Ted, this is great. Please put it in Geni. You can write on your own page - T
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Date: Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 1:58 PM
Subject: Memories of Sugar Ray Robinson
I remember walking past there 1000 times. My Grandpa William Ward lived right around the corner (facing Sugar's go left to 123rd St, right turn up to house #248 on the left. Also, my PAL police station was just before 248 but on the right.
I first saw Sugar Ray Robinson when I was in the Cub Scouts. He used to train as did my uncle at Salem Crescent Gym which was in the basement of Salem Methodist Church on 128 St on 7th Ave. The Cubs and Boys Scouts also shared the large basement. Salem was a nationally famous gym for training of champions like Sugar Ray, Sandy Saddler, Johnny Braxton, etc. Sugar Ray had four businesses on 7th Ave between 124 St & 123 St. He owned Sugar Ray's Bar, Real Estate Office(Enterprises), Sugar Ray's Cleaners, and I believe a liquor store. All right next door to each other. Being a kid, I never went into the bar. If we stood looking in the window, an adult would ask you "who you looking for?" or "what you looking in that window for?. Black celebrities always visited Sugar Ray's and if you stood outside you would see entertainers, sports stars, and politicians, going in and out, including Joe Louis. That car in your pic was Harlem famous. Everybody knew Sugar Ray's car and that Sugar Ray bought a new fuchsia colored Cadillac convertible every year and his plate was RR-57. If you saw the car in front, it meant that Sugar Ray was in town and in one of the businesses. Most likely, the bar. There were other well known "Big Time" bars in that area called "Cadillac Row". Weekend nights you would see Caddy after Caddy parked and double-parked out side all night long. Jocko's was not that far away as was Red Rooster. Just 10 blocks north on 7th Ave was Small's Paradise, another celebrity hangout. My grandfather lived right around the corner, the same street Alicia Keyes was from.
Sugar ray lived only two blacks away on 8th Ave @ 122 St.
One time as a few of us young kids were walking back toward Lenox Ave after a baseball game, we saw Sugar Ray's car and his Harlem famous chauffeur, a midget Black man named Chico (blocks were on the gas and brake pedals so he could reach them). We stopped in front of the car as we saw Sugar Ray and said hello. He saw the little beany caps we were wearing and asked us where we got them. We told him up 125th St at Marty's Sporting Goods. He asked us to go get him one. Two guys went and the other three stayed as Sugar Ray asked us to watch his car. Who in their right mind would even touch his car unless you wanted everybody in the neighborhood to kick your butt. We three stood in front like palace guards (with a daring anybody to get close look) while Sugar Ray and Chico went inside the bar. When the others returned with his beany, he thanked us and gave each of us a dollar for "watching out for his car" and told us do good in school and listen to your folks.
