Eastside celebrates youth group director on his retirement

Gil Ward can’t easily recall the fine details about his sixth-grade basketball tournament experiences at the Boys and Girls Club of the Harbor Area.

The team, the coach, the opponents’ names — they haven’t stuck in his mind decades later.

“But I remember Harlan,” Ward recalled. “He was proud of me, and that meant a lot.”

Ward was among dozens of people who turned out at the club’s Lou Yantorn branch in Eastside Costa Mesa on Thursday evening to celebrate the retirement of Harlan Andersen, the legendary director at the youth facility whose 42 years of service have influenced the lives of an estimated 123,000 children.

Club alumni, staff and supporters poured into the basketball gym for the festivities, many of them recalling how Andersen, 64, encouraged them as they played ball.

Andersen, whose latest title at the organization was special-events coordinator, started working for the Harbor Area clubs in 1972. He spent much of his time at the Lou Yantorn branch on Tustin Avenue.

During the party, staffers fondly recalled his extra skills as plumber, locksmith, roofer, electrician and gym floor carpenter for the facility. Andersen was presented with several gifts, including a set of golf clubs and a Boys and Girls Club jersey bearing the number 42.

Staffers also announced the creation of an honorary scholarship fund in Andersen’s name.

Andersen’s college roommate, Jim Arbogast, traveled from Florida to celebrate his old friend’s retirement milestone. The two played basketball together at Chapman University, where Andersen, class of 1972, later earned a spot in its athletic hall of fame.

“He forced me to come down here,” Andersen said of Arbogast. “And I never left.”

Arbogast, who also worked at the club, said the best years of his life were spent with Andersen.

“He’s a tremendous person, with a great family,” Arbogast said.

“He’s a guy’s guy and he’s a person who really cares about the community,” added Mayor Steve Mensinger. “And this is what makes Costa Mesa great.”

When it was his turn to speak, an emotional Andersen left the crowd with few words other than “Thank you.”

Later, he said it was heartwarming to see the crowd there to support him.

“I get emotional and I can’t talk,” he said with a smile. Andersen said he’s not leaving Costa Mesa and will still serve as president of the city’s Kiwanis. He also wants to organize a basketball tournament.

Andersen said his decades with the Boys and Girls Club “flew by.” He added that he felt a little sheepish during all the kind words said about him.

“I don’t want it to be about me,” he said. “I want it to be about the kids.”