Seeing him for the first time caused an inevitable reaction where you wanted to stare but knew you shouldn't and you wondered what happened to the guy.
He had to deal with this awkwardness countless times yet didn't allow it to slow him down a bit, he was really out there all the time and looked happy and friendly and always sociable every time I saw him. Cerigo lived on Stayner a couple of doors off Greene Ave. for many years before finally moving to LaSalle a few yeas back. One upside to his condition: you couldn't tell his age at all and I was surprised to learn that he was 80 when he died, as he looked considerably more youthful.
I was told long ago that Cerigo was badly burned in the Blue Bird Cafe fire of 1972. Someone said they weren't so sure, that in fact he had self-harmed his way into his condition.
ReplyDeleteI never knew him as a friend or confrere but I sat alongside a good friend of mine, who was a good friend of Mr. Cerigo as they both discussed some kind of business deal. It was tough listening to Cerigo as he labored so seriously trying to get the words out to express his idea. He was to be admired. I only saw him that once, but I never forgot him. My friend thought Cerigo suffered these terrible damages as a result of an automobile accident that happened somewhere around Lachute. He said the car exploded on impact with another vehicle, causing a horrible major fire. Apparently Cerigo was the only survivor.
Talk about courage. George Cerigo had it, in spades.