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"Animal House: Zuma Edition". Photo courtesy of Spike Beck. (fyi, per Cal Porter, this photo is from the Summer of 1947)
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Recently, we've enjoyed some great back and forth musings from some Zuma Guards, circa 1960's and early '70's, both recurrents and permanents, reminiscing about the good old days when recurrents could sleep at the old Zuma HQ (Beach House) in a bunk room and some of the antics and fallout leading to the eventual eviction of recurrents and the beginning of what we now now as "The Village".
We will start with the first entry followed by the other guards that piped in. It is Classic! It is Hilarious! Enjoy! Oh and Happy New Year!
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It all began last Friday on Dec. 29, 2012, when Zuma recurrent (ret.), Larry Loganbill (circa 60's/'70's) asked innocently:
"What was the last summer that lifeguards bunked in the Zuma house?"
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Date: December 29, 2012 6:25:16 PM PST
From: R G DEGREGORI
65 or 66
RD
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Date: December 30, 2012 3:54:08 PM PST
From: Bob Burnside
(editor's note: This is where it starts to get personal, er, fun!... :-) )
"Well... I cannot verify the year... But the story has more to it than one may wish to accept. As a matter of history... here are a few points you may have forgotten.
Besides "those nasty little recurrent's coming in at all hours and raising hell"..there were the issues like:
1) Half the beds had crabs in them from "some" recurrent's sleeping with some very tacky ladies.
2) Then there was the refrigerator!.. Spoiled old food... and some "tacky" recurrent's "borrowing " others month old food... and getting "trench mouth".
3) Then, of course... there was enough sand in the bunks to have a beach volleyball championship.
4)... And finally, after too many years... the downstairs had rats running across the floor... which at one point, I believe, one of you clowns brought a 22 rifle to headquarters and started having shooting matches to see who was the best marksman....not to mention the cockroaches!!
...Yes, you were all just little angels... (Give me a break)
But all was forgiven... When we threw your asses out of the house and "condoned The Village"... LONG LIVE THE VILLAGE!!!
Bob
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Date: December 30, 2012 4:30:34 PM PST
From: Larry Loganbill
Smartaleck Quote:
"But Bob...don't you have to allow for some human error?"
Out of the pie hole of Tom Landis... Summer of '62.
After Bob Burnside had given an hour long Castro-like speech to the entire Northern Division on a Sunday morning...... on how filthy the Zuma HQ was and how we needed to keep it pristine. I was in charge of giving oxygen to Bob to calm him down after that comment.
I next was going to say..."But Bob we didn't all attend the pristine prestigious Black Foxe Mllitary Institute like you did. We are all from Dogpatch. Except for Pork Chop Barron we have all been
brought up in a pig sty." But when I saw how red Burnside's face had gotten I shut up...I didn't want Bob to blow a chamber.
We did become more culturally aware and health food aware cooking in the Zuma kitchen. Manny Weiss only ate Loma Linda vegetarian foods including canned veggie hotdogs. Mark Lozano taught us what chorizo was all about. Sheridan Byerly taught us how to cook a can of beans on the manifold of the lifeguard truck.
Too bad Wally Millican didn't come up to Zuma until 1966... he could have taught us all a few things about keeping the place clean. Oh yeah... I almost forgot... we all learned never to work a lifeguard tower the day after Tom Landis or Larry Hanes had worked the same tower.
LL
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| Zuma HQ, circa 1960's, per Cal Porter. This is a print from a painting by Vi Allen. Bob Burnside owns the original painting. This print is courtesy of Tom Viren. Per Bob: "Vi Allen It was a very famous Malibu Artist. She painted the old Sheriffs station, the Catholic Monastery above the colony, The Rindge Estate on the point at Surfriders... and The Malibu pier... All were displayed in a big Art Festival in 1956... She was a dear friend of my mother and me." |
Date: December 30, 2012 4:49:33 PM PST
From: Tom Viren
What about the year Ken Benfield's cabinet doors were removed by the hinges and all the paper labels were removed from his summer stash of about 100 cans of food. That certainly assisted in the tidiness of the kitchen, and ken had a summer of surprise every time he opened a can for his nightly meal. Just to make sure no food stayed around and spoiled we helped ourselves to (can't remember the name but he was from South Africa) frozen cheese cake, and then replaced it with sand and shaving cream.
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Date: December 30, 2012 4:53:05 PM PST
From: Larry Loganbill
Fred Hackett... from Sunnyvale... swam at San Jose St. as a freshman when I was there. I told him to take the test. He had come from The Netherlands via South Africa. Fred was very frugal and the 39 cent Banquet cream pie was going to be a real treat for himself that night when he returned from the lifeguard slow pitch game in Hermosa.
LL
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Date: December 30, 2012 5:27:08 PM PST
From: spike beck
The last year guards were allowed to sleep in the hq was 1970---and i think it didn't last the whole summer. I remember this because I was driving to my first year at Zuma from school (colorado state) and specifically remember blasting my 8 track player as loud as it would go to Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Almost Cut My Hair" as i was driving through "downtown" malibu ----because I just did - cut my hair, that is. I spent maybe one night in the "house" ---but I was in college --it was the 60's (at least in spirit) --i had long hair --and i smoked *hibiscus... I gave up my long hair, so i figured, why give up *hibiscus too? Thus, my vw van and I moved to the dirt next to Zuma HQ --- the beginning of the village. I stayed there for about a month without others --- then jerry heinrich joined me. Before the end of the summer there were several of us --- and i believe it was howard lee that didn't want us so close to the building --- so he banished us to the parking lot. And since I have "outed" my probably not too well kept secret --- one thing that may surprise you --- is the first person to join me in my van --- as part of my "relaxation method" was the late Dave Heck. How about that? I bet not too many people would have guessed that.
I also remember one of my most bonehead things i ever did as a guard was help (at least i thought so) Doc McPherson. I was the guard at T-1 (with my one eyed dog Tommy --- but that's a different story), the surf was big and Doc was out body surfing. He got thumped pretty good --- I remember helping him walk up the sand because he just didn't look right --- he had an abrasion on his forehead or nose --- i walked him up to the tower and called for the call car ---------- i don't remember too much after that except that it turned out doc had broken his neck--- or at least chipped a cervical veterbre ----- luckily everything turned out ok ---- but a lesson learned - one that would stay with me for the next 40 or so years.
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Date: January 1, 2013 10:27:21 PM PST
From: R G DEGREGORI
Spike was still in diapers and I was permanent in '70. No one was staying in the HQS. I was out of the Army in January of '69, worked that summer. No recurrents were in the HQS that summer either. Spike was smoking too much herb and has lost track of time.
RD
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(The comments and remarks of each lifeguard above are proprietary to each said lifeguard, e.g., each lifeguard retains their rights under U.S. Copyright Law, and reproduction of these remarks is prohibited except with the permission of each author-lifeguard.)
*** Thank you, Gentlemen, for sharing your recollections from "back in the day" at Zuma. We really appreciate it. Guards are laughing and enjoying this bit of trivia and history. There are smiles around the world being shared. ***
10-4
Until next time.....
"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com
2 comments:
Happy New Year...To all the LACO Lifeguards...and all lifeguards in the USA..."Lifeguards for life"
I "vaguley" remember the '66-'67 recurrent residence; i was in and out of there three or four times, depending on which car i totaled and my USN service time. But, from the comments above, i do recollect each of the activities and items described.
My best recollection was waking up around three in the morning and hearing a guitar being played, and as i went around the corner towards the stairwell, i heard the soft humming of Kemp Aaberg. He was sitting alone, on the graveyard shift, playing beautiful music. I stood there a while then went back to bed.
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