This week's column does not have a wrestling story to relate to. It is about a fan from Detroit named Doc Silverkat. This young man recently contacted me through this column site, as he was a big fan of the old "Beautiful Air Conditioned Cobo Arena." He had attended matches from the time he was six when his parents took him to see the huge cards promoted by Frances Fleeser.

Some of his boyhood heroes are long gone, but he still has a lot of good memories of their actions in and out of the ring. Huge names in the business like The Original Sheik, Bobo Brazil, Pampero Firpo, Tex McKenzie, Johnny Valentine, The Mighty Igor, Flying Fred Curry and his dad Bull Curry. George "The Animal" Steele, The Stomper (Guy Mitchell) and Ben Justice, Lord Athol Layton and an array of the greatest the sport ever produced have gone through those velvet ropes to do battle at the Cobo.

One of the other stars that Doc enjoyed was Lou Klein and his daughter, Linda. They both moved to Florida and settled in Okeechobee, where Linda still lives. Lou has passed into that great ring in the sky with a host of others, but he is best remembered for his training of many of the future stars that came to Cobo on Saturday nights. He had a gym in Allen Park, Michigan, where some of the students lived and studied under his watchful eyes.

Like many of us that were in the business, we end up a territory and move on to greener pastures and never leave a calling card. I had lost complete contact with Linda and her dad after they moved to Florida, and it was Doc that reacquainted me with her after over 30 years, and I am very thankful for that reunion. I owe him a big debt of gratitude for his kindness. Linda has now become a member of the Cauliflower Alley Club and plans a future trip to Las Vegas to see a lot of people that she was in the profession with.

Doc Silverkat and I met recently for a lunch near my home in Ohio. He traveled the 175 miles to just meet with me, and I considered it quite an honor. After a few wrong turns and contact on the cell phone, we were able to finally meet each other face to face. We went to Schlotzsky's Deli and had some of their famous sandwiches and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere while we ate and talked about the old days of The Cobo.

Following about an hour of chatter, we left and headed for my home. On the way, I decided to do something for Doc for his being there, and I grabbed my cell phone and called Flying Fred Curry at his estate in Connecticut just outside Hartford. Fred is retired from the wrestling business and living very comfortably on his investments. He dabbles in antiques and collectibles and watches over the career of his son Fred III.

Fred and I had a few minutes of chat, and I turned the phone over to Doc, who was nearly speechless for the first minute. Fred made the conversation very pleasant by starting to talk about Detroit as he remembered it. Almost 20 minutes later, they finally stopped talking, and I got my verbal digs in on Fred, as I always do when we speak. It is kind of like a game with us, and we both enjoy the wit and humor we can make out of the phone calls to each other.

We left the mall where I had left my car and proceeded to my home, where Cubby met us and growled his head off at the new intruder of his space. I can honestly say that the size of the dog doesn't matter, it's the bark and bite that count, and Cubby can hold his own with a St. Bernard or Great Dane.

After a brief introduction to Nancy, we went to my office and started to look at pictures I have on the computer, and, about two hours later, we finally made it through one file of older pictures. Doc was entranced at the volume of things I had from the old days and my library of VHS tapes that number about 2000. We talked for about another hour, and I could see that Doc was starting to tire, and I said that we would do this again soon.

I led Doc out to his van, and, soon, he was gone into the night with all the memories that we had made together just by meeting. I only wish there were more fans like Doc and other friends I have made through the years. They are the threads to keep us in contact with each other nationwide and worldwide as well. I certainly do value their friendship and knowledge.

Doc has promised to come to one of the Cauliflower Alley Club conventions in the future, and, hopefully, he will be able to meet with other heroes that made his younger life a much enjoyable one at the "Beautiful Air Conditioned Cobo Arena."