Monday, October 30, 2006

AMICO DELLA COSTA - COACH MILO BADGER

POSTED BELOW IS THE OBITUARY FOR COACH MILO BADGER AS IT WAS PUBLISHED IN THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL. Coach Badger was included in "La Nostra Costa" as an "Amico Della Costa". He had a great influence on me and many of the boys who grew up on the Coast. I mention his name in two of the Chapters. In Chapter 20 "Sesso E Altri
Divertimenti (Sex and Other Amusements), page 217, I speak of his Physical Education Program at Mission Hill School and on page 219 I included an endnote regarding Coach Badger and his family who lived directly across the street from 'Casa D'Valentina' on Seaside Street. In Chapter 28, "IL Ponte E La Policia" (The Bridge and the Police), page 323, I describe how I had to face Coach Badger and Sgt. Charles Derby after I was suspected (I was one of seveal suspects) of stealing a wallet from a locker in the Boys' Gym. As I stood there, Sgt. Derby asked Coach Badger, "Do you have any reason to suspect this young man"?
I will always remember what the Coach said in a firm an unequivocal manner, "No". Thanks Coach. I will never forget you. ivn0

October 29, 2006

MILO FRANK BADGER

Milo Frank Badger, known to many simply as "Coach," passed peacefully away on Sunday, October 15, 2006, at his Hydesville, CA, home after a short and difficult battle with cancer. He is survived by his five children: Alan, Wade, Pam, and Clay Badger, and Betsy Howard, and eight grandchildren. A natural outdoorsman, Milo Coach enjoyed nothing more than a long day of fishing or a tough day of doggin' through the brush in hopes of jumping a nice buck. He began leading summer camping trips for students to the Sierras, where many kids who had never had such an experience caught their first fish or, not so impossibly, got their first mosquito bite. Milo was able to touch the lives of so many kids from all walks of life and, for some, this influence changed the course of their futures to come.
Coach Badger should be remembered for all the things he was - son and husband, father and grandfather, teacher and coach, friend; and for the things he loved most - gardening and chopping wood, camping and hunting, fishing and storytelling, but most of all, family. He will be dearly and sincerely missed by many. We will carry his memory forever in our hearts, and use the things he has taught us to the best of our abilities in our own lives and gardens.
Memorial services with a reception to follow for Milo Badger will be held on Sunday, November 26, 2006, at the Mission Hill Middle School Gymnasium at 1pm.

Copyright © 1999-2006 Santa Cruz Sentinel.Ottaway Newspaper, Inc.All rights reserved.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ciao, Ivano,

It was sad for me to hear of the passing of Milo Badger, the only athletic coach I ever had.

Mr. Badger had a presence like no other. He was as a tough Marine drill instructor at times, but at other times he was more as a kindly uncle. He had us doing things that were physically tough for us, especially me, as I was always a bit of a weakling. Nevertheless, I always tried, as I did not want to disappoint the Coach.

Mr. Badger had a glorious singing voice. I think it was on the same occasion that Reno Rinaldi sang that "Let's Go Thisaway" song, that Mr. Badger sang, "Without a Song" and "Stout Hearted Men". He sounded just like Bing Crosby to me.

This photo portrays him as being younger than when I met him. I was 13 and in the 7th grade in 1947. He must have been at least 20 years older than me. He must have lived to a good old age.

I can vividly remember him say to me, "Shape up, Campioni. We'll make a man of you yet!" I hope I didn't disappoint him too much.

Gino

Anonymous said...

I remember Mr. Badger's singing voice. He used to serenade the student body at Mission Hill at various assemblies, and the guy could indeed sing.

This was much more fun than failing to pay attention to him in gym class - he knocked me over with a thrown tumbling mat once when I was staring around at everything but him.

In later years we used to chase innocent little deer with our muskets, up in San Mateo County.

A good guy, and will be missed.

Anonymous said...

Ivno

I recall that Milo Badger was a physical fitness instructor for the military (Army?
Navy?) during WW-2. He joined the Mission Hill faculty shortly after the war.
Milo was the phys. ed. instructor for my older brother Merrill (SCHS "53") and,
therefore, for your brother John.


Yes, Milo was an avid outdoors-man. He especially loved fishing and hunting.
One summer my family, including Uncle Joe Majors, organized a deer hunting
expedition with him to one of his favorite places in northern California. One
week before the scheduled hunt I travelled with Milo and his wife Joy to his
parents' home in GuerneyVille Calif. While there, Milo and I fished for bass on
the Russian River. It was a quality experience for a 12-year-old. This all happened
so long ago that I have forgotten the location of our hunting camp and the year
this all took place ("50"? "51"? was I 12 or 13?).


The newspaper article mentioned Milo's five children. What happened to Milo's
wife Joy? Didn't Milo and family live on top of a hill above Graham Hill Road?


Jerry Kerrick

Jerry: Thanks for the info on the Coach. His wife passed away a couple of years ago. As I write in the book, Milo and his family lived for many years across from my mother's house on Seaside Street in Santa Cruz. I understand that he also lived in Swanton during the time he was coaching us at MH. Unknown about Graham Hill. His memorial is next Sunday.

BTW: Do you still have your "white sport jacket and pink carnation." ivn0

Anonymous said...

Ivano

I remember a few things about Milo. One was his need to snap towels at bare butts. Another was his hanging out with the girl's PE teacher whos name I cannot recall at the moment.

Another remembrance was the time he came up to our house and Rudy and I went with him up to the creek just before the slide area at the north county line to go duck hunting. Good trip but no ducks that I remember.

Jim

Anonymous said...

This for Jim Ceragioli:

I don't remember Coach Badger "hanging out" with a girls' gym teacher, but if he did, might that have been Miss Hunkin? (spelling questionable) There was another in that position, but I think the coach would have favored this one.

regards, Gino

Anonymous said...

Ciao Ivano,

So it wasn't Miss Hunkin. The other name I can remember was Miss Kindig.

There was another, tall, thin, and nice looking. I can't remember the name. Even I found her nice looking. She used to play basketball with us.

Saluti, Gino

LNC: Gino your are corrct this time. Miss Hunkin was the Librarian, Miss Kindig was the PE Teacher. Don't remember the other one. Might have been gone when I got there in Sept. 1949. ivn0

Anonymous said...

I rember coach Badger from Mission Hill one time during lunch football games me and my friend David Lawson yelled out Game!! signaling the end of the game. He was so pissed off at us, but we got a real kick out of it we still talk about to this day,He wa a great person to me i would call him up every year or so and talk to him life wont be the same without him.He was a great coach to me and friend RIP Coach we will miss you! David Landino JR MH class of 80-81.

Ivano Franco Comelli said...

THANKS DAVE FOR YOUR COMMENT ON COACH BADGER. We all remember him fondly. On pages 321-323 of "La Nostra Costa" I write of an episode at Mission Hill Jr. High that envolved two of my favorite people, Coach Badger and Sgt. Charles Derby of the Santa Cruz Department. As I infer this episode might have "shocked" me into a life of crime fighting.

BTW: Dave has also left a comment and correction on "A White Sports Coast and Pink Carnation" article which can be found in the November 2006 archives on this "Blagga".
Thanks again Dave. ivno

CABtoons said...

Hi Ivano,
i don't think we've met but i do consider you a friend after reading the stories you guys posted about the good ol' days as a kid growing up in santa cruz. my Pop was a character and a drill singing athlete who fished a little. we'd go hunting for pheasants and we'd come back with melons and walnuts we'd liberated. we did live up off graham hill road on tanner heights (before i was born in '61). he played semi-pro baseball in the pacific coast league (pcl) and batted .600... in '45 he traveled to new york to audition as "side kick tenor" for the jack benny radio program -after studying voice @ sj state (where he was class president) - and landed the job. he then declined it - much to the dismay of the "rockettes" - because he was homesick for his hometown sweety, my incredible mom Joy. i could go on and on bragging about him. I, too, can only hope i haven't disappointed the Coach too much.
thanks again for your words.
sincerely,
clay badger

CABtoons said...

ckuhil proviaHi Ivano,
i don't think we've met but i do consider you a friend after reading the stories you guys posted about the good ol' days as a kid growing up in santa cruz. my Pop was a character and a drill singing athlete who fished a little. we'd go hunting for pheasants and we'd come back with melons and walnuts we'd liberated. we did live up off graham hill road on tanner heights (before i was born in '61). he played semi-pro baseball in the pacific coast league (pcl) and batted .600... in '45 he traveled to new york to audition as "side kick tenor" for the jack benny radio program -after studying voice @ sj state (where he was class president) - and landed the job. he then declined it - much to the dismay of the "rockettes" - because he was homesick for his hometown sweety, my incredible mom Joy. i could go on and on bragging about him. I, too, can only hope i haven't disappointed the Coach too much.
thanks again for your words.
sincerely,
clay badger