Mar 24
I met Bob in 1969 at Piedmont High.
He approached me at school and handed me my wallet which I had lost while riding my Bicyclea back from work in Berkeley.
Everything was in the wallet and he just honestly gave it back. Context this was quite unexpected since I had spent 1968 and early 69 in the South Bronx where honestly was unusual.
Bob and me and Jim Anderson became close friends. we all had Motorcycles. The three musketeers riding down college under the rock ridge BART station standing on our seats when we drove passed a park cop car. we all dropped to our seats in unison.
We got some strange looks but no ticket that night
Bob had a Yamaha Rd350? Jim had a Kawasaki Mark 1 500 (Rice rocket) I had a Norton 750 commando.
In late June 1973 I had my big Motorcycle wreck when I returned to Oakland in Mid 1974 I got together with Jim Anderson who had also had a wreck on his bike, broke his pelvis.
and I learned that Bob had perished in a car crash (low speed as a passenger) I was very sad, I made a personal commitment to remember bob and to mention him at any gathering of our friends Bob's dad was the pastor at eh Plymouth church on Oakland avenue.
Jim Anderson had a younger brother. (Robert) I think. One day I was at my Apartment on 1516 1sat avenue Talking with Jim, both of us recovering from or MC wrecks when Robert came over and asked if He could Buy Jim's Motorcycle , Jim refused telling his he did not think he was a safe enough driver , Robert asked me if I would sell my wrecked Norton. I said I no longer had it, it was junked and not repairable. I mentioned that I thought Bob's Yamaha was probably at Bob's dad's house. Robert called Bob's father and offered to buy the motorcycle Well Robert bought the motorcycle and I heard that he was killed on it in a high speed crash in Fremont. I felt so terrible and wished I had kept my mouth shut. Jim sank deep into sadness and seemed to drop from the circle of friends. I saw Jim Once in the late 80's and tried to keep in touch but it just did not happen, Jim gets his own article , he was a true friend.
