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In one form or another, everyone keeps score. Chester Farrow, however, gets paid to do it.
The Walnut Creek resident has been the official scoreboard operator for the Oakland Athletics since 1969, which was the Green-and-Gold's second season in the East Bay after relocating from Kansas City. It has been a dream job for the 65-year-old baseball fan, who played shortstop at Pittsburg High School before graduating in 1961.
"I feel very fortunate to be here this long," Farrow said during a conversation at McAfee Coliseum, just prior to the A's taking the field to play the Minnesota Twins. "I'm what you call an ardent fan, in that I have to watch every pitch. But here's the thing: What do I want to do at a baseball game? I want to watch every pitch."
Besides keeping track of balls and strikes, Farrow worked from 1967 to 1999 as a teacher at Monte Vista High School in Danville. A teacher, of course, is another example of a scorekeeper, one who uses letter grades and test results to track progress.
Farrow might not remember all the scores he gave his students during his 32 years at Monte Vista, which were spent teaching a variety of multimedia subjects, including TV broadcasting, video editing and live performance production. But many of his former students remember him fondly and still rate Farrow with a perfect score as a teacher.
That's why some of these students, including a few that live hundreds of miles
Farrow is the promoter of the event, which began in 1999 as a showcase for East Bay music instructor Bruce Hock's guitar students. It will feature some 55 guitarists, who range from near-beginners to those ready for prime time, and will be filmed for broadcast on public access television. For those who can't wait for the TV screening, and who can't make the actual show, the concert will also be shown live at www.rockandrollrecital.com.
It's an elaborate production, one that seems to grow more extravagant each day, and it's being driven in large part by Farrow's former students. They want to use the occasion, the recital's 10th anniversary, as a way to show their gratitude for what Farrow has done for them. Many of these Monta Vista alumni are working in the multimedia/TV/broadcasting business and they credit Farrow as a big reason why.
"Outside of my immediate family, nobody has been a bigger influence on my life than Chester Farrow," says Mitch Riggin, Monta Vista class of 1985. "He was just a magnet for students, for people who want to learn."
Riggin works as a television director for Fox Sports in Arizona, spending most of his time on broadcasts for Major League Baseball's Diamondbacks. He's at the top of his field, having won several Emmys. He has worked on such major events as the World Series and the Olympics.
For Riggin, it started in Farrow's classrooms. He learned so much in high school, he says, that he was well ahead of the pack when he got to college. Upon Riggin's graduation from Chico State, Farrow helped him land a paid internship working with the Golden State Warriors. "He got my foot in the door," Riggin says.
Ian Williamson is another former student — class of '94 — who's returning to help out with the recital.
The Pleasant Hill resident owns a multimedia company, but he got his first break working in television through one of Farrow's many contacts in the industry.
"I never quite feel like I've made up for him giving me that first break," Williamson said of why he agreed to work at the concert. "It's hard to say no to the person who helped define how your life goes."
There are many ways to keep score of Farrow's accomplishments. One can look at his 40 seasons behind the scoreboard, which have earned him four World Series Championship rings, or his 32 years at Monte Vista, where he taught countless classes and after-school programs as well as promoting numerous concerts at the high school featuring such notable local acts as Journey, Y&T and Huey Lewis.
Yet, the score that seems to matter most when it comes to this scorekeeper is the number of former students who are willing to drop everything and journey home for the annual Rock & Roll Recital. "When I do a show," Farrow said, "they all come to help."
Reach Jim Harrington at 925-945-4717 or jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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