Evening star., 1943-04-15
r. :.
Air1ldn / 4 i Missing, / /
Gloom Settles.
On Michigan i:
Great Grid Ace Made
Officer in Flying
Corps in October: !.
by PAUL. CHANDLER,
A.soei,tsd Press snort, Writer

Associated Press Sports Writer
ANN ARBOR, Mich, April 15.-A
nom and dad and \; campusful Of
shocked students waited tensely to-
day for scrap of news, that would
say Tom Harmon is safe.
1t. Thomas Dudley Harmon. one
Of the great football players of all
time, is missing in the Latin Amer
ican area. The War Department
informed his parents OF this-with
no further details-in a brief tele-
gram last night. >.
Stricken first with grief, his parents
then swallowed the news and in
sisted Immediately that Tom was
not dead, that :"Oh %" had not
scored its last touchdown. g.
Harmon. an All-America at Mich
igan in 1889 and 1910 and grid
iron star since his. high school
freshman days, left the Continental
United States two weeks ago in q
bomber inscribed with his familiar
Jersey number-98 'tOld 98-Little
Butch" he called the plane.
From the Caribbean area he wrote
his parents on April 4. The War
Department said he had been
missing since April g.
We're praying" said his father.
Louis A. Harmon, Tom Is strong
and knows how to take care Of him
SELF ,.-, -,
Best Known Michigan Gridman.
Tom was the best known football
player in University. of Michigan
history He scored 237 points in
three years of college competition,
more than any other player, and his
80 touchdowns were. two more than
the 81 made, by Illinois famed Red
Grange. 49,.
Harmon entered the United States
Army Air Forces year ago and vas
made = pilot and q. second heuten-
ant 1T williams Field, Ariz., on Oc-
tober 80. 1912. - :.'---
Twenty three years old now, Har-
mon never had = brighter day on
the gridiron than his performance
on his 21st birthday, against the
University of California at Berkley.
He lugged the opening kickoff for
= touchdown, scored three others,
broke loose for q dozen spectacular
plays. booted four extra points, and
scored 20 points OF the Wolverine
total OF. Al. -. -
2 As q campus star Harmon won
three letters in football, one in bas-
ket ball. His fan mail at one time
was 30 heavy he was forced to hire
q secretary to answer It.
After graduation he built q $4,000
home in Ann Arbor, moved his par
ents here from Gary, Ind, and went
to, work as = radio announcer for q
Detroit station. And in that role
he followed the Michigan team for
another season, from = radio booth.
Frutig, Old Pal, II sDewncast.
When he came to Michigan in
1887 he was proclaimed by Fielding
H. -Yost as, "the greatest high school
athlete Of the year." referring to his
performance At Horace Mann High
School in Gary
One OF Toms brothers, William
E. Gene Harmon, is = lieutenant
In the Army. Air Corps, stationed in
the South rs = physical education
instructor.
The campus newspaper was food
ed with the telephone calls from
students. faculty men and towns
folk. One Of the callers was Ensign
Ed Frutig, now q Navy flight in
structor, but in 1910 the end who
caught Harmon's forward passes.
He asked for confirmation Of the
report, and hung up in dumbfound-
ed silence. H..
Frutig was, one Of Harmon's
closest friends. Fl IA
d y The War Department promised
Harmon's mother and father fur
ther details when they are avail
r~@Ss