Brother, can you spare a quarter?

Don Cantrell

A recent mini-reunion of Class of ’45 at Harbor High sparked a

fond memory of Rod MacMillian, who earned a deep regard from

thousands of young boys when he was athletic director of the Harbor

Boys’ Club.

One of the most outstanding heroics that is still remembered by

some found MacMillian, at about the age of 9, in 1935 saving the life

of a young boy about 6 years old in the bay near Bay Island.

Before the young lad tumbled into the water, MacMillian was aware

that the boy couldn’t swim and dove into the water from the dock to

pull him up and hold his head above water. He also called for help.

He knew a lifeguard named Al Irwin was nearby on Montero Street in

Newport.

Irwin still remembers the desperate moment and came running to

help. He was able to lift the boy away from MacMillian and move him

to safety out of the water.

MacMillian was simply pleased that they could rescue the boy and

never carried any thoughts of a thanks or reward.

However, it is presumed that some witnesses were rather astonished

when the boy’s mother, a well-to-do woman, came forward and offered

MacMillian a quarter as a reward.

As the years came to pass, MacMillian became a constant friend and

counselor to many boys who frequented the Harbor Boys’ Club in Costa

Mesa and participated in numerous sports.

Irwin, a lifeguard in prep days, who advanced to become a coach at

Harbor High, Orange Coast College and UC Irvine, still has warm

recalls of MacMillian’s heartwarming contributions to harbor area

boys.

Irwin recently said, “I was pleased when they held that tribute to

Rod when they did some years ago. It was a fine tribute.”

Admirers still recall MacMillian’s days of driving the boys on

buses to places they ordinarily would never visit for sports and

field trips since many came from homes that could not afford pleasure

trips for their families.

Many of those attending the tribute years ago remembered the

emotional tugs when it came around to personally thanking MacMillian

for all his years of encouragement and generosities.

One ’49 varsity gridder recalls seeing MacMillian and the boys at

ice cream restaurants after the games. He would transport them to the

games and treat them to desserts.

MacMillian, who also served prominently on the Newport-Mesa school

board for years, made his athletic marks in football and track as a

junior and senior at Newport.

He was once a sportswriter for some years in the harbor area and

also contributed many hours helping Newport athletic director Ralph

Reed with sports programs and publications.

As a teammate and a sportswriter, MacMillian always held his

sports mates in highest regard.

As a sportswriter, MacMillian had a habit of seeking out

meaningful qualities about individuals.

Out of the year of ‘49, he recalled that Bob Berry was almost

picked as captain of the ’47 Tar varsity as a sophomore -- two more

votes would have done it.

Berry was named captain for the second time at the end of the ’49

season. Berry was excused one day each week to work -- and he did by

hauling cement from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then reporting for football

practice and still working harder than any other member of the team.

He often kept minute items of interest on players. He once wrote,

“Mel Smalley, most valuable Tar ’49 gridder, saw only two minutes of

action during the ’48 season, yet his desire to play made him

first-team this year in addition to being Most Valuable Player and

All-Sunset League.”

Smalley also scored 104 points in ’49.

He was often bothered when he would observe an outstanding player

shorted or belittled by league members or writers in one direction or

another.

He recalled Lorrie Langmade, one of Newport’s best gridders in ’43

under Coach Les Miller.

He wrote, “Langmade has played a great season as blocking

back...and had been even greater at backing up the line, but was left

off the all-league team.”

He noted that justice arrived a few weeks later when Langmade was

named to the All-CIF second team. Langmade had also been a stout

member of the champ ’42 Newport grid team.

One interesting note once found that Langmade scored the

first-ever T-formation touchdown for Newport vs. Huntington Beach in

‘43.