{"id":144,"date":"2019-03-30T06:01:03","date_gmt":"2019-03-30T13:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=999943968"},"modified":"2019-03-30T06:01:03","modified_gmt":"2019-03-30T13:01:03","slug":"leroy-petroleum-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/leroy-petroleum-club","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO: Petroleum Club&#8217;s 79-year-old waiter and &#8216;icon&#8217; Leroy Frederick"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Long Beach Petroleum Club 79-year-old waiter Leroy Frederick\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ff1jh8IG43s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The afternoon light bounces off the walls of the Red Room dining room inside the Long Beach Petroleum Club while 79-year-old waiter Leroy Frederick prepares the iconic dining room as he&#8217;s done since the day he started: April 6, 1980. The social club was established in 1954 for patrons in the oil business. Management announced last February it will close March 31, just under a week shy of Leroy\u2019s 39th anniversary working at the club.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943976\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943976\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-009.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943976 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-009-970x641.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"396\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943976\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leroy Frederick, 79, loads clean glasses in the kitchen at the Long Beach Petroleum Club. Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After high school in 1958, Leroy and a friend left their hometown of Coushatta, Louisiana, a community about 45 miles south of Shreveport, Louisiana. The two headed\u00a0west, boarding a Continental Trailways bus that took four days to reach Long Beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe always wanted to see the bright lights of California because the lights in Coushatta were dark,&#8221; Leroy said.<\/p>\n<p>A few days later, Leroy got his first job with W.F. McPheeter\u2019s Auto Dealership on Long Beach Boulevard, where he stayed for almost 37 years. Working his way up from polishing the hubcaps and sweeping floors, he eventually became parts manager until it closed in 1995. Leroy, while still employed with McPheeter\u2019s, worked as a busboy and then a waiter at the Rossmoor Inn in Seal Beach for 18 years. After the inn closed in 1979, he took the job at the Long Beach Petroleum Club in 1980, 15 minutes from the westside home he still shares with Betty, his wife of 54 years.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943971\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943971\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-002.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943971 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-002-970x646.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943971\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance of the Long Beach Petroleum Club, a social club established in 1954, for people in the oil business and later opened to the public. Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite the late nights and two knee surgeries, Leroy has served the club&#8217;s signature prime rib or a favorite cocktail to thousands of members and guests in the Red Room or during big banquets, sometimes until 2 a.m.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like everything to be on time, that way people don\u2019t need to wait,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>He has rubbed elbows with regulars and local politicians throughout the years but not without help:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All the workers here are good. On anything you do, you need to have a good crew.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943981\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943981\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-003.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943981 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-003-970x630.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"390\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943981\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leroy Frederick, 79, sets clean water glasses on tables in the Red Room. Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Longtime member and former Petroleum Club president Mick Connor said, \u201cHe\u2019s been the backbone of this establishment. He is an icon; he\u2019s someone you don\u2019t see anymore. I wish there were more of him. I wish he could go on forever. I wish this place could go on forever. \u201c<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943977\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943977\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-004.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943977 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-004-970x531.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"328\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943977\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A large painting of the Signal Hill Oilfield, 1925, on the wall in the Grand Ballroom of Long Beach Petroleum Club.\u00a0Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the last special and the last cocktail are delivered from the circular bar by Leroy on March 31 and the door with drill bit handles closes for the last time, Leroy will still have his hands full.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve got two daughters, six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one in the chute,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I\u2019m going to relax and get some fresh air, as they say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you feel like one last bite of the prime rib, the kitchen officially closes after Friday, March 29. Saturday, the club is booked out for a private event, but on Sunday the public and members are invited in for a last drink at the bar, from 3 to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Leroy said he&#8217;ll be there but won\u2019t be serving; he&#8217;ll be getting some fresh air.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943980\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943980\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-005.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943980 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-005-970x531.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"328\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943980\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leroy Frederick chats with diners in the Red Room, at the Long Beach Petroleum Club, where Leroy has been a waiter for close to 39 years. Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943978\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943978\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-006.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943978 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-006-970x895.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"554\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943978\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leroy Frederick,79, settles up a bill for diners inside the Red Room. Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943974\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943974\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-007.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943974 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-007-970x655.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"405\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943974\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leroy Frederick,79, chats with staff members in the kitchen. Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943979\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943979\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-008.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943979 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-008-970x580.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"359\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943979\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The round bar at Long Beach Petroleum Club. Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943973\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943973\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-010.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943973 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-010-970x548.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"339\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943973\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Longtime member Elena Vance walks towards the Red Room for dinner. Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999943972\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999943972\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-011.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999943972 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/0331-LEROY-011-970x637.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"394\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999943972\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leroy Frederick,79, talks with longtime Long Beach Petroleum Club member Elena Vance. Photo by Stephen Carr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> \u201cI\u2019ve got two daughters, six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one in the chute. I\u2019m going to relax and get some fresh air, as they say.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":213,"featured_media":65676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[121],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-petroleum-club","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/213"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=144"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}