On the first Friday of the month, residents of the Greenleaf Senior Citizens building at 1200 Delaware Ave SW get a treat from a man who grew up in Southwest and wants to “give back to the community.”

Resial (BayBay) Shannon, now a Prince Georges County resident, who grew up in Greenleaf Gardens housing on 3rd St SW, graduated from Amidon Elementary, Jefferson Junior High School, and Mackin High. He buys fish filets at the SW Waterfront Seafood Market, prepares them in the kitchenette of the Community Room of 1200 Delaware Ave SW, and serves 100 or so seniors.

Mr. Shannon says, “ I was asked, ‘Man, why are you doing this?’ I paused, with a sly grin, not because I had to give the question some thought, but, whether or not I should even entertain it. While shaking my head, I asked, ‘Are you serious?’ I then stated ‘Man, because these are some of the same people that fed me, and I never forgot.’ From the times of Ms. Jackie giving me chicken wings while paying her a visit, to being offered, and accepting, breakfast from Ms. Paris on any given weekend. Not to mention having Thanksgiving dinners at Ms. Perry’s house. It was a gratifying feeling to feed some of the same people that fed me. It was not only a pleasure, but an honor’. Then I turned and asked him, ‘Now do you understand why I do it?’”

“Fish fry hopefully will be every first Friday of the month until August. June, July and August,” says BayBay. “Special thanks to Ms. Savoy, Mr. Wagner, and all those who helped.”

In various issues of The Southwester in 1985 alone, BayBay Shannon  wrote a by-line story on the 16 and under Police Boys & Girls Club #4 baseball team, is listed as a member of the King-Greenleaf 16 to 18 baseball team, hitting  “a run-scoring double”, and is shown, as one of the Southwester’s youth production assistants, holding the Washington Post trophy awarded to The Southwester by the DC Federation of Civic Associations for “the outstanding civic association publication of 1964.”

By Dale MacIver

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