Back in about 1973 my father was working on a project to create a “take it home and plug it into your TV set” game console. The first of it’s kind. It was going to play Paddle Battle, a tennis like game with about a dozen levels. He had overcome many, many obstacles, being the first engineer and game company to do it.

He was remodeling the house on 101^st street in Miami one Saturday when he asked if I wanted to go to Gold Triangle with him. Gold Triangle was the 70’s version of Best Buy, selling high end appliances and electronics. Of course I wanted to go. So we hopped in the Camaro and off we went.

We got to Gold Triangle and entered the air conditioned coolness, which from the Miami summer heat was a relief. We head to the electronics section where the TVs are. We walk into the area and wait. There are a few salesmen standing around shooting the breeze. No one will come over to wait on my father. See, he’s wearing a pair of faded cutoffs, a dirty t-shirt and tennis shoes. They get paid on commission. We wait. And we wait. Still no one. Finally, we see the manager go over to the youngest salesman and tell him to wait on us even though it’s not his turn.

Pedro comes over and introduces himself. My father then tells him that he wants to buy two of every TV on the wall. Pedro stands there slack jawed. My father then tells him that if the manager so much as approaches him the deal is off. Pedro heads back to his manager and the pointing and open mouthed disbelief begins. Pedro comes back, writes up the sale on multiple tickets and my father pays with a certified bank check. Delivery arrangements are made. My father tells Pedro that he will be back in 2 weeks to do the same thing. We leave.

Two weeks later, on a Saturday, my father and I go back to buy some more TV sets. He asks for Pedro. The manager tells my father that they had a “problem” with him and had to let him go. “That’s a shame” my father says, “When he’s back I’ll come back and buy some more tv sets” and hands the man a business card with his home number on the back. We leave and go to Burger King on the bridge for lunch and go home.

No sooner are we walking in the door and the phone is ringing. It’s Pedro. He was suddenly rehired by Gold Triangle and was at work. We got back in the car and went back to Gold Triangle again. Once we got there it took short time to re-order all of the TV sets again, pay for them and leave. “I’ll be back, and we’ll see you again Pedro.” My father said as we left while the manager stood there mute.

I am sure now that on the two commissions alone Pedro made were enough to survive for a few months, we never did go back and check on him. The game console was a hit, though it was soon eclipsed by the Atari version and was lost to history.

However, aside from his incredible engineering skills, this is one of the reasons why my father was my hero. He always stuck up for the underdog and did the right thing, no matter what. He knew right from wrong, and would stand by his beliefs to the end. I miss him.