Edhat Reader
Retired Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Deputy Mark A. Ward passed away peacefully in the presence of family and friends on November 15th after his second valiant battle with cancer. He was 76.
If you created a character like Mark Ward in a book or movie critics would say he wasn’t credible. No one person could be a skilled law enforcement officer, popular radio personality, talented voiceover actor, professional audio enhancement technician, spell-binding storyteller and all-around man about town. Plus a pretty good cook.
But Mark was all those things, as he would be the first to tell you. Ward began his law enforcement career in 1968 as a cop in Needles, the match head of California. He moved to balmy Santa Barbara a few years later where he pursued his interest in radio by joining the DeLuxe Radio Theater comedy troupe. Ward’s most famous character, loudmouth Harv Kirschner of Harv Kirschner’s Happy Face Motors, was written for him by founding member Richard Procter. Procter and Ward went on to host an award-winning morning drive time show on KTYD-FM in the mid-70s, featuring The Nude News and commercial parodies.
But showbiz fame proved fleeting and Mark soon found himself working as a patrol officer for Lompoc PD. He and his wife Nancy bought their first home there. They both missed Santa Barbara, however, and returned after Mark landed a position with the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, assigned to Headquarters Station in 1994. It was only after transferring to Isla Vista Foot Patrol where he truly found his niche, using his outsized personality and big voice to full effect.
Mark graduated to detective for five years but eventually realized he missed patrol duty. He signed on for a third tour with IV Foot patrol and went on to become a Field Training Officer, taking “raw rookies” under his wing. He retired in 2015 at age 67, making him one of the oldest active-duty police officers in the state at the time. Never one to lounge around, Mark came out of retirement to work six years as a security officer for Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital until just a few weeks before his death.
Mark A. Ward is survived by his wife Nancy, step-sons Ryan and Sean and step-daughter Jackie. In lieu of cards or flowers Nancy has asked that donations be made in Mark’s name to the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse (sbsheriffsposse.org).
A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, January 25th 2025, 11 am, at the Santa Barbara Elks Club in Goleta.
Will most of us around back ever forget the genuine humor of Proctor and Ward? Got to love the image of the mounted sheriff’s patrol herding nude sunbathers up State Street.
I’ll never forget The Daughters of the Golden Arches from the Fiesta Parade……or the backlash it created amongst the Fiesta friendly. Great stuff.
Ah how I miss the old days of Procter & Ward, the Nude News and their live commentary of downtown parades, back in the day when KTYD had local governance and this town had heart. RIP Mark.
Kane: Maybe I am imagining this, but I seem to remember during the early days of KTYD they used to have a comedy troupe called “The Duck Brothers.” Possibly they were on KTMS or KCSB. I believe they were all locals and/or UCSB grad students. How about the band “Little Emo?”
Don’t remember Duck Bros but they did play some bits from Duck’s Breath Mystery Theater.
Also don’t remember Little Emo but there were so many good local bands then, and clubs for live music. Not that I got out much, being a starving student.
It was the Singing Duck Playhouse on KTYD, featuring the Fabulous Delux Brothers. I think the half hour radio show came on around 8PM on Sunday night. I used to listen to it religiously when in high school. After the show I’d tune into Kmet to catch Dr. Demento’s weekly top ten songs.
Bees – Procter & Ward were members of the “Fabulous Deluxe Brothers” – a four-man comedy troupe along the lines of the Firesign Theater. (David Ossman of the Firesign Theater lived in SB and was a good friend of the Brothers.)
Procter & Ward’s time on KTYD was known, among other things, for their irreverent take on the Fiesta Parade. Their mocking of the various parade participants was well-received on the station – so one year they were tapped to do live coverage on Public Access TV. Now, that was the broadcast that all of those who were in the parade tuned in to watch when it was replayed in the evening. Needless to say, it was not well-received by the broader audience, and P&W’s days as parade commentators were over.
Great times!
Great story Gerry – I’m just a bit too young to know about that but I can certainly appreciate the humor in it – sounds so cool, fun, and not at all PC. Love it. Times have changed a lot.
Gerry/Tropical/Kane: Thanks to each of you for responding to my question about the “Duck Brothers.”
Definitely the high point of KTYD!
RIP and my condolences to his loved ones and friends.
Something that stuck with me through all these years was a commercial that Proctor and Ward created for Tommy’s Ice Cream Palor. Mark did a funny bit inspired by Chico Marx. He was an cream vendor who had 28 varieties of ice cream that all tastered like vanilla. He had one flavor of ice cream and 28 kinds of food coloring.
It was the only way to compete with Tommy’s Ice Cream Palor.
Terribly sad news, loved that guy. Last time we hung out was the Biden-Trump debate, we watched it at the Leta Hotel in the Goodland. Mark said he didn’t get TV at the house so he rented a room for the occasion. That was good comedy, I was lucky to run into him in the lobby, we laughed, drank and ate tacos and agreed that perfect wasn’t on the ballot this year but what the hell.
Mark had a couple of careers in town, being a radio personality doesn’t usually prepare you for a job in law enforcement officer but Mark made it work. Dude was always on, entertaining, full of life and forever seeking a punchline. He will be missed.
Little Emo Band: I found an online article about the founder of “Little Emo.” The artist’s name was Jim Sitterly (RIP Jan. 2021…age 71). He had quite a storied career. There are a couple of mentions of ‘Little Emo’ in this article:
https://easyreadernews.com/first-violinist-jim-sitterly-was-classically-trained-and-classic-individual/
I know they were around in 1972 because I saw them at The Bowl that year. As you entered the venue, there were stacked boxes and boxes of free red apples. Little Emo was the opening act, and when they finished, the troupe stepped up to the front of the stage and each member (I think five or six members) lightly tossed an apple into the first few rows of the audience…..THEN….almost instantly, an incredible barrage of hundreds of apples were violently tossed at the state. It was wild. The musicians and instruments were pelted and hit full force by the apples. Lasted for maybe 10 seconds or so….wild scene.
I believe the 2nd act was ‘Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee’, and the headliner was Paul Butterfield.
“Ojai by Night…”