Posted by Rat on February 24, 2009, 11:09 am, in reply to "Re: Bob Hosfeldt interview from SJS TVradioFilmTheater site"
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I received in yesterday's mail an announcement from his off-spring that their father, Rod Lee, Class of '55, a long time supporter of Spartan Football and the Rat Line passed away in Lafayette on Feb. 9th after a brief illness. It was only about a year ago that Lee lost his wife Lois. (Both can be seen with Dan Colchico in the Applebee's ad on page 21 of the Sesquicentennial issue #31)
Lee was a longtime supporter of Bill Walsh. Back when Walsh was coaching the semi-pro San Jose Apaches, Lee was touting him for head coach of his alma matre. I first met Lee in the early 1970s when he was running the computer database for AutoWeek magazine from a large room above our offices on Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. This air conditioned room was filled with many large blue Burroughs computers. Later in the 1980s Rod showed me his new desktop PC and told me that it had more capacity than the room full of Burroughs.
In the early 70's flew out of Concord to Reno once in Rod's small single engine plane to press check AutoWeek at their new plant. It was my first flight in a small plane. When we were over Reno's Stead Field, I asked why we weren't decending...Rod replied, "I'm trying to, but there is just too much updraft...we'll have to go further east then turn around."
Rod and his wife Lois flew to Laramie in October 1992 to celebrate his 60th birthday and to watch his beloved San Jose State play Wyoming. Ron Turner's 7-4 Spartans defeated the Cowboys 26-24 in the last minute when Joe Nedney set a SJS record by kicking the winning field goal 60 yards!
I couldn't find his obituary in the Contra Costa Times, but the announcement said: "Rod's life will be celebrated in a memorial service on February 28, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church, 1543 Sunnyvale Avenue, Walnut Creek, Calif." It was signed, "His children, Linda, Larry and Nancy."
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