On the Links (final edition)
By Brian Sumpter
Record-Bee sports editor (Aug. 1984-July 2023)
This is John Berry’s final On the Links column, and my biggest regret is that John isn’t here to write it himself. I am still trying to wrap my head around John’s passing Monday night because it’s hard to imagine a world without him, and I’m not the only one thinking that right now.
As John’s former “boss,” and I use the term loosely because although I hired John as a golf columnist for the Record-Bee way back in 1985, I really wasn’t his boss. John wrote what he wanted to write about, and I just edited the column and enjoyed it. The column ran weekly from 1985 through today, with only a couple of interruptions, and I learned from it and laughed at the humorous parts (especially concerning Lake County happenings) while earning my undergraduate golfing degree from the useful information it supplied.
Berry was so much more than a golf columnist for the Record-Bee. When I first met him, he was still traveling to all sorts of places as an avid amateur golfer competing at courses in all corners of the state, most of which I couldn’t find on a map if I tried.
Berry’s real job was in education, and he spent most of those years – 33 to be exact — at Mountain Vista Middle School in Kelseyville, finally retiring in 2013. Kelseyville High hired him as head golf head coach in 1983, only a couple of seasons before I arrived on the Lake County scene in the late summer of 1984. He built a dynasty there and coached the who’s who of Kelseyville High golf talent – Mike Lyndall, Shawn Auten, Brels Solomon, Aaron Speed, Jonathan Carlson, Nick Hamilton, Jose Perez, Adam Giusti, Brent Hamilton, Nick Schaefer, Jonathan Bridges, Hipolito Perez Jr., Tyler Drake, Corey Huber and Matt Wotherspoon, just to name a few. Many went on play collegiate golf and a few even turned pro. I think the stories he used to share about the van rides with his golfers could be the subject of a book all by themselves, including the mandatory In-and-Out Burger stops.
And then there was the time the small plane he was flying in while traveling to and from an out-of-the-area tournament developed engine problems … yikes!
In its heyday, Kelseyville golf was the 1920s New York Yankees, the 1970s Oakland A’s and 1980s San Francisco 49ers of area golf. Next time you’re at the Kelseyville High gym, take a look at all the championship banners hanging there, a lasting legacy to the man.
Berry’s impact was every bit as great as the head coach of Mountain Vista’s Middle School successful seventh- and especially eighth-grade boys basketball teams. Many of the players who would go on to star at Kelseyville High School were part of Berry-coached basketball teams. He received a truly great honor in January of 2023 when the school named its postseason tournament in his honor – changing it from the “Road to Crescent City” to “John Berry’s Road to Crescent City.”
Though health problems plagued Berry his final years, he never stopped being active, not even for a second, working just weeks up before his death as the general manager at Adams Springs Golf Course. Both during his coaching career at Kelseyville High and after he stepped down as the high school’s golf coach following the 2022 season, he remained active with the team and with North Coast Section postseason golf tournaments, helping run both boys and girls events. He was the go-to golf guy for the section.
Berry’s involvement in youth golf in the county, including his family’s sponsoring of the annual Lake County Amateur, went above and beyond. In the final weeks of his life, I made a run up to Adams Springs Golf Course to donate clubs and golf balls from my father-in-law’s collection, and Berry was there to greet me as usual as we reminisced about our time together in the county. The donated equipment, not just from me but many, many others, will be used to help young golfers get their start in a sport that can be very expensive to play. Introducing new golfers into the game is a way of making sure it never runs out of new blood.
Honored by the North Coast Section as its honor coach of the year in 2019, Berry acquired all kinds of kudos during his distinguished career, including Lake County Coach of the Year for boys sports in 2007, and most recently the Dan Fukushima Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented by the California Coaches Association. It’s a coveted honor few receive and even fewer nominated for.
The human quality of John cannot be overstated. He cared about everything, and I mean really cared – about family, friends, students, athletes and even the White Sox. A Chicago boy, there was no better source for Windy City sports information than John Berry, but he knew his Bay Area sports every bit as well as the Beverly Country Club where he caddied during the golden age of PGA golf, and he was a key component in helping bring the golden age of the NFL to Lake County every summer in the form of the old Quarterback Shootout at Buckingham Golf and Country Club. How many Hall of Fame quarterbacks and other players visited Buckingham? Too many to count. It was a glorious time. Berry also helped resurrect the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit in 1994.
On a purely personal note, or as personal as I’m going to get in this column without choking up, which I’m already doing writing this, I’ll say John was a good friend, my ultimate lifeline to all things golf in Lake County who never shrugged off anything he set his mind to. He returned messages and phone calls immediately, and he never once let me down during my nearly 40 years as sports editor at the Record-Bee, and beyond that into retirement. That I can no longer visit him or talk to him leaves me sad beyond all comprehension. I’ve lost something I will never be able to replace and so have all of you.
John made a strong impression on the countless thousands of people he interacted with down through the years. Here is what a handful had to say, and this is by no means a comprehensive list. If you ever met John, you have your own story to share, and I hope you will.
— Geri Giovannetti: “What can you about a man who dedicated his life to serving others, especially kids? John Berry was such an awesome educator. Not just an icon in Lake County and the Coastal Mountain Conference, he was well known and loved throughout the North Coast Section and beyond. He not only ran the CMC golf tournament but also those of other conferences throughout the NCS.”
— Doug Arevalo: “Mr. Berry was a great influence and positive role model for me. He was always very genuine. Every community needs a Mr. Berry.”
— Shane Boehlert: “I think my favorite memory of him was when he completed his 40th year of coaching and walked out onto the 18th green at the golf course we played the championship at for CMC (Coastal Mountain Conference) golf. He just stood and reflected on his time and contribution. To see someone who has achieved so much in their life humbled and inspired me as a young man just starting my career. I’m thankful to have had John in my life. He is one of the chief reasons that I have gotten to where I am today and he will be forever remembered and missed.”
— Hipolito Perez Jr.: “I was fortunate enough to have Mr. Berry be my basketball coach at MVMS and win a Crescent City championship for him and also be on the only team in KHS golf team history to go undefeated (2007). He spoke so highly of that accomplishment every time I saw him and we’d talk about the season and reminisce on those days. I grew up with his son Nick and have known the Berry family for most of my life. He was a pillar of the community, and I will cherish all of the memories I have of him on the court and on the course. My deepest condolences go out to Julie and the rest of the Berry family. He will be greatly missed, and I will always think of him every time I step onto a golf course.”
— Gabriella Moore: “John played a key role in the development of youth golf here in Lake County. Our family appreciates him so much and is grateful for the guidance, coaching and encouragement he gave to our son Bodhi and nephew Cooper. He was always such a bright personality on the course and a wonderful example of leadership and sportsmanship. He leaves a legacy for the upcoming young golfers in our community and will be missed and remembered”
— Tyler Drake: “Berry was a shepherd of the game of golf in Lake County. He’s a big reason why I picked up the sticks and stuck with it throughout my time in Kelseyville and still to this day. The memories with coach are endless, from him giving me my first legit set of clubs at Adams Springs during a middle school outing to the countless trips to high school matches where us kids would fill him in on the hip hop/rap scene with a lengthy playlist. That blue van had a lot of miles, a lot of laughs and a whole lot of victories.”
— Paul Olson: “Coach Berry, I’m writing this note with tears in my eyes. You were an amazing coach, father, and friend to so many. I am thankful I got to know you and play for you. I remember being in sixth grade, excited to get out of last period to head towards Adams Springs Golf Course with you to play nine holes every Friday. You always made middle school fun. I remember being excited in seventh and eighth grade for basketball season to go compete in the Sacramento tournament and Crescent City tournament that you took so much pride in. Thanks for always holding us accountable to be good men. You will be missed.”
— Paul A. McGuire: “John was such an incredible human being. His memory was second to none – from music to sports to people. He could recite information only he could remember. I was fortunate to work for him and he was such an amazing mentor. He will be missed by many!”
— Shannon Williams: “John was a great man and did so much for our county. He really was the driving force in creating an excellent golf program for our conference and we were honored to know him. It was apparent how much he cared for our local students and players. He will be sorely missed.”
— Justin Dutcher: “He was a great man. He had an impact on thousands of kids here in Lake County. I never saw him without a smile and something positive to say. I will miss seeing him when I go to the course.”
— Jim Bennett: “He was such a great mentor to me and my brother. He made a huge impact on the lives of all who knew him. A true teacher and coach in every way.”
— Bill Foltmer: “Wonderful man, great coach, big loss to our Lake County community. John was the guy who led the way for youth and high school golf in Lake County. My heart and thoughts go out to his family.”
— Scott Conrad: “John spent his life doing things for other people, and of course, primarily for the youth of the Kelseyville community. But we all know that his reach and impact went beyond just the kids of Kelseyville. Those of us who work in education, whether that be coaching, teaching or administration, do so to have a positive impact on the lives of our young people. I believe John’s impact was greater than that. I believe John changed many lives of the student athletes that he worked with. We were fortunate to have a man like John Berry in our community.”
