Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-21

NJ Bill Stribling has lifted
1 Y his dukes in professional
combat $50 times. He has
flown 100000 miles in 800 hours In
the air. He has cracked up twice
in 1900 landings. And the most
serious accident he ever had was
fall from a bicycle. He wa
knocked unconscious and badly
battered.
Stribling loves speed. Every time he
gets his hands on the wheel of an au-
tomobi!e sensible friends get out ana
walk. He drives as though he were
trying to qualify for the championships
at Indianapolis. He wants TO try speed
way racing some day. On the beach at
Daytona. Fla, he showed a stock car
up to lis miles an hour.
As youngSter in Macon, Ga, w.
l." rode a wheel furiously before he
ever saw a pair of boxing gloves. When
he got enough money together he grad
uated to motor cycle. The wind rush
ing into his face, tearing at his clothes,
gives him a tremendous thrill. He holds
a transport pilots license now, owns
several planes, and the finest of these
is a big closed job. He doesn't like that
again and the wind ripping at his face.
Many fight critics believe he lacks cour-
age.
Everything in a Hurry.
Everything he does is in a hurry. He
wears everybody out around him, runs
up and down stairs, bounces in and out
of chairs, rarely has the patience to
read for any length of time. He is i'm
passive just before fight. Cautious
ness in critical moments has cost him
at least two championship shots. His
father and manager, pa" Stribling,
is white with anxiety during Bills
matches.
BE careful, son, don't get hurt"
he t=lls him between rounds.
Stribling loves any kind of COM
petition and hates to lose game or
an argument. He plays cards, checkers,
dominoes, and with nothing at all at
stake, perspires as though he were
carrying brick. He argus over every
point.
His father, head of the acrobatic
troupe in which Bill got his develop
ment, believes it is unlucky to pass
beggars, whistle in dressing room, ard
two accidents will follow the first be-
fore the charm is broken. Bill isn't
superstitious, but he had PA" worn
out before big fights threatening to
Violate the SupSTndCuTdl.
Light clothes and bright colors m
trigue him and he hates blue serge
suits because his mother clothed him
in so many of them when he was
young. He is almost violent in his
likes and dislikes and speaks his mind
freely and forcefully. He plays roughly
with his friends and family, but thosa
he dislikes are left strictly alone and
are expected to fight shy of him.
Defends His Friends.
He'll cock fist if a sighting refer
ence is made about a friend. He is
abrupt often undiplomatic, but mild
hammered and hard to arouse to anger.
He has the memory Of an elephant
when sighted.
One of Stribling's keenest disappoint-
ments was his parents refusal to let
him play foot ball when he was a
boy because the game was too rough.
All that brawling over foot ball Is
his idea of a perfect way to spend an
afternoon. He plays basket ball al
most as we'll as a professional, but
there are too many rules.
His big weakness is ice cream. He
fills up at least once a day and often
tuckS away large portion of the con-
lection before he goes into the ring
He likes war stories, but doesn't care
for movies unless they are thrillers.
He shoots a gun, steers his plane
and mans a cue stick all with his left
hand. He writes and knocks fighters
out with his right. He loves to visit
with friends, hunt with them and take
them flying. Most of them prefer to
stay on the ground
Next Winter he intends to try speed
boat racing. He'd like to build a racer
after he gets the hang of it that could
crack the late Sir Henry Segrave's p8-
mile-an-hour record.