A Look Back -- Jerry Person

Jerry Person

It’s hard sometimes to write about someone who you call a good friend

and this is one of those times.

Right now I’m looking a Christmas card sent to me a couple years ago

from our look back personage, George Arnold, and thinking about what to

write about a man who didn’t invent some great thing or get a degree in

college or own a large corporation.

But as I look back at our friendship one point becomes clear -- one

can succeed without any of these things.

So this week I’m going to write not only what I remember about George,

but also what his friends remember.

George Edward Arnold was born in Huntington Beach on January 21, 1921.

He was the middle of three children, with an older sister who passed

away several years ago and a younger sister, Marilyn, who is still

living.

According to Huntington Beach resident Gordie Higgins, George’s dad

and Gordie’s brother Bud worked here together as linemen for the Edison

Company.

George used to tell me that his grandmother was the first real estate

woman in Huntington Beach, so you see his roots go deep in our town’s

early history.

From the first through fourth grade, Barbara Kimbrough would meet

George at the bus stop to get the bus for school.

“George would always try to frighten me at the bus stop,” said

Kimbrough.

Even in his grammar school days George was an individualist. He was

someone who stood apart from the crowd Kimbrough told me.

George attended Central Elementary School (Dwyer Middle School) and

received his education from teacher Ethel Dwyer herself.

George knew our Fourth of July well and over the years he marched in

it in costume or as himself.

In 1966 George entered the race for the City Council against the likes

of Ted Bartlett, Bob Lambert and Al Coen.

There were 27 candidates in that race and although George didn’t win

he did get 288 votes. Only Phillip Miller and credit manager William

Wamhoff Jr. got less votes.

During the race George was listed as a janitor living at 19212 17th

St. He campaigned on a ticket of more equipment to keep up our streets,

putting flower boxes on light poles on Main Street and he wanted

taxpayers to know exactly where their tax money was going.

I first met George in the late 1970s and at that time he was living in

a trailer in the parking lot of the Surf Theatre on 5th Street with two

very big dogs.

Huntington Beach resident Frank Biondi told me of the time that Joe

Irvine, who owned Hilltop Liquor and Market, gave George some avocados to

sell and George set up a table in Joe’s parking lot and was selling them

cheaper then Joe was inside his market.

Joe remained a close friend of George’s for many years.

He recalls the time George stood up at a City Council meeting, faced

the council and pointed his finger and said “You’re all stupid.”

George was like that greeter fellow in Laguna Beach, everyone knew

him, Joe said.

Then there was the time in Bob Biddle’s yard when George was up in a

tree sawing branches and sawed the wrong end off and fell out of the

tree.

When Huntington Beach resident Eileen Arnold Knee ran the Arnold

Insurance office on Main Street and George was running for office again,

he drove a large stake-bed truck with panels on the side that read Vote

for George and under it read E. Arnold and he parked it across the street

from her office and it looked as if she supported George.

Come to think of it, Eileen’s agent number was 362 and George’s P.O.

Box was 362 and their last names were both Arnold.

No folks they are not related.

When Huntington Beach resident Jack Weide heard of George’s passing he

said to me, “We have lost a legend.”

George appeared once on the Gong Show on television doing

hisimpression of Popeye.

Wealthy Main Street Realtor and surfer Bob Bolen remembers when George

was starting up a chicken ranch in the desert but had to take it down

when he found out that he had built the chicken coops on the wrong

property.

I’m sure former police chief and council member Earle Robitaille won’t

forget George or the time he told George to “. . . up yours and the horse

you rode in on.”

The next council meeting George appeared with a child’s stick horse

that whinnied when George didn’t agree with a council issue.

I remember in 1979 or 1980 George tried to run for governor

ofCalifornia and got two votes. I wonder who the other vote was from.

Many remember George selling his T-shirts to finance his campaign for

the council and I still have some of them.

These shirts were silk screened by Jimmy Swearingen.

George lived modestly in various places in the Downtown.Ed Farber told

me George lived in one of Ted Bartlett’s garages at his gas station on

Main Street and George even set up housekeeping on a lot on Pacific Coast

Highway with a clear view of the blue Pacific Ocean.

George stayed at the homes of former Mayor Ernie Gisler, Tim and

Michele Turner and Bob Biddle.

George passed away in a Palm Springs hospital on March 17, 2002.

The next morning at the Sugar Shack several plastic glasses suddenly

fell to the floor and someone said “that’s George again.”

Well maybe his title of janitor or handyman was not right for George,

who lived a larger than life and could count on his friends when need be.

I even saw Orange County Supervisor Harriett Wieder plant a big kiss

on George at a council meeting.

And when It’s my turn to leave all this, I know that when I am

standing in front of those golden gates I’ll see George grinning from

within and above the sounds of angels singing I’ll hear a voice call to

me “hey dude” and I’ll know that I am home.

Goodbye dude.

A memorial service for George will be held on April 14th at Pier Plaza

from 1 to 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Huntington Beach

Youth Shelter. Please contact Michele Turner at the Sugar Shack 213 Main

St.