The Coin Divers of Avalon #3

"THR00000000000W A C000000000000IN!"

Postlog: Two years ago, a long time dear friend, Mitch Hammond, was visiting me during the summer (he lived in Beverly Hills then, and now lives near Chicago, Illinois). He was a "tourist" when we met in about 1960. When I was diving he was taking the passengers’ suitcases to their hotels in his little red wagon.

Anyway, we were having dinner at "Armstrong's Seafood Restaurant", which is located where the "Steamer Pier" used to stand and were enjoying a wonderful fish dinner, seated on a balcony right over the water.

Suddenly, I head "THROW A COIN". Mitch and I looked at each other, in hopes that the other one had also heard it, and we both did! Remember, I hadn't heard those words since 1965!

We looked down into the water to see three young boys, with masks and snorkels (we never used snorkels in the good old days) and they were actually "diving for coins"! Mitch and I couldn’t believe our ears or eyes. They weren't trying to get the attention of the other tables along the railing…they were concentrating solely on us!

I quickly pulled out all of the silver (quarters) that I had on me and urged the other patrons to do like wise and throw them to the boys. I then instructed these "wannabe divers" about "how" to yell, "THROOOOOOOOW A COOOOOOIN"!, not, "Throw A Coin".

I asked our server how often these boys had been doing this. She had been with the restaurant for years and this was the first time that she had ever seen this happen. I then turned back around with the idea of asking these young divers how they knew that this was the spot where I used to dive and how come they were only diving for Mitch and me…and they were GONE!

Mitch and I looked at each other shocked, as if we had just experienced an episode of the "Twilight Zone". After a few minutes to catch my thoughts, I told him that I had the feeling that if I had reached too far over the side, to throw the coins, that I would have fallen into the ocean and then, when I had come to the surface, I would have been a ten year old coin diver!!!!!

He then wondered what would happen if, after dinner, when we left the restaurant, there was a nine year old Mitch, asking to take our luggage to our hotel.

Here's a beautiful movie about the S. S. Catalina and its final resting place.



"THR00000000000W A

C000000000000IN!"

The Coin Divers of Avalon #2

"THR00000000000W A C000000000000IN!"

This "Right-Of-Passage" got me and my friends past the intimidation of "begging" and helped to teach us how to scurry, and "fend off" our fellow "divers", having to push them out of the way as we dug between the rocks to find the "booty". Then, we ventured into the water, generally waist high, and acclimated ourselves to "yelling", with a mask over our faces, and learning how, if we were lucky, to grab the money on the "fly" before it hit the water and headed for the ocean bottom.

My personal "Right-Of-Passage" came the following summer when I realized that I was ready for the "Big Time". I told my fellow child entrepreneurs that I was "GOING UNDER THE PIER", which meant that I was now ready to join the "big kids". I was actually going to dive for coins, thrown directly from the "S. S. Catalina"! I remember the look on my friends' faces when they realized that I was making the big move. I was now "one of them", a "BIG KID"!!!

The coin divers would head to the North Beach, also called "Pete's Beach", down the stairs, hit the water, and then swim out to the boat. The "macho divers", had to enter the water by diving off the edge, from about the seven foot level, directly into the water.

You would have to watch the wave action so that there would be water under you when you dove in. I learned this lesson on my first attempt! Instead of watching the wave hit the wall, dive in, and then let it take you out, I dove as the wave was going out, which meant that I dove face first into the gravel and rocks! I could have broken my stupid neck, but all it did was ripped the skin off of my forehead. Of course, not wanting to let anyone know that I had "missed the wave", I simply swam out to the boat, with blood streaming down my face! The salt water burned like alcohol, but it also acted as an antiseptic and eventually numbed the area.

At first, I started near the bow (front) of the Steamer and then, as I got more adventurous, I began moving toward the stern (back). The water was much shallower closer to the shore and quickly got deeper as one moved away from the shore. I am not aware of how deep the water was at the stern, but "free diving" down forty feet or more was certainly not uncommon. As a rule of thumb, we felt the “deeper” the water…the “bigger” the money. And…if you were really cute, which I definitely was, a passenger would motion to you as to where he/she was planning to throw their money, so that your fellow divers wouldn't be all over you trying to get that handful of dimes or quarters.

It wasn't unusual, toward the back of the ship, for passengers to use silver dollars (which were still being used as currency), as weights to wrap a $5 bill around and throw it into the water. They would often throw the "big money" near the propeller. The "prop" of the steamer, was continually slowly rotating, to keep the ship stable. The chance of being "sucked" into the propeller was a real liability of going after the "silver". Only the bravest or "stupidest" would attempt such a feat.

In order to get the money flowing, we would yell "THROOOOOOOOOW A COOOOOOOIN"! To get the "big money" we would yell, "LET'S SEE SOME SILVER!", or some such statement. Keep in mind, we never thought of this as begging. We were putting on a display of athletic prowess, or "performance", if you would prefer, and we were getting paid for what we were worth. The further out they threw the coins, the deeper they made us dive and the more fellow divers we had to fend off. This process determined what we expected to get in the way of remuneration.

If we weren't able to grab the money in the air, we had to face the sad truth that we now had to really work for our money. When coins are heading to the bottom, they tend to flutter back and forth, much like a leaf falling from a tree. You wanted to get to it as quickly as possible, because not only did you face the prospect of having to hold your breath, sometimes for a minute or more, but the deeper you dove the colder the water got. Then, depending on how much action was going on above in the water level, you had to face…a "welcoming committee"!!!

Once retrieved, there were only three places you would keep your money: 1) In your mask If you were lucky and got a lot of money, you couldn't see past the coins. But your mask would tend to "fog up" a lot and you would have to take it off and rub it with "spit" or "kelp sap" to keep it from fogging again; 2) In your mouth Money tastes bad and you run the chance of swallowing some. Unfortunately, some fellow divers choked on money getting lodged in their wind pipes; or 3) In your swim trunks Which usually had very small pockets and it took too long to try to cram your loot into them. Additionally, the other divers had more access to these coins. (This is a picture of me on the extreme left with a picture of a sea plane in the background).

After a particularly "fruitful" dive, when you made it to the surface, your "greeting committee" of fellow divers would then either: Pull off your mask, which would release your money; Put their feet on your shoulders, forcing you back down, which would cause you to "spit out" your money as you are now gasping for air; or they would simply "pants you". They would relieve you of your swimming trunks and go through your pockets. Believe me, IT WAS AN UNDERWATER JUNGLE OUT THERE!

If you made it through the day (the ship arrived at Noon and left at 4:10 pm, except on weekends, when it would generally make two round trips), you were usually in the water around an hour when it arrived and an hour when it left, you could easily get $15 or more in a day, which, in those days, was enough for some of the "mainland" college kids to be able to eat three meals a day, stay in a nice hotel, and take their "summer romances" to the Casino to dance that evening.

My coin diving career continued until the mid-sixties. In 1965 I graduated from High School, then I went off to college on the mainland. In 1969 the old Steamer Pier was torn down and what was left behind is now the site of Antonio’s Restaurant and the Busy Bee Restaurant. And finally, in 1975 the the S. S. Catalina was taken out of service forever. Between school, teaching and getting along in life, my coin diving career faded into the mists of the past, until…
(To be continued)


"THR00000000000W A C000000000000IN!"

The Coin Divers of Avalon #1

"THR00000000000W A C000000000000IN!"



A few days ago my friend and associate, Jim Watson, and I were interviewing Lolo Saldana, another great friend and also the "The World's Best Barber" who has been cutting hair in Avalon for over 50 years, for an upcoming project. He mentioned how, before WWII, kids made money diving for coins when the passenger ships came in.





Sometimes they brought home more money than their fathers did working their "normal" jobs.

This conversation got me to thinking about the years, from 1953 to 1965, when I dove for coins thrown from the



"Great White Steamship – the S. S. Catalina". I truly feel that this is one of the things that set the "Islanders" apart from other kids and made us what we are today, for good or for ill, a bit "different" and certainly more "independent" than most.




I must take this opportunity to preface my "coin diving" story by acknowledging that this is "my story" and that there was no "set" procedure




for how locals got involved in this activity nor how they plied the trade. I would love others to share their stories and memories (special message to Gregory, Valerie and Jeannie…get the hint?). Please email your stories for posting to: liddell@catalinas.net

Catalina Island "Coin Diving" goes back to the 1890's when the Banning Brothers, who had purchased the Island in 1892 (and later sold the Island to William Wrigley, Jr., in 1919), had a fleet of boats bringing excited, and generally "sea sick" visitors to the Island, on what was probably their first "ocean voyage". It would take around three hours to get here from Wilmington, California.

I don't know what caused the first brave sole to decide to jump into the water and expect passengers to throw him money (originally it was only boys who participated in this tradition), but I can only assume that one of the passengers, who had been to Hawaii where this tradition had been going on, saw a young swimmer and yelled "How would you like some money?", and then threw some coins into the water. Finding this activity both challenging and rewarding, the diver probably eagerly "went for it" and then shared this experience with his buddies, who then decided the next day to "meet the boat" in hopes that they would be so lucky.

They would have found confused passengers, wondering what they were doing, swimming along side the steamer, until that first diver said those eventful words, "Throw a coin!", which probably would have delighted the passengers enough to start searching for pennies, nickels, dimes, and, should they be so lucky, some silver money. The divers were providing the visitor a service, even though they didn't know it at the time. They allowed the passengers to "feel" like they had taken a major ocean voyage (even though, if they had looked hard, they could have still seen the mainland behind them) and added to the excitement of their arrival.

On the pier, as well as at the foot of the pier, leading into town, another custom was in play. The locals and visitors who arrived earlier had formed a "gauntlet" where they would line up on both sides and the newly initiated tourist to walk between these rows of "natives". It gave the new arrivals the feeling of being "greeted", which continued until the Steamer Pier was torn down in 1969.

"Duke" Fishman was one of those who has been so associated with this "greeting", going back to the 1930's.

My "diving" career started when I was five years old, if you want to call it "diving".





I stood on the rocks, south east of where the "Busy Bee" Restaurant now sits, and bellowed to those going to the boat called the "Blanche W" and other excursion boats leaving the "Steamer Pier" to



"THR00000000000W A C000000000000IN!"


(My story will continue in my next post)

"Happy Father's Day"

...to all of you fathers.

For those of you, like me, who never had children, and those fathers who have put in the extra effort, "Happy Dad's Day".







Almost any man can be a biological "Father", but it takes a special man to be called a "Dad".


I love the quote, "No man stands so tall as one who stoops to help a child!" I hope that many more men will humble themselves to positively affect the life of a child; to take on the role of "Dad".

Children need both loving women and men in their lives and our society could use a lot more loving, caring, and nurturing of children.


We are determining our own futures by how we treat our children. If we show them love, they, in turn, will learn to love themselves and others.


The Bible says: "God is love". A true understanding of the concept of "love" can turn more men into "Dads".

Catalina Island Man

"WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS"

8. Accept the "good" and "bad" of life equally! Time has a way to showing us that EVERYTHING that happens has a reason and we should accept that...






everything as part of a "wonderful tapestry",

that is slowly being woven. Time also has a way of showing us that both, "good" and "bad" are a necessary part of life.

9. Don't take yourself, especially your mistakes, too seriously!

In 100 years from now, WHO CARES!?! Be easy on yourself.


No one is perfect and no one is really keeping score.

Everyone else is too wrapped up in themselves to worry about the failures you experience.


More to follow, soon!

Catalina Island Man

"WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS"

7. Don't always have to be "right". It is more important to resolve problems and misunderstandings than it is to have to make the other person/persons feel that THEY WERE WRONG! Be quick to admit when you are wrong and apologize. You would be surprised how quickly this simple act can break a disputed "log jam".

Catalina Island Man

"WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS"

Yes, at 3:55 AM, May 24, 2009, on Catalina Island, it has finally happened! I turned 62, but I wish that I knew what that meant!

For example, I don't know what it is to "feel" 62, as I have never been 62 before! I do know that I am now definitely considered a "Senior Citizen" and could retire, if I knew what I was retiring from!

Any thoughts that I am still "Middle Aged" can be thrown out the window as that would mean that I could possible live to be 124 (what a horrible thought!). I am now 434 dog years old (boy, I have felt that more than once)!

By the way, Queen Victoria and Bob Dylan share my birthday. Let the astrologers try to make sense out of that!

There is an expression that states that we should learn at least one new thing a day. I agree, however, acknowledging 22,630 bits of wisdom is a bit much, so I have modified it slightly. I have decided to rack my brain for only one for every year I have been alive. If you have some additional suggestions, email them to me: liddell@catalinas.net

From time to time, I will post some of my 62 jewels of wisdom, here are the first six.

1. Learn to forgive your enemies. This is for you, not them. As long as they are in your thoughts as "enemies", then they still have hold on you and then, THEY HAVE WON!

2. There was a "chick flick", "Beaches", which came out some years ago that had a song called "Wind Beneath My Wings"! I confess I LOVE THAT SONG, because I would love to become a "bit player" in someone else's life, when they can be the "STAR". Everyone should be a "Star" sometimes, which means that the rest of us are only there for support and backup. My ego can handle this!

3. Children are vulnerable and deserve a "good start" in life. Find a child who needs your guidance to get that "push" in the right direction.

4. Elderly people are also vulnerable and deserve respect and protection. Find an older person who needs a little extra help to prepare them for their final "curtain call".

5. Do one "dumb" thing a month. Force yourself to make life a little less predictable and "push your envelope" a bit!

6. Live your life so that when, on your deathbed, someone will be able to come up to you and say, "Because of you, my life is better than it would have been without you!" (Like the Jimmy Stewart character in, "It's A Wonderful Life")(even Mr. Potter?). I hope that no one tells me this for quite a while, as I don't think I am ready to go quite yet!

More to follow soon.

Catalina Island Man

HOW I GOT MY LICENSE TO DRIVE! (part 3)


I…PAAASSSSSED!

I finally got the picture. I look like the deer that was not only blinded by the car lights, but then hit by the car and I immediately called Eric to give him the "good" and "bad" news. The "good" news was that I passed my test (which he already knew, and couldn't believe it) and the "bad" news was that I almost flunked "picture"!

A few weeks later my license arrived and things seemed like I was now finished with the DMV and the humiliation that went with them,…until I received a letter from these wonderful people telling me that because of some numbers on the back of my license, I would have to make an appointment to go back to the Fullerton office! I quickly turned my card over and saw number 13, which stated "area restriction". That I understood. It simply meant that I could only drive "big rigs" on Catalina, as I had not been checked out for freeway driving on the mainland.



The other number stumped me number “50”. It stated "customized restrictions on file - contact DMV". What in the heck does that mean!?!

I made an appointment and showed up to have this matter cleared up. I showed this examiner, obviously the sister of "the wicked witch of the west", who I had dealt with before, and asked her what it meant. She suddenly had a strange expression on her face (which was a good place to have it) and she took my drivers' license and told me to wait while she looked it up in "the book". She took the license into the back room and then returned.



I saw her paging through the manual and then, after looking like she was going to break out laughing said, "I am sorry, but there is no such code number 50! There must be some mistake!!!"

After two years of driving, I decided that it wasn't for me, so, none of your have to worry about being on the road with me, in anything bigger than my '89 Dodge Ram Van. The Death Mobile!

POSTSCRIPT: And…(for the conspiracy buffs among you) what is the secret code on the back of my Class A License, code number 50? If any of you work for the DMV, or know anyone who does, email me at: liddell@catalinas.net

Also, please find out if my licensing episode has been recorded and is now shown at every DMV Christmas Party, all over the world, and what does the code number 50 mean, anyway?

I…PAAASSSSSED! I…PAAASSSSSED! I…PAAASSSSSED! The End

Catalina Island Man

HOW I GOT MY LICENSE TO DRIVE! (part 2)

I…PAAASSSSSED!

I quickly ran to my car, got my cell phone and phoned Eric, my supervisor, and told him that I had FINALLY passed, but now I needed a new drivers' license picture taken and would have to make an appointment for that. Since time to start training in the vehicles was short (I would have to start driving in about a week and a half) he told me that I should go directly to the San Pedro DMV, as they usually weren't as busy as the others and I wouldn't have to make an appointment.

I rushed to San Pedro and stood in line. He was right, there weren't many people ahead of me, but as I stood there, quite a number fell in line behind me must have been their "lunch break".

I went up to the woman, who seemed kind, and pleasant enough (anyone would have been better than "Nurse Ratchet" in Fullerton) and I gave her the proof that I HAD PASSED and simply needed my picture taken. I had it, I had it and no one could take it away from me. I was preparing my “end zone dance” when she spoke. She told me to put my finger in this stupid machine, which would take my finger print. First, I want you to know that it had been so long since I needed to get a Driver's License, as I had not had any driving violations, so new licenses had simply been mailed to me over the last fifteen plus years. I didn't know anything about "finger printing", but I complied. I placed my finger smartly into the finger receptacle and waited for more commands.

Now comes the "L I T E R A L" PART! READY!?! She said to me,…now these were here exact words, "Put you finger in the finger print machine…and then step back to the line for your picture." For those of you who are "L I T E R A L", you have already figured out what I then did. For those of you who are "normal", read the lady’s words over again, exactly as they are written and try to figure out what I happened next. Also, please keep in mind, I had been, over the past five weeks, subjected to EVERY test that the DMV had to offer and I wasn't going to do or say anything to mess of my chances of getting my Class A license, so that I could drive the buses in Avalon!

Well, here we go! With my finger STILL in the finger printing machine, I then started moving my feet backward toward the line! The line was a good five feet away so I found myself doing a modified "reverse limbo" (sounds like an Olympic gymnastic move, and it felt like it!) to be able to accomplish this "Chinese Acrobat" feat! By the time that I reached the line, I was now almost parallel to the ground, but I had just enough strength to bend my neck so that I could face the camera and force, what might be described in some primitive cultures as a "smile" for my new Class A Driver’s License card.

During my “limbo stretch” the DMV lady had been working on my paperwork with her head down. Now…she looked up at me…in my outstretched…Iron Eagle Position and…motioned me to come to the counter (or should I say the rest of my body to come, as my finger was still in the machine, ON the counter). I was relieved, as my muscles were beginning to spasm, and for some reason, the people behind me in line were laughing out loud! WHAT!?!

When I got to the counter, the kind sole, obviously biting her tongue to keep from laughing, said "I expected you to take your finger out of the finger printing machine, BEFORE you went back to the line for the picture."

Of course, feeling very self-righteous, I reminded her of exactly what she said that told her that I was sure that over the years I had not been the “ONLY ONE” to take what she said "literally" and suggested that she might change her directions if she didn't want additional innocents like me to do exactly what I did! Her face didn't change, jaw set in iron position, glaring at me. I began to panic and with a pleading in my voice said, "Please don't tell me that I am the ONLY ONE who has EVER DONE THIS!!!!!"

She gained her composure long enough to say, "In my twenty years of working for the DMV, this is the first time that I have EVER seen this happen. Mr. L i d d e l l, you are a V E R Y SPECIAL PERSON!!!!!

ENOUGH SAID! In the end…I didn’t fail driver’s license picture…
I…PAAASSSSSED!

NOT SO FAST...

THERE'S MORE TO THIS STORY (to be continued)

Catalina Island Man

HOW I GOT MY LICENSE TO DRIVE! (part 1)

So far, on this Blog, I have portrayed myself as, “trustworthy”, “loyal”, “friendly”, “helpful, "sensitive", "heroic", "dedicated", "God fearing", etc. (you can tell that I used to be a Boy Scout!), but those of you who really know me, know I must continually deal with the issue of being too "L I T E R A L"!

Growing up, I never thought of myself as being “literal or anal", but simply "precise". I prided myself on listening to, and complying with, every word. When a sign on the Freeway says to, "Take The Next Exit", I don't know if it means that I should take "This Exit" or the "The Exit that Follows This One" (if you are fellow "anal-ites", you understand. If you don't, contact me and I will explain the difference!).

Anyway, when I turned 50, I had decided to start doing the things that I had always wanted to do. I felt that I had given the first half of my life, 50 years (in my family, reaching near 100 is not a big deal), to do what everyone else wanted me to do. Get an education, be successful, take care of others, etc., but now the second 50 years was MINE. Not that I was going to change my life dramatically, but I felt that if I didn't do certain things pretty soon, I would never have a chance to do them!

One of these "dreams" was to drive a tour bus on Catalina Island. Don't ask me why, but I thought that transporting people and educating them about Catalina history and entertaining them was one of the "neatest" things that I could do. I also love to drive, which has a tendency to help calm me down and think more clearly, so this would be my "perfect" job. I would drive a bus for, "Discovery Tours", part of the "Santa Catalina Island Company".



Because of the nature of our tour buses for "Discovery Tours", (which were once owned by the Wrigley Family), i.e., size and capacity (some carry over 20 passengers), air brakes, etc., I needed to have a Class “A” California Driver’s License. In order to obtain the certified Class A license, to drive these "rigs", the DMV expected me to take, and pass, six, yes, count them, "6", tests. The problem for me was that all of the tests must be taken one after the other, on the same day, under the supervision of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). If I failed to pass even one of these tests, I would then have to wait a couple of days, to a week, and come back and do a completely different set of six tests.

Since I had never driven a large commercial vehicle before, I wasn’t familiar with the highly specialized nomenclature of the trade. For instance, I didn't know what "glad hands" were (I thought it referred to the hand that received money as "tips"), nor did I recognize a "fifth wheel" (I thought it was referring to the spare tire), and so on and so on, etc. Sometimes I tried to use "common sense" but that just got me into more trouble (I don't know if you noticed lately, but "common sense" is no longer "common", now, its the exception!). I studied and studied, and studied again, but invariably I would flunk at least one of these six tests. And then I would have to come back in two weeks and take a whole set of six over again. Again, and again and again! Week in and week out I would enter one of the DMV offices around Southern California, with my shoulders back, my head held high and leave and leave, on my knees, by the back door (pathos added for dramatic effect).

Let me give you an example of how useless common sense can be. One of the questions that I will never forget was: "If my tractor/trailer rig, hauling a bus (they actually haul a trailer full of passengers up and down the steep winding switch-back roads and up over the Summit to the interior) went off a cliff, statics have shown that what percentage of my passengers would perish?" By virtue of common sense, I guessed 100% (have you seen these cliffs?) and when the test came back that answer was…"Wrong". The correct answer was "75%" (I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!). This answer was the killer for another set of six tests, so…

I went up the DMV examiner with the idea of throwing myself on her mercy. I laid my most persuasive and passionate plea on her, and explained that on the cliffs and hills of Catalina, if my bus went over one of them, EVERYONE WOULD DIE! NO ONE WOULD SURVIVE, MAYBE THE VEHICLE WOULD BE UNRECOVERABLE (do busses have “black boxes”?). Unfortunately, statics are statics, she was a State employee (they are not like normal humans) and she was unmoved by my defense. I then asked her if she could please replace this "highly theoretical" question with another "factual" one, but she refused.

BACK TO THE ISLAND AND BACK TO THE PERVERBIAL "DRAWING BOARD".

After taking five sets of tests (30 individual tests), I was panicked. There was only one more set of six that I could take and then I was be unable to take any more tests, thus, "No passy, no drivey"! I asked a good friend of mine, who had been driving for years, how to study for these tests and I was told that the only way to pass the tests would be to memorize them! Fortunately, copies of ALL of the answers to all thirty-six tests were available. I decided to get them and simply memorize them, which I DID! I actually have friends whose lives were scarred by sitting with me and asking me “flash card” questions, which I made from cut up test answers, for hours on end.

When my last waiting period was over, I went back to the Fullerton DMV office, ended up going to the same examiner that I had seen the last five times, and asked for my final set of six. You have never seen a more non-supportive look in your life! I ran and hid in my little "cubby hole", that I had made for myself in the examination room, partially curled up into the semi-fetal position, and set out to "PASS".

When I finished, I, groveling like Quasimodo, took the tests to "Ms Sunshine" and handed her the finished documents, as Oliver when he pleaded, "Please Sir, I want some more!" In my case, "Please Mam, I want to pass!" She grabbed the papers from me and began to grade them. I made some mistakes on each one, but not enough to fail me, SO, I PASSED! I PASSED! I…PAAASSSSSED!

She looked at me, scornfully, as if to say "Where is your 'seed pod'? YOU CAN'T BE CHUCK LIDDELL!" However, she said the mandatory, monotone, "congratulations", told me that I would now have to have my picture taken, but I would need to make an appointment for that, and sent me on my way.

What could POSSIBLY go wrong now, I…PAAASSSSSED! (to be continued in my next post)

Catalina Island Fire 2007

"And the sun turned blood red"

May 10, 2009, was the second anniversary of the 2007 Catalina Fire that threatened to destroy the town of Avalon. Headline stories hit the newspapers, radio and internet, world-wide, while CNN, FOX, BBC, and all of the television networks lead their morning and evening programs with the progress of the fire. Those of us who were on the Island during the fire heard from family and friends from around the world. It will not soon, if ever, be forgotten by the Islanders!

I have been asked to tell some of the "behind the scenes" stories, from my perspective. I am sure that many Islanders, who are reading this, have their own stories to share and this would be a great opportunity to share them. Send YOUR stories to: liddell@catalinas.net and I’ll post them on my blog. Maybe your story should be part of the Catalina Island Oral History program.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

1) The fire started at 12:32PM, May 10, 2007, in the interior of the Island, about four miles North/West of the town of Avalon, at the KBRT radio station. It was started when soldering was being done on the guide lines of the antenna tower. The red-hot end of one of the wires fell into the nearby dry brush (we had only 3" of rainfall that season) and the fire exploded from there, ground zero.

2) The fire reached the town of Avalon at approximately 5:00 PM requiring that thirty-eight hundred men, women, and children be evacuated to the mainland throughout the night. People ran to the ocean, some fully expecting to die in the flames there.

3) 771 firefighters fought the fire. Including the California Department of Forestry, Orange County Fire Department, Glendale Fire Department, Long Beach Fire Department, Monrovia Fire Department, and United States Forest Service, 29 camp crews consisting of 350 inmates from the California Department of Corrections, 73 fire engines arrived by barge, 10 helicopters, 5 fixed wing aircraft and 2 military hovercraft. As well as the United States Marines from Camp Pendleton, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Navy. All of whom were brought from the mainland to assist our small city and county fire departments with much needed equipment and man power. What an impressive display of emergency personnel deployed to Catalina Island that day.

I had just completed a presentation for the Chamber of Commerce orienting new employees from several Avalon businesses to life in Avalon. I had told them about the 1915 fire, which had destroyed 1/2 of the town of Avalon and given them a "walking tour" of the town, to help to orient them.

When the tour was over, I was walking back to my home when I noticed a huge cloud of smoke coming over the hills on the West side of town. I then heard the evacuation sirens and saw people scrambling to get out of the way of the approaching fire.

I belong to a local organization called CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). We are trained to back up the local fire and sheriff's department, in case of disasters. I ran home, put on my gear, green helmet and green vest, and headed out to City Hall, which was now the Central Command Post. I was assigned to stand at the foot of Country Club Road and direct traffic down toward the ocean front. Additionally, I was to keep anyone from returning, up the hill, to their homes.

After a few hours, I was reassigned to a position near the "Sand Trap" restaurant, adjacent to the golf course fairways. I was ordered to keep sight seers away from the area, which included the hospital, golf course, horse stables, and the school. The fire was racing toward Avalon from that direction and my job was to keep people out of the away and keep the roads clear so that the helicopters could land on the golf course, and so that the press could be directed to safe areas to televise and report on the fire. Within and hour or two, the patients had been moved from the hospital to the City Hall and the horses had been moved from the stables to the "Field of Dreams" baseball field (where the Chicago Cubs held their Spring Training from 1921-51).




As I stood and watched the fire heading toward the school, I was sure that it was going to catch on fire. This would have meant that the hospital was next and then the town would have been in major jeopardy! I was "ordered" three times by my superiors to leave the area and three times I had to say "NO"! After all, I was born in this town and if it was going to burn down, an Islander and historian needed to be there to see it happen. I know that sounds pretty odd, but that was the way I felt. If the town was to burn, an Islander needed to be a witness to it.

I stood transfixed by the fire (when you stare at fire long enough, you almost become hypnotized) coming down the back of school. Wayne Herbst, the Vice-Principal, who had been watering down the school grounds and had been forced to give up, came down to join me. We agreed that prayer was definitely appropriate now! Believe it or not, as we prayed, the fire seemed to lay down, and when we stopped praying, the fire would flare up again. I kidded with Wayne that we would have to pray even harder. He asked why and I told him that there were only two of us praying for the saving of the school and over seven hundred students praying that the school would burn down! At times like this, humor and prayer are both needed, especially prayer!

The horses, now moved from the stables, were being tightly monitored by their owners. Not only could they see the fire, but also smell it. When the trees and power-telephone poles (150 power poles) started exploding, from the extreme heat, the horses would let out screams that I will never forget.

As I stood with Wayne praying, I experienced a miracle! When the fire got within forty feet of the back of the school buildings, the winds suddenly shifted Eastward, and the fire missed the school completely. Unfortunately, one home did burn down, as well as eight businesses, on the outskirts of town. !!!BUT AVALON WAS SAVED!!!

There was an amazing outpouring of community support during the entire ordeal. Most of the kitchen staff in the restaurants had to be evacuated. Most of the restaurants, except "Rosie's Fish Market", at the end of the Pleasure Pier and "Mr. Ning's Chinese Restaurant", on Sumner Ave, were closed. Both restaurants stayed open during the fire to feed those who stayed behind, but had no homes to go back to, until the fire danger was over. "Mr. Ning's" even provided free meals to anyone who was involved in protecting Avalon. Even the staff wouldn't accept tips. They turned me down several times when I tried to thank them.

There were weddings and parties planned during the fire period which also supplied food that would otherwise spoil and had to be eaten soon! Local volunteers served 6,000 meals during the 90 hours of the fire, including 50 gallons of marinara sauce, 500 pounds of potatoes, 18 gallons of ranch dressing, 15 gallons of salsa, not to mention all of the gourmet party meals that were served.

As a testimony to the divine cuisine that was served, a sign went up in the fire station which changed the name of the incident to the "Five Pound Fire", which soon became the "Ten Pound Fire", and by the end it was called the "Twenty Pound Fire". This was the amount of weight that the firemen and others claimed they gained eating the glorious food during the disaster.

The fire was finally contained on May 15, 2007, at 6:00 PM. Eventually 4,750 acres, approximately 1/10 of the Island, was burned in the fire.

During the fire, physical and verbal signs of love and support appeared all over town. On May 16, most of the remaining Islanders went down to the dock to tearfully wave good-bye to the brave men and women who saved our town. I was personally told by many of these mainland saviors that they had never been treated as well as the Islanders treated them. I guess that a lot of communities take these wonderful people for granted. Besides, we had Avalon to lose. Maybe other communities don't love their home as much as we love ours!

This might sound strange, but May 10th, 2007, was the most perfect day for our fire to start. These same brave firefighters were battling the Griffith Park Fire, (only 26 miles across the sea) which was, "conveniently", extinguished on May 10th. If our fire had started on May 9th, we would have been told that we were on our own as the fire fighters couldn't leave a largely populated area to help a town as small as ours. If the fire had started here on May 11, most of the fire fighters would have already left for home, which would mean that it would have taken many hours, if not days, to deploy them again.

As it was, it only took around two hours for the fire fighters to leave the mainland and get to our little Island. Those two hours meant the difference between our town being saved or being only a memory!

If anyone doesn't believe God is still performing miracles, read this whole story over again.

2007 Catalina Fire slide show (click both links) SignonSanDiego.com: and CBS.com

Catalina Island Man

On Sunday, June 7, 2009, I had the great privilege of seeing three of the "acts" I manage entertain at the "Escondido Performing Arts Center" (for those of you who don't know it, I also manage great entertainers).

The three acts that evening were Dana Daniels, Doug Mattocks, and Chad Taylor http://www.liddelltalentmanagement.com/ and for the first time they performed together in a concert entitled "TRIPLE THREAT". I am obviously biased, but they were GREAT!

Dana Daniels performs feats of magic and humor accompanied by his amazing parrot Luigi (who is smarter than Dana).

Doug Mattocks is a banjo player and singer extrordinaire who also performs on the most exclusive cruise lines, and Mad Chad Taylor...well, he juggles chain saws.

All are absolutely "G" rated family entertainment and beloved by their fans.

Which reminds me, I also represent "THE FOUR PREPS" (Bruce Belland, a wonderful friend and the leader and founder of the group, has now "resurrected" the group) whose song, "26 MILES ACROSS THE SEA" is now celebrating its 50th Anniversary! My guess is that 75% plus of those who think of Catalina think of this song. You can only imagine the excitement of hearing them sing this and other songs that put them at the top of the "pop musical charts" fifty years ago.

If you are thinking about entertainment, "THE FOUR PREPS", (and any of the many other fine acts I manage) would certainly be great for anniversaries, reunions, or any other events where fans still appreciate this special type of music.

Hopefully you will be able to see them, and any other of my acts, when they are touring your area.

If you are interested in a monthly update of where and when my performers will be in concert, let me know at: liddell@catalinas.net

Catalina Casino's 80th Anniversary-pt5

(Continued from June 9, 09)

He told me that his dream was to someday be able to sing from the stage of the "World-Famous Casino Theatre" (The theater, with its phenomenal acoustics, was the first theatre ever built to accommodate the new invention of "talking motion pictures"). Then he quickly added that this dream could probably never happen. I smiled at him and asked if he would like to sing from the stage with the curtain up or down! He looked completely dazed and said "REALLY!?!"

I said that it was going to take me a few minutes to get the theatre ready to close and he would have about ten minutes to sing (I hope that God doesn't mind, it really only took me about two minutes to take down the theatre, but I didn't want him to feel rushed).

His wife, who had not been listening to the conversation, was patiently waiting for her husband to leave the building with her. When he told her that he was going to sing from the stage, with the curtain down, she beamed like a star and quickly returned to the theatre and took her place in a back row center loge seat.



I brought the curtain down and then dimmed the lights so that the stage was properly lit and then I quickly left the theatre. Little did he know that I was hiding behind the aisle curtain so that I wouldn't miss his performance. He sang with one of the most beautiful Irish tenor voices I had ever heard. He sang three songs, all three broken up with a tear in his voice, while his wife was crying and smiling at the same time (I took a peek now and then).

When he was finished I acted as if I had finished my work, hadn't been paying any attention to him, and that it was now time to leave. If he had smiled any broader, I was afraid that his face was going to rip right down the middle! His wife gave him a big hug and kiss and they both thanked me profusely and left.

I stood there for a few moments, trying to take in what had just happened. I realized something special had occurred and I had been allowed to be part of it. That evening it occurred to me that sometimes we are not the "star", but merely a "bit player" in someone else’s life. Today most people want to be the "center of attention" and yet God often puts us in position where we are being "used" to help someone else "shine". As with the lady in the Casino Ballroom, it was not about me but about them and I had the honor to be the one to help make THEIR "dreams" come true.

Let me share something with you -- when you give to others, unselfishly, and put yourself in a "supporting" rather than "starring" role, it is one of the greatest feelings that you will ever know! To know that I was able to make two people feel as special as they did those two separate nights, made me feel special! The old saying, "It is better to give than to receive" is so very true.

Catalina Casino's 80th Anniversary-pt4

As part of the 80th Anniversary of the world-famous "Catalina Casino", I thought I would tell you another wonderful experience that I had in the Casino.

Did you know, the "Casino" has a reputation for being "haunted"? I have personally seen and heard ghosts in the Casino and I will discuss these sightings in future "blogs", if any of you are interested in hearing about them.



Over the years, as I was working at the Casino Theatre, I found that the other employees were so scared of "Casino ghosts" that they talked the manager into putting me in charge of “taking down” (closing) the theatre after the last show. The horrible job that filled them all with terror was turning off the lights before leaving the building. This task meant that I would have to be in the building when it was…DARK! (This never bothered me at all. In fact, I loved being in there with the lights off. I felt so much at peace there in the dark).

Anyway, it was about 10 years ago, soon after the episode in my last "blog" (Hopefully, you have read my blog about the old woman on her "60th Wedding Anniversary"). One evening, as I was "taking down" the theatre, I noticed that a middle-aged man was lingering behind.

I approached him and told him that I was sorry, but I had to close up the building and we would have to leave together. He asked if he could just stand there a little longer and enjoy the beautiful movie palace. He said that he lived in San Diego, that he had been coming to Catalina most of his life and could never get enough of the Casino Theatre. Then, he told me he wanted to share something with me. After the episode with the elderly lady in the ballroom, I COULDN'T WAIT to hear his story!!!

He said he had recently received his Master's Degree in Music and was now ready, after all of these years, to finally become a professional singer. He said that no matter what happened in his new career, there would always be a "dream" that he would NEVER be able to realize. I love hearing people’s “dreams" so I asked him to continue!

Catalina Casino's 80th Anniversary-pt3

WARNING: TEAR JERKER -- HAVE YOUR KLEENEX READY!
(continued from #2)

Then, when I came up running up to her and asked her to dance, she said that she just closed her eyes and put her head on my chest, because she wanted to imagine that she was dancing with her husband, as they had promised each other, sixty years before!

She then asked me where we got the music that we played and I explained that it was a long playing tape that simply had a random bunch of "Big Band" songs on it. She then told me that the song that was playing on the music system, when I ran to ask her to dance, was the very song that was playing when her husband and she were dancing sixty years ago, when he proposed to her. It became "their song"! WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

She then told me that what could have been the worse day of her life now was the BEST DAY OF HER LIFE. Because I had broken my "vow", had listened to the "Voice", I had allowed her to fulfill her and her late husband's sixty year dream!

How often to we hear the "voice" or have that unusual "urge" to call someone, or write them, or simply go out of our "comfort zone" to do something that we normally wouldn't do? How many chances have we had to, "make someone's day", or allow “something special” to happen? I have now learned to listen more often to that "Voice" and less to all of the other voices. The ones that tell me NOT to give in to these feelings because they are not socially, economically, politically correct, or simply don't fit “my” needs. My suggestion is for all of us to think less about ourselves and what people might think, and do more of what may help others.

Every once in a while…listen to that “Voice” and dance.

Catalina Casino's 80th Anniversary-pt2

At the end of the tour, I was saying my good-byes as everyone was leaving the building and the last one to come down the ramp was the little lady, bawling her eyes out! Having been brought up to believe that if there is a problem, I AM THE ONE WHO IS WRONG, I started to apologize to her for whatever it was that I did to upset her.

She quickly told me to stop talking (which is hard for me to do) and let her explain. She told me that sixty years ago, on this very day, she, and her husband to be, were dancing in the Ballroom and he proposed to her while they were dancing that evening. They vowed that evening that they would return to the Casino Ballroom sixty years from the date that he proposed. They had planned their trip and had made their reservations; however, he had died a few weeks ago. So she then had to make the TERRIBLE decision to come back to the Island ALONE. She was devastated and wasn't sure if she was going to be able to pull it off, but she had felt compelled to come.

When the music was playing and she was standing there alone, she felt terrible. (part 3 coming soon)

Catalina Casino's 80th Anniversary-pt1

We celebrated the world famous Catalina Casino’s 80th birthday last weekend - May 29. This celebration brought back a very special memory of my own and I’d like to share it with you.

WARNING: TEAR JERKER -- HAVE YOUR KLEENEX READY!!!!!

About ten years ago I was giving a tour of the Casino. (I still conduct this tour, today. You can catch me leading this special tour every Sunday and Monday). On my tour, I begin by taking the group into the movie Theatre (decorated in Art Deco Style design, it was the first movie theater in the world built for the advent of "talkies") and then we walk up a series of ramps to the Grand Ballroom (the world's largest circular “floating” ballroom).

During my tour to the Ballroom I play a tape recording of "Big Band" music and allow people to dance if they wish. After a few minutes I turn off the music and continue the tour. I get a lot of older single women on my tours and because I am limited by time (which I usually go overtime anyway, ask my boss Eric). So, I "vowed" that I would NEVER ask any of the ladies to dance, because if I danced with one, I would have to dance with all of them!

So, here we are, about ten years ago, I was standing on the stage playing the recorded music when the "Spirit" spoke to me. (If you are a "believer", then this won't come as a surprise to you. If you aren't, I guess that you will just have to trust me.) A “Voice” told me to go to a certain little old woman (she appeared to be in her 80's) and ask her to dance. First, I had the "gall" to silently explain to Him that I had a policy of NOT dancing with anyone during the tour!

Next, louder, and more forceful, the "voice" told me that I must hurry over to her and ask her to dance! This time I realized that I wasn't in the position to question so I ran across the ballroom to her and asked her to dance. She was a good deal shorter than me and her head only came up to my color bone. She immediately closed her eyes and put her head on my chest and we simply walked around on the dance floor for a while. After a few minutes, the song ended, and I thanked her. Everyone clapped and I went back to work. (to be continued-gotta go overtown now)

Presidents & Catalina Island

A few days ago I was stopped by two friends who wanted to know which Presidents visited Catalina. YES, I am often stopped on the street and asked historical questions about the Island! I am also glad that people, especially Islanders, feel confident to ask me such questions.

I must admit that it is a strange way to start a conversation, but questions like this are certainly "ice breakers"!

When I get inquiries such as this, I welcome them as I now know what is on the minds of at least some of the people with whom I come in contact and this makes it easier for me to come up with my daily "blogs".

The answer is that Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover came to the Island after their terms of office were over. A young Ronald Reagan came to the Island in 1936 and 1937 to do the "color commentary" for the Chicago Cubs Spring Training, which they enjoy from 1921-1951 ("Dutch" was doing the radio commentary in Iowa for the Cubs when he convinced Mr. Wrigley to send him to Catalina as he wanted to get into movies, but didn't have the money to come out to California.) In between the games, "Dutch" went to mainland in hopes of getting Hollywood to grab him. In 1937 Warner Brothers signed him up for a screen test and the rest is history.

Whatever you may have thought about his politics, if it weren't for Mr. Wrigley, the Chicago Cubs, Catalina Island, and gum, the future President might have died in Iowa, never made it out to California, never got into movies, never got into politics, and never would have become the California Governor nor President of the United States.

Thinking about it, the "Berlin Wall" might still be up, if it wasn't for Catalina!

President Warren Harding was making his way to the Island in 1923 when he died in San Francisco.

Rumors had it that President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Island, but no proof has been found to substantiate this.

Movies Made on Catalina Island

What do Tahiti, Hawaii, and The Philippines have in common with Catalina Island? You might answer, "They are all islands", and, of course, you would be right. And you probably think that you have seen theselocations, and well as many other exotic locations in the movies, butyou might be surprised to know that many of these geographical sightswere all really shot on Catalina Island!

I compiled a list of 250 movies made on Catalina, going back to thebeginning of film making, and helped Lee Rosenthal write her wonderfulbook, "CATALINA AT THE MOVIES", 2003, Wingate Press, P. O. Box 1715,Sausalito, CA 94966 (you can get it at the Catalina Island Museum,310-510-2414 or let me know and I will get one sent to you).

I have since come up with 100 more titles and here are just some of the films that have used my island as a "back drop", never suspected by the movie audiences. The list will be in the next series of posts. If you can think of any movies I've forgotten, please post them on this blog and/or email them to me for posting to: Liddell@catalinas.net

Movies Made on Catalina Island

JAWS I, II
LONGEST NIGHT, THE
MACARTHUR
MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY
OLD IRONSIDES
PEARL HARBOR
RAIN
REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM (1938)
ROAD TO SINGAPORE
ROSEMARY'S BABY
SANDS OF IWO JIMA
SEA HAWK, THE
SON OF KONG
TREASURE ISLAND (1918, 1934)
VANISHING AMERICAN, THE (1924)
WACKIEST SHIP IN THE ARMY
WAKE OF THE RED WITCH
WATERWORLD

Movies Made on Catalina Island

APOLLO 13
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
AVIATOR, THE
BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE
BLACK PIRATE, THE
CALL OF THE WILD
CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS
CHINATOWN
DICK TRACY (1989)
DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS (1922)
EBB TIDE (1922, 1937)
GLASS BOTTOM BOAT, THE
HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, THE
HURRICANE, THE
ICE STATION ZEBRA
ISLAND OF LOST SOULS
IT

Catalina Island Man - Who Am I?

I found that I had plenty of time to catch up on Catalina history, while taking care of Dad and so I became the unofficial "historian" of Catalina.

I gave up teaching, except to substitute at the local school (all grades).

Now I conduct a number of tours on Catalina as well as lecturing on Catalina around the country.

Catalina Island Man - Who Am I?

After high school, I received my AA degree at Fullerton College in Political Science and my BS degree at California State University in Fullerton in Political Science. In order to put myself through school, I moved to Illinois and taught at Illinois State University, while working on my M.S. in Communication.

I was teaching at Indiana University and working on my PhD in Communication when my brother unexpectedly died and my father had a major stroke and heart attack soon after. I moved back to the Island in 1974 to take care of Dad and continued until he died in 1981.

Catalina Island Man - Who Am I?

My parents (Orval Liddell and Betty Sims) were married in 1945, but had to wait until the war was over before they were allowed to come to the Island as "tourists" were not permitted on the Island as it had been taken over by the military, primarily the "Maritime", starting the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and staying until the war was officially over.

My parents had hoped to move to Catalina to "retire", but when P. K. (Philip Knight) Wrigley found out that my father was a 1923 graduate of Cal Tech in Civil and Mechanical Engineering, he made my father an "offer" that he couldn't refuse and so Dad became Mr. Wrigley's "Chief Engineer" for the next 15 years.

Catalina Island Man - Who Am I?

My great-grandparents, on both sides of my father's line were among the first non-Mexican pioneering families (Schlegel/Liddell) to settle in Los Angeles in the l880's and immediately started coming to Catalina.

My father's father, my name sake, Charles M. Liddell, was sent to Catalina in 1920 to build a number of homes on the newly laid out street of "Descanso".

Avalon City Tour Number 1

In this, my first series of blog posts, I will attempt something no one has ever attempted before…I will give one of my world famous “driving” tours of Downtown Avalon by blog. Over the past years that I have lived and worked on Catalina Island and in the town of Avalon, I have had many jobs. One of my most interesting jobs was driving a tour bus around the island. This blog series will recreate that tour in print, as transcribed from a recording I have made of my driving tour. Some things cannot be seen in print such as the direction we are traveling and the streets we are traveling on. The directions and streets will be added for clarification so you can follow a city map, if you wish.

Catalina Island Man - Who Am I?

I am the Catalina Island Man! My name is Chuck Liddell. I was born on the island on May 24th 1947. I am one of the last few Island Born natives of Catalina.

I am involved with an ongoing, “Oral history of Catalina”, project. As I build this blog I intend to add the ability for you to listen to many of these oral histories from your computer. I have collaborated in the writing of scores of books and pamphlets about Catalina Island and its history as well as a movie called: “Hollywood’s Magical Island, Catalina” which shows the historical connection between the Hollywood movie studios, stars and Catalina Island.

I invite my friends and associates to add to this blog so that it will be as accurate a history and memory of Catalina Island and Avalon California as possible.