Competition

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation,” Plato

Dawn Knight, IU football star George Taliaferro’s biographer, writes that the Gary neighborhood where he grew up, the 2800 block of Madison was integrated and that Serbian friends would have pig roasts where everyone would bring a side dish.  Nonetheless, George went to an all-black school, Roosevelt, and until his junior year the football team was not allowed to compete against white schools.  Track and field was OK because it was not a “contact sport.”  The football team had to play schools in Chicago, Indianapolis, Evansville, and as far south as Tuskegee Alabama.  The summer between his junior and senior year, with World War II creating demand for steel and a labor shortage, Taliaferro worked in a steel mill alongside his father.  He talked of quitting school, but his dad would not permit it.  In four years at Roosevelt he earned 16 sports letters. 

An All-American at IU, Taliferro in 1945 led the Hoosiers, coached by Bo McMillan, to their only undefeated season. During his college career, interrupted by a year of military service, the versatile tailback led the team in rushing, passing, and punting.  The first African American selected in an NFL draft, he made the Pro Bowl three times and played for four different teams, ending his stellar career with the Philadelphia Eagles. Tony Dungy wrote the Foreword to Knight’s book in 2007.  He was coach of the Indianapolis Colts at the time and claimed Taliaferro was an inspiration to him.  Knight mentions that IU trustee Ora Wildermuth opposed integrating contact sports teams but that President Herman Wells wanted to end Jim Crow practices on campus, which heretofore had excluded them from living in the dorms, using the dining facilities or swimming pools or being part of the compulsory ROTC program on the pretext that they had flat feet.

above, George Taliaferro; below, Carson Cunningham

Chancellor Lowe returned Carson Cunningham’s “Underbelly Hoops” that I had loaned him.  When I first read it, I missed a section in the back mentioning what happened to some of his teammates.  Keith “Boss” Closs sobered up, played recently in the West Coast Basketball League, and hoped to join a team in Australia or China.  In 2011 Ronnie “Rockford” Fields was shooting hoops in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.  Brent “The Baffler” Bailey played in Germany and then Finland.  Only Jamario Moon made the “bigs,” gaining a roster spot briefly with five NBA teams, but most recently was with a minor league franchise, the Quebec Kebs.

A letter in the mail informing me that IUN emeritus faculty will no longer receive parking permits gratis, supposedly because of income tax benefit regulations.  We had been warned that this was coming, but it seems unnecessary and slightly insulting.  Ron Cohen agrees and wrote Chancellor Lowe that he and I remain co-directors of the Calumet Regional Archives and make valuable contribution to the university without compensation.  Hopefully something will come of this so we don’t have to apply for a temporary permit each time we come to campus, which in my case, being unofficial University historian, is most every day.

Rudy Giuliani spoke on campus on the subject of principles leadership.  I didn’t attend.  If I had I would have asked him about his friendship with shock jock Howard Stern.

For my Portage talk in three weeks I’ll make use of Bruce Sawochka’s brief history and oral histories from my Portage Shavings.  Robery Reibly, for instance recalled: “I started working for the police department in July of 1959.  When I left the mill, I was making $8,600.  I started at the police department at $4,850 a year.  We started out in a little building on Central Avenue – five policemen and the chief.  We had materials donated, so we built the building.    We got our first money from Midwest Steel.  They gave us 15 thousand dollars for our first year’s budget.  We bought two 1957 Plymouths, which were a couple years old.  When I left, we had 35 people, not counting clerks and other office personnel.”  It’s the twentieth anniversary of the Portage Historical Society, and organizer Al Goin claims well over a hundred people will be in attendance.

Hasbro, the makers of Monopoly have replaced the iron token with the likeness of a cat after a “Save Tour Token” contest.  Other token that survived include the thimble and wheelbarrow.  The cat beat out a robot and a guitar. The cat will join the Scottie dog among the pieces.

Against the Town Drunks, the Engineers won game one by 122 and lost the next two but held on to series by 30 pins.  Joe Piunti, who calls me “Professor,” said afterwards that it takes a couple pitchers of beer before his team gets started.  After struggling all evening, I replied that it took me longer than that.  Both of us used to have much higher averages, but J.P’s son, Joe, Jr., rolled a 600 series.  Frank Shufran announced that he’s miss next week due to a cataract operation.  I wonder how far down the road that’s in store for me.

In the paper was an announcement that Joseph Stiglitz would be appearing by phone on a WLTH afternoon radio show hosted by Post-Trib reporter Michael Gonzalez.   Jerry Davich got me Gonzalez’s email address and learned that he’ll be doing the interview via phone. I wrote back: “I am very impressed you got in touch with him.  I've been trying to contact him for the past year.  Since I'll be busy tomorrow, will there be a tape made of the show?  We'd love to have a copy for IUN's Calumet Regional Archives.  I'd be happy to give you a copy of my history of Gary in return.  Stiglitz' s dad worked at Gary National Bank as a Travelers Insurance agent; his mother came from a family of New Deal Democrats.  He was valedictorian at Horace Mann and captain of the debating team.  You might ask about memorable teachers he had there.”  On the program Stiglitz talked mainly about his latest book, “The Price of Inequality,” but did mention that he got an excellent education at Horace Mann and had some wonderful teachers.

The Office of Student Life sponsored an “IUN’s Got Talent” Day whose participants ranged from reciters of uplifting poetry to a scatological rapper.  One woman sang a gospel hymn while another read a short story about someone killing her abusing ex-husband.  On hand were a couple recent issues of “Spirits” magazine.  One had an excellent photo by Taylor Jo Thompson entitled “Beauty in the Breakdown” of the ruins of Seaman Hall showing the stage and theater seats; another was a clever drawing entitled “Bethaeny” by Fred McColly’s son Seamus

above, photo by Taylor Jo Thompson; below, drawing by Seamus McColly

Seamus is also the name of the Romney Irish setter forced to ride atop the family car.  Another dog owned by Clare Torry provided vocals of sorts on a Pink Floyd song.  A common Irish name, Seamus (Finnegan) is the name of a half-blood wizard who was friends with Harry Potter.

Sheriff Dominguez invited me for lunch at Obuelo’s in Merrillville, which served great steak fajitas and reminded me of Casa Gallardo, my favorite restaurant until it closed suddenly without warning some 20 years ago.  As we were leaving, Roy spotted Larry Alt, who looked familiar to me.  Formerly head of the Lakeshore Region chapter of the IU Alumni Association, he used to do fundraisers on Channel 56 during timeouts of IU basketball games.  I told him that my son Phil worked for the station then and probably was producer/director for some of those events.

When I arrived at L.A. Nails to get my toenails cut, the manager knew my name.  I guess they don’t get many male customers.  While a comely young Asian woman was ministering to me, Judge Judy was on TV giving the business to a retired teacher who allegedly harassed a meth addict whom he met at a Gentleman’s Club and then hired supposedly to clean his house.  Then it was on to Primary Care to get prescriptions to have my blood medicine refilled.  On their scale I weighed 177 pounds, fully dressed with a fat wallet in my back pocket, a weight I’ve pretty much maintained for years.  My dad, who weighed around 185, would talk about getting down to the 160s.  At one point I was down to 165 in an effort to get rid of the beer belly, but a couple people thought I looked gaunt.