DELIVERING NEWS TO MID-COLUMBIA SENIORS SINCE 1982
MAY 2023
Vol. 11 | Issue 5
For this music man, it was never about the spotlight By Sara Schilling sara@tcjournal.biz
There’s something about Ron Rolla that not many people know. He isn’t much for small talk, so he doesn’t often bring it up. But if you happen to be in his Kennewick home, he may show you framed album covers from his time in The Eligibles, a quartet that shot to success in the 1950s and ’60s. Rolla, 86, sang bass in the group, which made records, backed up Hollywood stars of the era and appeared on TV and the big screen. “One couple (from church) knows. In fact, I gave them a CD of (one of our albums), and when they drive down to Arizona every year, they listen to it and sing along. One of the songs is ‘Rollin’ Dust,’ with me going, ‘rollin’ dust, rollin’ dust,’” Rolla said, singing the last bit in his rich bass. For Rolla, music has never been about the spotlight. It’s about joy, pure and simple. “It is such a large part of me. I find it difficult to spend any time without
Photo by Sara Schilling Ron Rolla, 86, of Kennewick, sang bass in The Eligibles, a quartet that rose to success in the 1950s and ’60s and recorded albums including “Along the Trail.” Music is still a big part of Rolla’s life, decades after his time in the spotlight with the group. He sings in the choir at Kennewick First Lutheran Church
having music playing. I go to sleep to music, I wake up to music,” Rolla said. “It makes me happy.”
A musical gamble
Rolla, who grew up in Renton, didn’t
set out to be a musician. Instead, he was studying engineering at the University of Washington and working the overnight shift at Boeing as an inspector. But music came call-
ing, and Rolla answered. “I was in a fraternity (at UW). There were four of us from Renton High School who were in that fraternity,” Rolla said. They formed a quartet and started singing at college events. Around the time Rolla was a junior, the friends decided to head to Los Angeles. They stayed with another friend from Renton who was living in L.A. and started performing around town. “I remember one time, we went into the lobby (of a hotel) and just sang there. A fella came up and gave us $50 for singing a particular song (he liked),” Rolla said. The group found a manager and their profile began to rise. “We’d go to the colleges around there and sing. We went to Las Vegas with Eartha Kitt, singing background. We sang at the Dunes (hotel and casino) with Zsa Zsa Gabor,” Rolla recalled. They also booked corporate gigs and special events. uMUSIC MAN, Page 2
Tri-Cities’ last stop for collectible car parts is for sale By Laura Kostad for Senior Times
A sturdy man, long of beard and hair, walked before a lineup of American metal, wearing an insulated plaid flannel, reinforced work pants secured by a GMC belt buckle, and dusty engineer’s boots. A late model Audi pulled up and a man leaned across the console to call out the window, “Are you Dan?” “I am,” he replied, and they began talking cars and parts. “I have to keep a low profile,” said Dan Stafford after the car pulled away.
“That happens a lot.” Stafford is the longtime owner of Dan’s Garage in Kennewick. It’s tucked in alongside Twin City Metals and between two sets of railroad tracks in an old Union 76 Gas Station, fronted by a row of aging muscle cars spanning the decades. After over 40 years of collecting an extensive repository of automobile history from around the Northwest and more than 4,000 vehicles passing through his yard, Stafford said it’s time to pass the labor of love on to someone new. He’s ready to sell the business. Behind the unassuming old gas sta-
tion stretches stacked antique and vintage car bodies and parts, some outside, some in outbuildings, all meticulously labeled and identified with wax pencil and organized by type of part. Once upon a time, there were homes on the property. Their long-ago tree plantings now tower over, dropping leaves on the vehicles preserved by the dry climate. It’s a 2.5-acre car restorer’s paradise, especially for General Motors enthusiasts. “It’s kind of like an amusement park, except all the rides are broken,” Stafford quipped.
The 71-year-old said wrecking yards devoted to restoration are a vanishing species. “Sometimes the property gets too valuable to stay in business. They sell off and the buyer usually has the cars crushed up and the ground cleaned up and that’s the end of it. Sometimes I don’t hear about it until it’s too late. A lot of great stuff has been lost that way,” he said somberly. “If you want a wrecking yard, it’s easier to buy an existing one than to start a new one. Zoning has to be uDAN’S GARAGE, Page 10
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
He fought with a future president and to expand the West
Page 5
MONTHLY QUIZ
Meet the new owners of the iconic Spudnut Shop
Page 7
Richland High School, as it is currently named, was formerly Columbia High School. When was it founded? ANSWER, PAGE 9
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