I felt it only fare to write about two of this industrys fallen dogs , both top hooks and friends of mine . Ricky Spickett started in Cable at the same time I did . I knew Rick from the time we were little boys . My mother ran the girl scout troop at the WOW building right next to their house. Mike his older brother was a good friend of mine. We all grew up in Morehead , at that time it was a small town . I can in my mind still picture Ricky , Doug and Paige walking out of the Big Surf night club where I bounced. Rick was a top hook . We were splicing together in Cinn. Ohio in Loveland . Not many people ever out cut me when I was young , Rick could , about every forth stick he was one ahead. He was the kind of man who give you the shirt off his back . He was the kind of man you could count on . American Spliceco the Company we worked for had pulled out of Cinn. and headed to Texas . I drove a bucket to Dallas and flew back to Ohio . I then worked for Jackson , Rick went on to Huston and their he fell pray to the dark side of our Lucrative business , he had been with his girlfriend Paige for years , from what Ducks been told he walked in and caught Paige in bed with his friend Billy Butler , that’s what what I guess started things , I then heard he was living with two strippers and partying real hard , the next thing we knew he had od. I recall him laying in the casket the skin around both eyes blackened , he looked bad , but it was still my brother laying there and it hurt.He will always be missed. The second Top Hook to go on, was Allen Mercer . I met Allen working Hurricane Hugo damage in Florence for Clark . Allen was the kind of fellow you just instantly liked . He died while hanging strand doing a highway crossing on Highway 17 in Hampstead North Carolina It was right down from Joe Baldwins old office , he was working for Joe at the time . He was on hooks on the pole getting ready to sag the strand he had laying in the highway , when a car travling 55 wipped it up in his wheel well and banjioed it . Alans wife was sitting in the truck to witness, the strand flung him a great distance nearly cutting him in half . He was dead when he hit the ground . I could tell by the look on Joe Baldwins face the day he told me the story it must be a horrific memory. Alan was a good dog and I’ll always miss his smile . I’ve spoke of these two men before but never in such detail. I feel like if I share their memories they somehow live on. Thanks for reading. Duck
I'd rather live my life believeing there is God and die to find out their isn't . Than to live my life as if their wasn't God and die to find out there is ! WHITFIELD
This is CABL.com posting #191316. Tiny Link: cabl.co/mXVU
