For a couple of years, in the 1958-60 period, I think, I was the best friend of Michael "Cub" Koda. He moved to the little town of Clinton, Mich. He was short, full of guts and the guy every girl loved and every jock hated.

I remember at recess he would stand on the merry-go-round and sing while the girls pushed it around and around. He said then he would be a singer. You knew he would be. He was brash and he was good. And he took the name "Cub" from Cubbie on the Mickey Mouse Club.

Jocks would try to pick fights with him. They envied his popularity. He was mouthy and did not buy into their garbage. He also did not hesitate to shock his teachers and classmates. I remember when we were in 7th grade he brought up that he looked at Playboy. We had no idea what that magazine was. He had to explain it to me and other members of the class. The teacher sent him to the principal. You can bet a lot of us looked at Mike's Playboys after that.

Clinton was the typical hick town. Fifteen hundred people in the whole town. Mike, as I called him, was "advanced" for his age. He spent the night at my house a couple of times. I liked him, looked up to him, admired him. We were just friends. Good students. He was outspoken, I was shy.

When we were about 12, he moved away, about 10 miles away to the town of Manchester. His father, I think,owned the newspaper.

Since we were too young to drive and nobody could afford a long-distance telephone call in those days, I lost track of Mike. I realize he went on to a degree of fame with Brownsville Station. I moved far from Michigan and never had a chance to see him when he was successful.

Only in recent years did I learn through a fellow newspaperman with the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Mike had a long career as a writer. I was pleased since I also chose writing as a career.

Then about a year ago I learned he had died. I am sorry I did not try to become reacquainted with him. But I want his family and friends to know what a great guy he was. At 11-years-old, Mike Koda was a rebel. He spoke out. He gave a lot of us hope. Power to people like him..

Ed Vogel
Minden, Nevada

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(If you have a story about Cub, something funny, how you met, etc., please email them to: webmaster@cubkoda.com so that they can be added for others to enjoy!)