A Short Story…
I can’t tell you how much The Tacoma Jaycees meant to me, my wife, our friends, and our success in the Tacoma area as well as statewide. The Tacoma Jaycees = The Tacoma Junior Chamber of Commerce. I joined the Jaycees because we had three children under the age of three. Peg was going stir crazy. Jaycees had a women component who helped each other out and worked together. Today’s Jaycees are finally combined into one organization.
So, You Think You’re Tough – is only a minor development. Today’s Jaycees have changed, incorporating women fully into the organization. In our day (beginning about 1969), we were movers and shakers in Tacoma. The Tacoma Jaycees helped the community, and improved the city in numerous ways.
Two members of our group had been naval recruiters and home builders and Tyrone was visiting with them. As a favor, I stopped by to pick up Tyrone to drop him off at home. As we drove, he asked about an upcoming boxing match, So You Think You’re Tough, and what it all meant. After I gave him a general feeling for the upcoming match, I saw him do a little shadowboxing. I proposed we buy him some boxing shoes, shorts, gloves, etc. He told me he had some experience. I liked his movements and his charm. Not only had I seen him shadow boxing, I could see the power he had in both his arms and fists.
To take part and protect Tyrone, I had to sign up and become a licensed second. With my black overcoat and my black beard, I looked like a member of a New York mob unit, even at the gym of The University of Puget Sound Pavilion. As we got closer to the upcoming fight. Our entire seating area were all Tyrone supporters.
Tyrone drew the first bout. Tyrone and I were alone with Tyrone’s opponent. The opponent just looked mad, like he could hardly wait. He walked around constantly slamming his right fist into his left as his head moved up and down. Tyrone and I just followed his movements. The first round was merely both sides feeling out the opposition. The second round was Tyrone slamming his opponent who went down for the count. The power from Tyrone just left the opponent confused.
The second bout was quick too. In the first round Tyrone’s initial blows sent the opponent down. One of our supporters was yelling for Tyrone to “Hit him again, hit him again.” (Yes, she was one of our supporters.) The referee took me to the corner an asked me, “Has he fought before?” I shook my head yes and said, “Just in prison.” We stayed in the corner as the match finished.
The third fight had virtually no supporters for anyone else but Tyrone. Everyone was up and applauding and chanting “Tyrone, Tyrone, Tyrone.” His third opponent went down, too, in the first round.
Tyrone raised his arms and turned about as people cheered him on and then he left the ring. He went to the aid cars and spoke to each opponent to make sure they were well. Our supporters were all over Tyrone. I asked him how his last opponent was, Tyrone said, “I had to tell him he lost. He was thinking he had won.”
Tyrone signed cards and was nice to everyone. People just went crazy in their support for Tyrone. He was a nice guy. He got his winnings plus. He even got a card for a free side of beef. One of the gambling betters who believed in Tyrone also did well.
