Imperial Valley press., 1943-10-25
HERE
We GO /,
AGAIN
BY
JAMES M.
KENDRICK
PHANTOM FAME Bobby Frank

PHANTOM FAME-Bohby Frank
lin. retired bantamweight fighter,
and now a marine at the air base
here, sailed into a fleeting moment
of imagined glory when he launch
ed his ring career. Determined to
become a fighter, Bobby, who at
that time adopted the good old Erin
handle of "ODowd" left the bed
and board of his Ohio home to
storm the uncertain gates of sport
dom in Chicago. In the Windy
City's largest gynasium, Bobby took
on all corners in order to display
his fiStic repertoire. There were
two rings in the big gym, one at
each end of the building.
One afternoon Bobby elected to
box with Eddie Kid" Wagner, an
already established topnotcher in
the racket Bobby put everything
he had into the chore and was
feeling more than proud of him
self. Then he noted that the
crowd. which had packed the other
end of the building to watch an
other bout, was deserting it and
crowding about the ring where he
and Wagner were slapping leather.
The old Irish ego began to swell up
in Bobby The bigger the crowd
the harder he punched. So this
was how it felt when fame knocked
on your door? Gosh. this is great
thought the tyro. Should he take
bow at the end of the round. or
be strictly the nonchalant kid.
Sure, act like this was old stuff to
him. AS the boxers worked their
way around the ring Bobby hap
pened to glance over Wagners
shoulder. He saw the goggle-eyed
crowd staring - but not at him
There in a ringside seat sat the old
Manassa Mauler, Jack Dempsey,
surrounded by the hero-WorShipers.
My ego bag burst like an over
ripe watermelon. My jaw dropped
foot. and not from being hit.
either. The collapse of that moment
of imagined glorification left an
awful void for while. But l never
worried about fame after that" sill
loquizes Bobby. who now is sports
editor of the bases Desert Dig
gins
SALUTE OF THE WEEK And
speaking of the Desert Diggins.'
AS you may know, it has been d
spritely little mimeographed paper
coming out once week. SUNDAY
it blossomed out in its new dress, q
printed, 8-page breezy number in
tabloid formal. Here's a salute to
ali the officers and enlisted person.
mel responsible for it, and particular
to those three salty marines, Corp.
willard G. Goldsmith and Sgt.
Robert w. Hansen and C. J. Arm
strong, who saw their baby put ito
bed" and were waiting for the first
edition to roll off the press.
WHAT, NO CRUTCUES?-Ac cute
young thing was lamenting over the
fact that it was chrCnjcled here
that Gene Oswalt. former Ell
Centro football flash, recently
cracked" an ear-drum while try
ing out for the Trojans diving
team. why, I saw him the other
day and he looked fine to me-" she
cooed.
What did you expect lass? To
see him holding up his cracked
eardrum with crutcheS?
A LONG COUNT Just to take
your mind off the war and taxes
for moment we hasten to inform
you that the bird population of
continental United States is $780,
$4,000 during the summer, while in
winter it drops to a mere 766,000,-
600. But don't quote this depart
ment. DR.. Leonard Wing, a gov
ernment expert counted EN-, or says
he did. Don't try to me morize
those figures. The slaughter cam
paign planned by Imperial Valley
farmers may reduce that number
By 200 or so. Or, don't you think so.