Len Bearden – “The king is dead…”

“Here’s tae us! There’s gey few like us–and they’re a’ damned or deid!”
Hogmanay toast, trad. attr. Gordon Highlanders

Leonard Bane Bearden, Jr 1938-2010 from Meng Syn DDS on Vimeo.

Few people stay connected to you for your whole life from childhood that are not your relatives. Because we shared the same passion for FLY FISHING  in the 70’s,  Len took a chance on a young kid with no life experience and hired me, mentored me, and toughened me up at the Millpond in Los Gatos.  Through my education, my marriage and family, and my career, he was my fishing partner , my patient, and one of the last friends of his generation that I could count on . So many from that generation that he and I called friends, are gone now–Myron Gregory, Andy Puyans, Bob Nauheim, Mike Fong, Ernest Schwiebert, Mel Krieger, Kay Mitsioshi, Lee Wulff, Poly Rosborough, Bill Schaadt, and many more They are missed but  not forgotten…..

Me then…