Reflections on Daffodils and Mr. C

This spring, the American Cancer Society will distribute millions of daffodils and raise over sixteen million dollars through Daffodil Days.  If you want to donate to the cause or help the Cancer Society deliver the flowers and raise the funds, you can go to their website.

The first flower of spring, representing hope.  Photo by Steve Newvine

I have a memory involving daffodils that takes me back to my sophomore year in college at Herkimer County Community College (now known as Herkimer College).  

Our television broadcasting professor arranged for a local television station to help students produce public service announcements to air on the station.  

Public Service Announcements or PSAs were commercials for non-profit organizations.  Stations still air them for free, but usually in the overnight hours when the available airtime has not been sold.  

Each week during the spring semester, we’d go to station WUTR-TV and use their equipment and tap into their expertise.  

For the students, this was a unique opportunity to actually get some experience working in a real television station.

Our class was divided into pairs of producers; we had to identify a non-profit, determine whether there was a need for a PSA, and work with the agency to be sure they approved of the messages we were producing.  Students would rotate roles such as camera operator, video switcher, and director.  

When it was our turn to produce, my classmate Matt and I went to the local office of the American Cancer Society in nearby Utica.  

We were there initially there to talk about producing an anti-smoking ad, but the Executive Director of the agency had other ideas.

“Daffodil days are coming up,” he told us.  “It would be great if we could stir up some interest in this year’s campaign.”

Matt and I had our mission.  We worked on a concept, selected music, and ran our ideas past our professor Dave Champoux, who we would frequently refer to as Mr. C,  and our “client” at the Cancer Society.

I still remember some of the lines from the script:

The daffodil is the first flower of spring, and it stands for hope.

Hope is the message from the American Cancer Society.

Your dollars support outreach, services, and research.

Be generous when your Cancer Society volunteer comes calling.

A public service message from Herkimer County Community College and W-U-T-R TV.

“Actually, this is pretty good,”

I recall Mr. C telling us after we presented our plan to produce a thirty-second PSA.  

“At the very least, you are focusing on the positive rather than harp on about the dangers of smoking.”  

As our night approached to produce the PSA, Matt and I were nervous.  The thoughts I recall from some forty plus years ago were along the lines of:  will it be effective, will we get it done in the amount of studio time we had, with the Cancer Society like it, will Mr. C  like it.

Well, our mix of slides, camera cards, instrumental music, and voiceover (mine, as I was working at a radio station on weekends and had access to a good audio studio) all came together.  The spot was well received.  I’m sure Matt and I got a good grade, but I honestly don’t recall.  I do remember the sense of accomplishment we felt when the project was finished and how that feeling continued over the next several weeks when the PSA aired.

Later that spring, the broadcasting department held an awards ceremony for all the students.  The daffodil days PSA picked up a couple of awards.  

That night was special.  Everyone in the class treated it like the Academy Awards.  Our music professor recruited Matt, another singer named Irene, and me to provide some song and dance interludes throughout the evening.  A week later, we would graduate from our two-year program.

This photo from the early 1970s shows my broadcasting professor Dave Champoux (Mr. C) being interviewed by a student.  Photo- Herkimer College

I remained in contact with Mr. C  over the years.  He sent me a couple of notes during my broadcasting career congratulating me and offering advice on adjusting in my chosen career.

 I spoke to him by phone shortly after accepting a job as an adjunct college lecturer many years ago.  He remained one of my favorite teachers.  

Flash forward to about three years ago when Mr. C tagged me on Facebook one spring day.  It was about a year before he lost his battle with cancer.  

Then retired in North Carolina, he called my attention to a photograph he shared.  The photo was of a daffodil.  The message from my professor was to the point- “Hey Steve, does this look familiar?”

It sure did look familiar.  It took me back to a time when youth was in ample supply; where energy abounded and optimism filled the air around me.  

Like the daffodil, it was a time of hope.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.  His book California Back Roads is available on Lulu.com

A Valley Golf Course Saved from the Bulldozer

The obituary for this Central Valley golf center was already written:  the land was purchased by Children’s Hospital of Central California for expansion.  But before the bulldozer, there was a reprieve.

River Park Golf Course was a par-27 course below the cliff where Children’s Hospital Central California stands.  Photo by Steve Newvine

River Park Golf Course in southern Madera County was a neat executive course where a golfer could play nine holes in about an hour.  

The course and large driving range have lights so golfers could play until eight o’clock at night during the winter, and later during the rest of the year.

I played a few rounds there in the years since arriving in California back in 2004.  My first trip there was with visitors looking for something to do.  

We played the attached mini-golf course and had a good time.  That mini golf course closed shortly after our visit.

A few years later, I played the golf course for the first time.  Every hole was a par three, compelling me to put away my driver and rely only on my irons.  

The course was perfect for my irons.  I think I improved that part of my game thanks to the short distance holes there.

At that course, I perfected what I call “no-huddle golf”.  I would play nine holes in as short a period of time as possible.  No-huddle golf to me meant “don’t think about the shot, just hit it, and keep moving”.  

That style of play served me well on days when time was at a premium.

I read about the pending closure in the fall of 2017.  

I was not surprised.  In my time in California, I’ve read of at least four courses closing.  Some went out of business because the drought demanded too much of the precious water that kept the grass green.  

Some ceased operations because owners grew weary of chasing greens fees from golfers who had many choices including on-line deals and newspaper coupons.  

Some closed simply because the land was more valuable for development.

 The closest my ball ever got to the cup off a tee shot happened at River Park Golf Course in Madera.  Photo- Steve Newvine

River Park was also the site of my greatest shot ever.  

I’ll never forget the day my swing from a six iron on a 135 yard par three took the ball just six inches from the cup.  There was hope that someday that evasive hole-in-one would happen.

With the announcement of the closing, I made peace with myself that a hole-in-one was not going to happen at River Park.

 River Park Golf Course ceased operations when the land was sold to Children’s Hospital of Central California.  The new name for the course is Valley Golf Center.  There’s new management, and a revision to the Hospital’s plan to use the land for expansion. Photo by Steve Newvine

When I flew into Fresno Yosemite International Airport following a vacation, I gathered my luggage, loaded my car, and left the parking lot.  

Checking the time, I knew I could spare one additional hour before coming home to Merced.  So I headed to highway 41 North, got off at the Rio Mesa exit just over the Madera County line, and drove to River Park Golf Course.

While I could not be certain at the time, my instincts told me this would be my last round at this course.  I played a relaxing round of golf.  No-huddle golf would have to wait for some other time at some other course.  I shot a 35 on the 27 par layout.  

It was not my best round there, but not the worst either.  I walked into the pro shop, thanked the man at the register for several years of enjoyment, and headed on my way.  

It was my farewell.

The new name for the former River Park Golf Course is Valley Golf Center.

But then in late December, there was a surprise Christmas present for the hundreds of golfers who have used the course.

Children’s Hospital modified their plans, at least temporarily.  The course was saved.  

The new name is Valley Golf Center.  There’s new management, and a revision to the Hospital’s plan to use the land for medical offices.

A return to this newly named, old friend of a golf course in the first weeks of 2018 was a special time.  

I shot a 32, just five shots over par.  With a smile on my face, I went inside the pro shop to thank the new person behind the counter.

Saved from the bulldozer, this golf course has been revived.  

And a lot of golfers are happy about that.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.  

His new book California Back Roads is available on Lulu.com