Wow! We lived in Hillview Gardens right around the corner from Paul Daly's. (Original on Magnolia) I remember the "Family Days" we had there. We'd have races and win ribbons. We did ballet aquacade. We still have the video (remade from old films) The lifeguards would throw LOTS of coins into the "baby" pool and we'd all dive for the coins. When you were older you got to dive for Quarters in the "big" pool. We liked the baby pool as it was warmer!!
Our favorite lifeguard was Bill Purcell. He taught all of us how to swim. Later, MUCH LATER, he was my Redwood High School Spanish Teacher. I just heard from him about a year ago. If you remember Bill you will remember his famous "Finger" trick. He made it look like he could separate his thumb into 2 pieces. We'd bug him for hours.
We used to get fudgecicles (spelling??) from the ice cream machine and hated getting dressed in the locker room. We usually rode our bikes or walked over so most of the time we wore our suits.
What a great place!!! Never made it to the next Paul Daly's by Marin Catholic.
Man, this is what I love to see here! While I personally didn't go to Paul Daly's, it's one of those names and business establishments that was, as far as I was concerned then, a permanent fixture of the Larkspur I was growing up in in the 1950s. Having descendents of those folks show up here and talk about this stuff, well, it gives me goose bumps. Thanks!
I'm Paul Daly's grandson. Rich is right, the original swim (only) club was on Magnolia. My grandpa was a teacher at Redwood and he ran the swim club during the summer. The club moved across from Marin General Hospital (which I think is technically Larkspur) and added tennis in the mid-70s. He sold the club to Don DeLong in the late 70s/early 80s. As part of the sales agreement, the DeLongs were allowed to use the Paul Daly name for a few years, but then they changed it to Ross Valley Swim & Tennis Club.
Practically everyone I know, even those who weren't club members, across three generations took swim lessons there.
Jason, I remember Paul Dailey's well. My mom would put my sister and I in the car for our swimming lessons. I would'nt be suprised if most of the kids from Corte Madera and Larkspur had there first swimming lesson there.
Jason, I remember when Daly's was on Magnolia down near the loaction of the old Black Oak Saloon, across the street & south a bit. After it moved, the pool was drained & a lot of the local skateboarders used to go there to 'ride the pool'. I bet some of those guys have a photo or 2 of the guys doing their thing.
