When I turned on the TV the other morning Meadowlark Lemon jumped out at me. Since I started writing on this blog all kinds of things trigger my memory. Meadowlark was promoting his new book, Trust Your Next Shot: A Guide to a Life of Joy. Yep, Meadowlark Lemon came to Coppola’s for dinner! It was the during ’70s when the Harlem Globe Trotters were playing at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center. My brother was working that night he was just a young teen. Everyone in the restaurant did a double take when this 6’8″ guy came in. The ceilings were really high (remember we were in the old Rialto Theater) so he wasn’t too out of place. But when he sat down at a small table for two that was another story. I don’t know why the host sat him at a table for two because it was quite a ridiculous sight as his knees did not fit under table.
My brother was so curious that he meandered to the table and asked who he was… ha ha ha. “Meadowlark Lemon, I am with the Harlem Globe Trotters!” Meadowlark enjoyed his meal so much that the following day the whole team came for dinner. You can imagine what all the Italian staff not more than 5’8″ said when they saw these tall men all come into the restaurant, “Is this how they grow them in America?”
One of Meadowlark’s inspirational quotes in his book is quite apropos for our 50th anniversary. Meadowlark says “Life’s most meaningless statistic is the half-time score.” I wonder what else is in store for Coppola’s Restaurant as we work on our next half time!