When you ask people why they chose to in Seal Beach, most often they reply that it is the “quaintness” and the “small town” atmosphere that drew them here. If you dig deeper, what you will find is that the qualities we all love about living here are fostered and nurtured by some of the most amazing people, all who are our neighbors, if not in the exact sense of the word, in spirit.
This series is intended to introduce you, the reader, to some of our amazing neighbors you should know if you don’t already. They are the souls who give of themselves so that our community and the lives of those around them are better for it. They are truly, Unsung Heroes. Do you have a neighbor we should know? Please send them to me at: EBETHL@hotmail.com
A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have. ~Author Unknown
You all know him as the “man behind the camera or harmonica at SBTV.” You’ve seen him around town for years, always with his camera on his shoulder and a smile on his face. Rob Roy. He is like no other and I will share with you his story.
I, like many people have, assumed Rob was named after Rob Roy MacGregor, the “Scottish Robin Hood” of yore. And it sounds romantic and all, but Rob was quick to set me straight. Nope. Not a blood of Scottish blood running through his veins. But it doesn’t diminish from the great story starting with his birth as a twin who was born on a different day and in a different place than his brother. Born Robert, raised as Bob, his mother did not know she was carrying twins when she chose to deliver at home in rural Michigan. Rob came first on January 25th, but there were complications and she was rushed to a hospital in another county where by the time his brother William was born, it was now January 26th. Statistically, the chances are less than 2 percent!
He was raised in a family of four boys, growing up north of Detroit and east of Flint, Michigan as a typical mid-west kid. Knowing that his draft number would most likely come up, Rob joined the Army in 1969, training at Ft. Knox in Kentucky. Shortly after finishing boot camp, he was sent to Panama with the Advanced Infantry Training Corps where he trained other military groups on jungle warfare tactics and survival.
As the war wound down and his service was up, he returned to Michigan and worked for a number of years for Champion Motor Coach not far from his home. His specialty was installing the plumbing for the new motorhomes, building 7-8 per day. He attended Central Michigan University for two years, but even so is a loyal fan of the U of M Wolverines (Go Blue!). But times got tough in the mid 70’s as the economy got tight and manufacturing slowed. On New Year’s Day 1975 as Rob and his best friend Al watched USC defeat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl , they saw how beautiful Pasadena was for a January day, and shortly after, they climbed into a car and headed west with no plan, no place to come to, just hope in their hearts of something more promising.
Because it was winter, they took the southern route into the state and as they drove up the coast from San Diego, found themselves stopping in Laguna Niguel where they ended up renting a two bedroom for $400 with an ocean view. The apartment was directly across Coast Highway from where the Ritz Carlton stands today. But Rob had left his car in Michigan, and needed to return for a short while. He came back in 1977 where he and Al lived in Garden Grove. It was while working in sales he changed from being called Bob to Rob because “Rob Roy” the drink was really popular at the time and he felt customers would remember his name better that way.
Rob took to California life quickly. He loved the beach scene and life and in 1983, just a month before the devastating storm that tore through our pier, he moved to Seal Beach where fate played a hand in what was to come next.
Always seeking to learn and do something new, in 1984 Group W (Westinghouse Broadcast) was the local cable company and they began offering classes for residents to learn the ins and outs of broadcasting and more specifically, to develop Public Access Television programming. Rob was in the very first class and his first production piece covered the grand re-opening of the newly rebuilt Seal Beach Pier in 1985. This very first production got an Honorable Mention in the California Hometown Video Awards that year and he knew he was on to something he loved and was obviously good at.
Rob recalls that at this time the public access department had a whole staff, and twice the size facility it has today. He has been a part of our local production team now for over 30 years, logging thousands of hours and events. He found his greatest love was behind the camera, out with the public as a part of what is going on in the community but he is a man of many talents. He produced and hosted the original “ Seal Beach Live” show, which was state of the art at the time, not taped, but live with actual call in capability. It was a variety based show featuring bands, comics, interviews and other variety with a live studio audience. His roommate Larry was the co-host. I don’t know about my readers, but I would love to see some of this footage!
How many of you remember “Club Dar” with Dar Brown? He shared that Dar was such a smooth talker; they actually got onto the Naval Weapons Station and taped a show there. Once. He helped produce “City Watch Live” with host Rick Papp which ran for 12 years as well as “Inside Leisure World.” He was a part of the crew that filmed at the Long Beach Grand Prix where he met Mario Andretti and got him to film a “we’ll be right back” spot. And by now you should all recognize that you see his name every week in the production of our current “Studio Café” programing.
But just in case you forget, the 30 years of love, sweat and cheer he has poured into SBTV is all volunteer! He does SBTV after he completes his real world job in the workman’s comp industry where he has also worked for over 30 years.
But the thing I love most about Rob is when he plays the harmonica for us. He has a collection of over 45 of them and picked up his love of playing during his time in the service. He shared with me that he does not read a note of music. He learns and plays everything by ear and memory. He has a niece in Redlands, but his brothers remain in the mid-west. His best friend, Al, is still here and they still see each other weekly and play softball together.
So what compels him to keep doing this after so long? It’s simple. He loves this town, he loves the people here. He loves walking down the street and always seeing someone he knows. He worries about the future of Public Access TV because young people are not connecting with it and not taking the classes to learn to keep it going. He would encourage anyone with an interest to contact the station to find out more, but he does not want to see it slip away.
So the next time you are at any of the wonderful events going on in our community and you see the cameraman, now you know. Be sure to thank him for preserving our history in story and on film for so many years, so lovingly. He is, as he hopes to always be remembered, a good guy. The best kind. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
