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In reflecting further on the photograph, I believe Percy Richardson may have acquired his nickname "Preacher" by his eloquence. 

Percy was not a loquacious man, but he could rise to the occasion with erudition when pressed. 

I remember a story told to me five decades ago by some trainman who had once, for some reason, been riding with Percy in his automobile. They were engrossed in some kind of conversation, and soon there was a red light a siren behind them. 

Percy pulled over, and the officer asked for his driver's license. Looking at it, he asked, "Mr. Richardson, do you know how fast you were driving?" 

At this point, the artillery of eloquence came out. Percy took control of the conversation, commended the young officer for doing such a fine job in public service, lauded him for his spiffy uniform, his pleasant official demeanor, and a dozen other things up to but not including recommending a raise and a promotion for the officer. When the officer had become mesmerized by Percy's spiel, Percy gently reached out and removed his driver's license from the officer's fingers, added a few more eloquent commendations, and drove away. Percy's passenger (who told me the story,) said he looked back as they were pulling away and saw the officer standing in a state of bewilderment, and the look on his face said, "What just happened to me...?" 

-- abram burnett 

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