On Tuesday morning (July 26) sheriff's deputies were on the greens at Fallbrook Golf Course just before 7 a.m. The cops were there because of veteran golf-course operator Harold Vaubel, who just a few weeks prior had been lauded as the savior of the struggling golf course. Longtime owners Jack and Bonnie Lamberson wanted out of the business, and Vaubel stepped up with a promise to run it after paying the Lambersons $825,000. He never did, say the Lambersons. “We told him two weeks ago to get out when it was clear he couldn’t prove he had financial backing,” says Jack Lamberson. On July 25, the day before he called law enforcement, Lamberson claims Vaubel changed the locks on golf-course buildings. Fallbrook sheriff's deputy Sgt. Dwain Watson says his report indicates that deputies were called to the course by the Lambersons because they claimed Vaubel was trespassing. “The reporting party said it was all about someone who wanted to buy the course but couldn’t come up with the money and therefore they were trespassing.
We told them this was a civil matter and that they would have to pursue a temporary restraining order,” says Watson. “Jack threatened me,” Vaubel claimed in a phone conversation Tuesday morning as he was driving back to his home in Tucson. “Jack threw a chair on my legs. He opened up wounds on my legs. I will be calling the sheriff back to press charges.” Jack Lamberson says the assault charge is ridiculous. “If it was true, why did he leave when he knew the sheriffs were on their way? He could have pressed charges. I did point my finger and said, ‘You’re outta here.’ I did not throw a chair or do any of that." The Lambersons have run the 116-acre course in Fallbrook’s Gird Valley for four years. For over a year they have made it clear they want to sell the course. It was reported four weeks ago that they would be out of the picture, yielding the course's operation to Vaubel and his HGM Golf Enterprises, which would take over the operation once he paid the Lambersons the agreed-upon amount of $825,000.
That Vaubel didn’t come up with the cash is a disappointment to nearby homeowners who fear the course could eventually be developed or turned into land-bank mitigation and ruin their homes' land value. Grant Strobel, the head pro at Woods Valley Golf Club in Valley Center, wrote in an email that there were “plenty of former [Woods Valley] employees who were not paid” by Vaubel when he managed that course. Similar stories about Vaubel arose from the now-closed Santa Rita Golf Club in Vail, Arizona. “Harold Vaubel racks up expenses and doesn’t pay his employees,” says the Tucson real estate agent who oversaw the sale of the Santa Rita golf course property. Vaubel denies that there are unpaid employees of Woods Valley. “All employees of Woods Valley have been paid to date.” Regarding the closed Santa Rita course in Arizona, “We looked at buying that course," says Vaubel. "We got stiffed by a law firm from Texas.” Vaubel says that the reason he didn’t pay the Lambersons the $825,000 he promised was because of existing liens against the Lambersons.
“There are no liens,” counters Jack Lamberson. "There are no debts except to ourselves." The Lambersons have now closed the Fallbrook Golf Course for the third time this year. Bonnie Lamberson says they hope to find someone who will buy the business and continue to operate it as a golf course. But Jack won’t rule out accepting “various options,” including development or land-bank mitigation. “We’re getting pretty tired,” says Jack, who is in his 80s. “We can only take a beating for so long. We have put $1.9 million into improvements and we’re not putting in another dime. Everybody wants to buy a golf course but nobody seems to have money. They all want to stretch it out. If someone came to me and said, 'Here’s your $1.9 million and we want to make it a garbage dump,' I would hate to be faced with that decision. "If we don’t find a buyer soon, we will be in default. No matter what, we are not putting another dollar in it.” Jack Murphy (February 5, 1923 – September 24, 1980) was a sports editor and columnist for the San Diego Union newspaper from 1951–1980.
Jack Murphy Stadium was named in his honor. He was affectionately referred to by fans simply as "The Murph" and "El Murph" by Spanish speakers. Murphy was born on February 5, 1923 in Denver, Colorado.[1] He was the older brother of New York Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy. Murphy moved from Fort Worth, Texas in 1951 to become a sportswriter for the San Diego Union newspaper. On December 21, 1960, Murphy wrote a column for the San Diego Union proposing the Los Angeles Chargers American Football League team become a San Diego franchise.[3] Over the next year, through his Union articles, he would become a key figure in persuading San Diegans to relocate the Chargers.[4] He also helped secure the Padres baseball team as a National League expansion team in 1969. Statue of Jack Murphy and his dog Abe in front of the stadium After the Chargers began to outgrow Balboa Stadium, Murphy assisted in lobbying for a new San Diego stadium in his sports articles for the San Diego Union.
[5] A 50,000-seat stadium was proposed to and approved by San Diego voters in 1965. The eventual 54,000-seat San Diego Stadium was renamed San Diego–Jack Murphy Stadium[6] after Murphy died in 1980.[7] It was also known by its shortened name "The Murph".[5] The stadium was renamed Qualcomm Stadium in 1997 and Qualcomm will retain naming rights until 2017. In order to continue to honor Murphy, the city named the stadium site Jack Murphy Field. Murphy owned a black Labrador Retriever named Abe that he would write about in his articles. A statue of Murphy with Abe is located in front of Qualcomm Stadium. Murphy died on September 24, 1980 of lung cancer. On May 3, 1988, Murphy was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. ^ a b c ^ San Diego City Council Minutes, March 31, 1997On July 18, the Patrons of the Prado organization will celebrate Balboa Park’s 100th anniversary with “Masterpiece: Celebrating 100 Years of Imagination and Inspiration,” a glittery gala to benefit some of the park’s most loved cultural institutions.
There will be dignitaries (Mayor Kevin Faulconer is the honoree) and dancers. A gourmet dinner and strolling performers. Costumed attendees and the installment of a centennial time capsule.With a goal of raising $1.1 million for 11 park organizations — including the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the San Diego Museum of Man and San Diego Junior Theatre — the Spreckels Organ Pavilion event promises to be the Patrons’ largest fundraiser to date. But for gala co-chairs Arlene and Richard Esgate, giving back to Balboa Park doesn’t end when the big party is over. “When I come to Balboa Park, I am transported to another place. It is my happy, feel-good place,” Arlene, 68, said during a joint interview at the San Diego Museum of Natural History Museum, another Prado gala beneficiary. “I love to see the people wandering around. I love to see the kids playing. I love the activity, the life, the joy and the peace. And everywhere I look, it is just so beautiful.”In addition to co-chairing the gala with former San Diego City Manager Jack McGrory, the Esgates are members and patrons of the Museum of Man, the Timken Museum, the Old Globe Theatre, the San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego Zoo.
And their philanthropy doesn’t stop at the park’s borders. The Esgates are on the board of the Mainly Mozart Festival and helped start the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra. They also support the Salvation Army, the USO, Sharp Healthcare and the Girl Scouts. They are major donors to Childhelp, a national child-abuse prevention and treatment organization. In 2012, Childhelp gave the couple the “Founders for the Love of a Child” award for their dedication and support.Giving is what the Esgates do.“They are some of the kindest, most generous, most accepting people I have ever met,” said fellow philanthropist Reena Horowitz, also a gala co-chair. “The extent of their caring and their dedication and their desire to do good makes them very special. It is not often that you meet people who can do so much in so many different arenas.”The couple met in 2002 at the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. He was an engineer and chief financial officer of San Diego’s EsGil Corp., which provides building department services for cities throughout the country.
She was a former high school teacher who also held multiple city-government positions in Elmore County, Idaho. Both of them loved art, music and nonprofit and charitable causes. Richard was active in Mainly Mozart, and Arlene had spent many years working with P.E.O., a philanthropic organization dedicated to educating women. Separately, they were impressive, accomplished people. When they got married in 2006, they became a major force for major good.“My mother was a psychologist, and the most important thing she ever taught me was that when you are with the right woman, one plus one equals 10,” said Richard, who is 72. “I never knew what that meant until I met Arlene.”They have six children and 13 grandchildren between them, so loving Balboa Park was sort of a given. Who doesn’t love the zoo and the museums and all that open public space? But ensuring that Balboa Park would be alive and thriving for generations of children and grandchildren to come? For the Esgates, that was a necessity.“
Although I think sports and outdoor activities are great for the community, not everyone is an athlete,” Arlene said. “So when you see parents bringing their kids to see the Junior Theatre or to visit the Fleet, oh my goodness, it’s just so great. I learned at an early age that doing for others and sharing what you love ensures the health of your community.”In 2006, Arlene joined the women of Patrons of the Prado, which has raised more than $2 million for Balboa Park institutions since being formed in 1997. And when it came time to start planning the centennial gala, the all-female Patrons invited some men to the table.The event’s presenting sponsors are former U-T Publisher Doug Manchester and his wife, Geniya. In addition to McGrory, the gala’s major sponsors are Malin Burnham, Valerie and Harry Cooper, Kurt and Andrea Culver, Catherine and Phil Blair, Linda and Mel Katz and the Esgates.“For a major businessman like Richard to give the time and effort that he has given, that is pretty stunning,” Horowitz said.