Bob White, a longtime Manhattan Beach resident and a founding member of the Hyperion Outfall Serenaders band, passed away on Friday at age 98. White was remembered throughout the weekend as an iconic figure who was a "champion" for Manhattan Beach.
"Bob represented the best of our community," Manhattan Beach Mayor David Lesser told MB News. "He and his fellow Hyperion Outfall Serenaders were the musical heartbeat of the Manhattan Beach calendar, ranging from the Little League Opening Day Parade, MB10K, Hometown Fair, Veterans Day celebration, and Holiday Fireworks to weddings, bar mitzvahs, and all manner of other gatherings. Bob was the life of the party. He was a fixture at Ercole's, beach bocce ball competitions, and neighborhood parties. Privately, he was kind, actively involved with family and friends, and a champion for our small town."
White had moved to Manhattan Beach from the Midwest in the 1950s. He and his friends began the Hyperion Outfall Serenaders in 1969. In 1975, then-Mayor Joan Dontanville declared them the "official band of Manhattan Beach;" and in 2025, they were commended by the city for sharing 50 years of music with the community.
White and his wife Connie lived in the Hill Section within walking distance of their beloved gathering spot, Ercole's. Among his many favorite traditions, on Christmas Eve at Ercole's, he would lead a crowd singing “Christmas Eve at Ercole’s,” to the tune of “Oh, Christmas Tree.")
"Bob was just awesome," Kristin Long Drew told MB News, on behalf of the team at Ercole's. (Editor's note: See full statement from Ercole's below.) "He loved Ercole's and everyone he'd see there. He was big on traditions - That's one of my favorite things about him... He was great and we miss him already."
"Everyone Loved Bob, and Bob Loved Manhattan Beach"
Former Manhattan Beach Mayor Steve Napolitano is a longtime friend of the White family. He shared the following with MB News:
"Bob White is about as old school Manhattan Beach as one can be. He was one of the post-war generation who stumbled across this sleepy little beach town and found paradise. Once here, he found the love of his life, got married and raised a family of three kids in a small house close enough to downtown so that he could walk to Erc's or Shellback.
"Back then, your neighbors were your friends and they got into all sorts of shenanigans. And it was with these neighbors and friends that he started the Hyperion Outfall Serenaders, a dixieland-adjacent band named for the sewage plant down the street that was known for all sorts of spills and smells in the old days. Former Mayor Joan Dontanville proclaimed them the official band of Manhattan Beach and for years they were always the first act at concerts in the park and would play at all sorts of events around town. Bob made sure you knew he played the coronet, never to be confused as a trumpet. They were part of the fabric of this town for decades until death started taking various band members faster than they could replace them.
"For more than 50 years, he held an event called Spring Rites at his home on whatever weekend was closest to his birthday, March 17. The guest list was a who's who of MB, and only three things were ever served--cheese and chips, guacamole, and beer. Lots and lots of beer. Bob would also hold court down at Ercs well into his 90's, regaling the youth with takes of yore. Everybody loved Bob, and Bob loved everybody, and he certainly loved Manhattan Beach."
"Legendary in Every Sense of the Word"
Ercole's released the following tribute to White on Saturday:
"Bob was legendary in every sense of the word. Born on St. Patrick’s Day 1927, Bob made his mark on Manhattan Beach through his music, his smile and his friendship. He was a founding member of The Hyperion Outfall Serenaders, with whom he played the trumpet up until a few years ago. He and the band have been immortalized in a mural at Shellback Tavern and in a photo at Ercole’s, where they posed with their groupies, boosters and band mothers before the Doo Dah Parade in 1981. The band was formally declared the “Official Band of Manhattan Beach” and in March 2025, they were commended for their 50 years of service.
"Bob was a fixture at Ercole’s where he courted his wife Connie and amassed countless friends over the past 75-ish years. He was the Commish of the Live Like Jimmy Bobo’s Beach Bocce Ball Tournament, the song leader on Christmas Eve and connoisseur of Budweiser and Redbreast.
"When Bob walked in, the place lit up. To see Bob was a welcomed site — he remembered EVERYONE and it was amazing. If you were invited to his Spring Rites party and didn’t show, he’d notice, no matter how big the crowd. (So you’d better show up.) He knew how to party and have fun. He was a good human and we’ll miss him."