Evening star., 1942-04-29

pleasant vista from his room ats
Walter Reed Hospital he sees in i'm
agination not green fairways but
zooming Jap fighters and United
States flying fortresses moving ma
jesticaly through the skies. Golf
for Gene is over for while. The
days when his whole life was
wrapped up in golf tournaments and
winning them are over. His present
job is getting well to get more Japs.
Go back eight years and you'll
find that Gene Vinson was the Dis
trict amateur golf champion, tall,
devil-may-car broth of lad from
Meridian, Miss. with as much links
ability as any man who ever hit this
town. He won the District title and
the Chevy Chase tourney in the
same year. They were the only two
local affairs in which he played that
year. Previously he had won for
three years In row the amateur
and open championships Of Missis-
sippi. He was truly great anna
teur in every sense Of the word.
Suffered Broken Back.
In 1885 Gene, who was perfectly
at home In airplanes. had an acci-
dent. Two vertebrae were broken in
a plane crash, and for q while his
life hung in the balance. He licked
that rap. and in 1898 he entered the
Air Corps. Came December, 1941,
and Gene was showing flying fort
ress. one of those big 10000 pound,
| four engine jobs. toward the Far
East, taking the Atlantic Ocean and
Africa in stride. He has seen plenty
Of action over those eastern lands,
including lot of action that, for an
Air Corps oflcer, Is of the record.
But take our word for it, Gene has
been around in an air full of Jap
planes and flying lead.
And don't let any one tell you
those yellow men aren't good and
cannot handle plane" he says.
They can, and they have good
equipment wish we had as much
over there"
Today Gene Vinson, vastly more
sober and adult than the carefree
youngster who was a big links win
ner around town, hopes for a quick
return to health and return to ac-
ton. "It won't be easy" he says.
But we'll get 'em. Please remember
me to all the boys, Roger Peacock
and Billy Dettweiler and the rest"
Gene licked those boys when they
were at their best. And the Japs
will find this tall, tough Air Corps
ofiicer hard man to lick in any
game they try. The address, If old
friends of Gene want to look in. is
ward S, room l, Walter Reed Hos
pital.
Sylvester to Quit Golf.
Tony Sylvester, for dozen years
the fellow who has sat on the lid
at the Bannockburn Golf and Coun-
try Club, has decided to quit being
a golf professional and accept a job
in baking company offered to him
several months ago. Tony's decision
comes on the heels of an "on again,
of again" situation at Bannock-
burn. which for a time yesterday
had the club leased to Ernest An
derson. New York professional, for
merly at the st. Adams Club. Now
it develops that Anderson has been
hired to operate the club as the
manager.
Anderson called Sylvester from
New York early yesterday, advising
him that he would take over the
property On lease from Owner Shin
ners and asking if he CTony) would
sell him his golf shop equipment,
adding that Anderson will be in
Washington Friday to close the deal.
Meanwhile Tony had about made up
his mind to pull out of the Bannock-
burn setup. Several hours later
SINNERS called Tony on the phone
and advised him that Anderson Is
to be the manager OF the club
Meanwhile SINNERS has been ne
gotiating with John S. Connolly
owner of the Fairfax Country Club
to lease the Bannockburn property
and operate it as public course
which causes some wonderment as
to what becomes OF the membership
at Bannockburn, particularly as
SINNERS told newspapermen, in
cluding the writer. last Saturday