What a connection I must have with Roger.  Life is so different now that I don't think of Roger on an everyday-basis.  I haven't posted on this website for several years, though I look at it all the time--except the past couple years.  Last night, I had this weird dream about having dinner with Roger at a French restaurant.  There were 3-4 other strangers at our table, but not important.  We both looked at the menus that were in front of us, but mine didn't have the listings or price of each item.  I wasn't assuming that Roger was treating; so, it was important to me to know how much things cost.  I leaned over and looked at Roger's menu, and his had all the entrees and prices.  So, I said, "Rog.  What are you getting?"  He pointed to 4 items, and said, "Rick.  Can you order for me?  By the way, this steak item is too big for me.  Why don't we split it?"

I grabbed the menu, and started to look for what I wanted to order, and trying to remember what Rog wanted.  Anyhow, things go confusing, and by the time the waiter came over, I had forgotten what he wanted, other than that "steak dish."  So, while the waiter was patiently waiting for me to tell him what we both wanted, I WOKE UP.

I didn't realize until I came downstairs from our home to start the morning coffee that today is Roger's birthday.  Isn't that weird???But a good weird that I still keep my good buddy close to my heart.  I love you Rog.

Rick

Must have been 1981, plus or minus a year.  Being across-the-street neighbors, Rog got me into golf.  I borrowed a set of irons from Rog that he had built.  Over the decade of the 80s, we spent countless hours in his garage messing with clubs--regripping, changing swingweight, changing shafts.  He taught me everything.  In the early 90s, after I had moved to Southern CA, I starting building clubs on my own.  I received additional tutoring from the top club designer and fitter in the industry.  I started building a couple clubs for Roger. 

This year, my youngest, Matthew has gotten bitten by the golf bug.  He is using a set of iron that I had built a few years back--my best set.  I've been teaching him how to regrip clubs.  I ordered a new driver head, and it should arrive today.  Over the weekend, we will build a new driver for him.  We have plans to play La Purisima in Lompoc, CA.  LP was one of Rog and my favorite meeting places during our annual or bi-annual "meet in the middle" golf trips.  LP is one of the most difficult courses in CA. 

As the years went by, it was obvious to both of us that LP was too difficult for Rog.  The last time we played it in 2008/09, Rog tried to quit before we even finished the first hole.  We wouldn't let him quit.  He hit a few shots here and there, not playing all the holes, or teeing-off every hole.  It was a struggle for Rog, and he wanted to go home after the round.  That was the end of LP for Rog and I. 

I'm going to introduce LP to Matt sometime in November.  My hopes are that he'll appreciate the beauty and challenge of one of my favorite courses, and that we can have several years of great memories until LP gets too hard for me. 

Thanks, Rog, for the golf fitting lessons, and for the memories that I will pass down to my Matt.

Love you,
Rick

Happy Belated Birthday, Rog.  On Sunday, your birthday, our buddy, Steve H., stopped off in Paso Robles at Big Bubba's Texas BBQ to pick up 4 slices of the best double double chocolate cake this side of the Mississippi--cause it's made in Pennsylvania.  We all had a couple bites in your honor.  You would have loved it. 

I was saying to Vicki that with all those times that we (Rog and I) stayed at the Black Oak Lodge a couple doors down from Big Bubba's, we never walked up there to have dinner (and cake).  But, if we had, we might not have gone into downtown Paso Robles to Basil Thai, and found my favorite salmon dish of all-time--salmon chu chee.

Rick

Another golf course memory that I had with Rog.  The golf world was saddened today (5-7-11) with the death of Seve Ballesteros.  Seve was never one of Rog's or my favorites, especially during the mid-80s when I got my golf career going with Rog.  It must have been 84 or 85 when we went out to Pebble Beach to watch the AT&T Crosby.  We would often hang around an area where we could see several holes without having to walk too much.  The 8th green, the 9th tee, the 12th green, 13 and 14 was an area that we spent a lot of time.  I think we might have been following Tom Watson on 14 fairway, when we decided to backtrack to catch Johnny Miller coming through. 

14th is a long par 5 dog-leg right.  We were standing in the rough/cartpath halfway between the green and tee when we see Seve B hitting off the tee.  Don't remember the other two players, but his drive, instead of hoping to hit a fade, went straight into the corner of the dogleg.  He was farthest away, but told the other players that he was going for the green.  We couldn't believe that the could reach it.  Must have been 300 yards, and guys played persimmon woods and balata balls.  He had this black-headed wood, and was storming around impatiently waiting for the green to clear.  Rog and I agreed that there was no way he was going to get there.  Finally, the green cleared, and he hit this beautiful, high, towering shot that landed a few yards short of the front right of the green.  Absolutely, amazing.  He marched down the fairway with the same club in his hand, often pounding it on the ground.  He walked by us, about 20' away, and still didn't look happy.  He glanced at us, and just as quickly, looked back towards the green.  "What a jerk!"  I realized when he walked by that he had hit his driver on that second shot.  It was a black-headed driver, and I think that Ping was the only manufacturer at that time that painted their drivers black. 

If you remember what the green looks like, it has a top tier that is back left.  Halfway across the middle of the green, the level drops way down towards to front right.  Balls that land on the right side of the green will often roll back off the front of the green.  Seve tried to hit a pitch shop that would have hit the top of the lower tier, and hop up onto the upper tier where the pin is normally located.  He hit his shot a bit short, didn't reach the top tier, and it rolled right back down to where he was standing.  I'm sure he was pissed, but without hesitation, he hit the same shot again.  This time, it was perfect, and stopped a couple feet from the pin. 

At that time, we heard a huge roar from either 13 or 12.  Later, we found out that Johnny Miller made a hole-in-one on 12.  I'm guessing that Seve made the putt to save par.  That was the only time that I ever saw him play.  Bad drive, amazing second, poor third, brilliant short game, putt for par.  That was his game.  After listening to all the TV interviews today about Seve's impact on the game of golf, I am sad that he died so young.  The great ones always seem to die too young--just like Roger.

Last year, when my wife, Vicki, and I were returning to LA from attending Rog's memorial service at his home in Carmel, we stopped in Paso Robles for dinner.  We decided to eat dinner at Big Bubba's BBQ--a couple buildings west of the Best Western Black Oak Motor Lodge where Rog and I stayed many times when we played Hunter Ranch.  This restaurant has the "cowboy theme including a mechanical bull."  After dinner, Vicki ordered this double-triple chocolate cake in Roger's honor.  Roger and Vicki always had chocolate something whenever we had dinner together.  The cake was very good, but I'm no chocolate expert.   

Today, I called Big Bubba's to find out if they made this cake, or bought it from some local bakery.  They order it from a place called Sweet Street Desserts in Reading, PA.  I went online, and they have an online catalog, and the cake is $80.  It comes frozen, can be thawed and re-frozen 5 times, and will last 12 months.  Vicki says this is one of the best chocolate cakes she's ever had. 

Steve H. and I were in Paso Robles 3 weekends ago to play Hunter Ranch.  I was supposed to go to Big Bubba's to buy Vicki a couple slices, but I asked the front desk at the Black Oak about the cake.  They thought it tasted like cakes from the Madonna Inn bakery in San Luis Obispo.  We drove down there, and bought a cake.  They had a selection of 3 cakes, and I had to call Vicki to ask which one it was.  I bought a German chocolate cake, which was good, but not good enough.  Rog never had this cake from Big Bubba's, but I know he'd love it. 

I was lucky enough to have been hired by Roger in the early days of EDC in San Mateo. Roger was a man who did not compromise on his ideals whether it be an engineering convention or life in general.

 

 Roger worked harder then anyone else in the company and set the standard for work ethic. I would be working on a project and Roger would ask me why I was doing something the way I was doing it and would ask if there was a better way. He would not show me a better way, instead challenge me to find a better method. Roger always challanged his employees to be better and created an environment to do so.

 

Exclusive Design company went on to do great things in the process equipment industry and the Stearman EDC legacy still lives today. I am now going on my 24th year within a new organization that is called EDC Biosystems. I manage the disk finishing products division that is a carry-over from EDC and we are still producing a disk finishing system that has Roger and the original team designs within.

 

Without Roger's guidance, I would not have been allowed the opportunity to grow within an organization.

 

Thank-you Roger!   

Among the many, many fond memories I have of Roger, this is the one that is foremost in my thoughts at this moment - and the story I tell most frequently.

 

I met Roger when I went to work at EDC as the receptionist. A 23 year old know-it-all with great determination to make something of myself, I was interested in learning from the people whom I felt had "made it." Roger was definitely one of those people.

 

One day, Roger and I were chatting in the hallway about my career trajectory (term applied loosely in the context of this memoire...). He asked me what I wanted to make by the time I was 30. I said that I thought I should be making about $60K. He then asked me what I was making at the time. I responded confidently with my salary - a figure considerably less than $60K. Then he asked me on of those Roger Questions - you know the ones: the most obvious question to ask that you happened to not think of before he did. "How are you going to get there from here?"

 

I was dumbfounded. As I stood there stammering, uncomfortable at having been found out a fraud (read, NOT a know-it-all...), he smiled and gently said, "In your twenties, you're just figuring out who you are. You may as well still be a teenager. In your thirties, you've got some things sorted, and you're getting into gear. In your forties, you're hitting the turbo charger and rocketing forward. In your fifties, you engage the afterburners and just cruise. Don't worry about where you are right now. You've got a lot to look forward to."

 

He was oh, so right. Thanks, Rog.

Last week (May 7 & 8), Steve H. and I met in Lompoc (La Purisima Golf Course) for our first 2010 Rick and Roger Golf Challenge, but without Rog.  Rog and I have been doing this since the late 1980s, when both of us moved away from San Mateo.  Steve, who also lived in the neighborhood, started joining us in 2008.  La Purisima is one of the most difficult courses in CA., and has become my favorite course to play.  The pictures in the Gallery were taken there in the late summer last year.  That time I knew would be the last time that Rog would play this course--it was too tough for him.  He quit after the first hole, but we were able to convince him to play occasional shots throughout that day, and the next day.  We normally played 3 consecutive days, but he could barely handle the two days that we scheduled.  Regardless of how we played, we knew there was a Thai food dinner awaiting us at our favorite restaurant in Lompoc.

 

I brought a putter that Rog gave me years ago.  It was one of his favorites decades ago when he was "the magician" around the greens.  I birdied the 2nd hole, and exclaimed "the magic is still there."  Sadly, I think most of it was gone, which is probably why Rog no longer used it either.  I played well--Rog would have been proud.  It was one of most "windy days" I'd experienced there--"a 3 club wind blowing in the opposite direction."  We had a great time, but it won't ever be the same for me without Rog. 

I had the privilege to know Roger from 1987 to the mid 90’s. Roger was the man who hired me in 1987 and moved me from Minneapolis to San Mateo to work for him at EDC. While our relationship was mostly professional we did stay in touch, after I left EDC, until about 1995. I visited him a few times at Woodwind to catch up and talk about new product ideas. 

One memory that really sticks in my mind is Roger’s work ethic. When I first started to work for Roger as a young engineer I thought that I should either be at work when my boss arrived in the morning or still be working when he left in the evening, or both. Well, that just wasn’t possible with Roger. It seemed no matter how early I arrived Roger was already there drinking coffee and working…and no matter how late I stayed he would be the one to close up shop.  I have fond memories of our professional and later casual relationship.

I just learned of Roger’s passing as I was in Carmel this weekend and “Googled” him with the idea of stopping by to say hello. Roger had a great impact on this world in many ways and will be remembered fondly!

With decades of time behind me, I have known Rog since my mom, Carolyn, and I came to live on Sextant Court. I was in Kindergarten and they were married. Always an amazing father! Would spend our times outdoors, camping fishing etc. I'm soo happy that we had our times with my boys and him...as well. Sweet memories. I have every birthday card from him, addressed to Celli. Will never forget his voice, all of my tapes from Grandpa, his dad, time with my Uncle Ken, Aunt Helen, his mom and Daisy, all of our neighbors and family friends! He always treated me like I was the most important person in his life... I miss that! No one can ever take what we had and I am thankful for that! Thanks to all who made this memory page possible! Celilloranch@aol.com

I met Roger at Diablo Systems around 1974 - 75. Diablo Systems had a golf club then and I believe we first met at one of the golf events. We worked in the same building, began talking golf and soon became friends. When summertime came we would get out of work early, Wednesdays, to get as much golf as we could in before it got dark. When Pat Desimone joined us, we would often be the last persons leaving Skywest golf course, practicing impossible shots around the lit18^th green well past dark. It was during these improvised competitions that Roger developed the reputation as a wizard with the sand wedge.

 

When Roger left Diablo to start his own business (EDC), he later told me Diablo (Xerox) had offered him a job at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) designing a single component of a new printer system and giving him a year to design it. Working at PARC would be a dream for most engineers. But Roger’s comments were why waste a year designing a single component when he could design an entire printer in that amount of time.

 

The early days of EDC were in Roger’s garage in his San Mateo home. You’ve never seen a cleaner or more organized work space. His first floppy disk burnisher was very impressive and off the business went. When Roger moved his business out of the garage I inherited his original Craftsman bench drill press, which I still use to this day.

 

Roger, being 10 years older than Pat, Jack, Ray and I, was a mentor and would tell us what to expect as we grew older (whether we wanted to hear it or not). Roger, carrying his golf bag and always walking the golf course, would remind us that this was a feat for his age and that we would only appreciate it when we were the same age. As a mentor he was right on. We had a lot of fun with this.

 

Prior to moving to Carmel, Roger’s favorite food was dessert. If I remember correctly it was anything with chocolate. When going to dinner, after a hard day of golf, he would order dessert first before the main meal. There was no way he was going to miss dessert by filling up on the main course. I always got a kick out of that, he told us we had it backwards – dessert comes first.

 

In my personal view, Roger always gave more than he received. He asked for little more than friendship. He cherished his friendships and loved the competition & camaraderie that sports provided in his life (racing & golf). I’ll miss his enthusiasm for golf, his guidance over the years and especially his friendship. I am privileged to have known and spent time with Roger.

We got to know each other rather late in life unfortunately. As Beryl’s twin brother I was delighted to discover the joy you shared in each other’s company and the happiness that was apparent between you. You were a generous host to Lana and me on many occasions and a splendid guest at our extended family celebrations in Hayward. During the ten years of knowing you I admired your spirit and courage in the face of failing health and your unfailing sense of humor. You bore ill health with dignity and never allowed it to become your master. For me two quotes encapsulate your years with Beryl, Robert Browning’s “Grow old with me, the best is yet to come” You grew older together and enjoyed a rare vintage of life. and “Just when I thought a chance had passed You go and save the best for last”

Mike and I met Roger through Beryl, our friend and neighbour. Although our meetings were not on a regular basis we were always struck by his down to earth manner and the sincere, honest interest he showed in Mike’s many projects, particularly the landscaping. His love and concern for Beryl was very obvious, especially so when she had surgery last year. No one could have been kinder or more thoughtful. Thank you Beryl for introducing us to such a charming, gentle, man.

  

Mike & Angie

Dear Roger, The song you loved and learned to play on the saxophone has wonderful memories for us both. I remember so well you playing "Nightingale Sang In Barkley Square" from your music room and me enjoying the roses in the yard at Woodwind.  Thank you for all the memories over the 13 years of our lives together.  There are never the right words to express the sadness I feel for such a loss. 

Lynnie.

Roger, I had to write again especially after reading the many wonderful messages written by your friends and those who loved you. I guess I always new from the time we first met in Walnut Creek at Lynns home that you were special. I was impressed by your knowledge of so many different subjects and although we would often disagree, I always felt like I had been the beneficiary of our exchanges. Roger, I am especially impressed by the many kind and loving words written to you by your many friends and relatives. These tributes tell the real story of who Roger Stearman really was. I am proud to have known you, I love the memories.

Dedicated to Roger, my Darling, my Best Friend

 

Mid Western values, without guile

To know you made my life worthwhile.

Your inner strength, integrity,

Made you the man all men should be.

 

Your sense of fun, your clarity,

Your thoughtfulness, your charity.

Your dignity and bravery

Through illness and adversity

 

I loved the way we laughed and shared

So many thoughts; the way you cared,

And brought my feet back to ground.

Made sure that I was safe and sound.

 

I’ll miss your hands, your handsome face,

Your winning smile, your warm embrace,

Lingering strokes through soft, white hair:

My lovely man, so kind, so rare.

 

But no sad songs my dearest one,

My guiding star, my morning sun.

For always, as right from the start,

You’ll live, immortal, in my heart.

 

Beryl

oh, the times we had rog, both on and off the golf courses.  too many to recount here but i know you remember them as well.  i'm gonna speak in present tense now because i feel i'm speaking to you right now.  you are a very unique human being.  you work hard at whatever passion you choose to pursue.  you share your knowledge and home freely and never expect anything in return.  you let me experience places and things i would not otherwise experience. we may have disagreements but we never let those disagreements lose respect for each other. 

 

i have one request.  please get us all a tee time at your course of choice in the place you are exploring now.  we will all be there to join you.......................................jack      

 KNEW ROG FROM HIGHSCHOOL AND HIS BOATING DAYS AND USE TO WATCH HE BOB NAUTA AND JOHN VAN EPPS AND OTHERS RACE ESPECIALY ON MONA LAKE i even dated rog for a short while, he was a great person who will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him my sympathy and prayers to his loved ones i'm sure that he and bob nauta are chatting over good ole times as i type this rest in peace rog, you were a great person  fondly jan

With the lovely sax music playing in the background, I feel like I am in Carmel at "Woodwind" enjoying the easy company of our friend, Roger.

I am the widow of Ronald Lee Hammond, Roger's cousin. Roger was the "Best Man" in our wedding in 1986. Roger had such a great passion for whatever he loved, whether it be golfing, racing, work  or his love for music, he was one talented guy. His competiveness on the golf course was unsurpassed and my beloved Ron shared that special bond with him.

I will always remember Rog for his infectious smile, his wit, and his kind and generous spirit. Thank you for all the years of great memories in California and Florida. Rog you will be dearly missed.

"A place on earth is empty, a voice you love is gone. Yet in the memories of your heart the love you knew lives on". Hang in there Beryl and one day your wonderful memories will be a source of comfort.

Thank you Matt & Theresa for allowing us some closure with this lovely website for he was deserving and truly loved by many.

It's so nice to listen to the great sax music each time I click onto this website. 

 

Everything began in July 1979, when I bought the house directly across the street from Rog in San Mateo.  My last contact with Rog was a phone call just before Thankgiving 2009, when I wondered what he was going to do for the holidays.  I wanted to drive up from LA to visit him, but he said he was probably going to Ben's house in New Mexico.  In between, there was a relationship that started as neighbors, and ended with me looking at Rog as my "big brother." 

 

At first, I was just his neighbor, insurance agent, financial advisor.  I'll take credit for giving him the plans to get out of EDC the money that he needed to retire early, but he did all the work.  EDC started in his garage, where I would often see the lights on at 2-3 in the morning.  Of course, he could have been designing his next machine, or tinkering with his golf clubs. 

 

In 1981, Roger said, "If you really want a challenge in life, try golf."  I'm glad that I listened, as golf became one of the cornerstones of our relationship that ended last year.  During the 1980s, we learned golf together, each of us buying the same video camera, going to the range probably a thousand times, and often playing 2-3 rounds per week.  Of course, there was Ben.  Ben has a gifted golfer, and we could only dream of hitting the ball like he did.  At the same time, neither one of us threw our clubs up in a tree, that Rog had to climb to retrieve--remember that, Ben?

 

Rog moved to Carmel, and I moved to Los Angeles.  But, our Rick and Roger Golf Challenges were amazing.  We would meet 3 times a year for 3-4 consecutive days of golf--in Carmel, in LA, and somewhere in the middle.  Our matches were always down to the wire, and Rog never gave me any freebies.  Somewhere during those years, after Rog's health problems started, it no longer mattered to me "who won."  In reality, I won, because I got to see my friend for a few days. 

 

Through Rog, I got to meet Pat, Jack, Ray, Bob.  We had great times.  Remember the bet that we had with Jack about "marrying again?" 

 

We did share many great memories, but a few bad ones, too.  Divorce for both of us.  Both of us lost brothers less than a year a part.  Business problems.  Health problems.  One thing that did upset me was that Roger never wanted to burden others with his problems.  I would often have to pry thing out of him, especially all the various health-issues he was going through. 

 

We normally called each other every other week.  But, there are times where he would tell me that he had a serious physical problem, and I would say, "When was that?"  He would say, "Oh.  It was a couple months ago."  I jokingly said to him years ago that "one day, you are going to get sick and die, and the only way I will find out is for me to get a call from Ben.  I would have never known that something was wrong with you.  Don't you realize that I care about you!" 

 

So, I am sadden for all of us, who have lost a father, a soulmate, or a friend.  I am glad that God took him quickly (this was something he and I talked about over the past 4 years).  In the end, Roger still lives on inside all of us.  For me, the good parts of Rog live inside me, and continue to make me a better man. 

 

Rick Lim

 

   

Roger and I met in the mid 1950s through our boat racing activities . We became good friends and have stayed in contact ever since. His return trips to Michigan were always a source of pleasure  with the salmon and perch fishing, the annual excursions  to the sprint car races in Iowa  and the good times reliving our youth by running racing hydros at the old gravel pits where we tested our race boats back in the 1950s. This brought out the same classic Rog Stearman smile we all remembered.

 

Whenever we visited  Roger in California we were treated like royalty. A couple years ago Rog and Beryl gave Blanche and I  a grand tour of the Big Sur coastline area which will always be a fond memory  - - The way I want to remember Roger.

 

Roger set high goals and worked relentlessly to reach them but with all of his many accomplishments he never forgot his friends or his roots.

 

Rest in peace old friend , you will be greatly missed.

 

A special thanks is due Theresa  and Matt Grosjean for their respect of Roger by creating this fabulous web site. Well Done.

 

Blanche and Rog Dykehouse

I first met Roger in 1956, a year after my family had moved to Spring Lake, MI. I had developed an interest in boat racing, and Roger was one of the first fellows I met in the area that were in boat racing. Roger took me under his wing and got me started. A long and great relationship was born.

Over the ensuing years, we raced together, partied together, went to California together, and attended college together. Ultimately, we parted ways, with Roger permanently settling in California, and I in Michigan. Over the years we visited each other and continued our close friendship as we raised our families and followed our careers.

Roger and my beloved departed wife, Sharon, were great friends as well. We had many memorable times together.

I will never forget our trek to California in 1957, racing boats in tow. We took turns pulling the special boat racing trailer that we had built together. Roger was never one to make any big deal about eating, and just wanted to keep driving. In those days I was the proverbial garbage hound, and wanted my daily ration of meat and potatoes. He was happy to just drive and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grab a piece of pie at a truck stop. Roger finally caved in to my constant badgering about stopping for a meal , and we did sit down for some real food a few times. What a hoot! I could write a book on our experiences.

When Rog and I roomed together in Long Beach, CA, we always made a point of getting up on Sunday mornings, hitting the local Dunkin Donuts, and running over to the Long Beach Marine Stadium to watch the drag boats or big inboard engined hydroplanes practicing and racing. We both longed to be able to drive one of those monsters, but in hindsight, ii is just as well that we never did.

Roger was one of the kindest, most generous, most brilliant, and gentlest human beings I have ever known. His untimely passing has left a void in the lives of all that were priviledged to have known him.

God Bless Rog...Rest in peace.

I have known Roger since our high school days and it has been a pleasure to have been his friend. We chummed around quite a bit during our time together at MSU, mostly attending hockey games at MSU and in Muskegon where a semi-pro team lived. John VanEpps was a part of those days. After college, we lost track of each other for awhile but I often used Roger as an example in my U.S. History classes of a non-religious person who had the attributes of a good Christian. He cared about others and acted accordingly. Judy and I got back together with Roger in the late ‘90s, meeting at our son’s apartment in Santa Monica, then trading frequent visits between Carmel and our home in Washington during the past dozen years. While building our house  in 1999, Roger came up and helped with some of the construction. The engineer in him insisted that one of us pull with a rope while the other pushed the wheelbarrow with large landscape blocks up the steep driveway. When I look at our pine ceiling in the living room, I see Roger, driving those nails!  Most recently, we visited he and Beryl last June in Carmel and, in September, we shared a wonderful Washington week with them. Our many phone conversations over the last dozen years ran the gamut from health issues to politics to the sharing of weather information.
Roger, you have been a wonderful friend to Judy and I and we will miss you terribly. You have been a fine example of a human being and we are blessed to have known you.