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Buddy Gist did UNCG, city a very sweet favor

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

(Updated 3:05 am)

Jeri Rowe’s Oct. 18 article, “Taking Care of Buddy,” was well-written. Among my most memorable childhood experiences are when I met heavyweight champion “Jersey Joe” Walcott, James Brown and Ike and Tina Turner at the Gist home, the Magnolia House.

In the 1970s, I bumped into Buddy at the famed Lennox Terrace Apartments in Upper Manhattan, where he was living. The “King of New York” introduced me to Jackie Robinson, Cheryl Tiegs and Charlie Rangel and showed me the ropes in the Big Apple. At the Ali-Foreman fight in Zaire, one of the first people in the ring afterward was none other than Buddy Gist. He was an exporter of African coffee and was a guest of dignitaries.

Sometimes in life we are fortunate to make our own luck, sometimes not. Buddy’s business investments turned sour and he returned to Greensboro.

When the Miles Davis Alumni Jazz Quartet performed at UNCG in 2006, Buddy very clearly explained that if he had sold Miles’ trumpet he would have been financially straight. He was also aware of the educational and historical value of his gift.
Our city and UNCG owe him one.

Cameron S. Falkener
Greensboro

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Lakeshia

November 3, 2009 - 6:27 am EST

Can you say "name dropper" ?

truth

November 3, 2009 - 12:08 pm EST

Taxpayers will continue to pick up the tab. But, hey, UNCG got a cool million-dollar horn!

neocon

November 3, 2009 - 5:00 pm EST

Oh yeah? Well I bumped into Earnest Tubb outside a Rose's store in Gastonia back in the 70s while shoving quarters into one of those bucking pony rides for my then young son. Earnest introduced me to himself and said he was gonna write a song about our encounter.

Top that! :]