WILKES-BARRE — Driving south toward Hazleton has never been easy for me, but Friday’s journey was by far the worst ever.
I went to pay my respects to the late Bob Gillespie, who I got to know through this job when he was Luzerne County District Attorney in the 1980s.
We became friends.
Back in the day, I visited Bob’s house as Santa Claus. We had three elves and we traveled the region to bring smiles to kids’ faces. I’ll never forget those days and our trips to Drums to see the Gillespie clan.
And there was the experience of getting to know Bob and two of his dearest fiends — former Luzerne County President Judge Pat Toole and the late Frank Orloski Sr.
Here’s how that experience enriched my life and the lives of thousands of others.
In the mid-1970s, I was asked to become President of Teeners’ League Baseball, a summer program for kids 13 to 16. The organization was founded by Ed and Marie Christian of South Wilkes-Barre — two great people I loved and respected for what they quietly did to help kids.
Anyway, when the Christians retired, I was asked to step in, but a few years had passed between the Christians exit and my entrance. Teeners’ League Baseball was not the same as it was under Ed and Marie.
We set out to build the organization back. We wanted to have an awards banquet like Ed and Marie used to have and wanted to feature a speaker from the Phillies organization. I had heard that Mr. Orloski was connected to the Phillies and that he knew the owner at the time, Bill Giles.
So one day, out of the blue, I stopped at Mr. Orloski’s office on Blackman Street unannounced and went inside. I told the receptionist who I was and who I represented and that I would like to speak to Mr. Orloski.
I was taken to his office and I sat across the desk from him. He asked me what he could do for me and I proceeded to tell him everything.
Nervously, I made an impassioned plea for help — taking all of about seven minutes to explain why our group felt it would be great to have our participants hear a professional baseball player speak.
When I was done, Mr. Orloski told me he would provide a speaker from the Phillies for every banquet — free of charge — but there was a condition. Mr. Orloski “insisted” that he be the Master of Ceremonies for the banquets.
That told me something about Mr. Orloski and also it provided a young man with valuable insight on what it means to help your community.
I tell this story because Mr. Orloski was part of a package deal given to Teeners’ league Baseball — a deal that included Mr. Orloski’s two close friends, Judge Toole and DA Gillespie would also attend every banquet.
One year, I asked Mr. Orloski if it would be OK to have Judge Toole and DA Gillespie also offer remarks at the banquet. Mr. Orloski said, “Sure, as long as they aren’t funnier than me.”
That really was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Over the years, those banquets brought great joy to the kids, their families, our volunteers — everybody. And I can honestly say, over those years, I learned so much from those three gentlemen.
So as I drove to Drums Friday afternoon, I chose to remember those days and the fun they all provided. Bob Gillespie, who Judge Toole called the best DA we ever had, was a straight shooter on the job. But when he took the dais at an event, he was right up there with the best, like Judge Toole and Mr. Orloski.
They really knew how to work the room. And they did it with one thing in mind — make people laugh and at the same time, set a good example.
Mr. Orloski, Judge Toole and Bob Gillespie always set great examples and they always were there to help kids and the organizations that served those kids.
As I stood in line at Bob’s wake Friday evening, I watched the videos of photos of a life well lived. Family, friends, smiles everywhere. And there were reminders of a great career and of honors deservedly bestowed on a man who led an exemplary life.
There were many tears and there were many stories. There were sincere and genuine offers of sympathy and an aura of love for a man who was always there for each and every one of them.
Bob Gillespie left an indelible mark on the hearts of all who knew him and he will live forever in each of us.
And he was a heckuva banquet speaker — and a great joke teller.
While our lives are now a bit more empty without Bob Gillespie to call on, we will forever benefit from the lessons we all learned from him.