Title: DAD

My Dad was a salt of the earth what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of guy.

He was basically shy, quiet & unassuming with a self-deprecating wit. College wasn’t possible because he had to help support the family after finishing high school, not unusual for someone of the working & middle classes in the 1920s. He did, however, excel as an athlete & played for the Toronto Argonauts football team, becoming captain at the end. He also played third base for T.O.’s best baseball team. He was blessed with good health all of his long life. Most important, he was always honorable being a great role model for my brother & me.

I remember:

He said his playing weight was 180 lbs, which was considered average; guys weighing 210-215 lbs were considered big!

His nose was broken four times on the gridiron. One particular bad injury also damaged his eyes. On the way to the hospital by ambulance he could only think of the new car he had just bought & would never be able to drive (he still didn’t know how to drive – a friend was going to teach him the next day!).

After he retired from the Argos he was still in great shape when he entered a foot race at a company picnic. Also entered was a chap who thought he would win easily. After the race he reportedly said of Dad ‘The SOB must have muscles in his sh*t!’.

For several years he was in sales requiring him to drive through much of northern Ontario, a huge region to cover. ‘I only wish there had been car radios in those days!’

He was a natty dresser & my parents made an attractive couple. I wish I had seen them in their salad days on the town. Dad brought out his old top hat for me to use in my magic show.

It was frustrating for me whenever he took me to a game & we always had to leave before the end, no matter how close it was, to ‘beat the traffic’. One time he must have been inspired watching ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion of the Canadiens against our Leafs because when he found that our car was blocked in the parking lot he forced his way out – ‘Don’t tell your Mother!’.

He was a good card player, especially poker & was in a game every week. When Mom expressed concern about gambling house money he explained ‘I can’t afford NOT to play!’ Like I said he was good.

He liked to unwind before dinner with not one but two drinks ‘I can’t fly on one wing’ & they were always on the rocks. He was grateful when the awkward metal ice cube trays were replaced by plastic ones. “Why didn’t I think of that?’

He followed the Eastern League’s Big Four & the Western League religiously on weekends. He would usually be in the basement with several radios on blasting out games simultaneously.

He was a member of Kiwanis & every year they ran a carnival. One year Dad was put in charge of the Ferris wheel. Dad came home early, a covered bulls eye & directed to the basement to clean up.