Friends remember Bob Larkin, long-time Republican activist [Ventura County Star, Calif.]

Jan. 22--Bob Larkin, a gregarious, small business owner, who once headed the county's Republican Central Committee and championed Simi Valley causes has died. .

Larkin, who served as the committee's chairman in the early 1990s, was a moderate Republican who was critical of the very conservative branch of the party and in return received criticism for some of his opinions, but he was unwavering in his beliefs, friends recalled on Monday.

"He was always dedicated to what he believed in," former U.S. Congressman Elton Gallegly, a Simi Valley Republican, said. "He clearly was involved. He was not afraid of controversy. He was not afraid or taking a controversial opinion. He wasn't one of these guys who was out on a soap box waiving his finger at anyone. He let people know what he thought."

Larkin, who was in his mid 70s, died over the weekend.

Longtime friend, Peggy Sadler, of Simi Valley credited him with resolving infighting within the local party committee. During his involvement with the state party, they worked to get a less extreme, right-wing leadership.

Larkin pushed for more women in office, Sadler said. And in a letter to editor that appeared in The Star in 2008, Larkin decried what he called the state party's systematic kicking out of minorities and moderates, a trend he saw occurring at the national level as well.

The two first met in 1968 when Larkin wanted to get a park bond passed. Larkin, who owned an insurance business, also was active in the campaign to secure Simi Valley's cityhood, Sadler said.

"Dedicated, very committed," said Sadler, president of Simi Valley Republican Women Federated and a former member of the county central committee and state party. "If he believed strongly in something he worked very hard for it. He worked on the cityhood campaign. He was active in the Chamber of Commerce."

In the early 1970s, when volunteers were having trouble finding space for a Republican party headquarters, Larkin offered the front of his office.

As president of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, Larkin helped get the organization on solid financial footing. He also pushed for the extension of Highway 118 through the city, Jere Robings, of Thousand Oaks said.

After years of living in Simi Valley, Larkin and his wife Donna, moved to Westlake Village.

Larkin loved to sing and enjoyed piano bars, Sadler said.

Robings was appointed as the manager of Southern California Edison'sSimi Valley office in 1972. Larkin's office was directly across the street. The two served in the chamber together, were members of the same Rotary Club, and on the Ventura County Republican Central Committee together. Robings, who worked on Gallegly's first congressional campaign and served as a field representative, said Larkin was a big supporter.

For years, the two men would meet at a restaurant for a glass of wine in the evening, as Larkin was on his way home from work or golf. In recent years, the two have met on Robings' patio and talked about their work. The last time they met was a couple weeks ago, Robings said.

"It was interesting to sit down and talk chamber in 1976, a couple of old-timers," he said.

Larkin will be remembered as an activist and a hard-driving, hardworking political animal, Robings said.

"He thrived on that," Robings said. "There were times when he would drive up and down the state of California, meeting with different Republican groups ... He was really dedicated to the party."

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village is handling service arrangements, which are not yet available.

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