Calling it a career

Deepa Bharath

“I’m retired.”

Capt. Harry Gage laughed as the words came out of his mouth Thursday

before he stepped into the conference room at the Orange County Sheriff’s

Harbor Patrol office, where a cake, a plaque and smiling faces awaited

his arrival.

Gage, 58, retired after almost 35 years with the Sheriff’s Department.

He spent 14 of those years as harbor master in Newport Beach and retired

after having served in the department’s professional standards unit for

seven years, where he recruited officers and performed background checks.

“I’ve never thought of the day I’d be in my own retirement party,”

Gage said. “Here it is after all these years.”

And there was never a dull moment during those years, said Gage, who

lives in Capristrano Beach.

“There was no such thing as a typical day,” he said. “There were a

whole lot of calls that could range from an intoxicated person on a boat

to someone getting lost at sea or someone whose boat’s on fire.”

But what kept him and others on his team motivated, Gage said, was the

tremendous support from the city and the community at large.

“This is a wonderful environment for people like us to work in,” he

said. “Our ability to work with other local agencies has proved to be our

significant strength.”

Gage himself was largely responsible for achieving that rapport with

local government, said his friend and former colleague Kenneth

Bourguignon.

“He had this wonderful ability to get along with people that earned

him a lot of respect,” Bourguignon said. “He came in through lifeguard

services and worked his way up the ranks. He was just so dedicated and

good at what he did.”

Gage was also an inspiration to those who worked under him, said Bob

Scott, Harbor Patrol maintenance supervisor.

“He hired me 11 years ago and promoted me eight years ago,” he said.

“He was a great captain who always encouraged people and treated everyone

fairly. And I believe that’s why he was here as captain longer than

anybody else.”

Gage lasted because he loved his job, said Clessa Gage, his wife of 37

years.

“Even when he’d call home about late calls or double shifts, he’d be

happy about it. He was always excited about his job,” she said. “If you

put in 35 years in a career, you have to love it.”