Buzz Ponce
A COAST-TO-COAST BICYCLE JOURNEY and OTHER RAMBLINGS
Shop Warriors Heart all store contributions go directly to Warriors Heart Foundation
Shop Books
When I was a kid growing up in an Ozzie and Harriet environment in Southern California, I loved to read books. I'd dream of someday actually writing one myself. Fast forward over a half a century and here I am -- retired and living my dream of penning stories of people and events that had an impact on my life.
Here are two I hope you enjoy.
FINDING FRANK Full Circle in a Life Cut Short
When Frank Buncom wore uniform number 55 for the San Diego Chargers, he was the first of two superlative San Diego linebackers to wear that now famous numeral. Years later the team retired the jersey not because of Buncom’s legacy or on-field exploits, but because it was worn by the late Junior Seau.
I embarked on a journey that lasted over 40 years in a quest to define the quintessence and specialness of my friend Frank Buncom who, like the much more heralded Junior Seau, was college All American at the University of Southern California, an All Pro professional football player, and an inductee in the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame.
Buncom’s life and early death was sandwiched and squeezed between a time in this country’s history that was cramped by enormous violence and strife; a time of breakthrough achievements and breathtaking losses. His realizations were met in a life that overcame extravagant odds; a life that never blinked or shied from unreachable goals or unspeakable wrongs.
In spite of his premature passing at age 29, Frank Buncom's full circle continues today as his grandson -- Frank Buncom IV -- stars at Stanford University as both a football player and an Academic All American.
Follow finding frank full circle in a life cut short on Facebook.
A LONG RIDE COMING
How the Struggle of Losing a Parent Led to a Bicycle Journey
Nearly Fifty Years Later
A Long Ride Coming is a deeply personal memoir filled with poignancy and tinged with wry humor. The book takes the reader on a 1,900 mile bicycle ride from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Mexican border and then from Canada through Washington, Oregon, and California. The journey meets steep, challenging terrain and memorable, once-in-a-lifetime characters.
But the book is much more than a story about a bicycle trip. A Long Ride Coming unveils a tribute to a father who died when the author was just 18 years old. When told by a doctor to keep the news of his father’s terminal illness a secret, the deception led to nearly 50 years of regret and despair.
Testing the author's stamina and age, the bike ride begins at the Golden Gate Bridge on September 11, 2014 and ends nearly exactly one year later on the Golden Gate. In between, he finds solace and a fitting tribute to a father who died too soon
Follow a long ride coming on Facebook.
Click 'My Channel' for an amazing sneak look at
A Long Ride Coming
My Channel
Video creator: Julie Azhadi