The passing of Ron Vitro

[akleinb611]

Damn. I've been dealing with Ron and chatting him up for well over forty years. Everyone else is correct - he was warm, friendly, charming, a great dealer with great stuff. He was practically the only card dealer my wife liked - she has little patience for arrogance, and we have way too much in this hobby. Ron was always friendly, happy to answer anyone's questions, and was truly a role model for anyone who cared to notice. I still remember my first and best deal with him. He had an interesting jersey behind his table at a show in midtown Manhattan in the mid-80's, a flannel that looked a little like a Yankees shirt, but with an odd-looking logo. I thought it might be a minor league shirt and so I traded several Cincinnati Reds knits for it. Much later, the late Dave Mediema identified it as a prop jersey from the movie "Bang the Drum Slowly." Neither Ron nor I had any idea.

So now, Ron's gone, Dave Mediema died recently, and I'm feeling more and more like an endangered species.

Condolences to Ron's family. They should take solace in the fact that Ron was truly well liked by everyone who met him. In this hobby, that's quite an accomplishment.

Alan Kleinberger