The Applegater

2 Winter 2017 Applegater OBITUARIES Arthur Nelson Cauble February 28, 1927 - June 9, 2017 Arthur Nelson Cauble, known as Nelson, died in Roseburg, Oregon, on June 9 at the age of 90. He was the seventh of 12 children who lived on Missouri Flat in the Applegate. e Cauble family moved from Missouri to Oregon during the depression, and Nelson lived here until he and his brother, Robert, at ages 17 and 15, respectively, joined the merchant marines during World War II. Nelson always considered Applegate "home" and visited often with his wife, Shirley. Nelson learned to drive a 1931 Model A truck when he was 12 years old. Soon after, miners on the Applegate River hired him for $3 an hour to transport all their equipment from the river up a slick and muddy road on the Cauble property. Nelson raked in a total of $15, which "suddenly made me the richest kid on Missouri Flat Road." About five miles from Nelson's home was a popular swimming hole on the Applegate River on the property of the Meeks family. One day a family friend in the middle of the river was screaming for help. His daughter had a "death grip" on her father and had pulled him under. ey were struggling to stay afloat when Nelson jumped in and got them safely to shore. e grateful father repeatedly shared this story over the years, knowing Nelson had "most certainly" saved his and his daughter's lives. As a freshman at Grants Pass High School, Nelson made the varsity football team. Soon after, he left school thinking he had "already learned all I needed to know." At 14, Nelson took a job with a sawmill on Williams Creek and became a truck driver—"one of my best jobs," he declared. He also worked for Bear Creek Orchards in Medford stacking full boxes of pears. Due to a bad back, he quit after two weeks. When he learned that a bus trip from Medford to Grants Pass would cost $8, he walked across the street to a used-car lot and bought a "well-used 1924 Chevrolet coop" for $8, which barely got him home to the Applegate. Soon after, he sold the tires off the Chevy for more than he paid for the car. Nelson, a long-time car enthusiast, bought, traded, and sold numerous cars. He also survived his share of car accidents, including flipping a Model T in a stranger's front yard, accidentally shooting a hole in the roof of a neighbor's brand-new 1937 Chevrolet sedan, and rolling a 1940 Buick sedan down an embankment into ompson Creek with his parents and brother in the car. No one was injured. While working as a merchant marine after the war, he met his future wife, Shirley. When they married, they moved to Pomona, California, where their four children, Michael, Terry, Sandra, and John, were born. In 1956 the family moved to Orland, California, where he and Shirley opened a successful flooring business. Nelson joined the Masonic Lodge and Shriners and was involved in the Orland Volunteer Fire Department. In 1993 they moved to Sutherlin, Oregon, where they lived for 24 years. Nelson is survived by Shirley, his wife of nearly 70 years; brothers Robert (Janell) and Donald (Jackie); sisters Bernice Row and Rachel Buff; sons Terry (Phyllis) and John; nine grandchildren; 17 great- grandchildren; and three great-great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his children Michael Cauble and Sandra Grimshaw (Steven). Dennis Dragon was a revolutionary and refreshing individual, and his accomplishments were innumerable. Growing up in Hollywood in its golden era, he literally played a strong hand in engineering the surf sound. Playing drums was one of his earliest passions, followed closely by audio recording and video work. One of his bands, e Surf Punks, had an immense influence in the surf and skateboarding scene, to put it mildly. I first met Dennis in Williams, Oregon, shortly after we had both moved to the area. While I was rigging an aerial silk at Pacifica, he emerged from his recording studio and proceeded to observe me and make commentary. We had a nice exchange, the first of many. He was one of the few people I have encountered in this valley whom I didn't have to be concerned about offending. We seemed to have a similar sense of frustration and disgust with the low-quality modern day and a shared enthusiasm for the "old school." Later, when my band, Intuitive Compass, began recording with him, his commitment to the old school became that much more evident, and working with him in the studio was so refreshing! He was not interested in making subpar See DENNIS DRAGON, page 20 M i c h a e l J a m e s K u z m a , a 4 1 - y e a r r e s i d e n t o f t h e A p p l e g a t e Va l l e y, passed peacefully on Monday, October 9, 2017, at the age of 71 with his family by his side. He is survived by his wife, Gail, children Michelle and Tim, and three younger siblings, Patricia, Kathleen, and Joseph. After graduating in 1964 from Junipero Serra High School in L o s A n g e l e s , M i k e moved to Vancouver, Washington, to live with his grandmother and attend Clark College. Having drawn a losing number in the draft lottery, he enlisted in the US Navy in 1967. He took his service to our country very seriously, as he did with anything he endeavored to do. After serving on the USS Coral Sea off the coast of Vietnam, he was transferred to New Jersey for further training. He was ultimately stationed as a flight services weather observer at US Fleet Weather Central in Rota, Spain. Mike reunited with service buddy James Baxter of Weaverville, California, and in 1973 married Jim's little sister, Gail (who spent much of her career teaching our children at Ruch Elementary School). Mike graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in geography, with an emphasis in cartography. Maps became a lifelong passion for him. Mike and Gail became our neighbors in Ruch in 1976. Mike went to work for the US Forest Service doing fuels reduction work. As always, Mike moved up the ranks doing cartography, revising the "fire map" for the Star Ranger District, and working as a civil engineer technician. After several years Mike left federal employment for work at Allan Cartography of Medford. While there, he helped p r o d u c e a m a z i n g pictorial topographical maps that are truly beautiful. He then went to work for the Bureau of Land Management, w h e r e h e h e l p e d develop the Hyatt Lake recreation area. This put him back outside, which he loved. All told, Mike logged more than 27 years of federal service. M i k e l o v e d hiking, camping, and w o o d c u t t i n g a n d always carried a special bag with him so he could "carry out more than he brought in." He took his role as dad very seriously and taught his children to read maps. When his son, Tim, became interested in soccer at age six, Mike was an avid soccer dad and was soon coaching the team. And when Tim got interested in snowboarding, you guessed it, Mike was soon sliding down hills with the best of them. Mike was an early and long-time organic gardener and avid recycler. He believed in community service and was a long-time member of our volunteer fire department. As always, he moved up the ranks and retired as battalion chief of the Ruch fire station with over 18 years of service. Mike had an extensive vinyl collection and always enjoyed a microbrew and good music. We will all miss his amazing smile. There was a celebration of life for Mike at the Schoolhaus Brewhaus on Saturday, November 11. To make a memorial donation in Mike's honor, please consider e Nature Conservancy, Oregon Public Broadcasting, or the Alzheimer's Association. Richard Goodnough richgoodno@gmail.com Michael James Kuzma September 28, 1946 - October 9, 2017 Dennis Dragon January 6, 1947 - September 25, 2017 It is with deep sadness that the family of Dennis Dragon announces his death. He passed away unexpectedly on September 25, 2017, in Williams, Oregon. Dennis was born i n L o s A n g e l e s , California. He was the youngest son of world-famous arranger, composer, a n d c o n d u c t o r Carmen Dragon and opera soprano Eloise Dragon. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Malibu, where they became a local fixture for the next 50 years. At the age of five Dennis was "bangin' on the drums," with brothers, Doug and Daryl, at the keys. From an early age, he played in various bands. One of the first bands was e Malibu Music Men Plus One, featuring his neighbor, the very young Natalie Cole as lead vocalist. I n t h e m i d - seventies, he got a c a l l f r o m h i s brother Daryl to engineer the first Captain & Tennille record at A&M Records. e result was a long string of hits and a Grammy award for "Love W i l l K e e p U s Together," which was Record of the Year in 1975. ese successes opened the door to professional audio engineering and producing gigs for many years. When Dennis established his own recording studio in Malibu, he was "booked solid." Among the many well- known artists he worked with were Carole King and Johnny Rivers. In 1976 he formed the rock band e Surf Punks and utilized all his talents simultaneously. He produced, engineered, drummed, sang, wrote tunes, and produced videos for the band. e group was signed to Epic Records in 1970 and had a "wild" ten-year run. In 1990 he moved to Montecito where he married and had two boys, whom he adored. He was truly happy in Montecito, taking his boys down to Miramar beach every afternoon. In the final years of his life he moved to Oregon to run his "dream studio," originally built by Steve Miller, at Pacifica Garden in Williams. He quickly became a local favorite and fixture in the community. Local musicians coming alive around him was a true testament to the amazing effect he had on those with whom he worked. Some local artists Dennis worked with include Alice DiMicele, Intuitive Compass, J.D. Rogers, and e Evening Shades band. In winter, he hopped over to Hawaii for an extended stay with his good friend, John Hunt. Body surfing, ping pong, and sound gigs became his life during this time. He loved the beauty and awesome power of Hawaii. To summarize Dennis Dragon's legacy in a single page is nearly impossible. His journey spanned decades, but he was most proud to be a father to his amazing sons, Cody and Jack. Dennis was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Kathy and Carmen, whom he loved deeply. Dennis is survived by his former wife, Heather, and their children, Cody and Jack, who will continue to honor his life and cherish their times with this extraordinary man. A paddle-out to honor and celebrate his life and passion for the ocean was held on November 19 at Carbon Beach in Malibu. Note: See more obituaries on page 21.

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