26 March 2009 - One of the luckiest days of my life....
Actually, this is a bit of a stretch - since I wasn't actually born, myself, for another month. But, I was far enough along to still make this statement true. THIS IS THE DATE THAT DAVID LEPPLA WAS BORN!!! As luck would have it, just a little more than 18 years later I would meet David, at UC Berkeley. We were both freshmen, adjusting to the 'radical' environment of attending a college who's student body was half the size of his hometown and just about the same size as my hometown. However you look at it - we were little fish in a big pond.
I think we'd both agree, however, that in spite of its wild and hippy-ish past, Berkeley felt great from the get go. Though David lived off campus for that first year, I was fortunate that he found friends in my dorm - NORTON HALL..... He was apple-pie good looking, had a dry and great sense of humor, fit in with everyone around him - always.....But, he was also extremely sophisticated and smart. As that first year (1977) rolled along, the guys on my floor of the dorms started a fraternity that had long been part of the UC Berkeley fabric. Like many (or most) it had withered away as a result of the anti-establishment sentiment of the Vietnam War. I felt an immediate sense of belonging, myself, as we set about recreating the bits and pieces of the Kappa Alpha Order, Alpha Xi chapter. In spite of all the crazyness of school and getting the group together, there was a singular goal that stayed with me during this first year. I wanted David to join the house. It was easy for those of us who lived on campus to already start living the Animal House lifestyle - even without the benefits and goal of, hopefully, being able to reoccupy our chapter house - at 2425 Piedmont Avenue. Not that we didn't already have some good guys - a mad scientist, a crazy guy from Beverly Hills (Ken Hertz) who has gone on to become an incredibly successful entertainment attorney...... I knew, however, that David Leppla would bring a level of fun AND stability that I felt, immediately, upon meeting him.
Everything turned out for the best.....our chapter became official, we worked hard to recruit a great group of guys....and the biggest success - getting David "off the fence" about joining, and into the ranks of becoming a member. It was a pretty awesome experience -- sort of like setting up house, for the first time....only it was a house full of guys; (two Canadian Track Stars, several members of the UC Berkeley Crew, George Money and Ray, Ray, Ray.....) working within a tight budget while trying to keep our grades up, at a very competitive school. I remember the day the new carpeting went in (the house had been rented out in the interim years to some pretty shady tenants.....) just in time for us to move in. Fall of 1978.
We quickly hired a cook, got the food ordering process in place, and faced the realities of making sure our expenses didn't outweigh our income.....David was a lot of fun....but had the most level head in the house....
A couple of years later he meets a transfer from UC Santa Barbara - Jacqueline Whiton. Another important day for me....the future Mrs. Leppla became an instant friend - I loved her from the minute I met her...... What luck that their love endured and created this amazing family that I now consider myself (almost) a part of. Every time (and I do mean everytime) Morgan, Margaux or Madeline calls me Uncle Dan I melt.... I try and act like an M&M - staying as solid as I can on the outside...but soft with sentiment on the inside....
Just to show you how amazing a friend David is - I'll turn back the clock to 1978 - when the fraternity was running dangerously low on beer, during a party. I offered, immediately, to run to College Avenue Liquors - where we had an account - and try and get another keg, before they closed, for the night..... AT THIS POINT I SHOULD TELL YOU, I'VE BEEN IN SEVERAL CAR ACCIDENTS IN MY NEARLY 50 YEARS - BUT I'VE ACTUALLY CAUSED ONLY TWO OF THEM....and both of them were with cars owned by David (and Jacqueline). I had to borrow David's car to make the beer run - there was no other/quicker way of getting out of the parking lot....packed with cars....his was the easiest to get to and he was more than happy to offer.
I learned a valuable lesson that night - one I have never, ever forgotten.....Always make sure the parking brake is on when you stop and park. In my haste, I hadn't done that with David's Pinto Wagon.....Some time after my return from the beer run the whole party gravitated to the front patio - to watch the numerous police cars blocking the street.....It seems that a car, without anyone in it, had rolled out the fraternity house driveway.....across upper and lower Piedmont Avenue (that meant it had to jump the center parkway strip, too) and had crushed a parked car on the other side of the street. To say I was mortified would be an understatement. David, ever the level head and amazing friend, simply told me not to worry about it. That was impossible....but he added zero drama to my traumatized state....that's just the kind of guy he is....
As our senior year approached we both decided that we were going to move out of the fraternity house....and after a bit of talking, decided we'd get an apartment together - not an easy task. Berkeley's enrollment was swelling out of control - making our apartment search no easy task; made extra difficult since NO ADDITONAL STUDENT HOUSING WAS BEING CONSTRUCTED, to keep up with the demand. We managed to score a two bedroom place - not far from the fraternity house (the location was a coincidence) and we set up shop in a less hectic environment. Of course Jacqueline was often over for dinner and such - and we managed to "rock the house" with pathetic choruses of Barbra Streisand and Devo's "Whip It". These were the times when I learned how to make a quesadilla (thank you David), enjoy Sunday breakfast - especially waffles (thanks again, David) and hone my own eager cooking skills......Needless to say: we ate very well during that year.
David had been in Europe visiting his dad, during the summer before we got the apartment on Haste Street. So had I....doing a summer work abroad program. I managed to hook up with David, his brother and some other friends to have some fun in and aound Paris.... I was mesmerized by the amazing variety of foods I was able to sample that summer.....much of which I tried hard to reproduce back home.
All too soon, it was time for me to graduate - and I went my way; heading to Southern California for my first (and worst) post-degree job. Eventually, I ended up back in Northern California - attending the California Culinary Academy - while David and Jacqueline's relationship cooked itself into an engagement and marriage.
David and Jacqueline were married on my birthday - 27 April. They honeymooned in Paris.....and eventually David decided that he needed to try pursuing a dream he'd had for a long time: attending medical school. Dr. Leppla is now a top notch neurosurgeon in Reno, Nevada. All the while, Jacqueline managed to have three amazing girls, get her MBA from Harvard AND support the two of them while David went to medical school in Texas.....
There were occasional periods where I fell out of touch - my fault. But, never for very long. An occasional call from Jacqueline - or one of her amazing notes letting me know they had moved....always kept me connected.
Our adventures since these times would fill up a whole book....and for those reading - it must seem like that's where I'm headed. So, I'll end this post with wishes for a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY - David Leppla.....you friend, DanBowe
Soon, we'll be back in France - old enough to be looking at those college students, just as we were almost 30 years ago, mesmerized by the culture, the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa and more....We'll just be spending a lot more time "resting" in between, than we did back then....Savoring the experience, rather than engulfing it.....That, along with a bunch of necessary napping and the joy of sharing the experience with the girls....I can't wait.
My next post(s) might not be until I'm up North for the Easter week - pictures and stories about dinner at Boulevard, the Red Sox, and so forth!!!!! Talk to you then!!!!
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