Officer Jon Baker on CHiPs

By Stephanie Rose

I’m sure if you’re reading this blog [and/or you know what blogging means] you’ve heard of the social networking website, Facebook. Several of KAXE’s staff and volunteers have Facebook pages, and there’s even a KAXE group on Facebook.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Larry Wilcox has a Facebook page. Before I could stop myself, I invited him to be my Facebook friend! And he accepted! I immediately called everyone in my immediate family [it’s just mum, dad, and baby seester]: “Larry Wilcox is my friend! And he said happy birthday to me!” Everyone congratulated me a lot. It was an enormous achievement for me. Also, it doesn’t take too much to make Stephanie’s family proud.

Some history on Larry Wilcox: He grew up in Rawlins, Wyoming, just like I did, and graduated from Rawlins High School, just like I did, and he starred as Officer Jon Baker on the greatest TV show ever, CHiPs, which I faithfully watched with my dad [who is still enjoying his own illustrious career in law enforcement] when I was a little girl!

Almost 30 years later, at my Rotary Club meeting yesterday, I said, “You guys. Larry Wilcox from CHiPs is my Facebook friend!” Jaws dropped. My friend Jeff Borg said, “No way!”
“Way,” I said. “Officer John Baker. From CHiPs.”
Someone else said, “What? Erik Estrada?”
“No!” I snapped. “The other guy! Not Ponch. Jon! Larry Wilcox! We went to the same high school! He’s older than I am, though.”
All the Rotarians at my table were pretty impressed. Especially when Jeff asked how Jon – I mean Larry – I mean Jon – turned out to become a highway patrolman after Rawlins High School, and I explained that my dad had generously pulled some strings for him, leaving out the detail that Larry Wilcox is an actor who played a highway patrolman. That’s just excruciating minutiae.

After Rotary, back at KAXE, I said, “You guys. Remember that show, CHiPs?”
Heidi Holtan said, “No way! We were just talking about CHiPs this morning! Erik Estrada?”
“No! The other guy! Larry Wilcox” I yelled. “He is my Facebook friend!”
“Whoah! The Larry Wilcox?!” Heidi was so overcome by sheer amazement that she had to sit down quickly. “How’d you get him to be your friend?”

Hurray for Facebook. Hurray for high school [check out Heidi Holtan’s Between You and Me on Saturday morning at 10:00 on KAXE, by the way]. And hurray for Larry Wilcox!