Dick Hubik was a member of our small high school Sierra Madre cabal of burgeoning adolescents determined to take life by storm. There was nobody like Hubik. We called him 'Dicker.' Dicker was untethered to the expectations of others, nurtured a wicked sense of humor, and dedicated himself to experimenting with everything existence had to offer, consequences be damned. He attacked life with abandon and possessed a smile and laughter emulated only by the nether world . We loved him dearly. When Dicker was around our get- togethers on Grove St. were electric with crafting new boundaries of fun. Our group of buddies spent hours listening to Jimi Hendrix and howling with laughter as billows of Mary Jane leaked out of the windows like Indian smoke signals. We then graduated high school and disappeared into life.
In 1981, I was working as a realtor in Sierra Madre, and I ran into Dicker. He was visiting family and we had a chance to catch up. He shared with me he was going to cooking school, and I replied I would pray for the school. His famous smile and laughter erupted reminding me what i had missed in the immediate years after high school. Our brief encounter was followed by more years of no contact.
Later, as fate would have it, he migrated as a chef to the Mariana Islands, then Hawaii, on to Bobby McGee's in Newport Beach, then finally settled in North Idaho, where he established a very successful restaurant called 'Chef in the Woods.' His last ten years were plagued with sickness and suffering, but he left behind a legacy of fond memories for those of us who knew and loved him well. Dicker made life a wild ride for the whole Grove St. gang. Unforgettable. RIP, brother.
Dicker was a life long friend that started in the 3rd grade at St. Ria's in Sierra Madre for me. This guy was One-Of-A-Kind for sure. Wild & Crazy but mostly crazy until he became a well recognized chef working at various country clubs including La Costa. Then he had a successful restaurant, Chef in the Forest Hauser, ID.
We had malts after school in the malt shop in Sierra Madre (Can't remember the name).
We cruised around town on our bikes and spent a lot of time at Toy and Patio Village and the Sierra Madre pool park etc.. But when we heard the church bell at 5:00pm we raced home for dinner. Our moms only rule for our running around was don’t be late for dinner.
He had his times of getting in trouble but that all changed a couple of years after High School when he enrolled into chef school. He always wanted to be good at things he did but food was the thing he excelled at the most. I didn’t know that he liked cooking but he said he had always liked it just didn’t think of making a living at it until he was 20 something.
He was strong and went through a lot but you would never know it. Lost sight in one eye in grade school, lost hearing in one ear and lost a lung in High School. He just rolled with it and didn't slow his wild & crazy ways at all. Then at 60 ? got Esophageal Cancer. And kept smoking like a chimney.
He loved to laugh and make people laugh and laughed at people.
I lost contact with him for about 15 years or more until Greg Prout accidentally found him on the internet and let me know. That was right after he found out he had cancer and he retired. I kept in touch ever since just to hear him laugh. What a devilish laugh. LOL
Gregory Prout
Dick Hubik was a member of our small high school Sierra Madre cabal of burgeoning adolescents determined to take life by storm. There was nobody like Hubik. We called him 'Dicker.' Dicker was untethered to the expectations of others, nurtured a wicked sense of humor, and dedicated himself to experimenting with everything existence had to offer, consequences be damned. He attacked life with abandon and possessed a smile and laughter emulated only by the nether world . We loved him dearly. When Dicker was around our get- togethers on Grove St. were electric with crafting new boundaries of fun. Our group of buddies spent hours listening to Jimi Hendrix and howling with laughter as billows of Mary Jane leaked out of the windows like Indian smoke signals. We then graduated high school and disappeared into life.
In 1981, I was working as a realtor in Sierra Madre, and I ran into Dicker. He was visiting family and we had a chance to catch up. He shared with me he was going to cooking school, and I replied I would pray for the school. His famous smile and laughter erupted reminding me what i had missed in the immediate years after high school. Our brief encounter was followed by more years of no contact.
Later, as fate would have it, he migrated as a chef to the Mariana Islands, then Hawaii, on to Bobby McGee's in Newport Beach, then finally settled in North Idaho, where he established a very successful restaurant called 'Chef in the Woods.' His last ten years were plagued with sickness and suffering, but he left behind a legacy of fond memories for those of us who knew and loved him well. Dicker made life a wild ride for the whole Grove St. gang. Unforgettable. RIP, brother.
Alan Vocelka
Dicker was a life long friend that started in the 3rd grade at St. Ria's in Sierra Madre for me. This guy was One-Of-A-Kind for sure. Wild & Crazy but mostly crazy until he became a well recognized chef working at various country clubs including La Costa. Then he had a successful restaurant, Chef in the Forest Hauser, ID.
We had malts after school in the malt shop in Sierra Madre (Can't remember the name).
We cruised around town on our bikes and spent a lot of time at Toy and Patio Village and the Sierra Madre pool park etc.. But when we heard the church bell at 5:00pm we raced home for dinner. Our moms only rule for our running around was don’t be late for dinner.
He had his times of getting in trouble but that all changed a couple of years after High School when he enrolled into chef school. He always wanted to be good at things he did but food was the thing he excelled at the most. I didn’t know that he liked cooking but he said he had always liked it just didn’t think of making a living at it until he was 20 something.
He was strong and went through a lot but you would never know it. Lost sight in one eye in grade school, lost hearing in one ear and lost a lung in High School. He just rolled with it and didn't slow his wild & crazy ways at all. Then at 60 ? got Esophageal Cancer. And kept smoking like a chimney.
He loved to laugh and make people laugh and laughed at people.
I lost contact with him for about 15 years or more until Greg Prout accidentally found him on the internet and let me know. That was right after he found out he had cancer and he retired. I kept in touch ever since just to hear him laugh. What a devilish laugh. LOL
We will miss him. What a character! RIP Dicker