Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-10-17
THE BASEB
BEAT
Exit for q Fun-Lover
sY BURTON HAWKINS

EXT TOT q TUH-6VVST
THEY CUT DOWN the. Old Pine Tree last night and
the community won't be quite the with the passing
Of Arch Mcdonald. There is Overwhelming sadness and
inability write what flows to the heart but there is
gratitude for the manner of his ext-paying cards,
among friends travelling with team after proud per-
Torrance. %4.a,..@ ~ :
Arch was lovabe character who could run for
Congress- be defeated and say 81 second and paid
$40 His ability to extract the humor from situation
well known by the countless thousands who attended
the hundreds of functions he emceed here over the years
There are fond memories of delightful times In the
company of the sportscaser who named No. in his
field by The Sporting News in 1S45 Arch was gifted with
knack transposng the routine into rolcking tun
He needed that sense Of humor to entice audience
while describing the nadequaces OF the Senator's Tor so
many years. but there barbs in the delivery Arch
first OF all was fam He sgnaled the nrequent feats OF
the Senators by ringing bells pounding gongs or suns
tuting other gimmicks
ARCHs UNGUARDED EMOTIONS became completely
unhinged early IN 194S when the Senators won nine
straight games Western trip He stirred his listen
that welcome home celebration became an over
night civic venture
There was parade along Pennsylvania avenue, in
gold coored limousneS clmaxed by speeches at the
District Building where fans whooped 1t Manager
Joe Kuhe presented keys to the city The team later
pummeted to the cellar and remained there Kuhel was
fired, but the whole business accented Archs boundess
enthusiasm for the team.
In his time Arch owned variety of animals, in
Guiding part possession of harness horse The assort-
ranged from alligator to snakes from Chihuahuas
to Great Danes. He even owned an -tempered monkey
Who not being human dislked his boss and frequently
demonstrated this lack Of affection by biting him.
Arch died at So but he was part boy to the end He
never weared of attending carnival or circus. His
athletic accomplishments consisted principally OF moving
chair closer to card table Whether 1t be gin, hearts,
canasta or bridge-for lucre aughsthe man was an
expert. 81
FOR SOME REASON an incident in Havana keeps
popping to mind There in front Of packed bleachers
at ball park shortly before game time, Arch strobe i'm
pressively, halted, sienced chattering cubans with
shouted 'Harumph kali kan" entreaties, and embarked
on the most magnificent 15-minute harangue in
hicted on an unSuspectng audience.
Arch plunged masterfully into the realm OF double
talk worked himself into hne fury while extolng the
merits Of "frais obbligato on the half SHE'LL
besbol" Cubans gazed enraptured the strange man
who made sense in any Language, but applauded
wildly when Arch sgnihed the end with courtly bow
On that same journey Arch rooming with since
retired baseball writer who desired to dictate couple OF
paragraphs to United Press. The writer was screaming
"Prensa untado" something similar to the hotel tele
phone operator when Arch volunteered to unite the
language knot.
"No, no. chum" Arch said quietly and convincingy,
ASK for PrenSa Helado"
What had been merely confusion suddenly became
wacky comedy with dstraught operator attempting to
fathom the speech of added American who below
innocent Arch continued reading his novel.
Ef.
HEDGEMoRE WAS COLLEGE created in Arch's
fertile imagination Hedgemore had football team which
played such clubs as Almost Normal, Comatose state
Gremln u International Correspondence school, Elec-
toral College Hampden-Kidney and Hackwith u Arch
once weaed Of reading football results from small schools
on his radio program wedged Hedgemore among them
once then continued it for years. Hedgenore naturally
never lost -
II this gives the impression that Arch was all fool
shness it's the wrong impression It's Just that the
marvellous man had the lghthearted touch and the
laughs with him are what keep bouncing back even when
the heart is heavy.
He'll be remembered too for the earnestness of his
endeavors He could dismiss his activities as chief air raid
warden or Montgomery County during the by saying
iater NO enemy set foot my territory" but he did
1oo he gave the War Bond Drive healthy impetus by
raising among numerous civic ventures
Arch was an ardent admrer of Harry Truman during
the 1913 campaign when Truman's chances of winning
over Tom Dewey appeared remote When Mr. Truman
tiumphanty returned to Washington Arch was one of
the nrst admitted to the Presidents train When Arch
was honored at dinner i've years ago. Vice President
NIXON attended Liking Arch non-partisan