A Plaque for a big "Palooka."

   I got to speak at the Westmoreland Club
last night!
   The Luzerne County Historical Society
took over the swank club for it's salute to
Ham Fisher, the Wilkes-Barre native who
created the Joe Palooka comic strip.
    "Lil Max" was there too!
    The character, from the Joe Palooka
strip, was based on Max Bartikowski, a
prominent Wilkes-Barre Jeweler.
     Max, Bartikowski that is, told of
how he used to play around
in his father's shoes and hat. Ham Fisher
lived across the street at the time and
decided to add a kid with over sized
shoes and hat to the comic strip. That's
how Lil Max was born!
     I should note that Bartikowski wore
no hat and brought his own shoes to
the program!
     You can still see "Lil Max" in his
face!
     Last night's tribute included the
recreation of a Joe Palooka radio
show by performers from the Little
Theater of Wilkes-Barre. The script,
from a show in the late '30s or early
40's, reflected Joe Palooka as Ham
Fisher originally conceived him....
a super strong boxer who wasn't
extremely bright. He'd address a
group with a phrase like..."Youse
guys."
     Still he always stood for what was
right and stuck up for the little
guy! He was a hero in many ways
and that's how millions of people
around the world thought of him.
        As I reported in an earlier blog, I
was in the Joe Palooka comic strip!
        It was in 1976 when I served
on a committee trying to replace a
memorial plaque to Ham Fisher and
Joe Palooka that had been stolen.
      It's still there, along Route 309
in Hanover Township just south of
Wilkes-Barre.
       We remembered Fisher and Joe
Palooka for the way they portrayed
the honest, tough, hard working
people of this area!
       Thanks to the Historical Society
for letting me help tell the Ham
Fisher story. And this time....I got
the plaque! Thanks for that too!