Comments on: BURTON GILLIAM – “IT’S BUBBA!”

By: meminc

meminc — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 01:03:20 +0000

In reply to Larry Moody. spoke with Bubba yesterday. HE was just finishing his second round of 9 holes. He feels good physically but still cant taste squat from the chemo. He cant wait to go back to Normas and get some chicken fried steak and PIE!

By: Fred B. Block

Fred B. Block — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 09:25:40 +0000

New Email :Hi Meminc, sorry to hear Bubba is going through a tough round. I am praying for his speedy and full recovery. I did a little research about his opponent from the University of Wisconsin, Gerry Turner who passed away in 2018. I posted it on my Face Book page “fredbblock” Cambria,CA Please let Bubba know that he is fondly remembered for his brief visit to Oxnard attending our 1991 Jr Olympic District Boxing Championships. Thank you! All the best! Fred

By: Fred B. Block

Fred B. Block — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 09:24:08 +0000

Hi Meminc, sorry to hear Bubba is going through a tough round. I am praying for his speedy and full recovery. I did a little research about his opponent from the University of Wisconsin, Gerry Turner who passed away in 2018. I posted it on my Face Book page “fredbblock” Cambria,CA Please let Bubba know that he is fondly remembered for his brief visit to Oxnard attending our 1991 Jr Olympic District Boxing Championships. Thank you! All the best! Fred

By: meminc

meminc — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 00:34:20 +0000

In reply to FRED B BLOCK. thanks so much Fred. FYI - Bubba has been going through some health issues lately. Just finished his chemo and will know the results Jan 21. Say a prayer for our friend

By: FRED B BLOCK

FRED B BLOCK — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 05:03:46 +0000

Great site, Bubba was asked by me to give support to our boxing club in Oxnard, the famed La Colonia Youth Boxing Club. I was the president of the La Colonia Youth Boxing Assn, Inc(a non-profit) which tried and succeeded to save the gym that was run by the City of Oxnard under its Recreation Dept. In 1990 the recession caused some leaders to want to spin off the boxing gym to another organization like the Boys & Girls Club, Salvation Army etc( from experience that would cause a short reprieve for the club, as boxing has most often dependent on PASSIONATE, tenacious leadership and with a possible change at these organizations the era of Boxing would be at the mercy of a change. Thus a few of us in the community founded a non-profit to help La Colonia BC survive. At La Colonia BC we had all of our 5 Regional Silver Glove Champions from So California win GOLD medals at the National Silver Glove Championship in 1991 at Marshalltown, Iowa. Our Board of Directors elected me to be the president & chairman…I became a grant writer and with the City of Oxnard we raised 325K(Wash DC & Sacramento,CA0 to repair the gym and make it earthquake safe. In May 1991 I spoke with Burton about being a special guest at the 1991 Junior Glove Southern California District Championship to be held at our yet to be occupied warehouse at 1731 Ives Ave. Oxnard, CA He responded “thumbs up”. My neighbor Belding, located on Emerson Ave, just across the street from my company’s headquarters(Olfactory Corporation) is the high quality producer of Glove Bags. I made a request to the owner of Belding to make a “Western personalized” gold bag for Burton. Jack Perrin of Belding welcomed the opportunity to support our non-profit and its goal to sustain the youth boxing club “La Colonia BC” at Oxnard! LCYBA presented Bubba the bag at the competition! Other participants were Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns(5 Star General as stated by US General Norman Schwarzkopf) for being the VERY FIRST Volunteer to arrive in the Desert to war with Saddam Hussain, boxing exhibitions all over the desert to boost the morale of our troops! Also, Ex-Champ the late Mando Ramos (founder of MADD-Mothers Against Drunk Driving) appeared. All signed autographs, photo opts etc. I haven’t spoken with Bubba since that day in May, 1991. My wife who along with me left Oxnard in 1992, to Yuma Arizona to save our manufacturing business and keep as many manufacturing jobs in USA/Mexico rather than joining other manufacturers buying Chinese or other mostly Asian made goods. At Yuma we established the Yuma County Youth Boxing Association, Inc which became the largest boxing club in Arizona in 2000. Now in the Philippines we are officials of Olympic-style boxing, continue to be officials…both judges, and sponsors of youth boxing. In year 2010 along with 3X USA Boxing Coach of Years 1972, 76, 77 at Tacoma Boys Club, Coach Joe Clough(2 Olympic Gold winners…Sugar Ray Seales(1972-Munich, and Leo Randolph Montreal 1976) we taught boxing at Silliman University at Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, Philippines. The national Philippine boxing team some years ago boxed in California, meeting our boxing family there. I salute Bubba Gilliam for his being a generous man of character, a real human being!

By: meminc

meminc — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 20:36:34 +0000

In reply to Larry Moody. thanks. Burton is quite the character, thats for sure. I think 'never met a stranger' could easily apply to him. Great guy!

By: Larry Moody

Larry Moody — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 08:07:56 +0000

Paul – I appreciate you and the folks at Memories of Dallas more than you can know. What a great interview and story on Burton Gilliam. He’s a class-act. I have had the honor of meeting him at several sports scholarship related fundraisers. He can certainly ‘work a room” in the very best way! And Paul, you do your homework and it shows. I hope that our paths cross sometime soon!