Nick the wop and I was Mickey Moslem. Not very politically correct today but that was 6th grade in 1961 where I met and thoroughly enjoyed my years growing up with Callich. Probably the wittiest, brightest, quickest and highest IQ of anyone I ever went to school with. The guy never studied really but was such a quick take on things and had a photographic memory. Quick on the basketball court, a great third baseman or shortstop, the guy could place hit like no one else. He and Kenny Hardeman and Danny Brown were neighbors and they had so much fun together. I was teased unrelentlessly by Nick for being an odd guy from Pakistan and India. Nick once said," What kind of place is that to grow up? no wonder you're such a dork! Just kidding, nope. You never got off his shit list of ribbing. Hardeman and Brown were no match and those two went two on one with him weekly. Argue, smart mouth, funny, and no matter what he said to you, he smiled and got the last word in. As well as his instructors. He was sent out of the class continuously but never never held a grudge or looked upset about it. He drove the teachers crazy at Davis and Mesa as well. What a sweet heart he was and a great teacher. great stories,great jokes. You never had a quiet moment with Nick around. We took different trails in high school but always bumped and shoved each other as there was a long friendship and a truly deep love between us. He spent alot of time in my parents home and both my parents thought he was such a gentleman. We both had the gift of Eddie Haskell when it came to parents. Except for Frank Dettner. Mark and Kathy's dad had him pegged. Trouble, smart, ornery, and probably the best natural athlete of all of us who played baseball those two summers. Nick was so good defensively and at bat. I couldn't get one hit my first season. Not one. But he always encouraged me and worked with me. My second year when I did so well, exceptionally well, Ramon and Nick would argue which one of them I owed my new found batting talent to. Those were two characters, Ramon and Nick arguing. Ray couldn't keep up and would start laughing and Nick would start imitating Ray. Then Ray would always throw his mit at Nick and Nick would always turn and take it in the back, pick it up and run it all the way to the fence and drop it. Delay of game always on those summer days. Nick showed up out of nowhere at Thom Mcans where I worked in South Coast Plaza. recently shaved, very very pale and thinner than I had ever seen him. He told me he heard I was working with Donna DeCubellis there so he stopped by while shopping to get his mom something. He had moved home and was staying there. This is after being gone for a year and traveling and being deeply involved in the drugs of the day. He was sick, eyes yellow, teeth looked bad but a great smile and tears in his eyes when he hugged me. I had never seen Nick this frail and quiet. Never so humble and never ever to cry. I was shaken and so happy to see him. He only stayed a few minutes as I had customers and had already had my evening break. That was the last time I saw Nick until his funeral. He had hitched down to the beach, probably 17th street. He had laid down and fallen asleep for hours under the hottest sun of the day. He sun burned so badly and his system so vunerable, his liver so damaged and his kidneys probably not functioning well, he caught pneumonia that night and fell deeply ill and quickly passed. His funeral was the saddest I have ever attended. His death disrupted the structure of his family as his leaving home had done. He had come home to tell his parents and John and little brothers how much he missed them and loved them. This was his new start. A new Nick. It was a brief moment and I am so grateful for our few minutes together that night before.
Met Nick at Davis Jr. High when my family moved from the San Fernando Valley. Was introduced to him by Kris Van Hook who was showing me around the school. As I recall Nick and Sobo and the other guys on the Davis B team used to beat the A team with Ramon Ricardo, Ken Hardeman, Danny Brown and Tom Mcnealy in basketball. After Nick's death I used to stop in at his brother John's auto store on Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa once in a while. Great guy, very outgoing. I am now recakkung that Nick was in the boys chorus with me and Dana Rodet. Miss Griffin, seh might have been a Mrs. Griffin, headed the chorus and Nick a, as I remember was also in the chorus. He and Rodet drove the woman to the point of collapse. It was extreely entertaining to me; kind of the highlight of my day to see Nick drive the choir leader crazy. Dana, of course' went on to great musical fame at Costa Mesa High. Last saw him in Europe after high school when we w.ere in the same Hotel in France in the student district after the '68 student riots. The story I heard was that Nick was recovering but he was such an active and outgoing guy that he just couldn't stay home and give his body the rest that he needed. The world lost a great one when Nick passed. I'm glad that Randy paid him such a great tribute. I have always been especially grateful to Nick and Kris Van Hook because I was in such a bad mood for years when I transferred into Davis for the last six months of Jr. High and lost all of my friends. Both Nick and Kris tried to make me feel welcome both at Davis and Mesa. I think the B team was rounded out by Don Farris and Randy himself. The A team also had Chris Van Hook. A B or C Nick was the man.
Randy Henkle
Nick the wop and I was Mickey Moslem. Not very politically correct today but that was 6th grade in 1961 where I met and thoroughly enjoyed my years growing up with Callich. Probably the wittiest, brightest, quickest and highest IQ of anyone I ever went to school with. The guy never studied really but was such a quick take on things and had a photographic memory. Quick on the basketball court, a great third baseman or shortstop, the guy could place hit like no one else. He and Kenny Hardeman and Danny Brown were neighbors and they had so much fun together. I was teased unrelentlessly by Nick for being an odd guy from Pakistan and India. Nick once said," What kind of place is that to grow up? no wonder you're such a dork! Just kidding, nope. You never got off his shit list of ribbing. Hardeman and Brown were no match and those two went two on one with him weekly. Argue, smart mouth, funny, and no matter what he said to you, he smiled and got the last word in. As well as his instructors. He was sent out of the class continuously but never never held a grudge or looked upset about it. He drove the teachers crazy at Davis and Mesa as well. What a sweet heart he was and a great teacher. great stories,great jokes. You never had a quiet moment with Nick around. We took different trails in high school but always bumped and shoved each other as there was a long friendship and a truly deep love between us. He spent alot of time in my parents home and both my parents thought he was such a gentleman. We both had the gift of Eddie Haskell when it came to parents. Except for Frank Dettner. Mark and Kathy's dad had him pegged. Trouble, smart, ornery, and probably the best natural athlete of all of us who played baseball those two summers. Nick was so good defensively and at bat. I couldn't get one hit my first season. Not one. But he always encouraged me and worked with me. My second year when I did so well, exceptionally well, Ramon and Nick would argue which one of them I owed my new found batting talent to. Those were two characters, Ramon and Nick arguing. Ray couldn't keep up and would start laughing and Nick would start imitating Ray. Then Ray would always throw his mit at Nick and Nick would always turn and take it in the back, pick it up and run it all the way to the fence and drop it. Delay of game always on those summer days.Nick showed up out of nowhere at Thom Mcans where I worked in South Coast Plaza. recently shaved, very very pale and thinner than I had ever seen him. He told me he heard I was working with Donna DeCubellis there so he stopped by while shopping to get his mom something. He had moved home and was staying there. This is after being gone for a year and traveling and being deeply involved in the drugs of the day. He was sick, eyes yellow, teeth looked bad but a great smile and tears in his eyes when he hugged me. I had never seen Nick this frail and quiet. Never so humble and never ever to cry. I was shaken and so happy to see him. He only stayed a few minutes as I had customers and had already had my evening break. That was the last time I saw Nick until his funeral. He had hitched down to the beach, probably 17th street. He had laid down and fallen asleep for hours under the hottest sun of the day. He sun burned so badly and his system so vunerable, his liver so damaged and his kidneys probably not functioning well, he caught pneumonia that night and fell deeply ill and quickly passed. His funeral was the saddest I have ever attended. His death disrupted the structure of his family as his leaving home had done. He had come home to tell his parents and John and little brothers how much he missed them and loved them. This was his new start. A new Nick. It was a brief moment and I am so grateful for our few minutes together that night before.
Spencer Sarlat
Met Nick at Davis Jr. High when my family moved from the San Fernando Valley. Was introduced to him by Kris Van Hook who was showing me around the school. As I recall Nick and Sobo and the other guys on the Davis B team used to beat the A team with Ramon Ricardo, Ken Hardeman, Danny Brown and Tom Mcnealy in basketball. After Nick's death I used to stop in at his brother John's auto store on Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa once in a while. Great guy, very outgoing. I am now recakkung that Nick was in the boys chorus with me and Dana Rodet. Miss Griffin, seh might have been a Mrs. Griffin, headed the chorus and Nick a, as I remember was also in the chorus. He and Rodet drove the woman to the point of collapse. It was extreely entertaining to me; kind of the highlight of my day to see Nick drive the choir leader crazy. Dana, of course' went on to great musical fame at Costa Mesa High. Last saw him in Europe after high school when we w.ere in the same Hotel in France in the student district after the '68 student riots. The story I heard was that Nick was recovering but he was such an active and outgoing guy that he just couldn't stay home and give his body the rest that he needed. The world lost a great one when Nick passed. I'm glad that Randy paid him such a great tribute. I have always been especially grateful to Nick and Kris Van Hook because I was in such a bad mood for years when I transferred into Davis for the last six months of Jr. High and lost all of my friends. Both Nick and Kris tried to make me feel welcome both at Davis and Mesa. I think the B team was rounded out by Don Farris and Randy himself. The A team also had Chris Van Hook. A B or C Nick was the man.