Alicia's House Golf Outing

I have just returned home and wanted to sit and relate this story to you, as it has been so far the very best time I have had at the annual fundraiser for Alicia's House to help feed the hungry thus far.

Arriving around 1 p.m. on Friday after a five-hour drive from my home in Ohio, I went at once to the hotel. It was selected to house all of the legends and stars that were invited to come and help out during this, the sixth yearly get together. It had been raining a lot from near the Indiana border all the way into Chicago along I -80.

Cars were moving along at a brisk pace, but nobody was in a real big hurry to get westbound. Even the big rig, eighteen wheeled monsters that usually dominate the main street midway that connects the East with the West were not in a huge rush on Friday. That made the trip very relaxing for me.

Going across Ohio, Indiana and into Illinois, I listened to a lot of my favorite music, which included some old country artists, bluegrass, Gospel and some early rock and roll. It is comforting to me to have such a collection which just passed the 25,000 song level. I have spent the past six months or so arranging them by artist and then by title and then by letter of the alphabet so I can find and make CD's in a easy manner for different events.

At about 1:30, Juan arrived at the hotel with Randy, his driver from the church, and the big man, Kevin "The Butcher" Hughes, who hails from near Boston, Massachusetts. Kevin was a huge star in Japan during mid 60's, the 70's, and then as a constant figure of terror in the AWA rings until he retired in the mid 80's. He then tried his hand at announcing and ring side color man for the televised matches out of Minneapolis.

We exchanged hellos, and then Juan said, "Lets EAT!!!” and off we went to a country buffet that was in a mall directly across the street from the hotel next to I-57 and the Lincoln Highway. For the next hour, we enjoyed the food , the stories and, especially, the laughter that was among us as best of friends. This is a side of our lives that not many people see.

Usually, we are just big guys sitting at autograph tables, shaking hands and taking pictures with fans and trying to be as pleasant as out image will let us. Today was especially great as it gave us the chance to let our hair down after some long trips.

We returned to the hotel to get a short rest as we were scheduled to go to Dyer, Indiana just across the border to a sports card shop for an autograph session at 6 p.m. I received a call from Juan Hernandez, who had gone back over to Midway airport to fetch yet another legend, Steve "Dr. Death" Williams, who was coming in from his home now in Colorado for the event.

Butcher and I went to Dyer in my car and arrived at almost the same time at the card shop as Randy , Juan and Doc. We were greeted by over 50 excited fans that had been waiting for us for over an hour. The owner of the shop, Ken, greeted all of us with handshakes and smiles.

For the next hour and a half, we signed pictures, and Steve sold autographed copies of his book, along with DVD's, shirts and ball caps. Not one fan was denied with taking pictures or answering the many questions that fans normally ask.

It was during the session that I was introduced to David and Debbie of Hoosier Bats. They made 50 specially painted pink baseball bats for Alicia's House to be distributed to all the sponsors and companies involved in the event. The bats are constructed of ash, hickory and elm and custom made at their plant in Indiana. They even design bats for the professional players that really make records using them.

After the autograph session, we went to Carlo's Restaurant on Lincoln Highway and had the very best Italian food I have ever eaten. As I walked into the building, I glanced up on the back wall, and there were hundreds of pictures of famous people that had dined at the facility over the past 60 or years. The first to catch my eye was Rocky Marciano with the owners. That small item really made the experience memorable.

Arriving back at the hotel at 11 p.m., we all retired to our suites to enjoy a great night’s sleep and prepare for a super day ahead.

To be continued ...

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers

2003 BWC Hall of Fame Inductee
2004 CAC Hall of Fame Inductee
2006 LWA Hall of Fame Inductee
2007 TCCW Hall of Fame Honoree