When it came to loving life, he left little doubt

ROBERT GARDNER

* EDITOR’S NOTE: The Daily Pilot has agreed to republish The Verdict,

the ever popular column written for many years by retired Corona del

Mar jurist and historian Robert Gardner, in exchange for donations to

the Surfrider Foundation. This particular column was originally

published Dec. 19, 1992.

I was Don Vaughn’s favorite pigeon.

Don had led such an exciting life and had done so many wild and

crazy things that it was hard to separate fact from fiction. And, Don

was a great story-teller.

I was his most enthusiastic -- if not very discerning -- audience.

Whatever Don told me, I would accept as gospel.

I would sit there figuratively panting, with my tongue hanging out

and my tail wagging with excitement and anticipation. About that

time, Don would look at me with an expression of pure incredulity and

say: “Bob Gardner, you don’t believe all this, do you?” But I did --

over and over.

And so it was that one day Jim Walsworth had a party. In

attendance were Don Vaughn, Gino Borero, Tom Keevil, Virgil Partch,

Chuck Masters, Jerry Payne and me.

Tom Keevil not only liked to hear Don Vaughn’s tall stories but

was equally fascinated by my eagerness to accept everything Don said

as a verity. Tom would get that crooked little smile on his face and

say, “Bob, you’ve spent your whole life in a courtroom listening to

testimony. You have a reputation as a tough, no nonsense,

hard-driving judge, a very discerning guy who can cut through the

crap and get to the truth. But with Vaughn, you’re the original

patsy. I just don’t understand.”

On the occasion of Walsworth’s party, Don was in good voice, and I

was sitting there eating up everything he was saying -- figuratively

panting and wagging my tail.

For some reason I noticed and mentioned some sunglasses Don was

wearing: “Those are good-looking sunglasses.”

Don took them off, looked at them and said: “The owner of the boat

I’m sailing on this weekend bought them for all the members of the

crew. They cost $150 a pair.”

I had never bought sunglasses in my life that cost more than $5 a

pair.

“Ha!” I said triumphantly. “I’ve finally caught you. You’ve told

me just one too many of your damned stories. Those glasses didn’t

cost any $150. No sunglasses cost that much.”

Don looked hurt. “I’m not kidding. These glasses cost $150 a

pair.”

I whooped. I hollered. I almost rolled on the floor. I’d finally

caught Don Vaughn in one of his tall stories!

The next day I was in Fashion Island. I went past a place that

sold glasses. There in the window was a pair of sunglasses identical

with the ones Don had been wearing. Yipee! Not only had I caught Don

Vaughn in a lie. I could prove it.

I went inside and asked a salesperson how much those glasses in

the window cost. “One-hundred-fifty dollars a pair,” was the

response.

Chagrin and remorse took over. I could hardly wait to apologize to

Don for doubting his story.

I never got a chance. Don died that week.

Don was only 54 when he died. But he died doing what he loved more

than anything else in the world, on the deck of a racing yacht --

sailing.

It seemed then and it seems now a terrible waste, for one so young

and with so much to give, to die. But somehow I can’t imagine Don

Vaughn in a wheelchair or in a rest home.

I have some pictures of the Walsworth party. In looking them over,

I noticed something I had forgotten. Don was wearing a red T-shirt.

On it in large white letters was spelled out, “You can’t have too

much fun.”

I can’t improve on that.

* Robert Gardner, a Corona del Mar resident, is a retired judge

and a longtime observer of life in Newport Beach.