PAGE TWOI
Between
The Lions
By REM ROBINSON
Sports Writer
It seems that about this time
every year, when robins are com
ing north only to purchase return
tckets to Fort Worth and Miami,
every sports writer feels that it is
his duty to write about baseball,
;And the corning of Spring.
Well, Spring came to Mount
Nittany this week, baseball uni
forms were issty....d, laCrosse play
ers were outside, and it snowed.
Still, here is a Spring column, the
tradition has not been broken,
and maybe next year, some new
baseball scribe will find some
weather on a Florida road map,
)UanufaCture a bona-fide report
45f Joe Bedenk and -Co.
• Joe was standing up in the
coaches room Tuesday, his sched
uled game with Navy on April 28
on his mind, the first day of
spring in the air, and his pre
\'‘,ar rubber galoshes on his feet.
We asked him a bit cautiously
about his opener at Annapolis,
but he sighed, shivered, and Put
liois scarf around his neck as he
headed for the campus. His favor
ite fungo bat had been dusted,
his baseball uniform dug out from
under the pile of football equip
ment in his locker, piled in a neat
heap on top of Dr. Mills Almanac.
Half way down to Old Main,
Joe was remembering last sea
son. How games were cancelled
with Pitt, Muhlenberg, Temple,
and Navy in April because of
rain, snow, sleet, and the other
niceties eliminated from Chamber
of Commerce releases.
He told a story about Coach
Art Davis' first year at Penn
State. The good Doctor Davis had
n't seen Penn State's athletic ma
chine in action, so was worrying
a great deal several morning's
Vefore Bedenk's ball club was
sated to open their season with
ail April tilt against a big rival.
Snow had fallen to almost six
inches, and clouds held the prom
ise of more within hours,
Corning into Bcdenk's office,
Davis asked nervously, "What are
you going to do about your op
ener, Joe?"
Said Joe: "Don't worry Art.
Bob Rutherford has designed a
new roller with steam tubes in
cased in the steel rollers. To-
Morrow he will drive the roller
out on the field, roll the snow
down into a neat layer, and at the
same time, melt it all."
"Gosh," added Davis, "I have
never seen that. I will have to
come over tomorrow."
• "Next afternoon, Davis tramp
ed through the snow to the base
ball diamond, and waited for some
time before he realized that he
v; as at last a member of the Penn
State coaching staff," laughed
Joe.
At this point, we left Joe and
his stories, and his schedule for
this Spring, pulled our gloves on
and began wondering what Bob
Higgins will have out for foot
ball next Fall.—RCß
Jack Grey Commissioned;
Was former Boxing Ace
Jackie Grey, former All-Col
lege president, Eastern Intercol
legiate boxing champ, and winner
Of the 1943 Goodman trophy for
being the outstanding Penn State
boxer of the year, was commis
sioned a second lieutenant in
ceremonies held at Fort Knox,
Kentucky, on March 18.
Grey was a member of the 59th
graduating class of the Armored
OffiCer 'Candidate School.
Call for Track Managers
Candidates for assistant
managerial positions on the
Nittany Lion track squad
should report to Stu Block,
present varsity manager, at the
indoor track in Rec Hall any
night after 4 o'clock, it was an
nounced today.
PIRA Gym Stars
Here for Meel
Another schoolboy gym season
draws to a close in R'ec Hall
'Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock,
when over 60 high school boys
from eight Pennsylvania schdolr
meet for individual crowns and
for the mythical team title
awarded by the College.
Pottsville, defending champ
from last year, is favored to again
cop the interschOlastic title, but
expects tough competition from
entrie s on the Warren and LoWer
Merion teams. The Warren gym
naSts have taken the mythidal
title three times, while Pottsville
claims fo'ur diadems.
In addition to the favored
teams, entries have been placed
by Dußois, Meadville, Ambridge,
Ellwood City, and Sewickley,
Pottsville's Steidle, named out
standing performer last year, will
not be among 'the contestants for
the title' Saturday.
First trial rope clitribs, and, the
Indian 'club and parallel bar 'events
will start the 1944 tourney. At
2:30, second trials for the rope
climb title will be made, - followed
12y events with flying rings, side
horse, horizontal bar, and the
tumbling demonstration.
Favored to take the Indian Club
swing is Stan Lourimore of Se
v;ickley, winner of the Western
Regional title. The rope climb
event is wide open, with no 1943
gymnasts back to fill that spot.
Veterans are found in all other
contests.
New Penn State Swim Ace
is South American Champ
By ART MILLER A/S USNR
Not discouraged by the failure
of such top-notch competitors as
Alan Ford, Bob Cowell and the
Ryan brothers to spend their var
sity careers at Penn State, Swim
ming Coach Bob Galbraith has
unearthed another tank sensation
it•. Abel Gilbert, -speedy Equa
aorian • distance star.
Gilbert, who enrolled at State
this semester for the three-year
accelerated course in Animal Hus
bandry, will accompany back
stroker Leigh Woehling to the
NCAA tank meet at Yale this
weekend.
He will compete in the 220-
yard, 440-yard and 1500 meter
events while Woehling will see
Ection in his specialty the 150-
yard back Stroke.
Corner On Swin Market
The dark-haired distance ace,
who came to this country from his
native land of Equador five years
ago to attend Mercersburg prep,
holds every South American dist
ance crown frbm the 100-yard
swim to the 1500-meter mara
thon.
The winning of these crowns
was purely a family matter.
His brother, Charles, raced to
victory in the 1938 Little Olyttrip
ics in the 220, 440, 880 and 1500-
meters and then retired from ac
tive competition.
Abel took up the family tra
dition from there, repeating his
brother's victories against the
cream of the South American
crop in the 1939 Olympics, held
at Bogota, Columbia.
In the Pan-Americans - the*same
year, he swam against the best
of both continents including such
luminaries .as Alan Ford, Adolph
Kiefer, and the Hawaiian aces
Nakama, Hirose and Takama. He
placed third in the 1500-meters
and fourth in each of the other
distances.
Better Than Ford
On the Mercersburg swimming
crew, Gilbert used to beat Alan
Ford regularly in the distance
events but could not master the
Yale star in the dashes.. Ford, af
ter leaving prep school and de
ciding to display his wares for
Coach Bob Kipthuth at Yale, de
voted his time to the dashes en
tirely and recently bettered his
THE COLLEGIAN
Cleatfield Still Rules
Sdiotaboy Nal World
With 11 Champions
Clearfield High School, al
though limited to one title this
year, still rules the schoolboy
mat realm with 13 individual
champions since the Pennsylvan
ia Interscholastic Athletic Assoc
iation held its first wrestling
tournament at Penn State in 1938.
Canonsburg, on the other hand,
went without a title for the first
time since the tourney was found
ed, and as a result was 'deadlock
ed by Waynesburg for the runner
up position with nine champions
each, last week after the PIAA
mat tourney in Hee Hall. Matt
Gusic, 1`27-pound champion last
year, repeated for 'Waynesburg
this year in the 138-pound class.
Forty Fort added a title to its
'collection this year and moved
into • fdtirth . place with six
ohainpions. Pußois, • , denied
title when Jim Riss, 14-pound
winner last year, lost in the 165-
pound final thiS yeail, was alone
'in fifth place . with five •champ
ions.itingsion's two 1944. champ
ions booSted its .all-tinne_total to.
four. . •
Other schdols with more than
'one cham'pion are: - GrOVe City 3;
-Shamokin, Greensburg, Chelten
llam, Mt. Carmel,• Bethlehem,
Muncy, -and Farrell, 2 each. Low
er Merion, Pottsville, State. Col
lege, Lock Haven, -Erie Academy,
West View, Boswell, Dormont,
Tyrone, and Chartiers have each
produced one chainpion.
own time for the 100 to set a new
world'a record of 49.7 seconds.
The South American, a real
good neighbor to Coach Galbraith
this season, i s a citizen of Equa
dor and is not affected by the
.draft although taking basic ROTC
in college.
"When I finish here, I intend
to return to Equador and probably
enter the Army," Gilbert said
when asked about his future.
He has one brother, now mar
ried, and two sisters, all living at
the Gilbert home,
Twelve Teams Enter .
The 1500-meter trials will be
held in the Eli pool this •morning
with the finals taking place to
morrow night. This afternoon the
trials will be run on the 220 and
440 with the pay-offs probably
tomorrow night.
Woehling will' swim in warm
up competition this afternoon and
the finals tonight before return
ing.
Twelve teams with an aggre
gate 82 entries are reported await
ing the gun . in the beautiful
Payne-Whitney gym pool. Mich
igan, Yale, Columbia,. Princeton
and Cornell will be among the
squads present that will give
plenty of trouble to the Penn
State hopefuls.
John Lawther, Penn State cage
coach, rates Army's unbeaten
quintet as the begt his team op
posed this year.
STUDENT DEPARTMENT
Sunday, 9:30 A.M. Worship
service and group discussion,
"Unifying My Life."
WESTMINSTER FELLOW- ,
SHlP—Hymn-sing and wor
ship service, 6:20 P.M. Stu
dent panel, "What Easter
Means.
EARLY MORNING LENTEN
BREAKFAST—Fireside
zoom, 7-8 A.M. thursday.
Do you believingvin . acquiring.
spirituat disciplines now?
'Shoe Wizard Haines,' Starts
Another Nittany Tradition
Some funny things happen on
crowded trains these days, espec
ially when a cherubic little mill
ionaire begins arguing with a
dozen Perm State hockey and gym
keg on . the subject of "chin-ups."
Recently the Penn State ice
men and gytanaszs Were speeding
toward West Point with their
,coaches Art Davis and Gene Weft,-
,stone, when up sauntered a silver
'cane in front Of IVlahlin N. Haines,
'the widely publicized, Widely
known "Shoe Wizard of York."
Together with a half dozen
hockey players and gyirmaat Mike
GaTtatis, Me Shoe Wizard talked
of college days, and of his days
,as short stop on the 1892 baseball
team at the. University of Mary
land. Eve'rrtUally the donVersation
dot to 'chin-ups, and 'ever-apt:riling
rMahlin Haines 'offered, a five 'dol
- Id the Man present - Who
'could chin himself the MoVt
' At one tithe, the Shoe Wizard
'could Orin hinnSelif 'twenty `tunes,
using regulatioh rules, and 'even
'today, although approaching 70
Years Of age, he alights from bed
with a jump, and paces through
20 minutes of rigorous, toughen
ing exercise'.
With the offer of $5 made, gym
coach WettstoTre asked -philarth
ropist Haines to make it a school
wide contest, and 'within a minute
another award was offered for
the best in .all-'college competition.
Last week after armed forces'
gymnasium records, and civilian
tryouts were recorded, gymnast
Marvin Mangus won the "polonel
Haines Trophy," and AST Private
Narvin I. Emden took second
honors.
The prize to the smaller group
of athletes in which Haines be
came interested while riding on
the New York-bound train went
to varsity rope climber .Gaitanis.
This was not the first time mil
lionaire Haines has become in
terested in sporting competition.
Once when a passenger on a lux
ury liner, a diving- contest was
arranged because two champion
divers were aboard. Already oth
.er guests had heard of Haines and
his antics, and. immediately in
vited him to, join competition by
demonstrating a belly-whopper.
Haines obliged, although he was
then_67 years of age.
Haines toured the countryside
today in a fire-engine-red sedan,
the word: "THE SHOE WIZARD"
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EASTER . • .
GREETING CARDS
Now On Display
LEATHER
Wallets . Writing Cases . Address looks
Orders May Now Be Placed
For Personal Stationery .
eeler s • .
Cdthaum .Theatre. Bldg
FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1944
painted in eight inch gold letters,
splashed loudly on the side. lie
Is a lover of children, an 'en
thusiastic backer of the Boy
Scouts. To honor his 70th bilthday
this year, flaijnas will bring haar:
ly 2000 scouts to a jamboree at his
estate in East 'York.
Each of his ilO 'shoe stores, now
under a manager, Haines does not
work any More than necessaky.
He spe'nds his time -btrying War
'bonds, and urging others to ,dO
'their share. Estithates fittre that
he has purchased nearly a tenth
'of la million dollars in War bards.
'The rest of his 'time is spent rid
ing horseback at one of his vast
farms,, or in being named honor-'
ary 'chief of a Western Indian
tribe.
On a recent bond tour,. Raines
was escorting screen. star Gloria
'Stuart through an, iiispectiim of la
Hal shcie factory. Confusing hiin
With - tOngresiman • Harry L.
',Haines .of that district, the fac
tOry owner introduced him as
, Haines didn't miss this chance,
'and, iminediately jumped tip
'serearning: "No, no, I'm Haines
:the Shoe Wizard. The man who
makes low prices possible." Then
he bought a $10;000 brind, and was
kissed by Miss Stuart.
When starting in business many
years. ago, the Wizard of York
hired a, 65-piece band and rented '
York's old opera house for his
own preview. As the band played
loudly, he stepped to the stage,
and yelled, "I'm Haines the Shae
Wizard." Arid 'on those words
on's borroWed stock of $127, the
greatest chain store owner in Am
erica started selling shoes. •
. Now, his pictufe appears on ev
ery box of shoes sold in his 'chain
of stores. His name screams froin
every door mat, awning and whf
dow display he owns. In his ,
"modest" $32,000 mansion, he
hires no servants, eats . his wife's
own cooking. His vast office rec
ords are kept in shoe boxes in his
dingy headquarters at York.
As his conversation ended with
the Penn state athletes, and the
Colonel Haines Trophy was plan-.
tied for the best chinner in the
college, the Wizard glanced from
the train window, saw that he
was miles past his station. Leap
ing, from the coach at the next
station, he hired an airplane back
to his destination.—RCß