Hap Trout

Hap Trout, age 74, of Grants Pass, died Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at his home.

A memorial service will be at 12:00 Noon, Saturday, February 28, 2009 at the Elks Club with Bob Goldenburg officiating. Hull & Hull Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Josephine County Relay for Life, 31 W 6th Street, Medford, Oregon 97501.

Hap was born Raymond Martin Trout on June 1, 1934 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He attended Catholic schools for his elementary years and then public high school, where he starred in baseball, basketball and football. Upon graduation, and some college, he joined the United States Air Force during the Korean conflict and served four years. While in the USAF, he was assigned at one point to AFRS, the Defense department’s system of entertaining troops stationed abroad. Here, he learned many aspects of the broadcasting trade and used that information to acquire similar work upon his discharge. Moving to California in 1957, he landed a job with a small radio station in Palm Springs, which led to a syndicated radio program entitled, “Celebrity Showcase,” where Hap interviewed hundreds of celebrities including former United States Presidents, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra. He once played nine holes of golf with President Eisenhower, after one of “Ike’s” golfing partners wasn’t available. Hap went on to run KCBQ in San Diego and KFRC in San Francisco as vice president and general manager.

In the early 1970s, Hap decided to go into his own business and bought a cocktail lounge in Pasadena, California. That led to a larger Country & Western roadhouse in the San Fernando Valley, which he called, “Hap’s O.K. Corral.” This was followed by the purchase of the Crossroads, a major downtown Los Angeles restaurant in the World Trade Center. Upon selling this latest venture, he and his wife Dawn decided to move to southwestern Oregon. In 1990 he moved from southern California to Grants Pass where Hap who was basically retired, bought and sold property and maintained rental properties.

Hap was a longtime member of the Rogue River Relics, the famed senior softball program for Grants Pass. He was also a member of the local Elks lodge and founded a “traveling dinner group” that dined at a different eatery every month for many years.

During his very active years, Hap played sports, enjoyed deep sea fishing, extensive travel, creative writing, and fine dining. He leaves behind an anthology of poetry and short stories, as well as an unfinished novel.

One of his wishes upon his death was to have his personally created epitaph published. Ergo, it follows here:

“Here lied Hap the Trout,
Who never had a doubt,
This day would come,
And bring to some,
A day to do without.”

Survivors include his wife, Dawn Trout of Grants Pass; two brothers; and three children.