Ray Spangler: A tough act to exceed

On a whim, a visit to the new sports editor at the long-gone Burlingame Advance-Star on Lorton Avenue (the address is now occupied by a pair of eateries), Phil Esler, turned into a writing gig that, for all practical purposes, has lasted 60 years on the Peninsula, as of the dawn of 2023.

Few San Mateo County scribes have plied their craft locally for so long. But one prominent figure from the past does come to mind: Ray Spangler. 

He performed journalistic duties here for nearly 70 years by all available accounts, most notably at the defunct Redwood City Tribune. That’s a daunting career mark indeed.

But six full decades of nonstop working for Peninsula newspapers, past and present (10 at last count), do represent something quite a bit more than a passing fancy. It’s not quite Spangler-esque but it’s not chopped liver either.

A conservative estimate of the number of words churned out through those decades comes to a staggering 7 million. And that does not include a soon-to-be published book involving a selected history of county sports dating back to the late 19th century.

A final draft of “Cradle of Champions” is still being edited as the 2022 college and professional football seasons come to a conclusion.

This tome is scheduled to make its appearance under the generous auspices of the county’s Historical Association in Redwood City in the upcoming spring or early summer. Our soiled fingers remain crossed.

Overall, it’s been a stimulating and rewarding ride. And it’s still rolling along, albeit at a slightly moderated pace. Good times.

A FINAL MONKEYPOX UPDATE: As we have throughout one of 2022’s most blatant scare stories, we give you the year’s final monkeypox numbers, courtesy of the state’s updated public health website last week.

The relevant totals: 83 cases in San Mateo County; 5,670 in the entire state. There were no deaths noted on the website. However, there was a report of a single monkeypox-related death in the Los Angeles area in the fall of last year.

So much for the media’s heavily advertised “epidemic” in the wake of COVID’s well-documented onslaught.

JOHN DEVOS DIES IN OREGON: The passing of former Burlingame High School teacher/coach John DeVos occurred late last year without much mention. He died at age 80 in Oregon where he had made his home for the past 20 years.

He taught and coached at Burlingame for 31 years, retiring in 1999. During his tenure at the school (which celebrates its centennial this year), he coached a total of 49 teams.

He also was the school’s athletic director for several years. It is estimated that he taught and coached at least 4,500 students.

THERE’S A PIRANHA IN BRISBANE: Youngsters in Brisbane are apparently an aggressive lot, especially those involved in the village’s swimming program.

The Piranha Swim Club, a name that has to generate some attention, provides a more advanced aquatic regimen for kids interested in competition in the pool, beginning Jan. 14.

For more information, call the folks at the North County hamlet’s community pool at (415) 657-4321. 

GOODBYE TO THE FLOWER LOUNGE: Sorry to learn of the demise of the Hong Kong Flower Lounge, a prominent Millbrae dining institution that went back all the way to the 1980s.

Electronic media accounts of the restaurant’s December closure cited the owner’s retirement and other factors leading to the shutdown.

It was located at the busy intersection of El Camino Real and Millbrae Avenue.

You can get in touch with John Horgan, a dim sum devotee of long standing, by the miracle of email at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com.