Working on the Boardwalk, 1974

When I turned 16 years old I went to work at the Boardwalk for the Whiting family. Ted Sr. and Pinky took my job request from Aptos High School and hired me to work for them. I remember Ken, Ted, and Dave. That was the funnest year of my life. As I grew in friendship with the Whiting boys, they gave me more responsibility. I still remember the company picnic and a Fourth of July get together below one of their restaurants for everyone who had to work on that day. As a young boy stepping into the adult world, the job and friendship they showed me was a very heady experience. I was working the night when Santa Cruz suffered a blackout. Had I stayed an hour or two longer, I would have been stuck all night. I haven’t been to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in almost thirty years but my time working on the Boardwalk will always have a soft spot in my heart. Times were much different back in the 70s. I still remember Carol who worked many years for the Whitings and the sweet couple who ran the coffee shop across from the Boardwalk. I can still taste her bread pudding and pies.