CAC 2001 Part 2

As I begin this week's column, I want to thank everyone at St. Luke's Hospital for their expert care of my wife, Nancy. She underwent cancer surgery and is recuperating very well. I also want to thank the many good people that sent e-mails about Nancy. Their concerns were very emotional to me as well. To the many friends that sent flowers, cards, and phone calls, we also thank you and send our love.

We had gone back to the Riviera Hotel and went to the Grand Ballroom to meet some of the superstars of our business. Lord Alfred Hayes, Dr. Billy Darnell, and Gene LeBell greeted us. Later in the evening, we met with Penny Banner and Ida Mae Martinez, along with Reggie Parks.

I also had the opportunity to chat a little about the past with J. Michael Kenyon and share a few programs with him to read while being the keeper of the room.

On Friday morning, we rose to a beautiful day outside with the sun beckoning us. We went to an 11 a.m. brunch with Penny Banner, Dan Roeglin, and a few other fine folks. After a great meal at the Peppermill, we started back towards the ballroom, and, in the casino, we ran into the grand master of the mats, Stu Hart, who was accompanied by his sons Ross and Bruce, along with his daughter Diana. We stopped for pictures and some chitchat but were overcome by fans wanting pictures with Stu.

On the way into the ballroom, I ran into Pampero Firpo and exchanged hugs and handshakes. He thanked me for the video that I had sent to him that had him in a match with Skull Murphy against Rocca and Carpentier. It sure brought many memories back to him, and he was so appreciative. It did my heart good to see the smile on his face and the gleam in his eyes.

In the room, I started around shaking hands and talking with some more of the greats that our business gave us. Fred Curry, son of Bull Curry, and his son Fred III were there, and we began to see who could outdraw each other with wit. Ted Lewin was there with his brother Don. Jack Laskin from Hamilton, Ontario came over to the group and introduced himself. He would be honored on Saturday night for his involvement in wrestling.

Stu Hart came into the room, and the crowd around the television watching the video of a CAC reunion in California suddenly left us and ran towards Stu to get pictures and shake his hand. Bruce and Ross came over to David and me and said hellos again. Paul Farber came over to me and said hi. He is a Chief of Police in Illinois and has written guest columns for me. I brought out my trusty old briefcase loaded with pictures and began to show them to Paul, Bruce, and Ross. You would have thought that Captain Kidd was standing there, unearthing a treasure from a buried chest.

I leafed through the many pictures I had brought with me and was amazed at how that small table had so many people around it. A lot of memories had been stirred up looking at the photos of old. Some of the people in the pictures were with us, and some had gone on to that big ring in the sky. While talking to Stu, Penny Banner brought out some pictures of her visit to Stu's home in the mid-50's. You should have seen the look on Diana's face as well as Bruce and Ross'. Most of the pictures were of them as babies.

Billy Two Rivers, a great Native American wrestler from Quebec, came in next. He and I had not seen each other in about 35 years. What a surprise for me. We shared stories about families and friends. Bruce Swayze and Jack Donavon came into the room and were met by Dean Silverstone and his beautiful wife Ruth.

As the afternoon turned into evening, more superstars began to fill the room. Killer Kowalski, Bobby Heenan, Mike Tenay, Cowboy Bill Watts, Johnny Walker (Mr. Wrestling II), Fritz Von Goering, Tom Andrews, Nick Bockwinkle, Ray "Thunder" Stern, Danny Hodge, Ella Waldek, Sgt. Slaughter, Roddy Piper, Tom Drake, H.B. Haggerty, Chavo Guerrero Sr., The Destroyer, and many others.

A huge buffet table was brought in, and we all enjoyed. It was during dinner that I ran across another friend from the Internet, Duff Johnson from California. I also had the opportunity to share a bit of time with Dr. Mike Lano. Scott Casber and Scott McLin were on hand from Des Moines radio fame "Saturday Night Slam."

The hours seemed to fly by, and, before you knew it, David had to leave us and fly back to Cleveland to be in a wedding of his son the next morning. He then underwent surgery on Tuesday morning and is doing well recuperating. Dan Roeglin came by and again shared stories with us and had his picture taken with Penny Banner. What a fine lady she is.

I finally turned in around 2 a.m.

To be continued…

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers