Thank you, Vicki, for disseminating the information. I just found out about this when I checked the calls on my cell phone. Fat Wayne of Baltimore called to give me the bad news about Pop's passing. I wanted to get some more info, but I couldn't figure out how to find Fat Wayne's phone number on my cell to call him back.
This is a very sad day, indeed. Anyone who has been around pool in the D.C. area for any length of time has most likely run into Pappageorge at one time or another.
"Pops," as he was fondly called, used to shoot pool at the infamous Golden Cue in Bladensburg back in the '70s and '80s, which is where I first met him. Matter of fact, he is a doggone good one-pocket player. Folks used to traverse from other pool rooms to the Golden Cue to play some with Pops. Those were the days when action was plentiful, and Pappageorge was right in the thick of it, loving every minute.
Though he enjoyed games of stake, he also was a pool mentor of sorts. It was Pops who taught the late Michael "Geese" Gerace the one-two-three stroking method, and even up until his death, Pops was providing instruction to young up-and-coming players.
He really enjoyed driving his white Cadillac, the same model as the one Paul Newman drove in "The Color of Money," by the way. In the autumn of his life, Pops was forced to sit in a wheelchair, but he didn't let that stop him from getting around. Pops got himself a wheelchair with a motor and scooted around wherever he wanted to. Pappageorge in recent times enjoyed running tournaments, donating his time, and he also helped to promote many events at Bill and Billie's in Arnold, especially the Midnight Madness. He will surely be missed by many in the D.C. area. What a terrible loss.
Here's a great picture of Pappageorge shown below on the right, taken about 2 years ago. I know Geese will give Pops the first break on that glorious field of green in heaven. May he rest in peace.
JAM