Alicia's House Golf Outing Part Two

Rising at 7 a.m., I was in need of some food to tide me over until 10, when I would meet with Steve Williams and Kevin Hughes. Our plans were to go and harass the golfers and anybody else that got involved with the annual event.

I went down to the lobby where they had a large buffet table filled with fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles and pancakes, with all the toppings to go with them. I started with juice and fruit and ended up with eggs and bacon smothered in onions.

Just as I was finishing up, Kevin and Steve showed up and informed me that, due to all the rain , the golf part of the fundraiser would be canceled for the day. Mr. Karate had called them both and could not reach me in my suite.

We enjoyed coffee and cheesecake together while we told old war stories from our days on the road. Kevin talked about his time in Japan where he was known as "The Butcher" and sported long blond hair and often caused riots when he beat the local guys up. His reputation of later becoming a good guy were evident when he did stints as an announcer in the AWA territory.

Steve talked about his football days with Oklahoma and how he got the handle "Dr. Death". I never got a chance to see him in action, but I am told that his wrestling ability was super in the ring as he captured many titles all over the world.

I told them both to come up to my suite as I would be having a Three Stooges marathon going on for the next few hours. I had brought my laptop and the external drive that I have near 500 gigs of stuff on. I enjoy the comedy of the past, rather than most of the stuff that is on television today. I guess I have been away from the tube for too long and don't understand what has transpired into enjoyment for most folks during the past generation.

At 4 p.m., we were loaded into my rental car and soon were headed east on Highway 30, headed towards Crete and the Lincolnshire Country Club. We turned south on 50 and then east again on the Sauk Trail. It wasn't too much after that when we pulled up to the front and were met by Juan and his many helpers. They took our bags and coats, and I went to park the car nearly a block away.

I had not expected the great turnout with all the rain they had the night before and all morning, too. There were nearly 300 people inside waiting for us, and it took a few moments to get set up. A few minutes later, I got a huge shock as I looked up and there was Police Chief Paul Farber. I was not told that he would be there.

I had been involved on cards in Peotone, Monee and other spots with him and watched him make his debut in the ring at over 50 years of age. He was a great traveling companion to Las Vegas and also Newton, Iowa, but I had not seen him in the past except for a few minutes in Waterloo, Iowa. We spoke about our families and how everyone's health was and how his new job was doing.

Next to come over were Milt Pappas and big Scott Schwartz. I then felt a viselike grip on my shoulder and turned to see the "Just Say No Guy for Illinois" Lee Roupas waiting for a hug from me.

For the next two and a half hours, we chatted with folks, signed autographs, sold pictures, took pictures and just had the time of our lives. We were then asked to come to the dining room as the evening program and banquet would be starting soon.

The silent auction ended at 7 p.m. and was a huge success with over 150 items donated by everyone from sports figures to past Presidents. As with past years, I again brought items to help with the fund-raiser. Many of the head table honorees donated items also to help with the cause.

The dinner began with a prayer led by Lee Roupas. We were then led thru the crowd to the buffet style tables and given the first chance to get at the food. Many different types of foods were on the tables, including salads, soups, potato items and vegetables, along with meats and shrimp and a couple of different kinds of gravys.

Following the dinner, all of the front table people were introduced to the capacity audience. Every one of us were given a huge round of applause. I had the opportunity to talk for a couple of minutes. I spoke about going to Waterloo and seeing devastation first hand from the flood waters that had done damage in the millions of dollars just a week or so before the Hall of Fame.

I spoke about the people of Waterloo and how they rallied together to help those that had been displaced by the floods. I also spoke about the wrestling fans coming out to the Friday night matches and how Harley Race donated over $5,000 from the matches to the wrestling museum to help them out. Money was also donated from the silent auction and the legends that were in attendance. In all, nearly $10,000 was given to help the museum rebuild.

I then spoke about us being gathered at Alicia's House for basically the same reason ... to help those that need, not those that just want. I asked Juan and Stella to please accept my personal check as a token from me to help feed the hungry.

They both had tears in their eyes when I brought it forward. I am happy to help out when I can as I am getting to the point in my life where giving back means more to me than taking from.

We enjoyed the rest of the evening and all the awards that were given out to various people that have helped out Alicia's House throughout the year. A live auction was held for various items donated, and it raised another few thousand dollars. One item, a basketball jersey signed by Michael Jordan, brought $1,250. A baseball signed by Hank Aaron brought $400.

It was nearly 10 p.m. when the evening finally came to an end and everyone went their own ways. I returned to the hotel with Kevin and Steve and retired for the night.

At 8 a.m., I was on the road again, headed back to Ohio, just like the old days.

Many thanks to Juan and Stella Hernandez for once again inviting me to be with them in their annual fund-raiser. I am deeply honored by their hospitality and friendship. Thank you also to Scott Schwartz, who came all the way from Los Angeles to be there. Thanks also to Kevin Hughes, who came from Boston. Thank you to Steve Williams for making the trip from Colorado to be there. Also to Chief Paul Farber, Lee Roupas and Milt Pappas. I only hope that we did our part in helping to feed the hungry in a bigger way this year.

If you would like to send a tax deductible donation to help the efforts, please go to www.aliciashouse.org . I am sure that your help will be very much appreciated.

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