Bobby was a quiet guy, we used to play alot of pickup basketball when he joined us at SPJHS after starting at Holy Family. Later in life we saw him at church in Irvine. He was CEO of a baloon manufacturing business based in Mexico, their main product being condoms. We did a few things together with our wives. Bob's main disappointment in life was his wife at the time didn't want a family. Eventually, they divorced and he remarried someone who DID want a family, but then he disappeared from our lives, I never saw him again after he took us to a Ram game.
This brief story is about our last adventure together. Bob called me one morning in 1968. His voice filled with excitement, he said that his company had season ticket to the Rams games. Would I like to go to a Ram game and bring our sons, he had 4 tickets. After considering that for 1/2 a second I said yes.
I offered to drive. Bob said no, he had it. He arrived at our home in a brand new BMW. We arrived at the Coliseum, but drove right past it. Parking was expensive, I offered to pay. Bob said no he had it covered, and drove a circuitous course through a neighborhood which I reckoned [correctly] was 6 blocks from the Coliseum. It was an edgy neighborhood, groups of men hanging out on corners, independent pharmaceutical reps, one corner sporting scantily clad women, and groups of people sitting on porches. Bob pulled into a driveway we disembarked the car with some trepidation. Bob gave a guy $20 [a fortune in 1968, and 3 times parking INSIDE the Coliseum to "take care of his vehicle."
We walked the 6 blocks through what I perceived as the valley of the shadow of death. Remember this was the fall of 68, riots in the cities, the assassination of Doctor King, the coming, narrow election of Richard Nixon.
Believe me, I was fearful, but the boys and Bob were acting quite normal while I worked at not making eye contact as we walked. The Rams won handily, it was a great game. Roman Gabriel threw for 2 TDs and the Ram defense stuffed the 49ers, but the return walk to the car was ever scarier, at least for me. The greatest surprise for me was that Bob's car was there unscarred, and the ride home was thankfully uneventful.
James Tomlin (1961)
April 18, 1943 - November 11, 2010
Bobby was a quiet guy, we used to play alot of pickup basketball when he joined us at SPJHS after starting at Holy Family. Later in life we saw him at church in Irvine. He was CEO of a baloon manufacturing business based in Mexico, their main product being condoms. We did a few things together with our wives. Bob's main disappointment in life was his wife at the time didn't want a family. Eventually, they divorced and he remarried someone who DID want a family, but then he disappeared from our lives, I never saw him again after he took us to a Ram game.
This brief story is about our last adventure together. Bob called me one morning in 1968. His voice filled with excitement, he said that his company had season ticket to the Rams games. Would I like to go to a Ram game and bring our sons, he had 4 tickets. After considering that for 1/2 a second I said yes.
I offered to drive. Bob said no, he had it. He arrived at our home in a brand new BMW. We arrived at the Coliseum, but drove right past it. Parking was expensive, I offered to pay. Bob said no he had it covered, and drove a circuitous course through a neighborhood which I reckoned [correctly] was 6 blocks from the Coliseum. It was an edgy neighborhood, groups of men hanging out on corners, independent pharmaceutical reps, one corner sporting scantily clad women, and groups of people sitting on porches. Bob pulled into a driveway we disembarked the car with some trepidation. Bob gave a guy $20 [a fortune in 1968, and 3 times parking INSIDE the Coliseum to "take care of his vehicle."
We walked the 6 blocks through what I perceived as the valley of the shadow of death. Remember this was the fall of 68, riots in the cities, the assassination of Doctor King, the coming, narrow election of Richard Nixon.
Believe me, I was fearful, but the boys and Bob were acting quite normal while I worked at not making eye contact as we walked. The Rams won handily, it was a great game. Roman Gabriel threw for 2 TDs and the Ram defense stuffed the 49ers, but the return walk to the car was ever scarier, at least for me. The greatest surprise for me was that Bob's car was there unscarred, and the ride home was thankfully uneventful.