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Good Rest, Ye Merry Gentleman

December 29th, 2006 by scott

My first writing hero is retiring today.

Chances are good that you’ve never heard of him. You’ve missed out.

For 35 years, Ray Orrock has entertained newspaper readers in California’s Alameda County with humorous and touching columns on everything under the sun. Except religion and politics. I’ve been reading his columns since just before my tenth birthday. Even now that I no longer live in the Bay Area, I use the Internet to keep up on his writing.

I read the last one today. That makes me sad.

I first read Mr. Orrock’s columns in the Argus, the newspaper that serves Newark, California, where I grew up, along with its sibling cities, Fremont and Union City. It was that newspaper that taught me to read when I was four years old, thanks to a weekly children’s page that included a phonics lesson that somehow penetrated my thick skull and showed me how letters make words. I’ve never stopped reading since.

It was also Ray Orrock’s column in that same paper that made me realize that Writer is something a person could be. I devoured his columns. I laughed. I reveled in his use of language. I wanted to be Ray Orrock. Or at least be like him. To be able to play with words and get paid for it? What could be better than that?

I used to get up before the sun every morning. The first thing I did each day was get the paper off the porch and open it to Ray Orrock’s column. I even read it before the sports pages, even though I, like Orrock, was a baseball fanatic. His column was even more important to me than the box scores. That says a lot. Those box scores were everything to me, a kid who couldn’t do math but was almost rainman-like in my devotion for batting averages and player stats. I couldn’t count my fingers but I could divide hits by at-bats in my head.

But Orrock’s column was even more important to me than baseball. Ask my mom how big that statement is.

A couple weeks ago I went on-line and caught up on Orrock’s columns. Then i wrote him a little note, voicing my appreciation for his columns and letting him know that he was my first writing hero. He wrote a brief note back. We had a short exchange, with each of him e-mails wishing me a merry Christmas.

Today I went to read his latest columns, and found the words that hit me like a brick: “This will be my last column.”

The man deserves a rest. 35 years, nearly 7,000 columns. His 78th birthday is coming up in a week and a half. He’s touched more lives than most of us ever will.

It’s sad, though, knowing I’ll never read another new Ray Orrock column. I’ll never shake my head at a new Weekly Wit-Wrencher. I’ll never play his celebrity golf game again. I’ll never read another column of fake letters he wrote to himself so he could answer questions with some obscure bit of knowledge that he was determined to use somehow.

Never again. Those are heavy words.

But those columns and the love of writing they helped to instill in me will always be with me. Who knows how long Mr. Orrock will continue to grace the world with his wit, even if it is in private from now on. But one thing is for certain:

Those thousands of us who’ve been touched by his work will never think of his name and his works without wearing a big ol’ stupid smile.

Enjoy your much-deserved rest, Ray. I might never be famous, but I still write a lot of words, and you’re somewhere in every one of them.

Thank you.

Posted in Influences

10 Responses to “Good Rest, Ye Merry Gentleman”

Ray Orrock wrote on 01/29/07 at 3:57 pm :

Dear Scott,

Steve Waterhouse, the editor of the Fremont Argus,
gave me a copy of the blog you sent him under the
heading of “My tribute to Ray Orrock.'’

I received a lot of mail from readers after that last
column came out, and was genuinely moved by the things
that many people said. But your piece was something
special.

I can’t recall ever being so touched by anyone’s
comments on my writing before, and I certainly can’t
recall ever being designated as someone’s hero. It’s a
heady experience.

I appreciate all the kind words, and take a particular
pleasure in knowing I rank right up there with
baseball in your esteem. I can think of no higher
compliment.

Thanks for thinking of me, Scott.
And, by the way… you’re a hell of a good writer,
yourself.

Ray
Eileen McGowan wrote on 01/31/07 at 9:56 am :

Hi Scott,

just read your tribute to Ray Orrock this morning……lovely, I couldn’t agree more. I think anyone who’s jumped into Ray’s wierd little world of trivia, playful nonsense and endearing humor has been given a gift to last for all time. He’s an amazing man, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my Father.

Thanks for the kind words, he deserves them.

Eileen
Rocki Boyle wrote on 02/6/07 at 2:03 am :

Hey Scott,
What a touching tribute to a man who I feel never got the kind of national exposure that he deserved. But there is some satisfaction in knowing that we had him all to our selves. He never considered himself a “celebrity” and was tickled when people came up to him in restaurants to sheepishly tell him how much they loved his column. There was one lady who wrote and said that every morning she and her husband of 26 years had religiously sat at the kitchen table and alternate daily reading his column aloud over coffee. She said it was their favorite part of their day…every day. But her husband had just passed away, and she wanted Ray to know that her husbands last request was that two of his favorite “Ray Orrock” columns be put into his breast pocket of the suit he was buried in.

Yeah, he touched a few people. He made them laugh.

And your ode was truly wonderful to see. Ray Orrock is a talented writer with a twisted sense of humor, buy more importantly to me…he’s the greatest Dad that any five of us children could ever hope for.

I BELEIVE THAT THERE ARE LOYAL READERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE A “BEST OF ORROCK, TOO” BOOK OF SOME OF HIS MOST POPULAR COLUMNS, WIT WRENCHERS, AND CELEBRITY GOLF.

If you’ve got a way to test the waters to see if people would purchase such a book , let me know, please. I am willing to do the typesetting, publication, etc. as a tribute to his ability to paint pictures with his words that made people laugh hysterically.’

So, since you seem to know how to put up these websites, we could get crackin’ on putting out the long overdue and much requested sequel to “Best of Orrock”. Would love to have you go through the archives of original columns to help pick out what would go int o the book

Look forward to hearing from you,

Rocki (Orrock) Boyle
Anika wrote on 01/1/08 at 3:43 am :

Hello Scott,
I must admit, I’ve rather selfishly kept my grandfather’s “hero” status to myself. Apart from the chuckles I’ve enjoyed from “The Best of Orrock” and columns I happened to catch on the seat next to me riding bart over the years, the Ray Orrock I know has been the man who sat on the deck with me after work, counting airplanes in the sky and telling me stories of growing up in Napa and of “Baccus and Philemon”. While I would never say it out loud…this is likely to be the last Christmas and New Year we will have spent with my favorite person in the whole wide world, my grandfather. Anyhow, in a sentimental whim, I - for the first time - Googled his name.Yours was the first page to appear - with the word “hero” highlighted in bold. I just wanted to say that I couldn’t agree more. I’m delighted to share my hero with someone else.
A happy new year to you.
Anika Orrock
Jeanie Shields wrote on 02/13/08 at 7:06 pm :

Ray Orrock wrote an article about my father 20 some years ago. Ray called him Mr. Fixit. Walk Martin, Mr. Fixit, was my dad. My sister found a faded, very ratty copy, that we cannot completely make out. Please, help us find out where we can find a copy of this article at. My dad died from lung cancer 5 years ago. It was with some surprise and delight that she found this article.

Sincerely,
Jeanie Shields and Cindy Diemer
Kathy Silver wrote on 06/7/09 at 4:10 pm :

I loved Ray Orrock, too. Some of my most treasured items are letters from Ray after I commented on a column. Being published twice in his column is a highlight of my life. My grown up son and I commented just a few weeks ago that we needed to use our “bag opening teeth” from one of Ray’s classic columns! I thought that there was a compilation of his columns and would love to find one. Several searches have turned up nothing. Any ideas on where to find one?

Thanks, Kathy
scott wrote on 06/19/09 at 7:09 am :

He published “The Best of Ray Orrock” years ago. It’s been out of print for a long time, but with a little luck you might be able to find a copy.
Happy Writer « Linnea Writes wrote on 07/8/09 at 8:28 pm :

[…] July 8, 2009 I’ve read that writers are a depressed lot. We drink. We write horribly sad poems. We’re suicidal. It’s true–my favorite columnist (from ten years ago, 2000 miles from where I live now) said so, and Ray Orrock never steered me wrong. But he was a cheerful guy, and he gave me hope that the life I really, really wanted wouldn’t kill me any sooner than, say, accounting might. […]
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Good Rest, Ye Merry Gentleman

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