Journal of the People’s Pastor
“Writing The History I’ve Lived, Living The History
I Write!”
DARFUR DIARY
The Passing Of Giants Of The Human Spirits
Dick Gidron
10/10//1939 – 10/11/1907
“He was a giant, in size and charity”
He was a big man. His generosity was equal to his physical size. He
was community minded in special ways. There are many testimonies of
his munificence. Two, in particular, stands out. They are quoted in
the The Positive Community Magazine, November Issue, page 34:
His pastor and close friend, Rev. Dr. Gregory Robeson Smith, of Mother
A.M.E. Zion Church in Harlem, said, “For over 30 years Dick Gidron
has been my close friend, confidant, elder brother, Masonic brother
who inspired me and countless others to live, give and strive for the
best in life. Dick Gidron was a friend to the community by supporting
programs uplifting the community, remaining in his roots and showing
us all entrepreneurship is a reality. The word “no” did
not exist in his vocabulary, so many people always turned to Dick for
help. His influence, professionalism and dedication stretched far beyond
New York. He was a champion, a trailblazer, my friend, my brother, Dick
Gidron I will miss you; your impact will never be forgotten.”
Another glowing tribute was paid by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said,
“My longtime friend, Dick Gidron, was a pioneer and I will miss
him dearly. He supported us through every one of the civil rights struggles
in the past 20 years and there was not a time I could not call on him
for support and friendship. His breed was a rarity and his accomplishments
profound. In 1972, he became the first African-American Cadillac dealer
in the New York area and only the second in the nation. For him to endure
through constant scrutiny, in spite of all the naysayers, proved that
he was one of the great business leaders of our time. In fact, the only
thing Dick Gidron was guilty of was being black and successful in America.
He was one of a kind and his family and friends not only knew him as
the ‘King of Cadillac’s’ but as a loving father and
husband. He was also the black folks’ bank. When you did not have
credit, you could still get a car from Dick Gidron – and I speak
as one of his noncredit customers many years ago. Mr. Gidron had faith
in his people and a love for helping people of all walks of life. He
was a philanthropist and always one to do a good deed. The whole community
looked up to Mr. Gidron, and not a day shall pass that I will not miss
his friendship. On behalf of my family and me, and the National Action
Network, you will forever be missed Mr. Gidron!”
It was in the late 70s when I first met Dick Gidron. I had heard about
his philanthropic outreach through many people who had had dealings
with him. On two occasions, I had been the direct beneficiary of his
generosity. I had an old car that had broken down beyond repair. In
the meanwhile, I needed transportation. I asked Dick Gidron for help.
He gave me a grey Cadillac. It was not new, but it was clean and running
smoothly. It served me well until I was able to purchase a new car.
He never asked for a cent.
The second instance of his charity was during Jesse Jackson’s
run for the presidency in 1988. It was time for Jesse to focus on New
York for the democratic primary race. It meant an entourage of staff,
media, party leaders and well-wishers. I had been traveling with and
organizing for Jesse across the country. Now in New York, I wanted to
make sure that we had sufficient vehicles for the entourage. I called
Dick Gidron for help. He supplied six vehicles for the duration of the
New York City campaign and a special car and driver for me.
(Here is a significant piece of historical validation. Adrian A. Council,
publisher of The Positive Magazine, in her tribute to Dick Gidron writes
in the November issue of The Positive Community, “Gidron was the
ultimate go-to guy and team player. One day, during the 1988 presidential
race, Jean Wells and I were meeting with Mr. Gidron to discuss his advertising
on the radio stations. The meeting was interrupted with a phone call
from the Rev. Herbert Daughtry. He called to say that the plane of presidential
candidate Jesse Jackson would be landing in two hours. Mr. Gidron dispatched
six cars with drivers to aid the Jackson campaign.”)
During his battle with General Motors (GM), I was eager to answer his
call for help. With some of the most influential leaders in New York,
we commenced meeting periodically to strategize to secure justice for
Gidron. In the meetings were, Rev Dr. Calvin Butts, Rev. Dr. Gregory
Smith, Rev. Al Sharpton, former mayor David Dinkins, Rev. Dr. Franklin
Richardson, pastor, of Grace Baptist Church, Hazel Dukes, NAACP, and
others. We held a press conference in front of GM’s office to
demand that General Motors honor its agreement with Dick Gidron. At
our last meeting, held at Abyssinia Baptist Church, we decided we would
use our influence with the Black members of GM’s Board of Directors,
hopefully to gain their support and or direction. If that failed, we
were ready to call for a boycott of GMs products. A couple of weeks
later, I learned he had had a stroke. The next news I received he had
died.
His problem with GM revolved around property, which Gidron claims that
GM had agreed to sell him. He put a lot of money into the building.
There was a fire, which destroyed the building. GM reneged on the deal
leaving Gidron holding the bag and losing his money. Because of the
cash flow challenges, Gidron began to have tax problems, which eventually
landed him in jail. I am certain, all this tension contributed to the
deterioration of his health.
I was in Chad, Central Africa, when the viewing and funeral occurred
at Abyssinia Baptist Church. I wished that I could have been there.
Everything seemed to have happened so suddenly. It was hard for me to
believe he was gone. It seems that we had just had a meeting; that we
had just spoken on the phone. During the troubles with GM, he would
call me often. He would say, “I need you, Dr. Daughtry; I need
all of my friends. GM has done a terrible wrong to me. I need your organizing
skills.”
I think every time I see a Cadillac or a GM car, I will think of Dick
Gidron. Maybe God had a special chariot with a special driver to take
him home. Or, maybe Jesus came for Gidron and took him to Heaven Himself.
Upcoming Events
Attend the Timbuktu Learning Center’s weekly Thursday night forums
7pm to 9pm held at the House of the Lord Church.
Attend NRLAA’s monthly forum Focus on Africa the 2nd Saturday
from 2pm to 4pm.
Organizing Meetings regarding Darfur every Thursday - 12noon @ the House
of the Lord Church
Keep abreast of our Darfurian activities by checking our web page @
www.holnj.org.
For further Information on all events, contact The House of the Lord
Church @ (718) 596-1991.