On the day of his 96th birthday, Korean War veteran Carvel “Curley” Boardman proudly handed out free hot dogs to passing cars in the front yard of his Santa Maria home.
Family and friends of Curley gathered with hot dog fixings, a “Carvel” brand birthday cake, and a sign to invite neighbors to join the celebration.
“We’ve done this with cupcakes a year or so ago, and we said, let's do hot dogs this time because I like hot dogs, and most people do like hot dogs.”
Curley was born in Santa Maria in 1930 and graduated from Santa Maria High School in 1948 before serving four years in the US Air Force.
After the war, Curley worked in the aircraft industry and married his wife of 72 years. During their first seven years of marriage, they moved 17 times before settling on the Central Coast.
“Wherever you go, whoever you’re with, keep going, so you can keep going,” advised Curley. “That’s why I move so much, so I can keep going.”
