Robert Quall 20 posts 0 comments

Who has been a big influence in your  life?  Parents of course! Teachers probably would be second. Who is your favorite teacher? I have had numerous great teachers but the one I remember the most is Jim Burke. Coach Burke was my 4th grade teacher and 7th and 8th grade basketball coach. Coach Burke was so positive and energetic that his…

The score after two attempted sea voyages onboard the King Midas from San Diego to Santa Barbara: King Midas, 2; Captain Bob, 0. Three weeks after the…

My boat, the King Midas, the summer of 1967, was moored in the San Diego harbor after an attempt to sail to Santa Barbara failed because of a dead battery.…

When I was 12, I was in the Cub Scouts.  Wasn't able to advance to Boy Scouts, but I remember one of their mottos was "Always be prepared.” This advice would have come in handy when I set sail on the high seas the year of 1967.  I like to think I was  prepared when I  was working in my career, and when I still direct trips to Kenya.  Not so…

Do you have a fire alarm in your  house? Undoubtedly. Very important to have in any structure. The alarm goes off, you vacate the premises immediately.…

It has been snowing in the mountains for several weeks. Great skiing this year! Reminds me of the ski trip to Lake Tahoe many years ago. Henry TeVelde…

Do you like craft fairs? I like them, especially near Christmas.  The problem is that when I see something I like at these fairs, I can't buy just one — I buy multiples!  This Saturday it was raining, so I bagged the tennis and saw that my local church in Merced was having a craft fair. I was feeling pretty good.  I just got a full tank…

Editor’s Note: Times contributor Robert Quall sent this column into the newspaper on Nov. 21. Remember when I was going to get a bullet proof car to…

Have you had any contact with our homeless population in the valley? Years ago, I had the privilege of directing a homeless (Rescue  Mission) men's choir…

In 1972, Mary Jo Bennett, a Merced County resident, disappeared without a trace, never to be seen alive again. Her disappearance and the subsequent prosecution  of her husband, Timothy Bennett,  for murder resulted in the most famous  criminal case in Merced County history. The prosecution of Bennett  for first-degree murder was…