After my first lover died in January 1961, I went to work for the largest station in SF (100,000 watts clear channel KAFE) and got involved with civil rights issues. I exposed corrupt cops shakedowns of Gay bars and businesses and was responsible for the prosecution and firings of crooked cops within the SFPD Vice Squad, as the current Santa Rosa City Attorney, Rene Choutou will attest. (He used to be Deputy City Attorney for SF in 1962). I would often frequent San Francisco's sole leather bar The Tool Box at the time which was located at 5th and Harrison Streets. It was there that I met Navy Yeoman Jim Greenwood, eventually employing him at the station. Jim eventually went back to school at SF State and then moved to the Castro. It was Jim who introduced me to Leonard.

Jim was fun to be around. He had one of those dead-pan faces which seldom registered shock. For years the station had been renting a phone answering machine from Ma Bell and it was quite expensive. Then some guy devised a box with a built-in microphone which one placed under the phone. A microphone would pick up the sound of the bell and activate a solenoid plunger which in turn activated a hinge and lift the receiver off the cradle. Somewhere in the midst of all this was a casette recorder, two suction cups LOTS of wire, and a handset. The station bought this Rube Goldberg contraption. I discovered, quite by accident, that the device had (somewhere in its bowels) a massive capacitor which stored an electrical charge. If the phones rang, it would discharge. If they were silent for long periods of time, the charge would build up. I also discovered that the sound of a typewriter carriage return bell could trigger the phone machine into action. I enticed Jim into doing some typing late one night after adjusting the bell settings. I was about to give up when Jim finally created the magic "ding" with the carriage return, causing the phone answering machine to go into convulsions. The current was so strong from the capacitor that it actually hurled the phone at Jim. I never was good at keeping a straight face or decorum and it took some time to stop rolling on the floor with laughter.

Mike Caffee was another interesting friend I had in those days. He turned himself in to Army ASA as being Gay. He was a brilliant kid and we were close pals. He was my mentor of sorts. I used to have the opinion that Japanese music was a mix between someone pulling a cat's tail, and a bowling ball descending a staircase and eventually landing on a person's foot. Michael taught me to "appreciate" that as well as the nuances of music by Prokofiev and Tak Takishvili, Andre Esphai and others. He was like a stray cat and would visit me late in the evening at the studio when I was editing tapes. He was very entertaining. Saturday night after the bars closed was sort of a ritual. Everyone would go to this after hours coffee shop called "Mr. B's" on Second Street just below Market. The more genteel "Sweater Crowd" would wind up on Polk Street at the Kaffee Cantata. I suppose we GLBT people still had our own groups within groups. Despite the police harrassment, those were happy days. A year later, I bought an old (chopped) police cycle, a Harley. I am sure no-one could imagine me riding such a thing today, but I love to shock people anyhow. Gets the adrenalin going. My youngest boy did make off with my leather jacket and pants when he got his Japanese cycle. Well, what can I say. I always liked Harleys. The rest may as well be made by the Kamakaze Cycle Factory. For decades afterwards, I sort of drove around in a stationwagon and more sedate vehicles. Then in 1985, I bought my very first new car. It was a nifty little job which could take off in a flash, cost lotsa money to insure, and even more to keep locked away from my envious sons itchy driving hands. It was a Mazda RX-7. I still have it, along with almost 500,000 miles on the odometer. Now, like the Old Guy, it shows signs of old age. A few farts and backfires as it tootles along (the car that is!) and it gets me around.

Well, I am glad you enjoy the ramblings. I have very very fond memories of San Francisco and a lot of friends who sacrificed so much to make the changes happen in our society. It is a GLBTH Family we should recognize more often.

Hugs,
Cliff