Real Men, A Book To Read

[sport historian]

Recently I picked up the book, Real Men: Ten Courageous Americans To Know And Admire, By R. Cort Kirkwood. Mr. Kirkwood is an award-winning journalist and managing editor of the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The ten men profiled are Francis Marion, Eddie Rickenbacker, Vince Lombardi, Rocky Versace, Wild Bill Hickock, Lou Gehrig, Audie Murphy, David Crockett, Andrew Jackson, and Robert E. Lee.

The Forward is by Dr. Roger D. Mcgrath, who like Mr. Kirkwood frequently writes for Chronicles Magazine. The author has a Preface and an Afterword which addresses many issues we are concerned with.

 

[Don Wassall]

Roger McGrath has written a number of very interesting articles for Chronicles. About a half dozen years ago he wrote one about the changing demographics in and around San Bernardino and how it affected a lot of things, including sports. He haddetailed knowledge of white sprinters, football players, etc., in Southern California in the '50s and '60s and how all of a sudden they disappeared. Itwas a greatstudy of howrace and politicsaffected what had been America's most fertile areafor developingworld-class white athletes. I'd love to find that article and link it or reprint it on Caste Football.

 

[sport historian]

The article Don is referring to is in the July 2002 issue of Chronicles. The article is not on the Web, but if you contact Chronicles at their web site, you should be able to get a copy through the mail. I have gotten back issues from Chronicles many times.

 

[Don Wassall]

I just ordered the 7/02 issue. Sport Historian, you have an amazing memory!

 

[Bronk]

I really like reading McGrath as well. You can see him pop up on programs on the History Channel from time to time.

I have been lobbying to get a high school named for Audie Murphy for a long time. I even wrote an editorial in a Houston-area newspaper advocating the naming of a school for him. Do you realize that there are NO schools in the state of Texas named for the most decorated soldier of WWII? Shame, shame.

 

[screamingeagle]

Bronk:
I cannot believe that their are no schools named after Audie Murphy in Texas!!!!! What's wrong down there?

BTW Audie was a great actor also.