End Of A Legend

When Joe Louis retired as Heavyweight Champion in 1949, he had beat all challengers for a dozen years. Before winning the title, he had avenged the only loss in his career by knocking out Germany's Max Schmeling, in one of the most famous fights in ring history. The only man he feared was the tax man, who wouldn't let Joe rest. On October 26, 1951, he climbed back into the ring to fight a young, undefeated Rocky Marciano, who had won 31 out of 36 fights by knockout. In the eighth round, the aging legend was knocked through the ropes, down and out, in what would be his last fight.

reprinted from May 2011

One More Purse

In August of 1951, thirteen years after energizing the country's morale by knocking out Germany's Max Schmeling, an aging Joe Louis was fighting again to pay back taxes. The Brown Bomber had first retired as undefeated champion in 1949, after winning 61 fights starting in 1934. In two more months, on October 26, 1951, Rocky Marciano would knock him out and threw the robes. It would be the last time Joe Louis would fight.

Photo: fighting Cesar Brion, Louis wins in 10 round decision.

reprinted from August 2010

Securing Our Assets

During the World War we secured our assets with armed guards. The private police force at Bethlehem Steel outnumbered the City's police force. Last week, Wayne LaPierce, vice president of the NRA, outraged the liberal element when he suggested policeman for our schools. The president of the Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, responded: Schools must be safe sanctuaries, not armed fortresses. Anyone who would suggest otherwise doesn’t understand that our public schools must first and foremost be places where teachers can safely educate and nurture our students. An unintended consequence of this debate was the frenzy it created at gun stores across America. Although the figures have not yet been compiled, it may have resulted in the sale of an additional 30 million firearms, especially those of high capacity. Weingarten must consider that even if the sale of firearms were banned tomorrow, there will still be over 200 million guns in the United States. I believe that a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines does not infringe upon the Second Amendment. However, whatever changes are implemented in regard to the sale of firearms, it will take decades to affect the volume of weapons currently in private hands. In the meantime, I don't think that a friendly policeman at a school is a bad role model. We must guard our assets.

Knock Down At The Garden

You could knock Joe Louis down, the problem was when he got up. Shown above, Louis's former sparring partner, Jersey Joe Walcott, circles above Louis. Louis had returned from four years in the service, and resumed defending his title. Walcott himself would eventually become champion, but not this night, not against Joe Louis.

Madison Square Garden, December 5, 1947

reprinted from January 2011

FlashBack

                   Joe Louis vs. Abe Simon, Madison Square Garden, May 1942

In the 1930's and 40's, slow film emulsion and fast action, required bright light to capture the scene. A Speed Graphic camera, equipped with a large flashbulb gun, was the standard workhorse for the ringside photographer. By the 1960's, smaller format cameras, electronic strobes and faster film were standard equipment.

reprinted from November 2010

The Corner Market

Although I doubt that there will ever be a show at the Historical Society, or brochures at the Visitors Bureau, perhaps nothing encapsulates the history of Allentown more than the corner grocery stores. Allentown proper, is mostly comprised of rowhouses built between 1870 and 1920, long before the era of automobiles and suburban supermarkets. Most of the corner markets were built as stores, and over the years many were converted into apartments. Up until the late 1940's, there may have been well over a hundred operating in Allentown. Some specialized in ethnic food. The bodega at 9th and Liberty was formally an Italian market. Live and fresh killed chickens were sold at 8th and Linden, currently H & R Block Tax Service. A kosher meat market is now a hair salon on 19th Street. The original era for these markets died with the advent of the supermarket. In the early 50's some corner stores attempted to "brand" themselves as a "chain", as shown in the Economy Store sign above. That market is at 4th and Turner, and has been continually operating since the turn of the last century. Ironically, as the social-economic level of center city has decreased, the corner stores have seen a revival. Most of these new merchants, many Hispanic and some Asian, know little of the former history of their stores, but like their predecessors, work long, hard hours.
ADDENDUM: The first supermarket's in Allentown were the A&P. In addition to occupying a former corner store near 2nd and Hamilton, they operated the super store on 19th St, home later to the Shanty Restaurant. The Shanty now is becoming TC Salon, subject of recent post on this blog, and a feature story in today's Morning Call by Jarrett Renshaw.
ADDENDUM 2: Although there was an attempt to brand the corner stores to appear as a chain, the Economy Stores sign shown, apparently came from an early A&P format in 1912 when they leased small stores. If this particular store was such an A&P, or just dressed later with a reused sign, I have yet to determine.

reprinted from March 2009

UPDATE: December 2012: TC Salon closed, the property is currently vacant and for sale.

Good Deed Punished

While the Department of Defense took full advantage of Private Joe Louis's fame and ability to raise money, the Internal Revenue Service keep a running tab on The Brown Bomber. Louis's contribution to the war effort was more than substantial. In addition to serving during his prime fight years, he also donated entire fight purses to the Army. The two Joe Louis- Abe Simon fights were donated in their entirety. After the War, the IRS even charged Louis income tax on those donations. The upper end tax rate during those years was 79 to 90%. Louis's debt, and the government's aggression in collecting, forced Louis to fight till 1951.
UPDATE:
A few previous posts on the Louis-Simon fights
Heavyweight Championship of the World
Simon Fearless Against Bomber
The Weigh In
Simon Gets Brother's Verdict

reprinted from March 2011

Doing It His Way

He was Frank Sinatra's favorite fighter. Tami Mauriello started fighting professionally when he was 17 years old, as a light heavyweight. After two loses to Gus Lesnevich for that title, he moved up to the heavyweight division. In 1943, Sinatra paid $10,000 to buy an interest in his fellow Italian American. Sinatra sang the National Anthem before one of his fights. Eleven straight wins set up his title shot with Louis on September 18, 1946, in Yankee Stadium. This incredible photo shows the first round knockout. Mauriello ended his career with an 82 - 13 record. He later appeared in the movie classic, On The Waterfront, with fellow heavyweights Tony Galento and Abe Simon.

click on photo reprinted from December 2010

The West End Train

The Lehigh Valley Railroad operated a train branch line which served Allentown's commercial west end. It ran along Sumner Avenue servicing the scrap metal yards, warehouses and numerous coal dealers located there. The line then crossed Tilghman Street on a diagonal at 17th, before looping back east by Liberty Street at the Fairgrounds. The line ended at a rail yard now housing the small shopping center at 12th and Liberty. Although many of former commercial buildings still exist, all now house more retail type businesses. The B'nai Brith Apartments occupy the site of the former Trexler Lumber Yard. These historical shorts are difficult to write. Most current residents have no frame of reference to our former commercial past. True historians, such as the local railroad buffs, cringe at the lack of detail and specific location of the tracks. Suffice to say, that once upon a time, the mid-section of Allentown had much more commerce.

photo of train crossing Tilghman at 17th Street taken by Kermit E. Geary in 1974, from the Mark Rabenold Collection.

March 27, 1942

Guest Post by Mike Casey
Before 18,220 fans at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942, big Abe Simon stepped into the ring for the final fight of his career. Scaling 255 1/4lbs, he was a massive, bear of a man who had once used his considerable size and muscle on the gridiron. Abe outweighed Joe Louis by nearly 48 pounds, but already knew the dangers of duelling with the Brown Bomber. Just a year before at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Joe had decked Simon four times and stopped him in thirteen rounds.Coming back for seconds was never a good idea against the prime Louis. But Abe had heart, pluck and a big punch and everyone knew that anything could happen in heavyweight boxing. Simon had knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott in six rounds, beaten Roscoe Toles and drawn with Turkey Thompson. Abe had also waged a thrilling battle of the giants with Buddy Baer, in which he had beaten Buddy severely in the opening round before being stopped in the third.......Louis finished the fight quickly in the sixth round, sending Abe down and out with a final left-right blast. Perhaps Joe had been riled after first snapping Simon to attention with a quick-fire combination in the second round. Big Abe had laughed at him....
copy courtesy of Mike Casey Archives
photograph(added by molovinsky): Abe Simon in corner after fight, with manager Jimmy Johnston

reprinted from October 2011

The Last Fight

When Abe Simon stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942, it would be his last fight. He had been recently married, and promised his wife that he would stop fighting. One year earlier he had fought Joe Louis the first time, and endured a tremendous beating for thirteen rounds. Fighting since 1935, ranked 6th by Ring Magazine, a shot at the title was something a fighter cannot pass up. Many fight historians consider Louis the hardest hitting heavyweight of all time. Because of the publicity Simon gained from these Louis fights, he was offered a lucrative cross country boxing tour, which he declined. It was also Louis's last title defense for four years, until fighting Billy Conn in June of 1946. After the Simon fight he joined the U.S. Army, where he would fight 96 exhibition bouts at bases throughout the country. Shown above, Simon got knocked out in the sixth round.

reprinted from February 2010

Arena Dooms Old Allentown

A resident of N. 8th Street expressed concern about traffic congestion at last night's arena meeting. She should be concerned, because the City has said that existing traffic patterns and existing parking can accommodate the arena. That's only true if the arena is going to be a failure, anything more successful will impact both traffic and parking. What that resident should really be concerned about is the Old Allentown Preservation Association; Once again those lapdogs ate their doggie biscuit, but this time it's poison. For decades those yuppies yearned for an adjoining quaint downtown, although they never sufficiently patronized such merchants that did remain. For years they supported City policies, and in return had a problem building occasionally removed at taxpayer expense. Welcome to the architectural wasteland coming your way. Welcome to a square block parking lot with a white elephant monstrosity sports palace. Welcome to the fruits of your complicity.
reprinted from November of 2011

UPDATE: Since this was published over a year ago, the arena complex plans have expanded to include an office building and hotel. Also the Reilly Cabal is building additional buildings, on the corners of 7th,  at both Hamilton and Linden. Professional advocate for the low income, Alan Jennings, pushed come-lately CUNA out of way, and is getting some funding for his operation. Despite all this wheeling and dealing, not a dollar has been thrown at our yuppie friends holding down Fort Apache.  They should reprint this post, and redeem it on the fifth floor of City Hall for some consideration.

The Great White Hope

The Wage of Fame

As a young man in the mid 1930's, Abe Simon worked summers as a life guard at Coney Island. Girls would pretend to be drowning to meet the 6'5" hunk. The former high school star athlete was recruited to boxing by Jock Whitney, future Ambassador to Britain. Although amassing a winning record, absorbing punches from the likes of Buddy Bear, Jersey Joe Walcott and Joe Louis took their toll on Simon.

Simon's brother congratulates him after going 13 rounds with Louis in Detroit in March of 1941, earning a second shot at the Heavyweight Title.










                                               
                                               reprinted from November 2009  

Christmas City

In 1937, Bethlehem was still struggling from the Great Depression. In December of that year, the Star was built on top of the mountain, elaborate street decorations were installed, and the city began calling itself                                                Christmas City.

reprinted from December 25, 2010

A Jewish Christmas Card

Most Jews experience some conflict during the Christmas Season. This is essentially a Christian nation, and to totally ignore that reality could be perceived as rude. Although Abe Simon proudly wore the Star of David on his boxing trunks in NYC, he also sent out Christmas cards to his non-Jewish associates. Simon, in 1942, was the last Jew to fight for the Heavyweight Championship of the World.

reprinted from December 2011

Tough Guys

Not too many guys could say that they knocked Joe Louis down, but both of these guys did. Buddy Baer, 6'7", met Tony Galento, 5'9'', on April 8, 1941 in Washington D.C. Galento did not come out for the 8th round, giving Baer the victory, which set up his title fight with Louis. Galento, who trained with beer and hot dogs, had a pulverizing round house left hook, with which he knocked out 51 men. Louis described him as "Absolutely fearless."

reprinted from October 2010

December 21st At Cedar Park

There always has been something, somewhat ominous about the 21st of December. If not the mysterious pagan celebration of the winter solstice at Stonehedge, it is the shortest, or darkest day of the year. Notable heavies, including Joseph Stalin. were born on this day. If all that isn't enough, this year was anticipated as the Mayan Apocalypse. Although we appear to have dodged the doomsday bullet, Allentown's Cedar Park experienced significant flooding.

Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria

The Church and Theology School in Alexandria was established by the Apostle Mark in 60AD. Most of the early converts were common Egyptians who spoke Coptic. Although Christians became the majority before the Arab invasion in 636, by the 12th century they were the minority. The concept of monasteries in Christianity was started by the Coptics in the deserts of Egypt. Currently, the Coptics are threatened by transitions in Egypt, let us pray for their safety.

photograph of St. Marks Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt.

reprinted from January 2011

King Levinsky

In 1964, a young Cassius Clay trained in south Miami Beach for his first fight against Sonny Liston. At that time, this section of the city was home to mostly retired Jews on fixed income. The hotels, decades after their prime, became pension rooming houses. Decades later, these same buildings would be restored to their art deco splendor, creating today's South Beach. As Clay trained, a middle aged punch drunk necktie peddler told him, "After Liston punches your head, you'll be selling ties with me." The street peddler was a fixture in Miami Beach. He didn't ask, he told people they were going to buy a tie. The future champ probably didn't realize that the heckler was none other than King Levinsky, legend of the 1930's, and veteran of over 118 heavyweight fights. Levinsky was born Harris Krakow in Chicago, and worked at his parent's fish market on Maxwell Street, the Jewish section during the roaring twenties. Although he never got a title shot, and weighed only 185, he fought all the leading heavyweights of his time, including the 265lb. giant, Primo Carnera. Managed by his sister Lena, he was known never to turn down a fight, including those against Max Baer.
copy reprinted from Jan. 23, 2010
photo shows Levinsky with sister/manager Lena in 1932

A Jewish Sport

Jewish fighters dominated boxing between the World Wars. In around 1930, a third of all fighters were Jewish, by far the largest ethnic group. Some fighters even purported to be Jewish when they were not, such as the Baer brothers. Jews ruled the light and welterweight divisions, with long time champions Benny Leonard and Barney Ross. Ten world championships were fought with both men in the ring being Jewish. Boxing has long been an economic ladder for immigrant and minority groups.
photo of Jewish heavyweights King Levinsky and Art Lasky, 1934

reprinted from February 2011

Did Pawlowski Add To Pension Problems?

Bloomberg News reports that Allentown mayor Pawlowski is helping to create some of the pension problems that he now is trying to manage by leasing our water and sewage systems. According to John Stribula, head of the Firefighters Union, Pawlowski's staff cuts to the fire department created the need for extensive overtime, which results in the high pensions. He blames Pawlowski for the pension problem. "We share in the irritation” of the public about firefighters receiving annual pensions that exceed their salaries, he said. “I’m a city taxpayer myself.”  Because of such overtime, one firefighter retired last year with a pension of $99,289, which is 29% higher than his last salary. The department now is down to 123 fire fighters, from a regiment of 140 in 2006. In fairness to Pawlowski, which I'm not known for, one would expect the union leader to advocate for more firefighters. However, it is also apparent that firefighters and police have taken good advantage of the overtime provision in the contracts. This highest paid pensioner just retired last year,  on Pawlowski's watch.  Pawlowski had pledged in his first term to work with both the police and fire chief, to avoid these overtime pension grabs. The fire chief recently stated that his staffing is adequate.  It's not adequate for the taxpayers if these high pensions could be avoided by hiring a few more firefighters.

UPDATE:  This post has been slightly reworded, to convey that Pawlowski might be a contributor to the pension problem,  as opposed to the primary cause.

Guns and Sneakers

Besides the hole, there are only two buildings standing on the square block; The long vacant old Dime Bank Building on 7th Street, and and the Farr Loft building on 8th Street. The Farr building has an urban retailer at street level. As reported in The Morning Call, for the past two days a long line of young shoppers braved the cold in order to purchase the new Air Jordan sneakers. Apparently, Nike creates a demand by only releasing them a couple times a decade. Unfortunately, the tragedy in Connecticut has created another unintended consequence. The local gun stores are also selling out, as buyers anticipate new gun control legislation.

photocredit:Harry Fisher/The Morning Call

The Weigh-In

                                            Madison Square Garden, March 27, 1942
When they met for the first time the previous March, Abe Simon battled Joe Louis for 13 rounds. The Detroit crowd went wild that the Jewish giant from New York could absorb Louis's punches. Louis had the power of Mike Tyson and the finesse of Muhammad Ali. When it was revealed that Simon had fought with a broken hand, the Madison Garden rematch became a big ticket. Louis knocked Simon out in the sixth round. It would be Simon's last fight.
click on photo to enlarge

reprinted from January 2011

Whose Quality of Life?

According to news reports, last night when the County Commissioners postponed distributing funds for Trail Network Plan, Allentown mayor Pawlowski said "Quality of life issues cannot be classified as unnecessary or frivolous." But whose quality of life was he really referring to? The MLK Pathway represents the very worst of plans for the Allentown park system. The former park director, Greg Weitzel, deferred essential maintenance and put his emphasis on new projects, to enhance his personal resume. The strategy worked for him, but not Allentown; This past summer he left for a new position. The new pathway would pass the Fountain Park Pool, closed now for three years, because the filter pump was never repaired. That pump replacement was estimated to cost $170,000, while phrase 1 of the Trail Network Plan will cost $674,700.00. While Weitzel spend untold $thousands of $dollars planning a destination water park at Cedar Park, the pool at Fountain Park stood empty of water. If Pawlowski and Weitzel had any institutional knowledge of this town, they would know that thousands of kids over the generations cooled off in that pool, after a game on a hot day. That's why the pool was next to the extended athletic fields. Whose quality of life was Pawlowski referring to? The intercity kids without a pool, or the suburban spandex cyclists?  Allentown parks are indeed in need of help, especially after Hurricane Sandy, but not a paved pathway, connecting  one broken and damaged park with another.

Postcard shows Fountain Park Pool, when it had water and kids, before the Pawlowski/Weitzel era.

Heavyweight Championship Of The World

On March 21, 1941, my mother's cousin Abe Simon, son a of Jewish egg and butter salesman, fought Joe Louis for the title in Detroit. Lasting 13 rounds, he earned another title shot against the Brown Bomber a year later in Madison Square Garden. After retiring he acted in several movies, including On The Waterfront and Requiem For A Heavyweight.


Administrator's note: I'm reprinting these photo's and captions in a much tighter time frame then originally posted, to give the viewers more of a feel of the Louis era.

reprinted from October 2009

Pre-Fight Hype

In the early 40's, during the War, boxing was a big sport. Pre-Television, fans would rather around the radio, and hear blow by blow commentary. Visuals were mostly restricted to newspaper photographs the following day. Not unlike the hype for the SuperBowl, the papers would also run photos prior to a big fight. Shown here are photos of contender Abe Simon, who was challenging Joe Louis for the Heavyweight Championship on March 27, 1942, at Madison Square Garden. These AP syndicated photos appeared in newspapers across the country on March 6th. Above, shows Abe and his wife in their kitchen. Below, he squares off with a neighborhood boy.

Simon's Record

reprinted from February 2010

Defend Your Rights, Protect Your Water

Turnout is Critical - New Legislation Being Introduced

Water Privatization. Tell Council You Want the Voters to Decide.   

Please come to City Council this Wednesday, 12/19, 7 PM.  It's important. 

We will be asking Council to quickly pass legislation requiring any water and sewer lease to go to the voters for approval. 

We want this legislation in effect soon, before the mayor presents Council with a lease agreement for Council's approval. 

Without this new legislation, the decision to lease the water and sewer operations will be for Council, alone, to make.  

Turnout is critical. Council has to see and hear that the voters don't want Council approving a lease contract. 

Over 4,500 Allentown voters (one-fifth of the total number of people who voted in the 2010 elections) signed petitions for a charter amendment requiring the city to get voter approval before it can sell or lease a city asset worth over $10 million. But the charter amendment requested won't be voted on until May 2013.  The mayor will likely be presenting a contract to Council well before then. 

Come out and tell Council you want them to pass legislation now that mirrors the proposed charter amendment-- legislation that says any lease agreement has to come to the voters. 

Thank you, 

Citizens for Allentown Water

Don Ringer, Glenn L. Hunsicker, Glenn S. Hunsicker, William Hoffman, Rich Fegley, Dan Poresky

Contact: Bill Hoffman wjhoffman10@gmail.com

School Administrators Are Slow Learners

As reported in Friday's Easton Express by reporter Colin McEvoy, the principal of Luis Ramos Elementary School has submitted a revised Improvement Plan, which recommended special cultural training for the teachers. Her premise is that the majority of the students are minorities, and the teachers are white, so such cultural insight might help the teachers succeed in improving the students standardized test scores. School Board member Scott Armstrong took exception to this concept: This training philosophy wrongly suggests teachers should view students not as equals, but instead use their skin color and ethnicity as the determining factor to an individualized approach. Armstrong, on the comment section of the Express story and for this post,  expanded on his objection to the principal's plan.
  It is an unfortunate reality that our intellectual betters tend to over analyze problems so thoroughly that they fail to see the obvious. Such is the case with the politically progressive theory that instilling cultural sensitivity in teachers is an imperative if we are to improve the scholastic performance of minority students. In other words teachers should not view students as equals but instead use skin color, ethnic, religious and/or linguistic backgrounds as the determining factor to an individualized pedagogical approach. Is it at all reasonable or appropriate to instruct our teachers to evaluate children from a baseline determined by cultural background? With this approach don’t we serve to re-enforce stereotypes, build in cultural separation, and re-segregate learning? Is this in the best long term interests of the students or society as a whole? I say no. What has become of the oft stated goal of a color blind society? Are we now being asked to put that aside and replace it with one based on color, creed and ethnicity? No one expressed more perfectly what we as Americans should be striving for than Dr. Martin Luther King: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Let us simply focus on each child’s natural desire to learn and excel. We should not overlook the obvious problems, such as dysfunctional home life, potential abuse, neglect, language proficiency, and poverty. No one culture has a monopoly on these situations; they plague mankind. Let us instill in our students the American message of liberty, personal responsibility, and the endless opportunity that results from hard work, focus, and dedication. This message must be the credo that unites the ASD and the entire community on a common theme of success for our children.

Disappointingly, Russ Mayo, Superintendent, chimed in that such culture training, called Cultural Competence, is indeed becoming fashionable in urban education, and he believes that it would benefit our entire system. I'm not a fan of school administrators. Like mayors, they're always looking to buy new ideas. A group of city officials from New England just visited Allentown to learn about our revitalization success: To what on earth are they referring? First we made the mistake of teaching for the tests, now we may be teaching for the cultures. Here's hoping we don't rehire former superintendent Zahorchak as an consultant.

More on Cultural Assimilation by LVCI

Jersey Joe

It took five attempts and 20 years for Jersey Joe Walcott to finally win the Heavyweight Championship, at age 37. After only one title defense, the rematch against former champion Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe stepped into the ring with the hard punching Rocky Marciano, who was ten years younger. Marciano was knocked down in round one, for the first time in his career. Although Walcott would gamely defend his hard won crown, the end came in 13th round, shown in the classic photo above. In the following rematch, Walcott's career would end, after being knocked out in the first round.
enlarge photo by clicking

reprinted from September 2011

Christmas Past In Allentown

For over a century, before Allentown was a hole charging your credit card for tickets to a yet to be built hockey arena, it was a holiday destination. Shoppers from near and far would flock to Hamilton Street, where merchants fulfilled their every expectation. This post chronicles the golden era of that street. By the early 1950's, our major department stores were operated by the second generation owners. Max Hess Jr. become a merchandizer of national reputation. His store windows presented displays as sophisticated as any major city. One holiday novelty exists to this day, Pip The Mouse, and can be seen at Zion Church. The fourth floor toy department had eye popping, life sized, automated stuffed animals from Germany. Needless to say, Santa Claus was on duty at Hess's. Families had their favorite department store. While my mother patronized Hess's, others were loyal to Leh's and Zollingers. Although I'm sure that their Christmas displays were also top notch, I have no personal memories. While we now charge citizens to drive through a park with lights, downtowns used to compete with attractive displays. Allentown was famous for the Bell Lights on our iconic light posts, which would rock back and forth, as if ringing. Although times have changed, this blog will remind those few who remember.

Simon Gets Brother's Verdict

Louis F. Simon(Right) tell his heavyweight brother that he is proud that he lasted into the thirteenth round of his fight with Joe Louis last night. Mike Jacobs announced after the bout that the two would be rematched in New York on May 16th.

Blogger's Notes: The above is an Associated Press "Wirephoto" that appeared in newspapers across the country on March 22, 1941. The title and caption is the actual Associated Press copy. Mike Jacobs was Joe Louis's manager. Abe Simon actually ended up fighting four more opponents and waiting over a year before the rematch; they met for second time and the title in Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942. Simon was knocked out in the 6th round, he never fought again. His career record was 36 wins, 25 by knockout, 10 loses, 1 draw.

reprinted from April 2008

The Bridge To Unfulfilled Expectations

Allentown has been preoccupied with the American Parkway Bridge for decades, therein lies the problem. This preoccupation contributed to the neglect of the 15th Street Bridge, and the current isolation of Allentown's Southside. I find it shortsighted that this unnecessary additional bridge is being built with taxes from all levels of government, while existing bridges deteriorate from lack of funding. Although the concept was born out of jealousy of Bethlehem's route 378 spur route, American Parkway pales in comparison. It's first big flaw is that it does not connect directly with Route 22. It certainly wasn't designed fifty years ago to feed the Riverfront, when considering that plan was unveiled last week. What it will do is reduce the commercial viability of Airport Road, Union Boulevard and N. 7th Street.

post card shows soon to be neglected Tilghman Street Bridge and Union Boulevard.

Simon Fearless Against Bomber

The 1941 June edition of Ring Magazine featured the Abe Simon vs Joe Louis fight in March. Editor-writer Nat Fleischer was in awe of Simon's courage against the unbeatable Brown Bomber. Fleischer wrote "They (fans) saw Abe Simon give the Bomber the greatest battle he has had since he won the crown..." Although Simon Lost by TKO in the 13th, this image of Simon grinning at Louis while taking the 8 count in round 7, is one of my favorite photographs of that fight.

reprinted from September 2009

Stairway To Progress

In 2008 the WPA steps at Fountain Park had saplings growing from between the stones. My first post on the problem was entitled Stairway To Shame. In addition to blog posts, I also sought greater exposure of the problem from The Morning Call; Eventually, Paul Carpenter wrote a column. The following May I conducted a public meeting at the Faith Baptist Church. Please join us a week from today as we discuss and analyze the new plans, which change the historic nature of our park system. My personal goal is to promote awareness the of the WPA stone structures and the proper maintenance of those landmarks. What aspect of the parks do you want to protect? Allentown has been through many changes in recent years which the average citizen has had little control over, lets stand up for the parks. Last year I began a series of meetings at the public library, again with some publicity from the Morning Call.

The current December bulletin by Friends Of The Parks announces that the group hopes to contribute to the restoration of several of the WPA structures in the coming years.  I am pleased that such a well placed organization has taken a position on such an important issue.

December issue Friends Of The Parks

molovinsky on allentown, and my associates from the Allentown WPA Association,  will also continue  our efforts in regard to these most important symbols of our history and park system.

Boxing's Giant Era

In California these days, everybody walks around with a yoga mat strapped to their back. That certainly wasn't the case in the 1930's, when heavyweight contender Lou Nova studied yoga. Nova was the World Amateur Heavyweight Champion and a proponent of clean living. He won his first twenty two fights as a professional. His promoters said he perfected the Cosmic Punch. Only 6'2", he fought in the era of giants. He handed giant Abe Simon his first defeat after thirteen victories, eleven by knockout. Nova knocked out 6'4'' Max Baer twice. The 1939 knockout is one second away, in the above photograph. Baer himself had won the championship by knocking out Primo Carnera, the Italian giant who was 6'6" and weighed 284 lbs. Baer lost the championship to the Cinderella Man, Jim Braddock. Joe Louis took the belt from Braddock and held it for twelve years, being arguably the best fighter in history. Clean living didn't serve Lou Nova so well with the notorious dirty fighter Two Ton Tony Galento. Galento almost gouged his eye out, putting him in the hospital for weeks. Nova got his shot with Louis on September 29, 1941, but fell in six. Nova would go on to act in movies and even was a write-in candidate for President of the United States. He dropped out of the campaign because his mother was afraid he would catch a cold shaking so many hands. She wasn't afraid of him being in the ring with some of the toughest men in the world.

reprinted from September 2011

Hoping For Approval

I love the pomp and ceremony packaged by Allentown's new oligarchy. The two architectural renderings for the waterfront project included in yesterday's Morning Call article were classic. Apparently, the illustrator doesn't know how to draw baggy jeans worn below the waist. In the second drawing, not shown, the neighborhood is blurred away, which is the oldest and poorest in Allentown. But the topic for today's sermon is the Allentown Planning Commission. The article states that the developers face a lengthy approval process by the city and that there are several hurdles developers must clear before receiving city approval. We all remember too well how the Planning Puppies yelped about not being included in the Arena Plan Loop. So Pawlowski arranged a perfunctory meeting where the planners got to see partial plans. One puppy asked if the service entrance garage door would be pretty. Another asked if any trees would be planted. Then the puppies scampered over to Pawlowski for treats.

A Wedding Day

One would hope, after all the discussion, expense and subsidizes given to create an arts district, lofts and studios, something will be named after Greg Weaver; he inspired a generation of local artists.

I took this photo of Greg and Fran the morning of their wedding

reprinted from March 2008

Greg Weaver Art Scene

For about ten years, mid 70's to 80's, Allentown was graced with a one man art machine. Greg Weaver studied at Carnegie Mellon and then returned to the Valley to become artist, promoter and inspiration to dozens of local artists. His large studios, which moved from one low rent location to another over the years, became hubs for innovation and social activity. He was very prolific with his work, and generous with his encouragement. A typical monthly bash involved perhaps a poster by Mark Beyer( now an internationally known underground comic) performance by a jazz group such as Gary Hassey,(Greg also had a band) and perhaps a new showing by a local artist, such as Barnaby Ruhe. The loft parties were always mobbed, by many of the same people who now attend the Museum social events. This art "scene" cost the taxpayers nothing, it was done by artists, and it was real. Greg suffered from diabetes, and eventually lost his sight. Although blind he continued to produce art and inspire people until his death. Several of his works are in the Allentown Museums' permanent collection and his memory is in the hearts' of his friends. The image here is from Mark Beyer, representing an invitation to a Weaver event.

reprinted from September of 2007

This post, which I originally wrote in 2007, inspired the resurgence of a local artist group and scene. Another friend of Greg Weaver, in a recent conservation, referred to the current art establishment (Allentown Art Museum and Baum School) as pretenders. He credited Richard Gregg, then museum director, for purchasing and supporting Weaver's art at the time. For this upcoming holiday, please consider treating yourself to a work of art from a local artist.

Where you can buy local art

In the Renaissance Building at 542 W. Hamilton St.:
Antonio Salemme Foundation, suite 203
Expressions Studio, suite 301
Bessesdotter verkstedt, suite 302
Studio 606, 606 W. Hamilton Street 
Art Works, 818 W. Hamilton Street (inside the Burrito Works)
Deli Plaza 2 Gallery, 840 W. Hamilton St.
Alternative Gallery, 904 W. Hamilton St. (in the Holiday Inn)
The Mansion, 221 N. 8th Street
Condra Studios, 127 N. Lumber Street
TMD Gallery, 10 S. 13th Street, 2nd Floor

Web page For Local Art Updates

Two Ton Galento

In an era of tough men, Tony "Two Ton" Galento was a standout. Although he would never win a Mr. America contest, his left hook could knock down any man, including the legendary Joe Louis. Tony owned a bar in Orange, New Jersey, didn't train, drank beer and ate large meals before he fought. Between 1928 and 1944 he fought 110 times, knocking out 56 of his opponents.

He met the Baer brothers in back to back fights later in his career, losing both bouts, but not before knocking 6'7'' Buddy Baer down. The famous fight with Louis occurred at Yankee Stadium in June of 1939, before Galente beat Lou Nova in the infamous dirty fight. Tony was king of the world in the third round as Louis lay on the canvas, but he got up at the eight count, and knocked Galante out in the next round. Louis would later say that Tony Galante was one of the toughest men he ever fought.
Galento with press after the Lou Nova fight

reprinted from May 2011

The Karaite Tradition

While Jews celebrate Hanukah worldwide, no menorahs will be lit in  Karaite Synagogues. Although they only number 50,000 followers worldwide, their tradition goes back to 8th century Babylonia, and perhaps much earlier. The Karaites reject The Oral Law, also known as Rabbinic Judaism, as formulated over centuries by Jewish scholars, in a compilation known as the Talmud.  Karaites believe that only the Torah, or the Five Books of Moses, is G-d's word to be followed. Because the miracle of Hanukah would not occur until over a thousand years after Moses received the law on Mt. Sinai, it is not in the Torah, or Karaite liturgy.  After World War 2, the Egyptian community of Karaites, then the largest remaining, migrated to Israel, where there are now 30,000.

photograph of Karaite Synagogue in Turkey

Baer vs. Simon, 1937

When Max Baer beat Primo Carnera for the Heavyweight Title in 1934, he became a celebrity overnight. In the year that he held the title, his nightclub carousing was legendary, including a Vanity Fair Magazine profile. His younger brother, Buddy, 6'7", decided he too would become a boxer. Between 1934 and 1937 Buddy fought40 times.



"On August 30, 1937 Buddy took on his first highly regarded opponent, New York's rising prospect, Abe Simon, at Yankee Stadium*. Baer won by TKO in the third. "Simon gave Baer a beating in the 1st round and had him in distress, but he came back in the next two sessions with a succession of blows to the body and head that had his huge opponent reeling when the bout was stopped" (New York Times). Baer then went on to beat Two Ton Tony Galento, setting himself up for a title shot with Joe Louis. Louis had called Galento the toughest man he ever fought. Like Simon, Buddy Baer got two chances at Louis. In the first fight he went 7 rounds, in the second fight, he got knocked out in the first round. Also like Simon, he would retire from the ring after his second Louis fight. Baer would later say, "The only way I could have beaten Louis that night was with a baseball bat."
*Buddy Baer-Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia

reprinted from April 2010