Harv Roman
Radio Personality : WCEV 1450 AM Chicago
Good afternoon, all!
I’m writing this post simply to point out just what type of person George Lamond really is (as if we didn’t already know).
On Friday, September 12th, George paid a visit to Chicago’s Miguel A. Barreto Union League and Girls Club located in the Von Humboldt School in a community that many feel is not the best of neighborhoods. A few weeks beforehand, I spoke with Heidee14 of internet fame and she told me that George was going be in town for a Julian Perez (of B96) birthday event at the Excalibur Nightclub. As a part of the conversation, I told Heidee that years ago, George had spent some time at another Boys and Girls Club where I was Program Director and how cool would it be if we could arrange for George to visit the Club where I now serve as Director and is located literally just a couple of blocks where he has performed in past Puerto Rican Day and Boricua Festivities. Within minutes, Heidee spoke to George whose memory allowed him to recall his prior visits to the Boys and Girls Club and his initial visits to the former WCYC, where I was also a Program Director.
George said that he would love to visit the Boys and Girls Club, but he wasn’t certain if his schedule would allow him enough rest from a Thursday night show, an early afternoon flight, and his commitment to perform at the B96 event. I understood his need for proper rest-so honestly I didn’t promote the fact the George might come to the Club for a visit…
Well, Friday afternoon at about 1:30pm, I get a call from Heidee who tells me that George is on his way and that he would be at the Club by 3:00pm. Now mind you, at the time of the phone call, I was in downtown Chicago dealing with Club issues. As I was telling Heidee that if George needed the rest I understood-she stopped me in my tracks and said “George says he wants to do this”. So, I dropped what I was doing, went back home to pick up George’s “Que Te Vas” and “Kings and Queen’s of Freestyle-Volume I”, grabbed a portable tape recorder and zoomed to the Club where I had about a half-hour to recruit kids, manage the staff and prepare the auditorium.
At first, I didn’t think that many kids would respond to this “celebrity visit”. The teens were still in school, any adults familiar with George were likely still at work and all that I had to work with were kids aged 5 to 13 years. The next thing you know, the auditorium had over 100 kids-most of whom didn’t even recognize who George was. Another Club sent a vanload of kids and I was in a minor panic…
There wasn’t a need to panic. I welcomed all to the Club, told them a little something about George and played his Spanish video, followed by his English material. Once I introduced George, the kids responded with lots of noise and enthusiasm as they were meeting the “guy on the TV”.
George got them going. He answered questions, posed for picures and signed autographs. When asked if he could sing a song, George responded by serenading the crowd-without the benefit of a sound system.
He gave the kids plenty of advice about the music industry and the importance of an education. He also spoke of his family and his many adventures with other “famous people”. I tell you, by the time that it was over, George had won over a new generation of fans. If they didn’t know him before, they certainly did after his appearance. When he ran out of pictures to sign, he signed whatever they placed in front of him. A class act and an excellent role model, George personalized the autographs and spoke of his Latino heritage-which in this community was a nice touch.
On the way out, George promised the kids that he would be back, and promised another interview for the “Club Kids Freestyle” show…I had to make permission slips for that show the same day, due to the impact George had on the kids.
As always, George showed his heart and his loyalty to a cause that he easily could have postponed until his next Chicago appearance. When I apologized for the insanity of the unexpected crowd, he said that if there were any less young people, he would have been disappointed. I have always been a friend and a fan of George’s since I first met him in 1988, awarded him with an WCYC Appreciation Award in 1990 (after he performed at a sold-out station fundraiser earlier in the year “no charge”), hosted his visits to the Union League Boys and Girls Club in 1991-92, and interviewed with the “Club Kids” last year. “No Matter What” the circumstances, George has always come through for not only myself, but also for the young people who I am challenged to help develop and the listeners who have admired him for the past 15-16 years. He treated all guests-young and old (like the staff person who followed him around like a puppy) with dignity and respect. In some cases, I expect his signed photos to turn up in someone’s scrapbook, or maybe even disappear to wherever old baseball cards and “the other sock in the laundry go”, but in most cases, I expect the kids will keep the memory of the famous singer who came to visit them in their hearts for years to come.
Thanks to “Heidee14” for helping to arrange for the visit. Thanks also to Gary Sipich, who is always in the middle of things here in Chicago doing good deeds (remember the kid size Spiderman umbrella), and of course thanks to George Lamond who has always remembered us throughout the years. I am proud to have known him, Gary and Chris Barbosa and I am now just as proud to add Heidee’s name to my list of people I know, like and respect.
Reaching for the tissue,
Harv Roman
Footnote: I will post photos of the event as soon as the pictures become available.
I’m writing this post simply to point out just what type of person George Lamond really is (as if we didn’t already know).
On Friday, September 12th, George paid a visit to Chicago’s Miguel A. Barreto Union League and Girls Club located in the Von Humboldt School in a community that many feel is not the best of neighborhoods. A few weeks beforehand, I spoke with Heidee14 of internet fame and she told me that George was going be in town for a Julian Perez (of B96) birthday event at the Excalibur Nightclub. As a part of the conversation, I told Heidee that years ago, George had spent some time at another Boys and Girls Club where I was Program Director and how cool would it be if we could arrange for George to visit the Club where I now serve as Director and is located literally just a couple of blocks where he has performed in past Puerto Rican Day and Boricua Festivities. Within minutes, Heidee spoke to George whose memory allowed him to recall his prior visits to the Boys and Girls Club and his initial visits to the former WCYC, where I was also a Program Director.
George said that he would love to visit the Boys and Girls Club, but he wasn’t certain if his schedule would allow him enough rest from a Thursday night show, an early afternoon flight, and his commitment to perform at the B96 event. I understood his need for proper rest-so honestly I didn’t promote the fact the George might come to the Club for a visit…
Well, Friday afternoon at about 1:30pm, I get a call from Heidee who tells me that George is on his way and that he would be at the Club by 3:00pm. Now mind you, at the time of the phone call, I was in downtown Chicago dealing with Club issues. As I was telling Heidee that if George needed the rest I understood-she stopped me in my tracks and said “George says he wants to do this”. So, I dropped what I was doing, went back home to pick up George’s “Que Te Vas” and “Kings and Queen’s of Freestyle-Volume I”, grabbed a portable tape recorder and zoomed to the Club where I had about a half-hour to recruit kids, manage the staff and prepare the auditorium.
At first, I didn’t think that many kids would respond to this “celebrity visit”. The teens were still in school, any adults familiar with George were likely still at work and all that I had to work with were kids aged 5 to 13 years. The next thing you know, the auditorium had over 100 kids-most of whom didn’t even recognize who George was. Another Club sent a vanload of kids and I was in a minor panic…
There wasn’t a need to panic. I welcomed all to the Club, told them a little something about George and played his Spanish video, followed by his English material. Once I introduced George, the kids responded with lots of noise and enthusiasm as they were meeting the “guy on the TV”.
George got them going. He answered questions, posed for picures and signed autographs. When asked if he could sing a song, George responded by serenading the crowd-without the benefit of a sound system.
He gave the kids plenty of advice about the music industry and the importance of an education. He also spoke of his family and his many adventures with other “famous people”. I tell you, by the time that it was over, George had won over a new generation of fans. If they didn’t know him before, they certainly did after his appearance. When he ran out of pictures to sign, he signed whatever they placed in front of him. A class act and an excellent role model, George personalized the autographs and spoke of his Latino heritage-which in this community was a nice touch.
On the way out, George promised the kids that he would be back, and promised another interview for the “Club Kids Freestyle” show…I had to make permission slips for that show the same day, due to the impact George had on the kids.
As always, George showed his heart and his loyalty to a cause that he easily could have postponed until his next Chicago appearance. When I apologized for the insanity of the unexpected crowd, he said that if there were any less young people, he would have been disappointed. I have always been a friend and a fan of George’s since I first met him in 1988, awarded him with an WCYC Appreciation Award in 1990 (after he performed at a sold-out station fundraiser earlier in the year “no charge”), hosted his visits to the Union League Boys and Girls Club in 1991-92, and interviewed with the “Club Kids” last year. “No Matter What” the circumstances, George has always come through for not only myself, but also for the young people who I am challenged to help develop and the listeners who have admired him for the past 15-16 years. He treated all guests-young and old (like the staff person who followed him around like a puppy) with dignity and respect. In some cases, I expect his signed photos to turn up in someone’s scrapbook, or maybe even disappear to wherever old baseball cards and “the other sock in the laundry go”, but in most cases, I expect the kids will keep the memory of the famous singer who came to visit them in their hearts for years to come.
Thanks to “Heidee14” for helping to arrange for the visit. Thanks also to Gary Sipich, who is always in the middle of things here in Chicago doing good deeds (remember the kid size Spiderman umbrella), and of course thanks to George Lamond who has always remembered us throughout the years. I am proud to have known him, Gary and Chris Barbosa and I am now just as proud to add Heidee’s name to my list of people I know, like and respect.
Reaching for the tissue,
Harv Roman
Footnote: I will post photos of the event as soon as the pictures become available.
