Glenn Oden is one of those rare native Californians who grew up in SoCal when it was mostly citrus groves. He got his BS at that other Cal Poly in Pomona but always wanted to transfer to San Luis Obispo.

After serving in the US Army in the mid-’60s, he returned to SoCal to finish his degree, where he met and married his wife, Linda. They both had careers in high school education. Linda worked in special ed, helping slow learners graduate from high school, and Glenn taught photography.

They served in several ministries in their local church with the disabled and in a faith-based summer camp program for foster kids called Royal Family Kids Camp. 

After thirty years of teaching darkroom technique and portraiture to teenagers, Glenn and Linda started thinking about a place to retire. Their first thought was to get out of the LA basin and all the craziness and have a place where they could walk and ride bikes in beautiful surroundings and clean air. They also wanted an area that would allow them to continue serving abused and neglected kids in the foster care system. 

The Central Coast was a great fit for both of them. In 2004, they bought a house and moved to Avila Beach. Their local church in San Luis Obispo has helped them continue to work with foster kids by starting a kids’ camp in Arroyo Grande. Before COVID, they had provided six years of summer camps for local foster kids.

Glenn and Linda like everything about the Avila Beach community…they love the friendly atmosphere, walking on the Bob Jones Trail, and the beauty and peace of their San Luis Bay neighborhood. Glenn said that he is probably best known as the person on the other end of Gus, their long-haired doxie’s leash…which I must admit is how I met Glenn!