RIP Marshal “squirrel” Carpenter

[lfigueroa]

My wife Sonya just got off the phone with Ms Judy, and heard he had passed away today at 92. Marshal was one of the greats, and inducted in the hall of fame one pocket around 2007. As one of his longtime students, i will miss him as a good friend and a teacher.. Marshal has had COPD for a while now. Hearts and Prayers to Lil Marshal and Ms Judy and the Carpenter family here in Tuscaloosa. Just thought the pool community should know as Marshal loved pool and the players all his entire life..


Harold McAbee

RIP Squirrel.

Lou Figueroa

 

[jay helfert]

RIP Squirrel.

Lou Figueroa

He's playing Lassiter here. Tugboat Whaley is the ref and that's George Jansco close to Lassiter.

 

[Scott Lee]

RIP Squirrel...You were a legend among legends. Jack White spoke highly of you to me on a number of occasions! Interesting what Steve Booth said, about Squirrel being the last of the original Johnston City crew. Definite passing of an era!

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

 

[Brookeland Bill]

RIP, a true legend of the game.

"He knew what those jubilant crowds did not know, but could have learned from books; that the plague bacillus never dies or disappears for good...and that perhaps the day would come when, for the bane and the enlightening of men, it would rouse up its rats again and send them forth to die in a happy city."

A friend of Camus is a friend of mine.

 

[franko]

Rip

Never had a chance to see him play but read his name many times. I always loved that nickname Tuscaloosa Squirrel. RIP Mr. Carpenter you are a true legend.

 

[jay helfert]

RIP Squirrel.

Lou Figueroa

I'm pretty sure that just to the left of Squirrel in this photo is a young Cornbread Red leaning forward and the man next to him with his legs crossed (and the cig in his hand) is the illustrious Nicky Vacchiano, one of the elite gamblers of that era. I once overheard him tell someone he had three million in his "box" at the Stardust when they were gambling with St. Louis Suts for 8-10,000 a game One Pocket in the 60's. He and Puggy Pearson along with Jack and Larry Perkins beat Suts (Sutton) for over 100 grand in total. I had never seen action like that before and my eyes were bugging out watching them bet and play.

 

[1pocket]

Here you go (L-R) Weenie Beenie, Ronnie Allen, Eddie Taylor, Squirrel, Joe Balsis, Danny Gartner, Irving Crane and Jersey Red. ALL of them looked up to the diminutive Squirrel, who probably could beat any of them at One Pocket for the cash. Back then the only guy considered his equal was Cincinnati Clem who was on vacation at that time (early 60's).

Squirrel liked to keep a low profile and may have only played in the first couple of Johnston City events. He was there for the money, not the trophies. Even Fats showed great respect for Squirrel, who I suspect spanked him at One Pocket, like he did everyone else. One year at DCC I played Harry Platis a 2K Bank Pool match that went down to the last game (Race to Five) and Squirrel sat there and watched the whole thing. The next day he was playing Harry 1K a game One Ball One Pocket! Marshall made a nice score and he was in his 70's then.

One other thing I never forgot. I got in a healthy Hold'em game at DCC and we played in a room at the Executive West. It was a wild 10, 20 and 40 (on the River) game and it cost 500 to sit in. I waited for Scott Smith to leave and I bought all his chips, maybe 600 worth. The guy running the game was supposed to be only taking one $5 chip per hand but I caught him taking two several times. No one seemed to care though. I held my own, winning a little and then this handsome young man came in as a relief dealer. On the very first hand he dealt me A,Q suited on the button. There were raises and re-raises coming to me and I almost threw my hand away. I called $40 and six players took the flop. It came K,J,T in my suit! I had flopped a Royal Flush! There was all kinds of action and I never had to raise until the River. Without going into all the details it was easily over a thousand dollar pot. Thank you dealer!

I found out the next day that was Squirrel's grandson who dealt me my only Royal Flush ever in Hold'em. I had tipped him $10 after the hand but I saw him later that day sweating his grandpa and shook his hand and slipped him another twenty. That one hand paid for my entire trip!

That would have been his son Marshall Jr!! Squirrel is survived by two little granddaughters (among other family).

 

[SpiderWeb]

I only saw him once in LV .when Shake & Bake won a tourney. He had a gadget that held his cigs, and they were 8" long

 

[jay helfert]

That would have been his son Marshall Jr!! Squirrel is survived by two little granddaughters (among other family).

You're right Steve. I wasn't sure about that when I posted it. He just seemed awful young to be his son. Healthy looking young man. His dad was quite a guy!

 

[kkdanamatt]

R.I.P. Marshall "Tuscaloosa Squirrel" Carpenter.
What a true southern gent was Marshall. I regret that I never got to see him shoot pool in his prime.
We had a couple of conversations at Derby 2016.
He said that he learned how to play one-pocket from Hayden Lingo.
I phoned Squirrel a few months later and he told me that he really couldn't get decent One-Pocket action after 1964, so he switched to hustling golf.

 

[alstl]

RIP Mr Carpenter

View attachment 545614


Source OnePocket.org

Interesting chart. I wonder if entries were limited. I was never there but my impression is there were not very many tables.