F. Scott Fitzgerald was on my reading list twice this year with “The Great Gatsby” which stands the test of time and “This Side of Paradise” which I wish I had left on the bookshelf to gather dust.

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            Speaking of paradise, Ventura author Ken McAlpine gets my nod of admiration for the third consecutive year. Previously, I enjoyed his nonfiction travel narratives “Islands Apart” and “Off-Season” and then his foray into fiction with “Fog” and “Together We Jump.” Now I recommend his new collection of personal essays titled “West Is Eden: Reflections On This Gift Called Life.” While it is thin on pages at 74, it is deep in emotion and enlightenment. McAlpine says, “Life’s little moments aren’t little at all” – nor is this small book little.

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Another paradise-themed book, though thicker at 440 pages, that beautifully examines the gifts of life – and nature – is “Son of the Wilderness: The Life of John Muir” by Linnie Marsh Wolfe.

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Lastly, the first book I read in 2013 definitely merits mention: “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates” by Wes Moore. “Our roots help to determine our routes” is a line from this book that features one Wes Moore who had roots trying to grow on cracked pavement and fed by drugs and negative role models while the other Wes Moore – the author and Rhodes Scholar – had a network of strong nurturing roots reaching deep into hearty soil, albeit inner-city soil, that refused to let the gale winds he encountered topple him.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His new memoir WOODEN & ME is available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com and Amazon.com.

Column: Holiday Ball Drive

by Woody

Ball Drive Rings In Another Year

 

“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you,” the Greek philosopher and sage Epictetusadvised, “whose presence calls forth your best.”

 

In this space today I therefore welcome the company – or at least the words and spirit – of Mother Teresa, Julius Gius and Chuck Thomas.BallDrive

 

Let me begin with Chuck, the longtime sage and philosopher of this Saturday column who passed away four years ago on this date. He once wrote: “If there’s someone whose friendship you treasure, be sure to tell them now — without waiting for a memorial service to say it.”

 

In a similar vein, Chuck wisely said, “Help someone today because you may not have the opportunity tomorrow.”

 

Helping people, specifically local disadvantaged children, is the aim of Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive that officially kicks off again today.

 

The inspiration for this endeavor was twofold, beginning about 20 years ago at a youth basketball clinic when former Ventura College and NBA star Cedric Ceballos awarded autographed basketballs to half a few lucky attendees.

 

Leaving the gym afterward, I happened upon a 10-year-old boy who had won one of the prized keepsakes – and was dribbling it on the rough blacktop outdoor court and shooting baskets, perhaps imagining he was Ceballos all the while. Meanwhile, the real Ceballos’ Sharpie signature was wearing off.

 

Curious why he hadn’t carefully taken the trophy basketball home to put on display safely in a bookshelf, I interrupted his playing to ask.

 

“I’ve never had my own basketball to shoot with before,” he answered matter-of-factly between shots.

 

Months later I thought of that boy – and boys and girls like him who don’t have their own basketball to shoot with, or soccer ball to kick or football to throw – and bought one of each to donate. The following year I doubled my giving but wished I could help at least 100 kids have a merrier Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa.

 

            As mentioned, my Holiday Ball Drive had two seeds of germination. The second was Julius Gius, the late, great editor of this paper and esteemed humanitarian. Gius’ lasting legacy of leadership and philanthropy includes creation of the The Star’s annual Christmas Bellringer campaign that to date has raised more than $1 million for the Salvation Army.

 

Instead of asking readers to drop loose change and bills into a holiday kettle, I was inspired to ask them to drop off a brand new sports ball for a kid in need.

 

You dear readers have responded like true MVPs – Most Valuable Philanthropists – by donating thousands of new basketballs, soccer balls and footballs over the ensuing years. Kids “with” have even helped kids “without” by raiding their piggybanks or cashing in recycled aluminum cans.

 

A great thing about a basketball, football or soccer ball as a holiday gift is that no batteries are required. Also, unlike most toys, a rubber ball is all but unbreakable.

 

A greater thing is this: studies show that youth involved with sports do better in school and are less likely to drop out. Girls, additionally, are less likely to get pregnant in their teens and more likely to have higher self-esteem.

 

In the Introduction to a collection of his “Editor’s Notebook” columns that he self-published in 1988, Gius wrote: “I have had a rich and rewarding life. Everything has come up roses for me. . . . I count my blessings every day and wish them for everyone.”

 

If you similarly have been blessed, I beseech you to be uplifted by Julius Gius’ example and before Christmas drop off a new sports ball at a local Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, Special Olympics chapter, church or temple. The organization directors will pass the gift balls into deserving young hands.

 

(If you do help deck the halls with balls, please let me know of your gift by e-mail at woodywriter@gmail.com.)

 

Mother Teresa famously said: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” Together, calling forth our best, we can “feed” a hundred children or more this holiday season.

 

Repeating Chuck Thomas’ wisdom, “Help today because you may not have the opportunity tomorrow.”

 

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His new memoir WOODEN & ME is available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com and Amazon.com.

 

Column: Service Helps Others

by Woody

Querrey Serves Up Big Highlight

 

A pre-Thanksgiving serving of leftovers from my notepad . . .

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            If you had to choose a single word to describe Thousand Oaks native Sam Querrey “big” would be difficult to top.

For starters, the world’s No. 31-ranked tennis player stands 6 feet 6 inches tall.

His serve is also certainly big, having been clocked at 147 miles per hour. To give you further measure, James Blake once watched an ATP Tour-record 10 consecutive aces off of Sam’s racket strings fly past him.foodshare

            Indeed, Sam has a big game (he has been ranked as high as No. 17); a big trophy case (seven pro singles titles plus four in doubles); and a big bank account ($5 million in career prize winnings).

            Oh, yes, and a big heart.

            When Querrey learned about a wish by Thousand Oaks resident Kevin Feinbloom, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer, the American Davis Cupper served up his services.

“He played and sat with us for two hours,” Feinbloom recalled, noting that his two children – Cole, 17, and Julia, 14 – also got to hit balls with the tennis idol. “It was the coolest thing ever.”

Actually, something even cooler happened. During that magical afternoon on the court Feinbloom was hit with a new dream: to put on a fundraiser to help send Ventura County children to Andrea Jaeger’s remarkable Little Star Foundation camp in Colorado that specially serves kids who are battling cancer.

“After a few days of my head spinning around and thinking how I can’t believe what the hell I’m going through, I figured that instead of sitting back and letting it kick my butt, I’d better do something,” Feinbloom explained.

And so was born the “Fans In The Stands Foundation Tennis Festival” this Sunday (Nov. 24) at North Ranch Country Club in Thousand Oaks from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Ticket information: www.FansInTheStands.org)

Querrey not only volunteered to take part in the worthwhile event that includes a youth clinic, he recruited former USC Trojan and two-time NCAA singles champion Steve Johnson to play in an exhibition.

Jaeger, who at age 16 was ranked No. 2 in the world, will also be on hand.

“(Feinbloom’s) story and wanting to do something like this really touched me,” Jaeger told former VC Star tennis writer Steve Pratt. “When I first saw his email, I just sat down and said ‘wow.’ I mean, the father has been diagnosed with Stage 4, the same year his wife has had breast cancer treatments, and they have children.

“Kevin is determined to make a difference.”

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Speaking of making a difference, for every $1 donated to FOOD Share (www.foodshare.com) it will provide over $5 worth of food for families in Ventura County – especially priceless during the coming holiday season.

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Another local difference-maker is the Ventura County Community Foundation that will give away $1.2 million via 455 scholarships for the 2014-15 school year. For application information visit www.vccf.org.

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            On the topic of academics, it was reported that of the more than 104,000 students who this year took the Advanced Placement Calculus exam worldwide in 59 countries, only 11 earned a perfect score.

            All 11 pefectos are from the United States. With all the derision directed at our educational system, this is definitely worth bragging about.

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            Another news story this week: “Analysis of studies on millions of children around the world finds they don’t run as fast or as far as their parents did when they were young. On average, it takes children 90 seconds longer to run a mile than their counterparts did 30 years ago.”

            Meanwhile, for some kids a bigger challenge is trying to run as fast as their parents do NOW. For example, the offspring of a quintet of Ventura County sheriff’s deputies – Randy Pentis, Tim Hagel, Paul Higgason, Dave Kenney and Frank Underlin – who earlier this month completed the Bagan Temple Marathon in conditions (102 degrees and 90 percent humidity) more suitable for basting a turkey than running 26.2 miles.

            Pity the crook of any age who tries to escape one of them on foot.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His new memoir WOODEN & ME is available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com and Amazon.com.

Column: A Grandma’s Wisdom

by Woody

Granddaughter Discovers a New Hero

 

When the phone call came a few months back offering a Steinbeck Fellowship in Creative Writing at San Jose State University, my 26-year-old daughter was thrilled at the academic opportunity, financial support to work on a novel, and the honor of being associated in some small way with one of her literary heroes.DalAndGMa

 

Little did she know that the real prize would be in discovering a new hero in a person she has long known though only through short visits. I will now let Dallas take over . . .

 

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I’ve been living with my maternal grandparents in the Bay Area for almost three months now. Daily life with these two full-of-life octogenarians has been a true gift. My grandparents are insightful, intelligent, kind, hardworking and often hilarious. And their love for each other warms my spirit.

 

I have especially learned a great deal from watching and listening to Grandma. Here is a woman who grew up during the Great Depression and World War II, and learned from her mother how to live with the utmost frugality.

 

She later graduated from college and earned a Master’s degree (when this was far more rare for women) and then worked full-time as a teacher while raising four children – often largely by herself, as Grandpap traveled greatly for his job.

 

Grandma is the matriarch of our family, always going out of her way to see that her children and grandchildren are happy and well fed and comfortable.

 

She also talks each and every day to her sister, who lives near Pittsburgh where they grew up as kids; interacts with a wide network of friends; and volunteers through various organizations. Grandma is a vibrant role model.

 

I’m so proud of the woman Grandma is – and proud to be her granddaughter. Here are some lessons, small and large, that I’ve learned from living with her these past few months.

 

Show Your Love. My grandma isn’t one to say “I love you” all that often. She says she can’t really remember her parents ever telling her they loved her, but she always knew they did because of their loving actions. Grandma is continually doing kind things for the people she cares about. Indeed, her caring gestures say “I love you” every day.

 

Always Bring a Jacket. It can be sunny out, but you never know when the weather is going to turn for the worse.

 

Always Bring a Snack. You don’t want to be hungry. Stick a granola bar in your purse, at the very least.

 

Be Early. My grandma is nearly always the first person at the movie theater, picking the best seat in the house. Like Goldilocks, often she’ll change her mind two or three times before settling on the seat she thinks is just right.

 

The Freezer is Your Friend. Grandma firmly believes in “waste not, want not.” All leftovers are refrigerated unless she thinks we won’t eat them right away, in which case into the freezer they go. Casseroles, lasagna, bread, cookies, pies – everything can be frozen and resurrected later. The woman wastes nothing. It’s amazing.

 

Soup is Super. If you don’t know what to cook for dinner, raid the fridge and make soup. You can’t go wrong with a pot of chicken stock and diced veggies.

 

Walk Daily. Every morning, even when her arthritic hip is acting up, Grandma puts on her tennis shoes and goes for a walk around the neighborhood. She also believes in exercising early before the craziness of the day sets in.

 

Escape The Indoors. If the sun is shining and the breeze isn’t too cold, Grandma finds time to enjoy the fresh air in a lounge chair on the patio; reading, talking on the phone, maybe enjoying an afternoon nap.

 

Forgive “Yo-Yo Heads.” My grandma’s favorite term for someone who disappoints is a “yo-yo head.” According to her, we are all yo-yo heads sometimes. So be patient with each other.

 

I enjoyed reading “Travels With Charley” but I am really loving “Living With Grandma (and Grandpap).”

 

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His new memoir WOODEN & ME is available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com and Amazon.com.

 

Column: John McDougal, Bibliophile

by Woody

BannerBooksJohn Barnes & Nobles’ Resident Bibliophile

 

While American workers play musical swivel chairs, plopping into a new job every 4.4 years on average according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, John McDougal has marched around and around as the workplace Muzak has changed from Madonna to Sheryl Crow to Alicia Keys to Taylor Swift.

 

Earlier this year McDougal celebrated his 30th anniversary at Barnes & Noble Booksellers. The Ventura store even has a banner on proud display recognizing the rare feat.

Talking books and writers over a beer with John McDougal is a real treat.

Talking books and writers over a beer with John McDougal is a real treat.

McDougal has seen the bookstore landscape change greatly over the past three decades. For starters, Barnes & Noble was still B. Dalton’s when he began working at its small store in the old Esplanade Mall in Oxnard.

 

He next worked at the single-story Barnes & Noble in Ventura at Main Street and Telephone Road and a decade ago was part of the lock-stock-and-books relocation into a grand new two-story B&N where the old 101 Drive-In theater used to be.

 

“A lot has changed,” McDougal reminisces. “I remember when we used carbon copies for orders. We looked up books on microfiche – and we still couldn’t tell you if we actually had it. But it was a small store, so we kind of knew.”

 

Today’s store is a much larger with countless more titles, but McDougal still usually knows if a book is in stock without checking the modern computer system; where it is located; and what’s inside the cover.

 

For good reason here is how one fellow employee introduces him to customers seeking a reading recommendation: “This is Mr. McDougal and he knows every book in the world.”

 

John McDougal, born and raised in Oxnard, says he was a “library kid” and to this day reads more than a book a week. Asked for some of his Hall of Fame reads, he replied: “One of my all-time favorites is T.H. White’s The Once And Ancient Future King. I re-read The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame again and again. Little Big Man by Thomas Berger. Steinbeck, of course. Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It . . . .”

 

He was just getting started.

 

John McDougal is 56 years old with a boyish mop of curls – albeit now salt-and-peppered with a matching goatee – that defies gravity. Add in round wire-rim glasses and he brings to mind a wise and kindly college professor.

 

The 8-year-old library kid is now an adult bibliophile as evidenced by the three glass bookcases in the front room of his home, each filled with “my treasures” as he calls his rare collection.

 

While he loves old-fashioned bound books, McDougal is a growing fan of e-readers because they allow him to find out-of-print titles he has been searching decades for in used bookstores.

 

“Not everyone likes to read what I do,” McDougal allows. “Everyone has different tastes. Some people want to read what’s popular right now; others are open to wider suggestions.

 

“I ask questions and then do my best,” he continues of his magic formula for recommending books. “It’s pretty gratifying to have someone come back and say, ‘Thanks! That was great! What should I read next?’ ”

 

A new question McDougal hears, prodded by the anniversary banner, is: “When are you going to retire?”

 

“Maybe in another 30 years,” he answers. “I’m having too much fun.”

 

In honor of his loyalty and longevity, McDougal is being given a celebratory trip anywhere in the world. He plans to take his wife LoRena to London, which will bring this tale full circle.

 

You see, while McDougal’s official bookstore anniversary is Feb. 22, 1983, he actually worked at B. Dalton’s for two years following graduation from UC Santa Barbara in 1979. After saving some money, he quit and packed his backpack for Europe.

 

“I wanted to travel before going on to the next stage in my life,” he recalls of the 13-month odyessy that followed. He eventually rushed home when his girlfriend informed him she had met another guy.

 

“It had a happy ending,” McDougal says, smiling because that girlfriend became his wife. This time LoRena will be at his side flying across the Atlantic – no doubt with a carry-on book that comes expertly recommended.

 

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His new memoir WOODEN & ME is available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com and Amazon.com.

 

WOODEN & ME chapter excerpt: Bryans Brothers “Help Others”

by Woody

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Chapter Nineteen

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Bryan Brothers Strive To “Help Others”

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Coach John Wooden put into daily practice his belief that “you can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”

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          Two small examples: he graciously signed autographs even when the request interrupted his meal, and he paid for the stamps himself to mail back items sent to him to be autographed that did not include return postage.BryanBros

 

Coach’s deeds and words have greatly inspired both my children ever since they were quite young. A dozen years ago Dallas, now 26, created “Write On! For Literacy” (writeonbooks.org), a nonprofit foundation to encourage kids to read and write. She has also held an annual Write On! Holiday Book Drive that has collected and donated more than twelve-thousand new books to disadvantaged youth.

 

At age sixteen Greg, now 23, similarly created his own nonprofit organization “Give Running” (giverunning.org) and since 2006 he has collected more than 14,000 pairs of running and athletic shoes, thousands of which he has personally washed by hand. These shoes have been sent to youth living in impoverished villages in numerous developing countries as well as to inner-city communities across the United States.

 

In addition to being deeply inspired to help others by Coach Wooden, Dallas and Greg have been blessed to have Mike and Bob Bryan – the winningest doubles tandem in tennis history – as key role models in their lives. Coach Wooden was a fan of Mike and Bob, for their sportsmanship as well as their athletic skills, he told me when I asked him to sign a Pyramid of Success as a gift for them.

 

Because the identical twins remember the childhood thrills they felt when getting autographs from their tennis heroes, Mike and Bob try to return the favor to today’s young fans. It is not unusual for them to spend half an hour or more after a match or a practice session signing autographs courtside.

 

“We feel it’s important to make time for fans,” says Mike.

 

Adds Bob: “It only takes a moment to make a kid smile, so why not take the time and make the effort to maybe make a small difference?”

 

How Wooden-like does that sound?

 

Mike and Bob’s time and effort often make more than a small difference. Through their nonprofit organization The Bryan Bros. Foundation they have supplied rackets to inner-city high school tennis teams; supported youth tennis leagues; sponsored young players with equipment and travel expenses; and in countless other ways succeeded in their mission to “help at-risk survive and thrive.” Too, Mike and Bob have generously supported Write On! and Give Running.

 

But perhaps never have Mike and Bob stood taller than when they made time for Shigeki Sumitani, a ten-year-old from Japan. When he emailed the Bryan Brothers asking for an autograph, they happily obliged.

 

A few weeks later, upon first learning that Shigeki was battling cancer, Mike and Bob solemnly signed a tennis ball and cap and also mailed the small boy one of the shirts they wore while winning their first Grand Slam championship at the French Open.

 

When they next learned that Shigeki’s father had bought autographed, match-used rackets of his son’s two other favorite players – Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi – on eBay, only to receive two unsigned knockoff rackets, Mike and Bob autographed one of the rackets they had just used in the French Open final and sent it by FedEx to him.

 

A small thing? Perhaps. But not to Shigeki. To him it made far more than a small difference. To him it meant the world. As Coach Wooden observed: “Sometimes the smallest gestures make the biggest difference.”

 

Shigeki passed away only a few days after that priority package arrived. He was wearing the championship shirt from the French Open, with the racket from that same match at his side, while listening to the “Five-Setter” music CD the Bryan Brothers Band had recently produced.

 

These kind gestures provided a little happiness when happiness had long before been chased away. Shigeki’s mother died at age thirty of a heart attack when her son was six years old, soon followed by his cancer diagnosis that very year. The cancer grew worse and worse. So did the pain.

 

“At the end, he knew his time was short,” said the elder Sumitani. “His treatments were very hard on him. Frequently he had attacks of severe pain. Sometimes he couldn’t sleep. Sometimes he made complaints. But he did his best.”

 

So did the Bryans. They sent Shigeki autographs and shoes and CDs and emails. Most importantly, they sent him the knowledge that they cared. Indeed, Bob and Mike embodied the Wooden-like words that their mother Kathy, a former professional tennis star herself, has preached to them since childhood: “It’s far more important who you are as person than who you are as an athlete.”

 

An only child, Shigeki used to tell his father he dearly wished he had a brother. Briefly, he got the next best thing: two long-distance surrogate big brothers. “Having the Bryans as his ‘older brothers’ made him happy,” the boy’s father confided to me.

 

Under much happier conditions, Mike and Bob have similarly been surrogate big brothers to Dallas and Greg, showing them endless support over the years. Many times when Greg needed it most – when stress fractures derailed his running on three different occasions or when he was a Rhodes Scholar Finalist but learned the ultimate opportunity to study abroad had eluded him – Mike and Bob have sent emails of encouragement. They have done the same during Dallas’s own tough times.

 

Conversely, in recognition of Dallas’ high points – her successful ascent of Mount Whitney; acceptance into college and graduate school; receiving the 2013-14 John Steinbeck Fellowship – Mike and Bob sent congratulatory flowers and text messages. Greg, too, has experienced the thrill of their kind gestures.

 

Dallas and Greg have emulated their big-brother role models by making small gestures to Mike and Bob in return. When the twins are home during a rare break from the pro tour, Dallas likes to bake “Friendship Bread” for them. And Greg has helped do their laundry. Wayne Bryan still happily recalls the time when this was not such a small thing after his twin sons had returned from a three-month clay-court season in Europe: “Greg and I did a world-record thirteen loads of wash, drying, and folding at the local Camarillo Coin Op Laundry. It took us some two and a half hours. We really chopped some wood. He had a smile on his face the whole time and we shared some laughs and he did a beautiful job and it was a day I’ll never forget.”

 

Greg feels the same way. There truly is great joy – and great memories created – in helping others.

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Wooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upExcerpted from WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece”

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Columns: Teachers Speak Out

by Woody

Some Teachers at End of Their Rope

 

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view,” Atticus Finch wisely says in the great novel To Kill a Mockingbird. “. . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
            A handful of emails from local teachers allowed me to climb into their skin and walk around in it – and better understand why a growing number feel at the end of their rope.

 

To begin, consider this actual classroom exchange one local high school teacher, who I’ll call “Ms. C” to respect her privacy, recounted:Apple1

 

“Student: ‘Ms. C, Do you allow make up tests? I didn’t read the book.’

 

“(Keep in mind that we read the first two chapters together. They had to read one chapter on their own – 12 pages.)

 

“Me: ‘Um, no. In the future I suggest you do the reading.’

 

“Student: ‘Wow. That’s harsh.’
“Really? *sigh*”

 

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            My recent column about the mini-documentary “Black Out”, which focuses on the great lengths students in Guinea go to in order to study under public lights at gas stations and parking lots because they do not have electricity at home, brought a number of sighs from teachers who wished they saw more of this attitude in their classrooms.

 

            “Powerful column today,” wrote S.K. “I especially applaud the paragraph which reads, ‘More simply, I wish every classroom in America would require its students – and parents – . . .’

 

“Including parents is huge! My 30-something niece called me this morning. She told of her daughter, my grandniece, in the fifth grade, not performing well on a test. My niece and her husband – who is a Special Education teacher – contacted the teacher to see what they could do to help. I applauded their pro-active stance and willingness to play an active role in their daughter’s education.

 

“If more parents were pro-active in the education of their children, if more parents placed more value on education, perhaps we would not see our test scores declining.”

 

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From S.Z., this heavy sigh:

 

“My daughter is a math teacher at (area high school) and the excuses she gets are as stupid as ‘the dog ate . . .’ Or no excuse and no homework assignment done either.

 

“Parents often aren’t much better. They don’t require their kids to even go to school, much less attend class, and wonder why their little darling is failing which, by the way, is now not allowed – no more failing kids.

 

“The same was true when I taught. A kid in English – ninth through 12th grades – would come to school every day with no homework. He took no tests; just sat there. At 18 he was sent on his way functionally illiterate.”

 

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And this from J.G.:

 

“I retired from Ventura Unified after 36 years of public school teaching. Due to something beyond our control I’m back doing some sub work at a couple of schools.

 

“I have always enjoyed being with kids so for the most part find it enjoyable even at my age. But boy have things changed. The kids (not all be any stretch of the imagination, but enough) are very hard to handle, are unresponsive, and downright disrespectful.

 

“There’s plenty of blame to go around, but from my vantage point I believe parents have done their kids a disservice by indulging them in so many things. Middle school kids carry iPhones, have plenty of money, wear a new $40 baseball cap every other week, etc. I really believe that we have hurt our kids.

 

“I think your column got my attention also because part of our family is living, studying, and teaching in Kenya at this time. Their dad, our middle son, was serving in missions in Africa when he contacted encephalitisand perished last February. They feel out of place in the U.S. and prefer living among people who don’t have everything.

 

“My hat is off to the kids you described . . . ”

 

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            Indeed, hats off to kids who study – and also to their parents who demand it and teachers who inspire it. 

 

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for the Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. His new memoir WOODEN & ME is available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com and Amazon.com.