| A TRIBUTE TO KEN TIMBS
September 2004 – Rich Tate Note: This article first appeared in a print edition of Peach State Pandemonium. Ken Timbs passed away on August 1, 2004, after suffering a long illness called cardiomyopathy. He was 53, and is survived by his wife Juanita and nine children. Ken was the first person from the business that I ever met face to face. Georgia Wrestling History was still just an idea at that point, but he was very supportive of my dream and helpful toward making it a reality. However, before I really got involved with building GWH, I made an offer to Ken. In an opportunity to enhance my own website building skills, I offered to create a site to be the official Internet home for him. He accepted, leading me to work closer with him and Juanita to document his career, meanwhile exposing him more to the opportunity to interact with fans in his retirement. Shortly after the site for Ken launched, he and I rode together, along with two of his sons, Joseph and Nickolai. Our destination was Cordele for a special card run by Ben Masters of Peach State Wrestling. This opened up a lot more opportunities for me, which ultimately led to my decision to begin Peach State Pandemonium. At that show, Ken introduced me to Bobby Simmons, whom I had already known via email, message board interaction and a few telephone calls. That same night I met, for the first time, Ole Anderson, Johnny Walker, Charlie Smith, Levi “Sweet Daddy” Banks, Bill McMinn, Ben and Dan Masters, Ted Oates, Ray Lloyd (a/k/a Glacier), Billy Black, Steve “the Brawler” Lawler, “Wildfire” Tommy Rich, Bambi, Ralph Freed, Curtis Hughes, Jimmy Powell, and Louise Cochran and Mary Little Bear (Derrell and Danny’s widows, respectively). I have since become acquainted – and in many cases very good friends – with them and many other people from the business, but that night made it possible for Georgia Wrestling History to become what it has since it’s launch about one month later. I still have a place in my heart for Ken’s generosity for opening these doors for me. However, I don’t simply appreciate Ken’s friendship for leading me down avenues for those opportunities. Ken was a genuinely class act (befitting a man who was once known as “Mr. Class”) who always gave an ear to those who needed it, including myself on a few occasions, offering sincere support to those in need. He was generous with his time, and I consider myself lucky to have had the honor to know him and call him a friend. Once GWH became a monster in terms of taking up so much time to maintain, I found myself in a dilemma. I rarely had time to contribute to his website, but he was gracious in understanding the fact I could no longer maintain his Internet home. I never admitted to him that I could no longer do it – instead, he realized it on his own and bowed out so that I could move on to focusing on my drive toward growing GWH and PSP. That’s the kind of man Ken was. I have never heard anyone from the business say anything about him that was not positive. He seemed to make friends everywhere he went. If you, too, were fortunate enough to know the same Ken Timbs that I did, then you should also consider yourself very lucky. Ken was the first loss to the Georgia Wrestling History family. I know I speak for everyone who works with me to make the site and magazine available, as well as anyone who visits GWH or reads PSP, when I say he will truly be missed, but definitely not forgotten. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS I worked in various areas with Ken. He was always very professional in his approach to his matches. Took great bumps, made an effort to get the most from his opponent, and most importantly made them look good even if they couldn't work that well. He was overlooked by the offices in position, but not when it came to seeing how a new green guy fit in. Ken never appeared to complain. He always had neat, sharp outfits (thanks to his fine wife's ability) and he looked the part of a wrestler. I am proud to have been a friend of his. We passed each other through the various territories over the years. I will always remember Ken as a hard working professional. Hats off to him and his wife for their parenting skills. They have raised a fine family. Each time I meet with one of his sons I walk away thinking how mannerly and respectful they are. Believe me, I encounter the very opposite behavior each and every day in my work environment. It is so refreshing to see young people who can conduct themselves properly. They will go far. Congratulations to both Ken and Juanita for instilling those qualities in their children. There are so many of my friends that have passed over the recent few years. I feel they will only be as far away as our thoughts. Not too many days go by that I don't think of one or more of them, some sad moments, but mostly good memories. – Bill Eadie Ken’s great passion in life was wrestling. He ate and slept it, and was willing to take the good with the bad without complaining. Ken went from one wrestling gimmick to another in his never ending quest to secure that ever elusive “top spot”. Lady Luck just didn’t shine on Ken in that regard, and it wasn’t his ability in the ring because over a period of time Ken had become a very proficient worker in the ring. It just seems that he was never in the right place at the right time, but that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm one bit. It’s a shame because I have known few people that wanted it more than Ken. I will remember Ken for his friendly personality and easy going manner. He was a loyal friend, a good husband and father. I know that not only me, but a legion of his friends are going to miss him greatly. – Jody Hamilton I had been working for several independent groups in North Alabama doing just about everything, from wrestling, to ring announcing, to booking. I was being used regularly by Mike Jackson in West Alabama to referee, ring announce, and generally gopher (you know, go-for this and go-for that). Ric Gillespie and I were running a number of wrestling related projects, I was publishing the Global Pro Wrestling Newsletter and Ric was running a wrestling hotline out of the Baltimore area. We had toyed with the idea of starting a wrestling group and running in this area and I began to contact some guys about working a debut show, and from there run a series of shows across North Alabama. It was actually Ken Timbs who contacted me. He had worked a wrestling show with Mike Jackson and Alan Martin somewhere and one of those guys put him in touch with me about working the show. Timbs price was very reasonable, especially since you got his son, who was a referee as part of the package. Sounded like a good deal to me, so Timbs was booked as part of our title tournament which would include him, Mike Jackson, Alan Martin, and Hector Guerrero. The day of the show was a disaster. I had worked my ass off pushing the show, but there's only so much one man can do, Ric was in Baltimore and came down a couple days before hand to help me out. The night of the show we were overwhelmed by work. I've seen bigger turnouts, and I've seen worse ones, but one thing was clear- we were probably going to lose our ass on this show. As bell time approached we were missing our biggest draw – Hector Guerrero. Ken Timbs had shown up early and began selling gimmicks and signing autographs- and quite frankly helping out a bunch doing a variety of stuff. He was such a pleasure to deal with. He had brought his wife Juanita and his kids (one of whom was refereeing our show) and they too were very helpful doing anything that needed done. The show got started and since it was Hector versus Timbs in the finals for the title I was getting worried as Hector was yet to show. We began making alternate plans. I had enough cash to pay everyone (though we had to scrape it up wherever we could get it and Ric saved our ass by making a run to the ATM). I had put back Hector's payday since he insisted in being paid in cash up front, when he arrived until waiting until after the show like everyone else. Finally, after a couple matches in, Hector graced us with his presence and true to my work I paid him in cash up front. Big mistake. He immediately began bitching about everything. There was no pleasing him. I had originally planned on putting him over and putting the strap on him and using him to headline our other shows since, at that time, his brother Eddie was working for WCW and appearing regularly on Nitro and Hector was getting some dates on WCW Saturday night. I was seriously reconsidering that idea as after about an hour of Hector I was resolved never to book him again. I asked Timbs for his advice, and he said, "just let me put Hector over, then well do whatever we want, but I'll put him over tonight, make him happy, don't worry about it." I was shocked that not only was a wrestler offering to do a job, but he was offering to do it just to sooth an over inflated ego. I was pretty pissed about Hector's attitude, but I have to say he was very professional in the end, he went out and the two put on a great match. Timbs came up with the finish. I was managing Timbs and I would throw him a set of brass knux, he would knock out Hector and the referee would raise his arm. The only problem is he had the knux under his arm and as they fell out the referee saw them, restarted the match, Hector whipped Timbs into me, I took a bump and Hector rolled Timbs into a small package and won. And so it was. After the match, Hector – who earlier in the evening refused to do an interview to build up to the title match – went in business for himself and began cutting a self serving promo that we all ignored. Ken changed out of his gear and prepared to spend the night at a local motel with his family. I came to the back and gave Timbs his money. I actually felt bad that I couldn't give him more, I actually wanted to give him a little extra for all his help that night, but we had to wipe out the bank account just to pay all the other guys. Timbs told me whenever I got ready to run another show call him. What a classy guy. I stayed in contact with Timbs for a long time after that. Every time I thought about starting up a group he was always my first choice to work. I've been worked by workers before, it is nice to meet someone who is actually on the level, and times was not only on the level, he was above it. Most of today's fans have no idea who Ken Timbs was. Heck, many old school wrestling fans don't know unless they grew up watching a territory he appeared in, but I'll tell you one thing- pro wrestling is worse off today without Ken Timbs. I know there are some who became his enemy along the way. In the last few years he was a regular on several pro wrestling message boards and ultimately a few hard feelings developed with some in the wrestling community, however, I can only speak from personal experience and in my personal experience Ken Timbs was a top notch guy who I have a lot of respect for and will certainly miss. – Karl Stern (Publisher of the DragonKing Press newsletter and former Promoter) I knew Ken very well. He was a hard working wrestler in the ring. He was always on time and had no complaints about anything. I managed him and Ron Sexton around 1985, and Ken wrestled with a mask and was called "Mr. Class:". We drew real good in the Memphis territory which was run by Jerry Jarrett at that time, one of the smartest men in wrestling. The territory included Memphis, Louisville, Evansville, Lexington, and Jackson, as well as a lot of "spot shows". Ken always was there on time and worked his heart out. We made a lot of money in that time period. I saw Ken several years ago at one of the WCW taping and was very glad to see him and converse with him. I think he was wrestling a lot in Mexico at that time. He will be missed in the wrestling profession as he was a true professional. – Buddy Wayne I worked with Ken many times in lots of different areas, but one thing I remember most was we were working in New Orleans one night, and a sold show at a car lot in Carrolton, GA, the next night. The New Orleans show had a big house with all the flash. Ken was dressed to the nines, tux, cummerbund, hair just right. The next day at the car lot there was about one hundred fifty people, which was a small crowd then. The bell rang and here comes Ken to the ring dressed just as sharp as the night before in a new ring jacket and matching gear. I laughed and thought, we should all care as much for the business as Ken did, he was a real pro. – Jimmy Powell This is truly sad news. I have known the Timbs family for several years now, and I know what a blow this is to all of them. But the fact that Ken is no longer in pain is truly a good thing. And when you look back on all the wonderful things Ken Timbs accomplished in his life, it's cause to rejoice. How many people get to live a life so fully, and with so much style and love? Very few. – Kurt Nielsen (GWH graphics creator and webmaster for many wrestling websites) If two men meet at a Waffle House to chat, laugh, drink coffee and just catch up on things ... you have a bond. If two men call each other just to tell the other a joke you heard ... you have a bond. If you leave from seeing one another and it always ends with a “be careful” and two big men hugging in public ... you have a bond. If two men have tag teamed together a lot, wrestled against each other a lot and say that if they had the strength left for one more match and they wish it was with you ... you have a bond. My best memory will always be that Ken Timbs was a great father, a great husband and a very dear friend... – Ted Allen I corresponded with Ken on a regular basis in one way or the other and will miss the interaction with him. He was a truly good guy and one of the most solid performers around. I will have Juanita and the family in my prayers. – James Beard |
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