Dear Listmembers,
I'm sorry for the delayed report on the memorial for Dave Staub. Haven't had much time to write lately. The Memorial gathering was indeed a true celebration of Daves' life, which all agree was too short for such a wonderful family man as well as a great bike racer and entheusist.
The memorial was held at the Womans' Club of Orange, where the family had decorated the hall with a large number of fantastic photos of Dave and is family and friends taken over his entire life. Thankfully he must have come from a family of shutterbugs, because there were over 250 photos on display showing Dave throughout his life. Childhood pictures, recent pictures, pictures from his early racing days in both America and Europe. There were many large photos on the walls surrounding the hall which were some of the best memories and occassions of his life. Then, as centerpieces on the multitude of tables set in the hall, were "picture trees" containing a collection of small photos from his entire history. It was both imaginative and wonderful to see what was in fact a REAL celebration of who Dave was and what he meant to all of us. An estimated 300 persons eventually gathered for the memorial. I sat with listmembers Chuck Schmidt, Jan and Peter Johnson, Matt Gorski, Jay Vande Velde, and Bill Curtis. I saw a whole lot of my old racing buddies and several early Wizard Cycles customers that I haven't seen in a considerable time. A few of them will probably be joining us on some of our rides in the future. Ted Kirkbride made an appearance also.
Once the memorial started, the family, beginning with Daves' widow Vicky, began to speak to everyone about what kind of man Dave was as a husband, father, and grandfather. Of course I knew nothing of his family life, but it was immediately clear that Dave was as much, and more, to his family than he was to us. Not a surprise, but almost hard to believe that others could regard him more highly than we as his friends do; but rest assured he was one of the greatest family men one could ever hope to meet. Painfully we shared the words and feelings expressed by his widow, his stepson, his two daughters, his brothers Don and Stan, and is son in law. It is hard to imagine how they must feel loseing Dave as their family member considering how I feel only as a casual friend. These people certainly have been short changed by his early departure. If I didn't know better, I would be outraged. Fortunately, my beliefs allow me to know that Daves' purpose must have been met and now it is up to us to cherish his memory, the accomplishments of his life, and live up to his example of what a genuine highly evolved human being is like. The void left behind in our world of vintage bicycles will not and can not be filled. Daves' experiences were unique. His body of knowledge is partially lost, except for that which he left behind and the people who may have been there for some of his exploits.
I struggled to maintain composure, but it was impossible to hold back some emotion as the family spoke. Then the family opened the mic for anyone in the audience who wanted to speak about Dave. There were several old friends who had the courage and composure to approach the stage. His friends from his early trip to Europe were there, various Schwinn personnel spoke, some of our old "Como Street" gang spoke, Ted Kirkbride recounted some of their racing days in the late 50' and early 60's. Peter Rich, owner of Velo Sport in Berekley, recounted some of the early adventures of these young American racers in a time when almost no one in the US had any interest in bikes or cycling at all. I really wanted to say something on hehalf of us on the CR list, but I simply could not have held it together to make the speech. I hope I'm doing my duty in writing this to the group in the hopes that everyone who knew him in one way or another can share our sadness at his passing.
We really will miss him in many ways. He was one of my favorite local guys. I always looked forward to Dave showing up for the rides. We had fun at the the San Diego Velodrome only a short time ago as we rode the Paramount track tandem around the track. I guess Dave hadn't really ever ridden a tandem so the experience was sort of new to him. I've been on lots of tandems on both road and track, so I got to drive. It's really too bad the weather that day was poor; I could have given him a thrill on the back of that baby that would have sent him home with a lump in the back his shorts! We still had fun and he enjoyed it. I was looking forward to getting Dave on the back of one of my road tandems to stir up some trouble, and now that will never be. Sadder yet is the fact that I will never have complete fulfilment on the Masi Special I just restored for him. It was a bike that he bought in 1964. During his time at Schwinn he rode Schwinn bikes, as one would expect. This frame was completely chromed by the Schwinn factory some time while he worked for Schwinn and was given to an inlaw some time in the past. Recently he got the frame back and wanted to have it painted and chromed just the way it was when it was brand new. It required a lot of work and some special "romancing" to undo what had been done to it in the past. When Dave picked it up at my place just a few days prior to his passing, I watched as he laid eyes on the reborn bike for the first time. A huge grin on his face and a large twinkle in his eys was evident as he said "wow, it looks exactly like it did when it was new". Yes, a new life for a nearly 40 year old bike. The untimely passing has robbed me of my final joy; the feeling I get when one of my friends shows up on a bike I restored for them and joins us for a ride and good company. It is a special feeling of pride and accomplishment for me when this happens, especially when it is someone I like and respect very much. It is amplified when I can give someone back a bike they've had since their youth, because that in itself is very rare. It justifies my work and also gives me the special pleasure of making my friends happy. It is what makes life worth living. I am heartsick that Dave did not have the opportunity to relive his younger days on that bicycle; perhaps somehow it could have added some years to his life.
I am thankful that the family allowed us to attend the memorial and that I was able to meet some of his family members. We share thier loss, but to a much lesser degree. He was a family man of the highest order. He was loved and respected by every single person who ever met him, I'm quite sure. Like I said, I can hardley imagine their pain and sense of untimely and unfair loss. We will build the Dave Staub Memorial cup in the spirit of this great man and what he stood for, the supreme example of a kind and sincere human being in ever part of his life. "The good die young" never had a greater or more profound meaning.
Thank you all for your kind words for and about Dave Staub on the list. The family was overwhelmed by the outpouring. Apparently they were as unaware of our feelings for Dave as I was of his family life and his position there. Everything is in perfect harmony. He was stellar human being from every perspective. We will all miss him tremendously.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA