Evening star., 1926-09-28
BY ED NANEVERY.

n YEW YORK September 28.-M
nj York's new champion. iolloN
" had this to say to Gene Tun
Those who have know
you repre>en; and the high principle
not only look upon you as the champ
pion model American young man.
Although the very early days
here was the one destined TO walk il
as John /. Sullivan. James !. Corl
Jetfries. il was easy to discern that
American manhood.
Gene couldn't have been more
post of physical director for the bo,
wealth named Drayton. who took
welfare work. financed the school gy'
"a chap named Burns was in
charge OF the gym" relates Edward r
Van Wart who was one of those VINO
used TO pal around with Tunney AS a
Young man Gene used to come over
on occasional evenings To play check
ers with some of us. Burns was re
garded as quite ii boxer. and Genes
proficiency in that line as "a member
of the villagers y. e.. which was the
leading club Of the neighborhood,
made us think pretty well of him as
a boxer Finally Wc persuaded Gene
to nut the gloves on with Burns. and
Gene handled htm with ease, And so
our pal became physical director at
the school gym and he boxed there
six nights week for some time,
Gets job at 81. Week.
In the meanwhile his high school
days over at De La Sale. II was up
to Gene to make his start in life in
the business world He secured a
position with the Ocean Steamship
Go. at $12 per week. He was
freight checker and rate clerk for a
while and had advanced to stenogra-
pher In the company's offices when
he enlisted in the service. Gene Is
a member of the Checkers Assocla-
ton of the International Lonsshore-
mons Union Local 926. These are
dock clerks.
Swimming was his diversion in the
Summer and walking in the Winter.
Even in these early days. though
reared on the sidewalks Of New York,
Tunney showed his aversion for the
crowded city streets. and one OF his
favorite diversions as young man
was to get together a gang of his
friends and go for long walks. during
which they would circle the entire
length of Central Park.
For all his instructive liking for
boxing many of Genes pals of his
early manhood are positive he was
rather slow In expressing any desire
toward embracing a professional
boxing career He was quite often
an attendant at the weekly bouts OF
tho old Pioneer Athletic Club
Bout Gave Him Idea.
"The first time | ever really heard
9ene get excited over the possibilities
.Af
his close friends. was when we at
tended the Willie Richie Leach Cross
bout at Madison Square Garden 1t
was the first big fight Gene had ever
seen and he certainly did rave about
what this pair showed i'll the boxing
line I don't think Gene was more
than 16 at the time. We sat up in
the gallery and paid s. each for our
seats. But soon after his interest
seemed 10 die down and he didn't
talk much about boxing, though he
was always ready to put Oh the mitts
at any Time. Ii Just seemed as
though d pair of gloves had him
fascinated"
Another thing that stood out with
Gene" says his friend Van Wort,
was HIS pronounced girl shynesS.
He liked kids and kids liked him, but
he kept at a far distance from their
sisters. l remember one summer up
at keansburg. when Gene was acting
as life guard y ball was given by
The life guards and Gene was selected
10 lead the march. Bur he led it
alone because he couldn't be prevailed
on 70 march with any of the young
ladies' He certainly was girl shy,
hut they couldn't move him into
ch"rging his mind"
Manly with a mind of his own (and
very clean mind at that), religious,
athletic, studious--this IS the impress
sion he seems To have left on all his
associates as he approached his
adult years. "A champion model
American young man.
Traits Are Unchanged.
And that all these fine traits fol-
lowed through his career a+S d profes-
sional pugilist seems n fine thing for
the boxing game. They should be
part of his career as Il champion, as
they most certainly were up to the
very day he stepped into the title.
Maybe it would be we'll to cite a
certain incident that happened the
morning OF The fight with Dempsey.
It will illustrate how these admira BILE
traits had nor been lost by Gene
Tunney, and what 4 fine thing it will
be for boxing if this depth of char
acter shall MAINTAIN in the champion
fighting man Of the world
It was well after 10 o'clock of
Thursday morning that Gene broke
the news to us that he had de-
termined 10 make the trip from
Stroudshurg to Philadelphia for the
weighing in by airplane. All the
newspaper men, except II lone few
OF lis. had gone ahead for Philly
under the impression that Gene
would make the trip by auto.
Some of the newspaper boys We're
decidedly nettled. myself in particu-
lar. over this shift of plans. 1t was
pointed ont that some of us had al
ready sent advance stories to our
papers describing Tunneys trip TO
the scene of the weighing by means
OF auto.
Shows Ills Real Stuff
Say" he said in startled voice,
1T never thought OF that Well, l GER
tatnly can't make liar out Of any of
the boys"
1t was easy To sense what was in
Genes mind. He would go to the in
convenience OF a four or five hour
auto trip rather than do anything to
disrupt the friendship Of those who
had stuck to him.
At the same time. the newspaper
h0yp suddenly grasped the fact that
n N