Due to Safety Issues, Mayor Gordo Will Not Be on ‘John’s Corner’

Mayor Victor Gordo has been forced to cancel plans to clean windshields in honor of a one-armed man who died recently.

For decades, Theodore Stacks, known as John, cleaned windshields at the intersection of Pasadena Avenue and Del Mar Boulevards. John passed away recently, leading to some to call his demise the “end of an era in Pasadena.”

Since his death, his son has been raising funds to cover the costs of having returned his father’s remains to his native Chicago to be buried next to his mother. 

“In honor of Mr. Stacks, I had planned to work on his corner from 3pm to 6pm washing windshields — albeit a lot less expertly — to raise funds for the costs his family recently incurred,” Gordo said. 

“Due to traffic safety concerns, I will not be able to wash windshields tomorrow afternoon — we will attempt to coordinate for a later date.”

John had lost his left arm decades ago. He drove a bread delivery truck for a bakery company in 1974. This was during a time when delivery drivers who drove the bread trucks to deliver bread to the stores would also pick up the bakery receipts on the same trips and deliver the money back to the bakery company.

One day, several men attempted to rob John and during the robbery, shot him. His father sustained catastrophic injuries from the shotgun pellets, Stacks recounted.

Despite multiple surgeries, doctors decided his left arm had to be amputated.

Around 1992, John decided to move to California to start afresh and get “himself together.”

“Our city is great because of people who enrich it like Mr. Stacks did. It will be an honor to adjourn our July 11 City Council Meeting in his memory,” Gordo said.

Gordo said he will be making a contribution to a GoFundMe campaign in order to assist the Stacks family.