PPOA Retiree Representative
LASD retired
jschallert@ppoa.com
I met Art Reddy when I was a child. He was the “cop who lived across the street.” To this day, I still have fun with it during retiree functions. I jokingly tell people that Art used to pay me to stand by his radio car and listen for his unit number to be called. Then, I would knock on his door and ask his wife, Judy, to wake him up. At 7 years old, I earned more at a nickel per time than my older brother made on his paper route!
Of course, none of that is true. But it always brings laughter to the room, and Art loved that story. He even told it himself as if it were true.
The reality is that Art was quite simply one of the most dedicated men in our profession I have ever met. All of us are so lucky he stepped into the ring to fight for us round after round, even 30 rounds after retirement. For the many years I have been involved with PPOA, he has been there in every meeting.
When I was vice president at PPOA, Art was the retiree representative on the Board, and he sat at the foot of the conference table constantly advising us in his own way. We were so often schooled by him. His experience was invaluable.
When I retired, Art passed the duty of retiree director to me, and I moved to the far end of the table. He continued as our legislation consultant, which meant he was at the Board meetings, and we sat together. Every month, I sat with him and learned. He was still sharp and spirited, even at 84. An occasional kick under the table would prompt me to speak up on an issue he felt I should be vocal about. Every month, I looked forward to seeing him and learning.
I could talk for hours about him, but my point of the article is that so many things we do in the union world are continuing the fights that Art and others started. Art literally fought for us until the end. His dedication was the benchmark we should all try to measure against.
His wife, Judy, was a saint for putting up with his involvement in the profession, and I am at least a bit comforted in knowing they are both together in the afterlife now.