MEET JOHN.

Isla Vista has always been home for John Grable. That’s no exaggeration – he’s lived here for 53 years, the last 18 of which he’s spent at Friendship Manor.

“As long as the positives outweigh the negatives, I will stay here,” John said.

John grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, just a couple of hours south of Santa Barbara. In 1969,

the 25-year-old headed to the local employment agency where a banner caught his eye:

“Lemon Pickers Needed, Goleta, California.”

So, John and his friend caught a northbound bus and picked lemons for about a day and a half

before quitting. “We said, ‘Screw this, this isn’t happening,’” he laughed.

They plopped down on the curb of Hollister Avenue, stuck out their thumbs, and climbed into a

little blue car. “Take us to the nearest beach, please,” said John. The next thing he knew, he was standing at the El Embarcadero beach access.

“That was it. I was home.”

Over 53 years, he’s witnessed Isla Vista’s history shape it into what it is today. On February 25, 1970, John stood within the crowd that witnessed the historic burning of the Bank of America in Isla Vista - located where UC Santa Barbara’s Embarcadero Hall now stands. The demonstration had been an act of protest against the Vietnam War. Local activists viewed the bank as a symbol of corporatism, and several of them placed a lit trash can inside the building.

“Chaos, thousands of people in the streets, cops, national guard, the bank burned to the ground,” Grable recalled. “People broke a lot of real estate windows with rocks and things. Many of us marched on the freeway, shut down traffic, made a lot of people angry.”

Police began shooting off tear gas and arresting student activists. One 22-year-old student, Kevin Moran, was shot and killed while attempting to quell the violence and chaos, according to UCSB’s Library archive.

Grable recalls a police car being overturned and set on fire by activists. He watched as the National Guard drove through the streets of Isla Vista with machine guns hanging out the sides of Jeeps. “I made the curfew, I didn’t want to go to jail for any of that stuff. I didn’t throw the rocks or anything but I knew people that did,” he said.

"That was it. I was home."

"Chaos, thousands of people in the streets."

Over the years, Grable always stayed local, but he never really stayed put. He crashed with friends, spent five years in a camper, and even lived in a teepee in the mountains for several years while giving horseback tours at Rancho Oso Resort.

When his father passed away in 2003, he received an inheritance and immediately moved into Friendship Manor. The building had still been a dormitory – the College Inn – when he moved to IV in 1969, before becoming Friendship Manor in 1973. The choice was obvious: Gradle knew he wanted to stay in Isla Vista, so he couldn’t imagine a better place to retire.

Grable’s spent the last 18 years at Friendship Manor. Since he moved in at just 59 years-old, he’s started each morning with an hour-long beach cleanup walk around the beach and lagoon.

“I kept track in one year of doing my morning rounds, I may have found $150,” he said. “Lot of drugs, lot of pot, the occasional hypodermic needle I don’t like to see,” he said.

CBS News Archive Audio from 1970 Bank of America Burning:

Photo Credit: UCSB Associated Students Living History Project

Gradle occupies his days playing guitar, hanging out with fellow residents, and beading decorative bags and knife sheaths. He spends as much time in nature as possible, and enjoys gazing at the sun, moon, and stars from his bedroom window.

According to Gradle, the hardest part about getting older is the swarm of health problems that come with aging. Walking has become more difficult, and Gradle has arthiritis in both hips as well as scoliosis.

“I’m shrinking,” he laughed. “But I try to keep a good attitude and just be happy that I’m still here and functioning at all.”

Gradle says he’s facing a catch-22: “I don’t want to be old, and I don’t want to be dead. And

there’s no option C,” he said.

However, he’s appreciated the wisdom he’s acquired over the years – knowing the

mistakes he’s made and knowing not to make them again.

“Fortunately, I’ve lived long enough to become of how to behave towards people to treat

them better. And I do that and I feel good about myself…not being vain or anything,

but being comfortable with myself.”

He’s also seen a lot over the years – including waking up one morning to a naked woman walking

down the stairs. “It was far from attractive, it kind of freaked me out,” Gradle said, shaking his head.

“One of the women who works in the kitchen said, ‘Aurora, there’s a naked woman up there and I can’t deal with it,” he laughed.

"I don't want to be old, and I don't want to be dead."