Remembering Jack Kemp

[The Senator]

21 minutes ago, JoeF said:

During the 1996 Paralympic Summer Games, I was working for the Games staff. 

 

Jack and Bob Dole came to the games for a day while they were campaigning. 

 

I got to escort them around the swimming and track and field venues.  Jack had met my dad when my dad was an Alderman in NT probably 30 years earlier.   I introduced myself and Jack says-Joe are you from WNY?  I said yes sir.  He says, Are you from NT?  Yes, sir.  Are you Tony's boy...yes sir...I was amazed he remembered.  We called my dad right then and they caught up for a few minutes.

 

A super classy man...taken too soon.

 

And let me guess...while Jack was his usual gracious, cordial, friendly, and brilliant self, the curmudgeonly Dole hollered, “Hey!  Get off my lawn!”

.

[Utah John]

In 1972 or 1973, our West Seneca East high school band went on a band exchange with a school from Maryland.  Aside from concerts we gave at both locations, that Maryland school's band got a day at Niagara Falls and we got a day in DC.  

 

A group of 6 or 7 of us boys found our way to Congressman Kemp's office.  The secretary squeezed us into his schedule for 15 minutes.  The other guys were just in awe, looking at the pictures of Kemp playing football.  (I remember one where Kemp had just released a pass, and enormous Ernie Ladd of the Chiefs was in the air above him, on his way down to land on him.  A good choice of photos for a politician.)  I started talking to Kemp about China, and I took the position that the people in China were going to be better off under the communists.  Wow, did that Republican not agree.  We debated in a very cordial way for 45 minutes until his secretary insisted he stop talking.  I am impressed to this day that he took so much time to listen and communicate with a high school student.  

[JoeF]

12 minutes ago, The Senator said:

 

And let me guess...while Jack was his usual gracious, cordial, friendly, and brilliant self, the curmudgeonly Dole hollered, “Hey!  Get off my lawn!”

.

Pretty much....

[Augie]

1 minute ago, JoeF said:

Pretty much....

 

He might have been grumpy because he didn’t have a color TV like Jack. First one I ever saw, but it didn’t make me angry! (But it did make me wish I could be President so I could have one in every room.......didn’t quite work out.) 

[JoeF]

10 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

He might have been grumpy because he didn’t have a color TV like Jack. First one I ever saw, but it didn’t make me angry! (But it did make me wish I could be President so I could have one in every room.......didn’t quite work out.) 

Senator Augie???

[Augie]

10 minutes ago, JoeF said:

Senator Augie???

I think I’d feel dirty if I won, and I try to be a good guy! Plus, I’ve got all the TV’s I need, so what’s the point of saving the world? 

[LHS78Billsfan]

#15

 

He took the time to shake my hand and say hi when I was a six year old in Hamburg at the Erie County Fair.  

12 years later he sent me on my way to a great career in the AF.

 

Conservatives, Liberals, Republicans, and Democrats...all had to agree that Jack was a gentleman. Kind hearted soul.  Rare combination of athleticism, intelligence, compassion, and servant’s heart.

 

 

[qwksilver]

17 minutes ago, LHS78Billsfan said:

#15

 

He took the time to shake my hand and say hi when I was a six year old in Hamburg at the Erie County Fair.  

12 years later he sent me on my way to a great career in the AF.

 

Conservatives, Liberals, Republicans, and Democrats...all had to agree that Jack was a gentleman. Kind hearted soul.  Rare combination of athleticism, intelligence, compassion, and servant’s heart.

 

 

 

Agreed.

Thank you for your service! Nice autograph and welcome to the board.

Edited May 3, 2019 by qwksilver

[machine gun kelly]

Nice thread.  Thanks for all who shared stories.

[dwight in philly]

11 hours ago, vorpma said:

Great post, a Buffalo legend in a different time when character and class still mattered!

Class act on and off the field..still remember picking up the courier express and seeing that we got him for 100 bucks on the waiver claim in 62! 

[Dave in Avon Lake now]

I remember Jack from his playing days and Washington, DC.  I never had the chance to meet him, but always admired his compassion for working people.  A true class act that Washington needs these days.  This may be nostalgic thinking, but things used to be better in those days.

[Chandler#81]

I idolized ‘Jackie’ growing up and am glad -for the most part- the team rarely issues #15. Loved the infamous quote from him in ‘70; “I told them I was considering running for Congress and would retire from football if I won. That’s how I became a Congressman”?

 

He QB’d the Chargers in 2 AFL Title Games before we stole him and he got us to 3 more.  Class Act and proud he’s a Bill forever!

 

[oldmanfan]

Great player and a great guy.  I caught a pass from him at autograph day when I was a kid.

[chaccof]

I was cleaning my parent's house out last fall and found a picture of the Congress from 1971 signed by Kemp and dedicated to my sister and me.   We set it aside in the "don't sell" pile but somehow it ended up being sold at the estate sale.  Literally this week, my sister got a call from one of my parent's old neighbors who said they had bought the picture but decided that we should have it back!   

 

What most impressed me about Kemp (and a couple of other Bills from the old AFL like Paul Maguire) is that they chose to stay in WNY after their playing careers.  Really said alot to me about them and what they thought of WNY.  

[vorpma]

11 hours ago, JoeF said:

During the 1996 Paralympic Summer Games, I was working for the Games staff. 

 

Jack and Bob Dole came to the games for a day while they were campaigning. 

 

I got to escort them around the swimming and track and field venues.  Jack had met my dad when my dad was an Alderman in NT probably 30 years earlier.   I introduced myself and Jack says-Joe are you from WNY?  I said yes sir.  He says, Are you from NT?  Yes, sir.  Are you Tony's boy...yes sir...I was amazed he remembered.  We called my dad right then and they caught up for a few minutes.

 

A super classy man...taken too soon.

Great to hear from a fellow NT guy; Pioneer Drive, Nash Road, and Wurlitzer Park!

[Chandler#81]

9 minutes ago, vorpma said:

Great to hear from a fellow NT guy; Pioneer Drive, Nash Road, and Wurlitzer Park!

Ohio Street, near NFB.?

[vorpma]

2 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

Ohio Street, near NFB.?

Ha ha, our paths may have crossed!

[JoeF]

54 minutes ago, vorpma said:

Great to hear from a fellow NT guy; Pioneer Drive, Nash Road, and Wurlitzer Park!

Hagen Ave. off East Robinson Street.  Grandparents were on Oliver Street between Robinson and Shenck...Great place to grow up.

[Steve O]

14 hours ago, White Linen said:

Wow how time flies.  Can't believe it's been 10 years. 

Next month it will be 11 years since Tim Russert died

[vorpma]

1 hour ago, chaccof said:

I was cleaning my parent's house out last fall and found a picture of the Congress from 1971 signed by Kemp and dedicated to my sister and me.   We set it aside in the "don't sell" pile but somehow it ended up being sold at the estate sale.  Literally this week, my sister got a call from one of my parent's old neighbors who said they had bought the picture but decided that we should have it back!   

 

What most impressed me about Kemp (and a couple of other Bills from the old AFL like Paul Maguire) is that they chose to stay in WNY after their playing careers.  Really said alot to me about them and what they thought of WNY.  

Player were different back then, my father use to play Uker with Marty Schottenheimer at a local tavern and was good friends with an assistant coach named Johnny Mazur. When the season ended they were normal citizens who lived and worked in Western New York; Charley Ferguson, Tom Day, Booker Edgeson, Ed Rutkowski, Al Bemiller, Tom Sestak, Ernie Warlick just to name a few stayed in Buffalo.