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Leigh Stephens
climber
Chico
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Topic Author's Reply - May 28, 2015 - 08:34pm PT
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Again, I want to thank everyone! Any input at all is sincerely appreciated! I'm meaning to come and compose a more comprehensive reply, as soon as my laptop is done with its "12 of 39 updates" -.-
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Leigh Stephens
climber
Chico
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Topic Author's Reply - May 28, 2015 - 08:35pm PT
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Does anyone know how to contact Mike White? I've searched the Facebook to no avail.
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chappy
Social climber
ventura
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May 29, 2015 - 12:00am PT
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Mike White would be a good guy for you to contact Leigh. Dave Hitchcock perhaps as well. Bruce Brossman of course. I would think someone on S.T. has contact info for these guys. At one point Drone had a piece of property in Oakhurst. Hugh Burton was helping him build a house there. I remember visiting him there once and watching a video tape of the movie Tron. I believe he did tile work later in life. I think he tiled the kitchen/living room area of Lynda Ballerini's house in El Portal. I wasn't aware he passed away. Sorry to hear that. Good luck in your search!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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May 29, 2015 - 04:55am PT
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Hitchcock is on Facebook.
Don Harder (Mastadon) or Tom Carter may know how to reach Mike White.
One of them sent me a picture in 2010 of a visit with Whitey and many of the other usual suspects. Mike White is in Grass Valley California.
Here's a note from Hitchcock about that gathering:
I got to see Carter a bit last summer, which was fun. We went to a house warming party at Mike White's place in Grass Valley. I got to hang out with Don Harder, Auggie Klein and Phil Bircheff.
That should give us plenty to go on per finding Whitey.
I'll give these three guys a jingle.
I should be able to reach Ellie Hawkins as well. (Bruce Hawkins is eternally difficult to contact ... But I keep trying)
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mastadon
Trad climber
crack addict
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May 29, 2015 - 06:27am PT
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Leigh,
I knew your father fairly well and I met your mother a few times, once when she was pregnant with you. I've always wondered what happened to Pilar-she was a beautiful, graceful woman. I also always wondered what happened to the child she and Drone had. Now I know.
Whitey (Mike White) was your father's best friend. He chokes up every time he talks about Drone. If you email me through this site, I'll give you his phone number.
I once called Whitey after not talking to him for a long time and left a message on his phone pretending to be his son that he never knew he had from a woman he'd long forgotten. I waited a month to talk to him and asked him about his son. He started sputtering and swearing, telling me that he hadn't slept a wink in that month wondering about his son that he didn't know about.
What I'm saying here is that he's gonna blame me for setting this up and may not believe that you are who you say you are if he finds out I'm involved…. I'll call him and warn him.
Don Harder
Here's a crappy picture of Whitey on El Cap in 1980. I don't have any pics of Drone, sorry.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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May 29, 2015 - 06:36am PT
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What I'm saying here is that he's gonna blame me for setting this up and may not believe that you are who you say you are if he finds out I'm involved…. Harder that is absolutely hilarious!
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mastadon
Trad climber
crack addict
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May 29, 2015 - 06:37am PT
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Thanks for the email Tar-baby! I'll call you one of these days and catch up.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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May 29, 2015 - 06:52am PT
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Kathy Dermitzakis and Hugh Burton knew Drone very well.
Kathy talked about Drone even before I met him and I'm sure she would love to reminisce. Kathy very occasionally posts here as Kathy D.
I'll try her through e-mail.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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May 29, 2015 - 07:28am PT
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A story comes to mind to share about Drone. Talk about the fickle finger of fate, too!
Step in and correct me, guys, if I get some of it wrong.
Andy Cox and I think George Myers and another enterprising young stud (probably Whitey) went up Kings River, intending to climb Tehipite Dome. Andy got separated and that was the last his partners saw of him.
It was presumed that Andy's coke-bottle lens glasses got dropped and he was searching around for them, blind as a bat, when he went into the river.
It was during the search that ensued for Andy's body that Drone got bitten on a finger by a rattler, poor guy!
From there on, I don't know the rest of the story.
I was told this by Jeff Mathis, who visited me and my wife in Ventura County during the summer of '72, a little after all this went down.
Any other recollections of this out there?
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mastadon
Trad climber
crack addict
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May 29, 2015 - 04:47pm PT
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Drone did indeed get bitten on the end of a finger as Mouse describes. The tip of his finger was black from then on.
Mark- the house at Bass Lake near Oakhurst didn't belong to Drone, it belonged to Red. Sutton, Burton, Drone and others worked on the house at various times.
I called Whitey this morning. He would love to talk to you, Leigh. He remembers you when you were little.
Here's a picture of a bunch of Valley bums: Hitchcock, me, Whitey, Debbie Brossman, Chuck Cochran is hiding behind Brossman, Hugh Burton, and Terry Counts/Minks and Charlie Rowe looking longingly in each other's eyes
Chuck Cochran was one of Drone's good friends, also.
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WBraun
climber
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May 29, 2015 - 05:42pm PT
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Awesome haven't see Hitchcock and Whitey in years.
Why is Debbie flippin me off? :-)
Then there's Charlie bad to the bone skier and climber.
The whole crew is in that photo ......
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Leigh Stephens
climber
Chico
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Topic Author's Reply - May 29, 2015 - 07:09pm PT
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This is all just amazingly overwhelmingly great! This post keeps bringing a smile to my face. I'm going to dig through my own pics and see what I can find and, once my laptop isn't dead or updating, come and reply to everyone in a more reasonable fashion! :)
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Leigh Stephens
climber
Chico
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Topic Author's Reply - May 30, 2015 - 10:37am PT
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Thanks for the number! I'll call him later today. I guess he lives not all that far from me, only a couple of hours.
There was a time dad explained to me what ophidiophobia was. I think I must have asked him what the large, permanent knot on his finger was and he told me about the snake. He was terrified of snakes his whole life thereafter!
He did become a tile setter later in life, and that was his career. He was a real craftsman, taking pride in his work and created some beautiful finished products. I remember, he laid the brick on Mike White's back patio one year... He also set tile for Willie Mays, a proud moment in his life. I inherited his autographed Giants baseball cap.
He always took me to 4th of July Giants games since I was a kid, back at Candlestick. Consequently, I'm a huge Giants fan to this day and make a trip out to AT&T every year.
Hearing everything everyone has to say about him is really... overwhelming. But in a good way. To see how much people enjoyed his friendship... It makes me realize how much we lost when he left us. Having never known him as an adult myself, I'm blessed to be able to reach out to others for memories of him at a time I never knew.
I found some pictures in a photo album of his:
Sorry for the poor quality, I had to take pictures of the pictures because I can't find the cords to my scanner anywhere.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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May 30, 2015 - 11:23am PT
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Howzat?
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Leigh Stephens
Social climber
Chico
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Topic Author's Reply - May 30, 2015 - 11:35am PT
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lol, perfect! It's the quintessential Yosemite picture, that's for sure.
Still haven't nailed down this "quoting" thing yet.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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May 30, 2015 - 12:02pm PT
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Ho what a great group of folks!
I am just a lurker and hey
If you are lurking, sis, judas see this thread!
Now thank you all for pulling out the crusty grey old memories to re animate so much of what set the course of modern climbing.
You guys deserve the accolades and the whipper snappers of today can not imagine all the group dedicated to the furthering of the Harding way over the staunch boring Robbins church.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Hi Leigh,
I knew your Dad in Yosemite in the early 70s. I searched my photos but could not find a picture of Drone. I did find a nice one of Fig, Mike Brietenbach.
I think that this is at the base of the East Buttress of Middle in 1973. We climbed the whole route, in the corners and chimneys on the left, but our purpose was to climb the bolt latter free.
Drone, Fig, Mike White were great guys. Mike was a guide at YMS the last season I guy. Great to read about and see pictures of those times.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Leigh....I knew your father in the early 70's in Camp 4. He was a great guy who was friends with everyone.
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Those were the days...
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mastadon
Trad climber
crack addict
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Fig, Drone, Whitey and Will Tyree all worked logging on the peninsula of Washington in the town of Forks. Whitey has some pictures of those days. Rough times.
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