At Home
(Calin Coburn Collections ©2004)
This photo was taken in 1975 in his yard by his grandson, Calin Coburn, a professional photographer.
Bob Nolan and his wife, Clara, lived most of their married lives at 4213 Gentry Avenue, Studio City, California. When Bob bought the house shortly after they were married, he bought two lots and used one as a garden and to have some space around him. They had a mynah bird and they taught it to speak. (It was disconcertingly articulate.)
In the words of his friend, William G Bowen,
Our visits with the Nolans were always enjoyable. Clara, or "P-Nuts", as Mrs. Nolan is known to her friends, is always kind, gracious and hospitable, and the Nolans made us feel comfortable and welcome. Conversations were entertaining and stimulating. Having an inquisitive mind and being an avid reader, Bob could enthusiastically discuss a wide range of subjects from black holes in space to how to mix soil for the best yield of sugar pears to the more obvious topics of music and nature. Because of the Nolans' love of nature, most of their time, weather permitting, was spent out-of-doors and, as we sat in the garden, fearless squirrels would beg for their daily ration of nuts, birds would perch nearby to serenade us, and butterflies would alight on Bob's head. Indeed, he was in communion with nature. He had a delightful sense of humor and laughter came easily. And though he was a rugged outdoorsman, a man's man – even in his seventies, he would have been a formidable foe – he was also a gentle and sentimental person and a thought about an old friend or a line from a song could moisten his eyes.