My biological father (Walt) and my Mom had split by the time I was born 90 years ago. She remarried when I was about 3 but because Chuck spanked me unnecessarily for wetting the bed and playing in the city dump my Mom divorced him when I was 5. During the war my Mom married George who was in the Army. After he came home from being stationed in Pennsylvania, he proved to be a selfish bum who shoved my Mom against the basement wall causing her to drop the groceries she had brought home after work. So, he, too, was history. I was 12.
My father-substitutes were my Granddad and several of my Mom’s cooks in her various restaurants, Art Smith and Bob Wilcox especially. My coaches also served as my guides and role models during Junior and Senior High School. In particular Pinky Erickson and Bob Dorre guided me a lot during the tough years. Sports stars, both national and local, inspired me to always do my best. Some school teachers, but only some, were also helpful when I was at odds with school.
My biological father, Walt, got in touch with me just after I was married for the first time during my college years. We had a number of good times together during those years and got to know each pretty well. We liked each other a lot. And, I guess we were a lot alike. One year he had been the top appliance salesman for Sears Roebuck, nation-wide. While I was in theological school in NYC Walt died (at 57), and his widow asked me to come back to California to officiate at his funeral, which I did. He had asked me to change my name from “Gill” to “Gauthier”, which was his name. I told him that at this stage of things it would be too complicated to do. He was my original and best father prior to the others all of whom proved to be pretty worthless.
During my college years at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California a man named Rathburn Shelton became my surrogate, and thus my fifth, father. He was the Alumni Director for the college, as well as Alumni Director and Baseball Coach (it was a very small college). Rath and his wife Peggy had four sons, Ron, David, Steve, and Jeff all of whom I got to watch grow up over the years.
Even though I never really lived near them, I visited the college often and was in a way considered a member of the family. I always stopped to see Rath (and Peggy until she died early) whenever I came bye the college, especially after he became quite ill. Often he would play his trumpet for his guests. He had been a first-class trumpeter in Army Bands during World War Two.
Over my four years at Westmont and for many years thereafter I always sought Rath out for advice and encouragement. He had a marvelous way of spreading warmth and humor amongst all those who came into his presence. His sons have all grown up to be outstanding, creative and joyful people. Over the years I watched Rath grow from his early fundamentalist view of things into a quiet but strong person of rich and deep religious faith.
So, now I wish to send a Happy Father’s Day message to all five of these “Fathers” of mine. They each in one way or another helped make me who and whatever I have become. Thanks to all my Pops!!

When Ron and I first met I was 20 and he was 8. His father was a jack-of-all-trades at the college I was attending in California. Ron was a sports addict and I played on the basketball team so we got to know each other rather early on. Over the years we kept in touch off and on. Ron was a standout all-around athlete and played minor league baseball for several years in the Baltimore Oriels organization. I visited him and his folks frequently after graduation.
Ron eventually got tired of minor league ball and went to graduate school at the University of Arizona for a degree in art. However, his real yearning was to make movies, so he looked at some scripts to see how they were done. Ron wrote “The Best of Times” starring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell, “Under Fire” starring Nick Nolte and Gene Hackman, before he was able to direct his own film called “Bull Durham”, which was and remains a huge success. Since Ron had been a professional ball player he knew the game from the inside out and this is what made the film a huge success. I actually got to have Ron as a guest at the college where I was teaching.
Because we were friends with Ron my wife Mari and I were able to visit Ron in Hollywood several times to watch him work. We even got to be at the kick -off party for his next film, “Tin Cup”, as well as meet Kevin Costner and Don Johnson the films leading actors. Ron and Kevin got along perfectly with each other. In fact it turned out that Kevin had been a standout high school ball player and had been very eager to do “Bull Durham”. Mari and I also got to visit several actual shootings of “Tin Cup.” By then Ron was 50 and I was 62.
As the years rolled by Ron made many more successful films, such as “Blaze”, “White Men Can’t Jump”, and “Cobb”. It was his experience as a college basketball player that made “White men Can’t Jump” such a great success. Eventually Ron married Lolita Davidovich, the star of his film “Blaze”, and they now have two young adult children. His son is playing catcher on his college baseball team and his daughter is a superb singer. They live in Southern California.
One of the most interesting characteristics of Ron’s films is their literary flavor. Everyone remembers that in “Bull Durham” Annie Savoy was a Junior College literature teacher near Durham, NC and frequently offered insights into the verse of great writers. This should not be surprising since Ron was a literature major as an undergraduate. One of the more interesting characteristics of Ron’s writing is his penchant for clever and poignant turns of the phrase.
Ron has three highly creative brothers, all of whom live and work in Santa Barbara, CA. David owns his own metal working company. Steve is a high school English teacher and writes and records his own guitar music, and Jeff is a highly successful architect. All but Ron live in the “compound” in the foothills where they grew up. I have always considered the Shelton family my “second family” and remain so very grateful for them.