Don Cantrell:

There will be much to celebrate Sept. 21 at the Balboa Bay Club for

the noted Harbor High Class of ’45 during its 55th anniversary and noted

class member Rod MacMillian has disclose that he definitely plans to be

present, although he will have to briefly interrupt a northern trip and

fly back.

MacMillian, a former Newport-Mesa school board member and a one-time

sports director of the Harbor Boys club for many years, turned to

retirement a few years ago.

Despite some tough losses to World War II in military calls for some

top players like Dick Freeman and Joe Muniz, Class of ’45 produced most

of the ’44 grid players and remains proud of Harbor’s football record

that fall, having won its first four games before losing a championship

game with the future CIF champs in Santa Ana, 7-6.

Ironically, another incident on the sad side of the ledger dates back

55 years ago and is well-remembered by MacMillian, who wrote noteworthy

articles in the now-defunct Newport-Balboa News-Press. It dealt with two

of his valued ’44 teammates, guards Grant Lee and Rod Gould, class of

‘46, both dynamic gridders.

Both died in fiery auto crashes two years apart and it stunned the

harbor area.

MacMillian once wrote, “Lee was killed in an accident on MacArthur

Boulevard between Corona del Mar and the Santa Ana cutoff (in the fall of

‘46)... Gould died fall of ‘48) in a similar as he was returning to the

Southland from St. Mary’s University.” Gould and two Downey High grads

plowed into the back of a lumber truck.

MacMillian once said, “The fact that Gould and Lee were the closest of

friends all through school at Harbor High wasn’t unusual when you knew

them. Both of these boys stood for the principles of a true athlete.

Neither played the sport for the glory involved... they both played

because they loved the game of football.”

It was also ironic that one of the first firemen on the scene in the

Lee tragedy was a Harbor High guard, Bill Clark, who would later make

All-Sunset League, and identified Lee under the dashboard where he had

been trying to fix a light switch before a speeding driver hit the

roadster from behind.

Gould did wind up playing football at Santa Ana Junior College and

Orange Coast. He made All-Eastern Conference at OCC under Coach Ray

Rosso. Rosso established the Rod Gould Trophy in good time that addressed

“most playing time.”

Another tribute came MacMillian’s way recently from quarterback Don

Miller of the ’44 Harbor High grid team. Looking back, Miller credited

MacMillian with being one of his best receivers. He scored on three

touchdown passes.

The high school crowd always valued MacMillian for a number of

reasons. One featured his hard years of work helping the athletic

department by selling advertising and writing copy for games in football

and basketball.

He had been praised numerous times by the late Ralph Reed, athletic

director from 1930 to 1958, for the help since no salary could be turned

his way.

It is fair to say that Reed’s skills and talent in athletic direction

came to prove invaluable for MacMillian when he became athletic director

at the Harbor Boys Club in Costa Mesa.

Many residents of the area felt it was incredible to assess all the

work MacMillian had done for thousands of youngsters.

MacMillian organized sports teams and schedules in football,

basketball and baseball. He would labor to draw up the baseball scores

and deliver them to the old Globe-Herald and Pilot for publication.

This corner had occasion to observe MacMillian at times with numerous

kids at a malt shop after Newport varsity football games on Friday

nights. The young lads thought the world of him.

Many fans and old friends appeared some years back to salute

MacMillian for his decade of services to sports and the young athlete of

yesteryear.

Many who couldn’t attend, like Charley Berry, conveyed heartwarming

words by letter lauding MacMillian for all his work. Berry said he would

never forget all the times MacMillian bussed him and many others to

athletic events around the county.

Reflecting back recently, MacMillian said. “Those Boys Club years were

a lot of fun.”

The boys also remembered the late Al Spencer, who served as executive

director of the Boys Club. One former member said, “Mr. Spencer always

had a smile that lasted all day.”