James Bond - The Uninvited Guest
[ Disclaimer: My father wrote this chapter for his own website, and I am reprinting it here, with minor editing. ]
One night during a World Championship Tennis (WCT) final, the announcer introduced one of the visiting tournament directors who was sitting in the audience. The man was Olatunji Alabi, from Nigeria in Africa. He was an imposing and large man, clad in tribal robes and a tribal hat.
I later saw Mr. Alabi standing in the lobby and introduced myself and told him I knew a lot about his country, although I had never been there. Educated at Oxford, he spoke like a British member of the House of Lords, with a commanding voice. Shortly into the conversation, I confessed that the way I knew about his country in Africa was through my service in the CIA. That seemed to amuse him and really broke the ice. We agreed to get together later and have lunch or whatever.
As it turned out, Lamar Hunt, the owner of WCT (and the Kansas City Chiefs) had invited Mr. Alabi to the Hunt home for dinner one night, but other than that he was mostly on his own during the rest of the tournament. So, Big Al and I began hanging out. I promised to show him what the "real" America was like, outside the sculptured lawns of the Hunt residence. I invited him to play tennis with me at my club at Preston del Norte (The North Dallas Racquet Club), but we had to buy him some tennis togs, as he had brought none with him. In Africa, they played in white shirts and long white pants. Today, I found a photo he gave me of him playing in that garb on his home court in Lagos, Nigeria.
I asked our club pro if it would be okay to bring a black man as a guest, as North Dallas was pretty Lily White. When I explained that the fellow was a millionaire from Nigeria, a WCT tournament director, and a friend of Lamar Hunt's, I got the green light. Was there ever any doubt? I probably was the only one (back that far) who ever brought two black men to play at our club. The other was Jean Fugett, the tight end for the Dallas Cowboys.
We drove a few miles to Richardson, a now monstrous suburb of Dallas, to the house that my ex-wife, two sons, and I shared when we first moved to Dallas. I knocked on the door and my ex-wife looked at me and my friend in his tribal attire and never blinked. After all, she had been around much of Europe, the Far East and had lived in Laos during the Vietnam War. It was a modest four bedroom brick home with a spacious family room. Mr. Alabi took it all in and looked at the "timbers" across the family-room ceiling. "Oh," he said. "You are very lucky to have such wonderful timbers in your home." I told him that they were textured plastic, but he took it well.
One day, Mr. Alabi asked if I wanted to accompany him to the black-tie dinner for WCT on Saturday night, which preceded the finals on Sunday. I said sure, and we went together to Valley View Mall, where I rented a tuxedo. I also took him into a Western-wear shop and bought him a rust-colored cowboy hat. He wore it one night at the WCT and the network TV guys zoomed in on him and commented on him "going Texan." Days later, I drove Mr. Alabi to the DFW airport, and he proudly wore the Western hat I had given him, at least until he got out of my sight. Don't touch that back button! The good stuff is just ahead. You'll love it, I promise.
Only after we arrived in the ballroom where the gala was being held, did Big Al tell me where we were to sit. We were at the head table with Lamar Hunt and party! Okay, that sounded cool. At the table were Lamar, his lovely and charming wife Norma, their young daughter, Shannon, her escort, Robert Edsel, Donald Dell, the tennis promoter/agent, Pete Rozelle, the National Football League Commissioner, his beautiful wife Carolyn, and a black sports reporter, named Leonard, whose full name I can't decipher on the program. He was from a local paper - in Detroit, I think. I was seated to the left of Big Al, resplendent in his tribal robes. To my left was Mrs. Carolyn Rozelle. Next to her was Lamar Hunt. Pete Rozelle was across this very large round table from us.
Everyone knew everyone else, so no introductions were made. I was just some guy A.S. Olatunji Alabi had brought along, maybe his lawyer (who had been scheduled to attend). Before long, Carolyn Rozelle could stand it no longer. "Who are you?" she asked. At that time I was the manager of a lock wholesale company, and the waiter at our table no doubt made more money than I did. So, I decided to have some fun.
"My name is Phillip. I am a writer and a kind of soldier of fortune." Carolyn asked me what kind of things I wrote. I told her about a feature article I had just had published in a Texas magazine. I mentioned that it was about locks and burglar alarms for homes, something I had learned about first-hand when I made clandestine entries overseas for the CIA. Well, that got her attention. Before long, she had turned her chair more toward me, and we had our heads into a pretty serious conversation. She told me that she had met Pete Rozelle on a tennis court. All the while, Pete was curious to hear what we were talking about with such engrossment.
Finally, after I had let out all the stops and was telling Carolyn all manner of stories from the CIA days (all true), she nudged Lamar Hunt in the ribs. He turned to her.
"Lamar. I'm having dinner with James Bond!"
I offered a weak smile. Maybe I had been piling it on a little heavy. But, by the time dinner was over, Carolyn and I were new best friends. Big Al was watching somewhat amused from my right. Pete was watching, less than amused.
Someone suggested that we send our programs around the table for everyone to autograph. Maybe everyone by now wanted to find out who the hell I was. I leaned over and said softly to Carolyn, "Put a C in a circle on your program, just like I put the P in a circle on mine. Then, when everyone has signed all the programs, you and I will be the only ones who know which is ours." She put her C in the circle, and we started the programs around.
A scanned image of the WTC program signatures - (C) The author
Shortly after dinner, and before the speeches and awards, Pete Rozelle motioned to Carolyn that they were leaving. He said something about they wanted to get to a show somewhere that was about to start. I never saw Carolyn or Pete again. If anyone knows Carolyn, point her to this website. I know that she would break out in peals of laughter recalling the night that she "had dinner with James Bond." Maybe she will e-mail me and tell me what she is up to these days. I never forgot that night - or her. Pete is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
A few days later, there was a write-up in the Dallas paper about the dinner, and I was mentioned by name, since Mr. Alabi dragged me around to be photographed with everybody who was anybody. Hey, I looked like I might be somebody. Friends would call and ask which Phillip they were talking about in the paper. As I recall, there was mention of the Western hat I have given Mr. Alabi, and so on. You have to fill up those pages every day, so you can get those tire ads.
Update: December 8, 1996
Pete Rozelle died a couple of days ago. He was a powerful figure on the sports scene. His leadership and guidance of the National Football League has left a mark that will not easily fade nor be forgotten. As I look back on that night at the WCT dinner, I wish that the luck of the "dinner-table-draw" had placed me next to Pete. I might have had two hours or so of private conversation with Pete, which would have been even more memorable than being seated next to his wife - as pleasant as that was. Today, I looked at our WCT program again. There, among the others, are the signatures of Pete Rozelle, Carolyn Rozelle, Lamar Hunt, Norma Hunt, and of course Big Al Alabi, my dear friend from Africa. Now - those images in ink are more treasured than ever.
Update: Nov. 26, 2003
Recently, I found a photo (in my unofficial branch of the National Archives) taken of my African friend, Olatunji Alabi, me, and the young man is probably Robert Edsel who was escorting Lamar Hunt's daughter, Shannon - at the Lamar Hunt table at the WCT black-tie dinner. (I am looking for the ticket stub to try to recall the year.) Of course, I'm the only one posing (in my rented Tux). I saw the photographer setting up for the shot. Lights, camera, action.
Phillip, Alabi, Edsel at Lamar Hunt's table at WCT black-tie dinner - © The author
The really strange part happened the next year. The program for the WCT black-tie dinner (which I attended at the invitation of Lamar Hunt, but I paid my own tab this time) showed a photo montage from the previous year. I was in the photo, probably because I was sitting at the Hunt table next to Mr. Alabi. In the montage, I was flanked by Don Budge, the legendary tennis champ, and Bjorn Borg, one of the WCT champions. Borg was at the dinner, and when I showed him the montage and pointed to the two of us, he was more than happy to sign my program. At the WCT finals match, I spotted Don Budge sitting in the box of a friend of mine who was president of a local company. Not being shy, I walked into the box and asked my friend to introduce me to Don Budge. I told Don I played tennis about six days a week, and had followed his career. When Don saw his photo next to me and the part where Borg has already signed, he signed the program with relish.
WCT Program with signatures of Bjorn Borg and Don Budge - (C) The author
WCT Program with signatures of Bjorn Borg and Don Budge, whose photos bordered mine in the montage. I think the lady who appears just above my head (with the ear-ring) was Carolyn Rozelle, wife of NFL Football Commissioner Pete Rozelle, and as I mentioned had been seated next to me at the Hunt's table. Don't ask me to pick anybody out of a police lineup.
Author Commentary
My father liked hanging out with the big shots, wanting some of the fame to rub off on him.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Lamar was founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL), Dallas Texans which was the predecessor to the Chiefs and World Championship Tennis (WCT)
Norma Hunt
Norma was the wife of Lamar and she helped coin the term “Super Bowl”
Pete was an American businessman and executive. Rozelle served as the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) for nearly thirty years, from January 1960 until his retirement in November 1989. He is credited with making the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the world.
Wife to Pete Rozelle
Mr. Alabi was better known as Lord Rumens, a Nigerian noble business tycoon, philanthropist and socialite
Bjorn is a Swedish former world No. 1 tennis player. Between 1974 and 1981, he became the first man in the Open Era to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles (six at the French Open and five consecutively at Wimbledon), but he never won the US Open despite four finals appearances. He is the first male player to win five Wimbledon titles in the Open Era, as well as the only Swedish tennis player, male or female, to win more than 10 grand slams.
Don was a tennis legend and one the pioneers of the sport.
I watched Arthur win the 1975 WCT Finals in Dallas against Bjorn Borg and his trophy was a life sized tennis ball made of spun gold.
Olatunji Ajisomo Alabi (Big Al) passed away on 14 November 1998 (aged 83).