DEL MAR — Bobby Gooding, now retired and a resident of Encinitas, laughs with gusto when asked about the Terrace Rats Gang of which his son was a member.

They were a group of pre-teens who lived with their parents in Del Mar Terrace. No resemblance to modern day gang members who are bent on violence and destruction. To be genuine Terrace Rats, they had to have a TRG tattoo which was engraved in places not too visible to be seen by their parents.

“They really didn't do bad things,” Gooding recalls. “They just wanted to hunt rabbits and snakes, fish and surf.” He remembers Eddie and Larry Polloreno, Jimmy and John Love Smith, and Bob and Gene Skinner as part of the gang.

“They used to taunt the deputy sheriff by climbing on the railroad trestles and when he came yelling at them they would jump to the ground below. Miraculously they were never hurt. At least not very much.”

Gooding’s dad, Jim, was among the first refrigeration technicians in the area and consequently was always busy. Bobby carried on the business after his father retired. He had first call when there was a refrigeration problem at the fairgrounds, racetrack or hotel.

He recalls Del Mar Terrace as being mostly barren. His parents had a lot to do with laying out much of the residential area. His mother, Velva, was active in many of the Del Mar elementary school projects. Money for education was scarce and school trustees depended on the P.T.A. to carry out fund raisers for extracurricular projects.