The Fremont Podcast
The only podcast dedicated to telling the stories of the people and places of Fremont, CA. The diversity and integration of people and cultures of Fremont truly makes it a special place. This podcast explores these stories.
The Fremont Podcast
Episode 127: Kevin Wing - Honored to Cover the Stories of Our Area
Kevin Wing is a two-time Emmy Award-winning Bay Area television journalist. He grew up in Fremont and was always proud to "show the rest of the country: Hey this is the Bay Area. This is my home."
His website is here.
If you would like to contact The Fremont Podcast, please text us here.
Petrocelli Homes has been a key sponsor of The Fremont Podcast from the beginning. If you are looking for a realtor, get in touch with Petrocelli Homes on Niles Blvd in Fremont.
Haller's Pharmacy is here to help. They have been in our community for decades.
Founder: Ricky B.
Intro and outro voice-overs made by Gary Williams.
Editor: Andrew Cavette.
Scheduling and pre-interviews by the amazing virtual assistant that you ought to hire, seriously, she's great: your.virtual.ace
This is a Muggins Media Podcast.
So whenever we would come up with a Bay Area story or there was something already going on, I just wanted to do my very best to show the rest of the country hey, this is the Bay Area, this is my home. That's not part of the story, right? But I felt so honored to be able to represent the network in covering the stories of our area.
Speaker 2:Coming to you straight from Fremont, california. This is the Fremont Podcast, dedicated to telling the stories of the past and present of the people and places of the city of Fremont, one conversation at a time. Now, here's your host, ricky B.
Speaker 3:You listened to the opening of the podcast with Gary Williams and he lives right over there and so I met him randomly. No, let me back up. I met him when I first moved here, probably about nine years ago, and I had met him randomly, talked to him at devout coffee and then, when he left, somebody said do you know who he is? And I was like I don't know. And they're like, he's like like he does Raiders games, he does Cal, he does Stanford football, he does all these.
Speaker 1:and I was like no way he's like, and he was the voice of channel 5 for, oh really, oh God, for a long time.
Speaker 3:Oh, my word.
Speaker 1:You know, for you know, like saying tonight on Evening Magazine or tonight on Eyewitness News right, stuff like that yeah. He was their voice.
Speaker 3:And I mean I'll go ahead and get started with you. This is Kevin Wing. Kevin Wing has spent much of his life here in Fremont, but probably, if you were to Google him, which I did recently, I Googled you even though my team did a great job of putting together a cheat sheet for me on you man. You had a lot of accolades Emmy nominated You've been working for was it NBC? Here in the Bay Area.
Speaker 1:I've worked for NBC in the bay area, or I I was. I've worked for nbc bay area for, uh, about 14 years, wow. And just recently left for an opportunity with cbs news. Okay, okay, wow, that's that's amazing.
Speaker 3:well, so what I want to do? So I'm I'm just thrilled that you're here and the fact that you've been a freremont resident. You love the city here and this medium of audio capturing stories and stuff like that. This is what you do, and I think I feel just honored to have you here. So even to hear your comments toward me means a lot, so that's great.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean that I mean you're a storyteller too, so that's great. Well, I mean that, I mean you're a storyteller too, and I feel very fortunate to be, able to tell stories whatever's going on. Whether it's going whatever, what's going on in the news or when I interview people, and I mean the types of stories I really love to share with my audience are stories about people, because we all have a story.
Speaker 3:That's right.
Speaker 1:We really do, and I mean I could sit down with someone, anybody. There's a fellow sitting outside right now with a baseball cap. I could sit down with him for 15 minutes. Just tell me a little bit about yourself, right, and before you know it, you know, I hope I would be able to get him to open up about his life right. That's great. I mean, everyone's lives have a story and everyone has an interesting story to tell. That's great, that's great.
Speaker 3:And I think that a lot of times it just takes us on our side. It just takes like the, I would say, when I say are like the average citizen resident. It just takes us stopping to listen. You know, a lot of times we there's stories out there, but we and and and even people telling the stories, but a lot of times we don't listen. And so my hope is to be able to and I think this is probably what you do as well, but my hope is to be able to capture these stories in a way that keeps people's attention and makes them more interested, makes them more curious, and be able to inspire people to get to know their neighbors a little bit better.
Speaker 1:Oh, definitely. I mean what you do is, ricky. It's a wonderful thing for Fremont. It brings people together and you always have guests in your studio with you who have a lot to share and talk about, and all of this helps bring the community together. That's right.
Speaker 3:And that's what it's really all about. That's great. Well, let's hear your story. What got you interested in doing media and the news? And, yeah, what was that?
Speaker 1:story like for you. Well, you know, I tell you, when I was about 10, 11 years old, there were a couple of uh news events that were happening okay at that time that got me interested. Uh, the day that patty hearst was kidnapped in in uh february of 1974 wow I just so happened to be home from school that day. My mom kept me home because I was sick.
Speaker 1:I was you know, had a cold or something, and and so, um, uh, I of course was home and I was watching the news. Later that afternoon my mom would come home and and, and she was watching the news and I was. It was just unfolding in front of me and I remember that you know what was going on with. Going on with Patty Hearst. Very, very well, it stuck in me, wow, it stuck with me.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And later that summer Nixon resigned. So that stuck with me too. Huh, and I thought, oh, what they do on the news on television seemed very interesting to me, so that I think kind of started it all okay. Um, of course I started, you know, writing for the school papers and all of that. But once I got into college I went to Ohlone and then San Jose State. Once I got into college I I thought I thought, okay, I'll try the newspaper, the college paper, I'll try the college radio station, and then I'll try out with the college television station. And so between all three I thought, you know, television seems more fun. Yeah, yeah, the others were fun too, sure, but television really seemed fun. Yeah, the university encouraged us to enroll in their internship program. Okay, and you know, because you get credit for it. And so I applied to Channel 36 in San Jose, because at the time they had their own news department, kicu, and I eventually got an internship with them during the summer of um, during the summer of 86. I was there for about four months.
Speaker 1:Okay, you know, I would, I did everything I mean as far as you know, um, you know getting coffee for the anchors, um, they let me write scripts every now and then okay which was awesome yeah, uh because, because by then I I loved to write.
Speaker 1:And so they said hey, you know, there's a. At the time I remember this there was a, a big wildfire in Yosemite while I was an intern there. And, um, the producer said, hey, I need, I need you to write a, a story about. You know what's going on tonight with the fire up in Yosemite. So I did, and I remember this to this day. It was the lead on the news that evening, for Channel 36. And I was like I don't believe this.
Speaker 3:That's great. This is just terrific right, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I still have that script.
Speaker 3:Oh my word I have a little scrapbook of career things as you should. Yeah, that's awesome, that's really cool.
Speaker 1:The following year I had an opportunity for another internship at Channel 2 in Oakland and interned there for about nine months, uh-huh, and had a chance to go out with the reporters, put together an audition tape, put together, uh, an anchor audition as well, and that place, I I will say I was there. I, I ended up being there, um, as a reporter and as a as an assignment editor for about 13 years. Wow, and that place, really, I really have to give that place credit for, you know, making the journalist who I am still to this day.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It really was just a wonderful experience.
Speaker 3:That's great.
Speaker 2:Please consider donating $1 a month on a reoccurring basis to help this podcast that you enjoy. Buymeacoffeecom. Slash TheFremontPodcast slash membership.
Speaker 1:My mom and dad moved our family here to Fremont when I was a month old. Oh wow, Back in 1963, summer of 63. And that was a long time ago. They were before I was born. My mom and dad and my brother and sister were living in the Berkeley area.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:My dad was from Berkeley and back in those days in the early 60s, early and mid 60s, they just wanted to, you know, have a place of their own. They'd been renting for, you know, since they had gotten married.
Speaker 1:Okay married, okay, and by then my dad's sister, my aunt and uncle had moved here to Fremont the year before, okay, and so you know they wanted to. They thought they'd been out here already and they'd seen you know how Fremont was on the verge of growing, but yet it was still a, you know, still out in the country.
Speaker 3:So to speak Right Right.
Speaker 1:And they wanted to get away from the, the uh, the bustle of Berkeley.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so, uh, they settled, they settled us in Irvington and, uh, you know, nice suburban neighborhood, uh, new schools, new parks and um, uh, you know nice suburban neighborhood, new schools, new parks and you know, just a nice place to grow up, and so that's where I spent probably the first seven or eight years of my life.
Speaker 3:Okay, and did you go to like the Irvington schools then as well?
Speaker 1:I went to. So the elementary school in the neighborhood at the time was Timothy Ricks Elementary. Okay, it's not around anymore. I mean it was built at the time back in the early 60s when that neighborhood was growing and of course a lot of children were in the neighborhood right, and then I guess in the late 70s, from my understanding, because it was basically kindergarten through third grade, okay, and you know, by the late 70s the neighborhood, you know, most of those young kids from the 60s, like myself, you know, had grown up and gone on and there weren't other, you know, young kids of that age for the school to, you know, for them to host and teach.
Speaker 1:So they ended up closing it down. I don't know. I think it was Tri-City Health Center for a long time, if I recall correctly, and now I think it's part of a church.
Speaker 2:I think a church owns it now. Okay.
Speaker 1:Early 70s, after my dad passed away in the 60s and my mom at that time decided that it might be time for a change. Okay, and she started looking around and she loved the Mission area. At the time, early 70ss, a new neighborhood was starting up off of mission boulevard called mission valley. Okay, and for those who um might not know the neighborhood as mission valley, it's the neighborhood where the lucky, the luckiest grocery store used to be okay, the one that just closed down.
Speaker 3:The one that just closed down, wow, wow and so you know, basically lost palmas. Avenue, that neighborhood.
Speaker 1:And she fell in love with it and so she moved us over there in the early 70s and from there I went to Gomes School and then Hopkins. After that Hopkins Junior High.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:Which I guess is now a middle school.
Speaker 3:I think so, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then from there to Mission High. Okay, and so those were really my formative years. I would say Because we were gone from the neighborhood in Irvington by the time I was about eight. Okay, all right. Yeah, so the rest of those you know, I lived at home for probably another till my early 20s, until I got married.
Speaker 3:Okay yeah.
Speaker 3:What is it like looking at an event in a community through a storytelling lens, trying to capture, maybe, the heart of whatever it is that needs to be communicated about what's going on? Because I think a lot of us we look at I'm really going to broad brush this and give a blanket description of this but I think a lot of us, in our normal mindset, we kind of look at the community through a lens of, like a consumer, someone who, what can I get out of it? Or what are the transactionary things within the community? But, like, when you're looking at it and trying to capture a story, when you're trying to capture a narrative that really communicates something, a narrative that really communicates something, what is?
Speaker 1:it like that. You've learned about how you see a community to be able to see things the way that you've been able to see them. Well, you know, in my years as a journalist and whenever I've done a story about Fremont, something going on in Fremont, yeah, something going on in Fremont I know that every community I say this in the general sense, but I think for the most part, every community when their story is being told, whether it's an unfortunate, not such a good news story.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It might be about a crime. It might be about something else.
Speaker 3:Disaster or something, yeah, right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Or if it's a good news story Sure, you're doing a story about you know someone who lives here, yeah, or something that's going on in Fremont that will be to the the story. Whatever the story is and wherever the community is to really understand what they care about, understand what they care about and um to never, you know, never. Um the last thing.
Speaker 1:I'd ever want to do as a journalist is to offend uh, you know people, yeah, yeah, and I, I believe I've done I hope I've done a pretty good job of just trying to represent, you know, a community in the best way possible whenever I'm talking about them. You know, for a new story.
Speaker 3:Well, that's great. I think that I love hearing that because I know that the media at least when I hear it from people the media gets a bad rap a lot of times. You know they get a bad rap. Oh, they've got to create a story somehow. They've got to. They've got to, you know, get, get followers. They've got to get people listening to them. So they've got to come up with ways of being able to craft a story so that you know people will listen to them and not not another news news channel, channel, um.
Speaker 3:But so a lot of times you can have in your mind that there's just like this plan and this agenda out there to be able to just to you know there's something bigger and outside of the community that people are interested in. But I'm listening to you and I'm I'm truly hearing what you're saying. Um, I think at the heart of what you want to do is that you really want to share the good and, um, the don't want to say that I think accurate. But I was going to say more of the most honest story of what's going on so that people can see it in a way that helps them be able to see the good in the community. That's what I'm hearing from you, at least.
Speaker 1:No, you're exactly right. You're exactly right, ricky. I think every journalist has to have respect, for, you know, here we're talking about communities, right? We, in our jobs as journalists, we have to do our very, very best to respect. Whenever we come into town to do a story, we have to understand how those stories are going to affect the people who live here, whether it's in a good way or, unfortunately, perhaps not such a good way. That's right, yeah, but I never take it for granted, especially in this town, because this is my hometown. Yeah, fremont, that's right, yeah, Um, but I, I never take it for granted, especially in this town, because this is, this is my hometown. Yeah, fremont's my home. Yeah, um, I, I, I do my very best all the time as a journalist never to take um what I do for granted, Um, and that I've been given this um, uh, this, uh skill and this tool as a communicator to tell those stories.
Speaker 1:Right, that's great, Uh, I mean it's a privilege and I never want. I would never want any audience or any you know, whether it's an audience or the residents of Fremont or any any community to feel as though I'm uh trying to make them look not so good. Yeah, that's great. Always want to do my best to, you know, put them in the best life possible.
Speaker 3:What are some of the, what are some of the um highlights of your, of your um career? And it doesn't necessarily have to be specifically Fremont focused, because because I know your job wasn't just Fremont, right when you were doing the work that you've been doing. You've been doing it all over the Bay Area, but what are some of the things? So maybe there's something that was unexpected that you were able to you know, become aware of or be able to experience, or maybe like just even some recognition. I mean, what are some of the highlights of your career that you look back on personally?
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you know, my family has always been very important to me, especially my mom, and she's passed on now. But when I first started out and she would see me on the news on Channel 2, that's one of the highlights.
Speaker 3:That's great.
Speaker 2:Of having your family.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Um, being being able to, to watch you and see what you do. My mom was always very encouraging, always said to me when I was growing up you know, I want you to do what you want to do. Um, you know, you know, and, and when you know what you want to do, you know to do your best at it and work hard, and so so that that that was always a highlight for me as far as my, my work in television is concerned. You know, when I, for several years, I was a producer for ABC News okay, um, I was based here, of course, um, and I would report stories for Good Morning America and World News Tonight and I would cover basically all of Northern California in the Bay Area, uh, you know, say down to Central California and, um, I was very proud of this area, the Bay Area.
Speaker 1:Um, as far as whatever we were reporting on, whether it was a news story or a feature story or we were doing a profile about somebody, I always wanted to do my very best to represent the Bay Area in the very best way. In the very best way. I mean, I felt very honored to be able to do that type of work for ABC for almost 11 years Wow. You know that they would entrust me to do this type of work for them right.
Speaker 1:And so, whenever we would come up with a Bay Area story or there was something already going on, I just wanted to, you know, do my very best to show the rest of the country. Hey, this is the Bay Area you know. I felt so honored to be able to represent the network in covering the stories of our area.
Speaker 3:Of our area. That's awesome. What was your? Did you have a particular niche? I know sometimes people cover politics specifically, or people cover, you know, weather or whatever. What was your niche that you had, or did you have one specifically over your?
Speaker 1:career. I think my niche it's probably double-sided is doing stories about people. Okay, Something I love to do. I mean, I love to talk to people and, as I was telling you, I love to find out what makes them tick, what's their story, right yeah. Because we all have our own stories, and I love doing feature stories too.
Speaker 3:So what does that look like? A?
Speaker 1:feature story. Oh God To me in my mind if I were to say, for example, if I were to do a feature story about the Niles District. Sure, I mean, the history here is so colorful right. Right, Um, you know, from Charlie Chaplin to you know how this, uh, Niles Boulevard, this historic district, has grown through the years and how um Niles and the city of Fremont have managed to, you know, preserve what Niles is. That's the kind of story I love to do.
Speaker 2:That's cool.
Speaker 3:Talking to the people who live here and work here.
Speaker 1:And why is this part of town so special? Yeah, I love doing those kinds of stories, very, very much.
Speaker 3:That's cool. What are some of the stories or maybe some of the people that you've interviewed that have been? That might be, maybe maybe this is a better way of asking it Like, what are some of the experiences that you've had in telling your stories and finding your stories that might surprise the average person that lives in Fremont? So, like you know you a lot of times, you might, you know, capture some of the big events. Everyone knows that, you know, the Fourth of July parade is happening, or there's the Art and Wine Festival or whatever. Those are some of the big stories.
Speaker 3:Actually, I should say, not everybody knows about them, because I'm so surprised how many people I talk to and they're like, what is this? And like, yeah, there's like 30,000 people come to this event and I didn't even know it was here. You know, um, or maybe it was a hundred thousand people, I don't know. There's a lot of people that go to that event, um, but what are some of the things that you have covered? Um, maybe a specific one that you remember? Uh, it was a special one. Um, that might be a surprise to people who live in Fremont now. Or just some things that maybe, uh, people are unaware of, or or maybe that was a surprise to you even when you were, when you were covering a story in Fremont.
Speaker 1:So a story about Fremont yeah.
Speaker 2:Let me let me think.
Speaker 1:You know I've, I've, I've always, I've always loved doing if I've ever been assigned to do a story about Fremont, whether it's how it's growing or what's what's new like with the downtown area, the development of the downtown area yeah. Yeah, I guess, because I don't outwardly say, hey, I'm from Fremont, sure, I'm gonna own this story, right, I don't go that way right.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, I, I just I don't, I don't go that way, yeah, but um, uh, but on the same token in my mind I know that I know fremont very well this- area very well right. So, um, so, when I'm doing a story and, uh, you know what I hope, that, uh, you know I I suppose what I hope the viewers and listeners and readers as well, you know, might, might be surprised to know is that oh, hey he's one of us, oh yeah, you know he he, uh, he has history here yes he and his family uh, have strong roots here and and uh, you know he really cares.
Speaker 1:You know if, if they look me up or want to find out more about me, um, they will realize that oh yeah, Fremont is really, you know, strong in his, in his life. That's great.
Speaker 2:And um yeah that's cool.
Speaker 1:I mean, I'm, I don't live here anymore, but I, I I'm still a part of this community, very much, I think, those who live here and again, of course, I don't live here any longer. Sure, I wish I did One thing. This is a very Fremont has become a very expensive place, that's right. It is so hard for a lot of people to be able to buy something here.
Speaker 3:Especially someone like yourself, who grew up here. Your whole life, this is a place that has been your home.
Speaker 1:It's been everything you've known for a lot of what you remember. Oh yeah, exactly, I mean you're exactly right, I mean this is my memories of Fremont, you know, go back to you know as far back as the late 60s right. And I know how much it has changed. I mean I'm grateful that many, many years ago in another chapter of my life, I mean I was able to buy a home here at that time. But things have changed so much in terms of how much homes do cost.
Speaker 3:That's right, right yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's you know. I know too that the city is. You know City Hall is. You know all of our elected officials. They're doing their very, very best to provide affordable housing for the population and such, and I hope they'll continue to do that. But even with those, they are still expensive. Yeah that's right. So you know. Hence, you know I'm more than just a few miles away from Fremont, but you know I love living where I live now.
Speaker 3:Sure.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I wish Fremont were more affordable. Yeah.
Speaker 3:What are some of the things and this is maybe more towards your craft as a storyteller so what are some of the things that you maybe just in the craft of storytelling, that you maybe just in the craft of storytelling that you have learned about how to be able to discover those interesting parts of the story, the things that really help people pay attention? What are some of the things that you've learned about storytelling and I know that you went to school for this, but I think there's a lot you can learn in the classroom, but then you learn a whole lot when you're just out there with people. I mean, what is there anything that comes to mind that you think was just has been really a big lesson that you've learned in that, in that art?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, uh, that's a great question actually, and I I would probably say that, um, you know any type of story that could, you know, inspire the human spirit? That's something I've learned over time. I mean the media being a part of the media, mainstream media, is not just an honor, but it's a privilege, sure, and I don't take that lightly, and anyone who might say that I do doesn't know me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I have so much gratitude for the work that I do. I mean this is what I've always wanted to do and I love doing it and it doesn't feel like work at all. That's great. But I think what I've learned through time, through the years, is that when I'm able to do stories that can inspire people, I think that's so important, not just for this area, not just for Fremont, but for any community. You know we're all, you know most all of us. You know we have our struggles this period of time in our place in history right now in this you know 2024, 21st century. Place in history right now in this you know 2024, 21st century Um, you know we're uh there. There are so many challenges, I think, for society and um. What I think can bring us together, uh, is just understanding each other, one another, understanding one another more.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So through the storytelling, I try to look for that, I try to look for, you know, any opportunity. Sometimes there are no opportunities. Sure, to you know, tell a story in a certain way. Yeah, you know, tell a story in a certain way right.
Speaker 1:Sometimes a breaking story or an unfortunate, sad news story. I mean, you don't have much time to tell it, but I think that there's some way that a journalist like myself can reach out to the audience in a way that shows that. Sure, I may not know you personally, I cannot say that I live on your street or shop at the same grocery store as you or shop at the same grocery store as you, but if there's something going on in your community, whether it's good, or there's something that's not so good, I would just want everybody to know that I want to do my very best to understand the community and how to get that message across, and and and try to tell a story in a balanced, in a very balanced way. Right, Not one sided, you know, get, get everyone, you know as many opinions and and, and, um, you know, interview as many people as as I can to to tell the story completely. That's great. I think that's probably the best way. That's great.
Speaker 1:Just trying to do stories like that. That would inspire people, inspire the human spirit.
Speaker 3:Well, as we wrap it up, I want to ask you what else is your life? What else does Kevin Wing do with his life besides creating stories for the media? Like what are some of the things that you enjoy doing with your extra time? And like do you have any hobbies, anything else that you just really enjoy doing?
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I love doing my best to stay in shape for many, many years.
Speaker 2:That's great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I try.
Speaker 2:Yeah we all do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we all try.
Speaker 1:I used to be a runner. I was a runner for a long time. All right, and I don't do so much of that anymore. You know, as they told me, you know at the time it's like you know, running is terrific. You know, good for your part, and and, uh, and and and everything, but it's it's also hard on your joints.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's right yeah.
Speaker 1:So I've, I've embraced other other other ways to, you know, stay in shape and get out there and get fresh air. That's great. I love to be on my bike, that's great. I even love, you know, long walks. And I want to get back into tennis. I'm, even though I was a runner for a long time. I was also a tennis player for a long time.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:And so, as you know, as I've gotten older, my, you know, my knees, have, you know, kind of been telling me? To slow down a little bit but I want to get back out there again on the courts and, um, I mean, tennis is such a wonderful sport and, uh, not not just for exercise, but just um, to have fun. That's great. So I love all that. I love to read. I love to travel, yeah.
Speaker 3:Do you? I'm just curious. I don't even know that this is true of you, but do you have you dabbled? I know you said that you did some writing for the newspaper. You helped out at Ohlone. You dabbled in. You did some radio work and then most of what your career has been with television. Have you done anything else that maybe does not pertain to news along the lines of the same media? Have you tried writing any books or short stories? Have you done anything like that? That maybe wouldn't be directly connected to your news career but it's kind of along the same lines of what you, what you love.
Speaker 1:Uh, yeah, you know, uh, I'm an aspiring author.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:Uh, I want to write some children's books, something I've always wanted to do. Uh, children's books with with a message, right, um, you know, a good message, you, you know, for the kids to to read, that's great and um, and, and one day I'd like to, um, if I'm, if I may be so uh, bold to say, but I would like to write a story, I'm sorry, a book just about my own life experiences. That's I'm, and I'm hoping to inspire people with that in the sense of um, you know, we, we, we, all of us, just need to be kind to one another.
Speaker 1:Um, it's not that hard you know, and I'm not trying to preach to anybody, Um, but I think the the, the premise of this book comes from my own experience as a kid growing up here in town. I was born with a birth defect. It didn't really surface until I was around seven or eight and my mom took me to the best doctors UCSF Med Center. The best doctors UCSF Med Center. They said we can take care of him but we've got to wait until he's full grown.
Speaker 1:We may have to wait until he's out of high school. During that time of my life there was a lot of taunting and bullying and teasing that was going on, and so I know it might sound strange to say I'm grateful for that experience, but it helped me to be more, to have empathy for others, and I got a second chance as well.
Speaker 1:Not everybody gets a second chance. Yeah, my mom asked me around the time I was 20 and she said do you, do you want to go through with that surgery? And I said yeah, mom, because, um, you know, I'm tired of being stared at, I'm tired of being, you know, you know someone pointing a finger at me or whatever. And I, I do believe that it helped. Once I had the surgery, um, no doubt it changed my life. Yeah, and I I owe that to my mom because, um, uh, the the surgery was considered cosmetic and so the insurance company at the time wouldn't pay for it Wow.
Speaker 1:So she made some wonderful arrangement with UCSF Med Center back then to go through with the surgery and to pay for it, say over the course of four or five years Wow, and that was a gift to me that's great, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:And so.
Speaker 1:I'd like to write a. That's great.
Speaker 3:That's awesome and so so I'd like to write a book about that that's awesome, you know, and and uh, hopefully to inspire other people. I hope you do, I hope you do.
Speaker 3:I hope it's something that you really really are able to do, pursue.
Speaker 3:Those kinds of stories are are really important for us and I think that oftentimes you can hear, um, you hear about those situations after the fact when there's been a disaster or a tragedy connected to it. You know people have been bullied, made fun of or whatever, and you, just you hear, you hear about it when their life has gone a bad direction or a place that that it it's not, you know, not good. But to hear a story where you went through some of those horrible things but then to have your mom be able to come along and really help you, see you through that and then, like you said, give you a second chance where you are able to experience a whole different experience, you know a whole, a whole different um experience after the fact. And I think that that's that's just really really cool. And now you're out there telling other people's stories and helping them make uh help, helping uh share um what made, to make what's made a difference in with them as well. So I think that's great.
Speaker 1:Really, really cool. It's what I love doing. Yeah, I love telling those stories.
Speaker 3:That's great. I love telling those stories, that's great Well, kevin, thank you so much for being with us on the podcast. I've loved having you here. It's a privilege, and you know I'll look forward to reading your book someday. I look forward to hearing your story and being able to share it with my kids as well. Thank you very much, ricky.
Speaker 1:I appreciate that. Thank you for the invitation to be here today. This has been an honor for me and, as I was mentioning to you earlier, I'm a fan of your podcast.
Speaker 2:Oh, thanks.
Speaker 1:And I'm very honored to be here with you Awesome.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you for that. This episode was hosted and produced by Ricky B. I'm Gary Williams, andrew Kvet is the editor. Scheduling and pre-interviews by Sarah S. Be sure to subscribe wherever it is that you listen so you don't miss an episode. You can find everything we make the podcast and all of our social media links at thefremontpodcastcom. Join us next week on the Fremont Podcast.
Speaker 1:So when I was a student at Ohlone back in the early mid-80s, Okay. And this is, of course, after I graduated from Mission High, and at Mission High I was on the school paper there, okay, and that's where I really fell in love with journalism.
Speaker 3:That's great.
Speaker 1:So when I got to Ohlone, um, I of course signed up for the college newspaper and I was with the college paper for, I think, for a couple of years, um, and at one point I was doing the college paper not just as a writer but, as you know, a page editor and eventually, um, uh, editor in chief, okay, okay, but I was also spinning records and playing the role of news director for KOHL Radio, wow, and then being an anchor for the television newscast for Ohlone right, so I was doing all three at the same time at one point.
Speaker 3:This is a Muggins Media Podcast.