Conversations: I Hear From LARRY KAPLAN (Lincoln H.S. Alum) Part II

me1.jpg
Larry,

I don’t recall your being a twin. You lived in the Sunset, didn’t you?

Your life sounds wonderful–and I’m happy that you’re doing exactly what you set out to do.

I went to San Jose State, too–but I think you used to surf El Granada Beach occasionally–and so did I–and I knew you at Lincoln. You told me you wanted to design surfboards and doodled in the notebook I was carrying (I’m a writer, you know, and that’s what writers used to do, carry paper. Now they carry laptops).

June
——————————————
L-Kaplan.jpg

Good morning, June

Remember Bruce Orchid at Lincoln? BOrchid.jpgHe and [my sister] Barbara dated. He was Pres and she was Vice Pres of the “Student Body.” I was “Director of Athletics” (which served to get me three lunch periods). I think we were a class ahead of you.

I consider most of what I do as “Art Projects”, and I am extremely visual in orientation.

Everything I do for my clients gets seen over and over again and it’s really important to me that it the work is appreciated. The artist in me values that appreciation more than the money received for the project. That’s true whether it’s a yacht I’ve just repaired or a piece of artwork I’ve just delivered.

Your site is fun for me to peruse, and it’s obvious that your passion for writing is abundant. I’m in contact with a few friends from Lincoln and i’ve mentioned your site.

When we went to Lincoln, we lived on 39th Avenue between Rivera and Santiago. Bruce Orchid and I would meet every morning at 39th and Rivera and walk up the hills to Lincoln…when we didn’t drive to school…I had a ’50 Ford Woody. It was blue and I usually parked it in front of school by the stop sign because the Woody didn’t have a reverse gear that worked very well and by parking at the stop sign, I was able to simply pull away in first gear, etc.

I paid $35 (thirty-five) for that Woody and sold it later for $250. Today, that car would be worth $45,000.00. I know because I look at them all the time. I want another one.

At Sanazay State, I lived at 555- South Eighth Street (a block from campus) and I was a ‘hasher” at a sorority. Pretty fun. Really fun. One of my roommates on Eighth Street was the head Ref at last year’s Super Bowl–Bill Leavy–great guy.

Well, that empties my brain.

Larry
———————————————
…Conversation to be continued….

Conversations: I Hear From LARRY KAPLAN (Lincoln H.S. Alum) Part I

Some posts back, I shared this artwork with you:

kaplan.jpg

And one day I received a big surprise in the email box:

L-Kaplan.jpg

June,
I just happened upon the “What happened to Kaplan Surfboards” gizmo, and it blew my mind. Where, oh where, did you acquire my sketches for logos?

I graduated from San Jose State Univ. in 1969. You probably know I went to Lincoln H.S. I am three hundred years old now, and have played with the water my entire professional career…for money!

———————————–
me.jpg
Larry!
You sketched the logos in my notebook…probably at El Granada Beach (near where I still live with my husband). What are you doing now? Tell me what you mean about playing with the water professionally.

Do you remember me?

________________________

L-Kaplan.jpg
June!!!
First things first:
YES. I do remember you. Only an idiot would not. Please feel free to read that to your husband…at least twice. Four times would be better…

Two:
Water and Professional. There’s the long story and there’s the short story. The short story is that I owned a yacht restoration company in San Diego for twenty years…yachts are just big surfboards, and I love the water.

I REALLY love the water. I pioneered some really important stuff on yachts in those days. I’ve delivered yachts all over the Pacific Coast and from Hawaii to California, etc., etc.

I am a silly and humorous person. If you re-read this e mail, you will hear laughter in the background. Listen with care…

I designed a very silly, and funny line of artwork and it sells all over the world. It’s made of fiberglass. It’s about Ducks. It’s called, “Art Ducko”, the height of ceiling art.

I continue to do custom fiberglass work and repair on boats and yachts…Yachts are boats that are for purposes of pleasure only and boats can be used for work etc., etc., etc.

I know yachts the way some people know cars.

Do you remember my twin sister, Barbara? BKaplan.jpg She’s a big deal at Stanford.

I have two English Cocker Spaniels and two Thoroughbred horses. One of the horses is Seattle Slew’s grandson.

How nice to know you are there…

___________________________
…Conversation To Be Continued….