My dear friend, Erin Graffy, died earlier this week after a very short but very fierce battle with cancer.
We’d been friends since Pepperdine University a hundred years ago and, over the decades I tried to get her to write her popular Santa Barbara history and society columns for Noozhawk.
Erin being an old soul and old school, however, she was always partial to newspapers.
But over lunches at the venerable Santa Barbara Club, we’d talk about it. And talk about it. And talk about it.
Erin was always partial to her Irish gift of gab, too.
Two years ago, with the daily newspaper circling the drain, I finally convinced her to join our team — and the rest was history.
And, oh, what a glorious history it was.
In addition to dozens of iSociety events once covered by Melissa Walker and the late Rochelle Rose, Erin’s Talk of the Town column explored numerous dusty corners of Santa Barbara’s past.
From the evolution of State Street to our thriving pre-World War II Japanese community to the legendary Fred Benko to Old Spanish Days and Fiesta showman Charles Pressley, Erin’s history hits were classics.
But her pièce de résistance, if I can avail myself of some of Erin’s erudition, was her six-part series on the historic Child Estate, which would later become the Santa Barbara Zoo.
The Child Estate series was an enormous hit with readers, both old-timers and newcomers, and it is Noozhawk’s all-time most-read collection. I doubt her record will ever be broken.
Watching in amazement as the readership skyrocketed, Erin and I discussed turning the series into a book someday. Maybe I still will in her honor.
Erin’s storytelling was chock-full of information that only she could dig up and she had an exacting attention to detail, so much so that I would hear about it if I dared change a comma while editing.
We had a long-running debate over writing and grammar styles for fossil media versus the internet. She had not yet conceded that I’m right but I will win that argument with her. Eventually.
Erin was one of the most vivacious, perceptive and genuinely kind people I’ve ever known and, of course, she literally wrote the book on How to Santa Barbara.
My prayers and condolences are with her heartbroken husband, soulmate and longtime dance partner, Dr. James García; Colleen, Neal and the rest of her siblings; and the far-flung Clan Graffy.
Services are pending but Erin deserves every bit of a royal funeral at her beloved “Queen of the Missions.”
Afterward, I’m sure she’ll join her parents, my friends, Jeanne and Chuck Graffy, in the Santa Barbara Mission’s mausoleum.
Erin Graffy will be remembered as a Santa Barbara lioness and legend, and deservedly so.
She’s now part of our community’s rich history herself, and will one day make for a great feature. I just hope that future writer can live up to her standards.
Thank you for everything, Erin. Until we meet again, rest in peace.
According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 164,905 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading over that period, as tracked by our Google Analytics.
As a reminder, this is my opinion column. It is not a news story.
1. Bidens Arrive for Another Santa Barbara County Visit
Hours after President Donald Trump bookended former President Joe Biden’s time in office, the one-term former president arrived in Santa Barbara County for his second vacation here in five months.
As our Janene Scully reported, Biden and his wife, Jill, flew into Vandenberg Space Force Base the afternoon of Jan. 20 after attending Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., earlier in the day.
To our knowledge, Biden has not been seen in public while here, although he typically vacations with his trusted inner circle … pardon me, I mean family members.
It’s not known how long the 82-year-old new retiree will be on the Central Coast, but now he’s officially got nothing to do and all day to do it. Besides, who wants to go to the beach in Delaware this time of year?
Biden had visited the Santa Ynez Valley in August, staying at billionaire donor Joe Kiani’s $37 million, 8,000-acre Kiani Preserve in Los Olivos.
This time, Biden traveled to VSFB on a Boeing VC-25 aircraft, a military version of a Boeing 747, from the presidential fleet. It reportedly was dubbed a “special air mission” rather than Air Force One since he’s no longer president.
2. Aircraft Forces SpaceX to Scrub Rocket Countdown at Vandenberg Space Force Base
Credit: SpaceX photo
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch was halted with just 11 seconds remaining in its countdown at Vandenberg Space Force Base the morning of Jan. 19 after an aircraft of some kind entered the restricted airspace.
“Hold, hold hold,” a crew member declared, citing “a possible aircraft in the airspace.”
Vandenberg routinely issues notices warning pilots and mariners to avoid designated areas during launch windows for safety reasons.
As our Janene Scully reported, the mission carrying 27 Starlink satellites finally lifted off at 7:45 a.m. Jan. 21 after three days of delays.
The first-stage booster successfully landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean, marking the Falcon program’s 400th landing and this booster’s 10th touchdown.
SpaceX confirmed the satellites were deployed about an hour after launch.
Another Starlink mission from VSFB is scheduled Jan. 24, with the launch window set between 5:54 and 10:25 a.m.
3. Author and Historian Erin Graffy, Santa Barbara’s ‘Society Lady,’ Dies of Cancer
Erin would kill me for all the attention I’m giving her so I’ll just recommend that you read our Josh Molina’s news obituary.
He described her as “Santa Barbara’s preeminent socialite, elegant emcee, and passionate historian and author,” then artfully captured every aspect of her larger-than-life personality and presence.
Erin would’ve loved it … if it were written about somebody else.
4. Big-Rig Driver from Bakersfield Dies in Solo-Vehicle Crash
A 54-year-old Bakersfield man died Jan. 16 when his tractor-trailer veered off Highway 101 and crashed into a vineyard south of Orcutt, according to the California Highway Patrol.
As our Janene Scully reported, the single-vehicle wreck occurred at 2:30 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 north of Solomon Road.
CHP Officer Maria Barriga said the driver, the lone occupant, died at the scene.
The Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau later identified the driver as David Gutierrez Hernandez.
The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.
The wreck was the first of three fatal crashes in the area over a three-day span, including two motorcycle wrecks in Santa Maria.
5. Warm Days This Week Before Storm Brings Season’s First Chance of Rain
After a balmy string of summer-like days, Santa Barbara County is facing a dramatic weather shift this weekend, including the possibility of the season’s first rainfall.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, midweek daytime high temperatures soared into the upper 70s and low 80s on the South Coast — following temperatures plunging into the 20s and 30s the night of Jan. 21.
Now, the National Weather Service is forecasting up to a half-inch of rain between Jan. 25 and 27, with high temperatures only creeping into the 50s on Jan. 25.
The warming trend prompted wildfire weather warnings — followed by a string of wildfires — in neighboring Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
The potential rain comes as welcome news for the drought-concerned region.
Since the water year began Sept. 1, the county has edged back into drought conditions, getting just 7% of its normal precipitation, as our Tom Bolton reported.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories I recommend:
» Oxnard Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life for Wife’s Murder in Montecito — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway has an update on the 2022 murder of Blanca Aguilera.
» Possible Federal Designation of Santa Barbara Historic District Divides Neighbors — South County editor Josh Molina ventures into what could be Santa Barbara’s historic Bungalow Haven Historic District.
» Isla Vista Food Co-op at Risk of Closing Due to Financial Crisis — Rebecca shares an urgent shopping list from the Isla Vista Food Co-op.
» Coroner Identifies Body Found at Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara — Staff writer Daniel Green follows up on last week’s sad discovery in the surf.
» Fearing AI Will Take Their Jobs, California Workers Plan a Long Battle Against Tech — CalMatters tech reporter Khari Johnson reports on wary employees getting smart about artificial intelligence.
» Marcus Scudder Nails Buzzer-Beater to Lift Cate Boys Basketball to Win Over Bishop Diego — Sports editor Diego Sandoval is on hand for a game-winning three-pointer for Cate School.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Motorcyclist Struck by Multiple Vehicles, Dies After Crash on Highway 1 Near Orcutt.
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What I’m Up To
Although I’m not looking for a free meal, I occasionally do have free time if you’re looking for a speaker for your club, group or organization and want to hear more about Noozhawk. Email me at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com.
- Feb. 11 — I’ll be talking entrepreneurship with students at San Marcos High School’s AAPLE Academy.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Better check the fine print: National Archives Is Looking for Volunteers with a “Superpower” … Reading Cursive.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
My Instagram feed took a California road trip with @sadiethealaskanmalamute this past week.
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Watch It
How did sales of this do-it-yourself contraption not take off? If they had, my friend, Peter Hartmann, almost certainly would be driving/flying one.
