Kansas City 2007 |
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NOTE: To my readers ... May this Christmas Season bring you much joy and happiness. May you be blessed with family and friends close to you. May you also have good health and prosperity into the new year. Thank you for another great year of columns; I look forward to writing many more. Thank you to my webmaster, Rob Moore, for being there for me every week. Without your friendship, my life would be very empty.--Percival |
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For some time, I have been planning a wonderful getaway to the Midwest. It would have been a month sooner, but Mother Nature pulled a fast one on me, and I spent nearly a month in the hospital. I am still healing from what was done to my body but getting better every day. The stitches in my tummy have all but gone away, and my leg is almost back to a normal skin color. I met with Chris, from a local cable company that was doing a documentary, and we went to Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. Coming off the I-435 expressway and using I-635, we entered the downtown area, and most of it was not the way I left it. It wasn't until I saw State Street that I knew where I was. I pointed to the west and told Chris the building was just ahead on the right. As we pulled into the drive, the familiar blue doors were still there. The drive that used to go into the back of the building where we would park every Thursday night was still being used. Most of the interior had not changed, but the arena itself had been redone a few years ago. The stage area had been built out almost to the entrance to the dressing rooms. It used to end at the curtains. The dressing rooms had also been redone, and new plumbing was installed in each of the dressing rooms, and new heaters and duct work had also been put in, along with lockers. How great they looked compared to 1970-76 when I was there. Chris and I sat under the ring lights and began our segment of the interview. He only asked for about a half an hour, but three hours later, he said he was out of tape and needed to stop. I thanked him for giving me the chance to remember a pleasant time in my life when I was a household word in the Midwest along with all the other wrestlers in the Heart of America.Leaving Chris, I went North on I-29 to St. Joe to visit with Lord Littlebrook. As I exited at Frederick Avenue, I started to see many trees bent over and broken apart from the ice. A lot of them had dropped on the roadway and were being cleared by emergency energy crews trying to restore power to at least half of the city. I made a turn at 13th Street and began a trek toward Littlebrook's newest home. I had to take three detours within five blocks to get around the downed power lines and trees that were scattered in the road. Pulling in front of his home, I wondered if he was having a good day or a bad one with health problems. I entered the house, and there he sat in a green shirt and sweat pants, having a cup of coffee. I said to him that I could probably beat him in a fight today, and he replied ... "Give it your best shot, mate."I chose to take the easy way out and just shake hands with the former World Champion Midget Wrestler. We sat and chatted for about a half hour, going over some of our trips and the towns we went to. We spoke of the many friends that we have lost during the past couple of years. I then told him that I had a CD full of pictures on it that I could install on one of the computers he had in the living room area. As I was installing the nearly 900 pictures, the front door opened, and Little Bobo Johnson came in. He came right to me and gave me one of the biggest hugs that I have had in a while. We had not seen each other since the middle 70's. He then went to Littlebrook, the two shook hands and hugged like father and son. Bobo is a mechanic for a local Chevy dealer and still lives in St. Joe. He had not been bothered by the ice storm, even though his power was out. He had a portable generator and kerosene heater, so he was comfortable. As we started looking at the pictures on the computer, the doorbell rang, and in walked Little Tokyo, another of the midget stars that fought all over the world. He exchanged hellos and sat down with us and began to call out names of the guys and gals coming out on the screen.We took many pictures of the day and the smiles we had because of the meeting. As I looked out of the stained glass front window onto Grand Avenue, I said that I needed to be getting down the road as I had a long drive ahead of me. I don't do goodbyes and bid everybody good health until we meet again. To be continued.....
Percival A. Friend,
Retired
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