Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-11
WIN, LOSE OR
DNAW BY FRANCIS sTANN
Bill Hotel: Newspopermon

IN THOSE DAYS-and this was nearly 30 years ago
Bill Hotel cut quite figure the sports desk of The Star
At first blush he seemed, to rookie reporter, to be
martinez little guy who speak
ing and who could understand why people couldn't
decipher his handwriting The printers coud-and did
but they were the only
sports staff far smaller in those days There was
Denman Thompson the editor and Jack Keller who
baseball There the al-around pro- Rod Thomas and
the late Ed Fuller At night Curley Byrd banged column
during the football
There was. too the late Walter McCallum the golf
writer, and this cub still wet behind the
The wheelhorse was Bill HOTEL whose funeral held
today at College Park One minute he chewed his
he relished the title sports edtor-and the
next he was making it all up to them.
Bill was terrific headline writer If his heads didn't
win awards they among written Hotel
used to type them-and his tipping bad his long
hand-but his heads fit and told the story.
TIME WAS MORE of the in those days than now
and Bill Hotel was not to dydally. Ed Fuller
faSwriting reporter but about o'clock morning Ed
took 80 or 40 seconds to compose lead
Quick as cat, Hotel crossed to Fuller's desk,
yanked out the paper. and quipped:
Look, were not writing poetry"
He was an intense person and he will be missed, al
though it's been II since he left The Star
the paper he loved the University Maryland He became
Curley Byrds Boswell and properly proud OF the role
Bill never went to Maryland but he Byrd
football coach and later president of the university that
he became the most enthusiastic "aumnus" of all
Hotel good the desk. True he ran
taut ship but when he'd down from the composing
ROOM still shaking from the excitement putting the
paper to bed he would sit with stan members and
advise them.
BILL KNEW NEARLY everybody in sports in Washing
ton He knew the wrestling coach Galaudet and the golf
pro at old Indian Spring He Walter johnson when
the Big Train rookie
Walter was just big kid in store bought suit" Bill
used to say and Id watch him walking from the ball park
in full uniform to his roomng house" They firm
friends Hotel and Johnson although Bills kept
him clamped to his desk and he did baseball
he would have liked
Tennis really Bill HOTELS cup of tea along
with wrestling Not the Antonno Rocca wrestling but the
real amateur stuff AS for tennis he genuine expert
Experty he rolled off the and techniques Little
Bill Johnston. Winnie Richards, Maurice Mclaughlin, Bill
Tilden and other giants of the day.
HOTELS ENTHUSIASM for Maryland was boundless
He could watch other teams with cool detachment but it
different story when the Terrapins were playing
Then he couldn't hold still
There was notable afternoon at Annapolis when
Bill took on the brigade of Mdshpmen decision had
gone against Maryland in basketball game with Navy
and Hotel lost no time in badgering the referee.
Up and down the court he went just outside the
lne until the Mddies began to boot the little guy with
the beaten-up felt hat 1t didn't bother Bill Hotel With
ne contempt for the odds against him. Bill turned toward
the Navy cheering section shook his fist at the brigade
The Mddies finally roared their admiration for the
guy, although they didn't know he anybody except
Maryland rooter
But most of all, Bill Hotel a newSpaperman A real
good member of the old school, You don't hardly
see his kind any