He never got the national recognition he should have because he helped introduce race music as it was known to the rock & roll radio scene of the 50's
Now strangely enough the group of veterans where standing in front of us as parade formed up along Calhoun street in carrick which is the 29th ward of city of Pittsburgh and they made a funny remark and joking about my sister in laws old pale horse named Cisco.
he was old and slow but a lovable old horse. and I jokingly said they better watch there step you know the story in the bible about death rides a pale horse and we all had a good laugh.
The parade went well but it was a warm day it got up to the 80's and only lasted a little over a mile down Brownsville road into Mt Oliver and then stopped in front of the Alma Horne VFW post on Hays street
It was here that one of the vets I knew who marched in all the parades Mr Baker collapsed . Myself and Brenda L. a registered nurse from our group went to work checking on him as my boy scout training had kicked in and then started CPR with help of couple others as we switched on and off.
In mean time Pittsburgh Paramedics where called who have a contract with Borough for Mt Oliver to provide services . But in usual fashion the worthless dispatchers for the city of Pittsburgh Screwed Up the call sent medics to wrong place and it took them 20 + minutes to arrive. It was too late. They took Mr. baker to hospital where he was pronounced we later found out even had they been there his heart attack was so massive he did not have a chance.
As I got up from the street There was an older man who I thought I recognized and he asked me to come over to him. he shook my hand and introduced him self and said he was Porky Chedwick and thanked me for trying to save the mans life and did I know him? why of course I did and told him I knew him from radio. I got a smile from him as I left and went down beside the now closed Mt. Oliver school parking lot to join up with my relatives to get cleaned up put horses in trailer and head home.
But later on I would find out the now closed VFW post sent a letter to Saddle club asking
that Brenda and myself attend a dinner they wanted to recognize us for the life saving attempt.
Except club officers kept it from me and Brenda till it was too late to attend. I will never forgive them for that.
Then I find out after my sister in law left the club and moved to Ohio , I ran into one of the club members who told me how those officers laughed at what they had done and also laughed how they had gotten all that free electrical work I did over a couple weekends when they had enough money in the bank to pay off the mortgage on the property and how they had screwed a Eagle scout doing what he thought was a good deed to help the club.
Then I find out after my sister in law left the club and moved to Ohio , I ran into one of the club members who told me how those officers laughed at what they had done and also laughed how they had gotten all that free electrical work I did over a couple weekends when they had enough money in the bank to pay off the mortgage on the property and how they had screwed a Eagle scout doing what he thought was a good deed to help the club.
Needless to say I was steamed about it and never got an apology from the club . But the lord has a mysterious way of getting back at those who do wrong and has deal them there own bad cards with time.
and this was just at the time the mills where all shutting down and life going to shit for many of the club members who lost everything which included those who wronged me and Brenda.
The club all but closed and I had not heard the name for many years till couple years ago when they where at a parade in there fancy red n black outfits but it was an all new club and members from what I could tell.
No one from the old days I remembered.
Apparently they had enough of the old officers and got them out.
