The Muse is Loose

Shortly after you enter Colorado from New Mexico on highway 285 you will come to state highway 142. Three miles down that road is Manassa, a town of 1,000 people. This town was made famous by a home-town boy named Jack Dempsey. Jack Dempsey began fighting for real in 1914. His moniker was "Kid Blacky". He later changed it to "The Manassa Mauler". Five years after he began he was heavyweight champion of the world, knocking out the great Jess Willard. He held the championship until 1926 when he lost to Gene Tunney. In a re-match he lost again to Tunney because of a long count the referee gave Tunney who had been knocked down. Dempsey didn't get to a neutral corner in time. Tunney would get up before the count of ten and go on to win. Jack Dempsey retired. He continued to be a hero of boxing fans. Joe Louis would come on the scene and be another great champion. During World War II Jack Dempsey joined the Coast Guard and received a commission. He spoke at War Bond rallies, fights, army camps, hospitals or wherever he could for the war effort. He would be assigned to the USS Arthur Middleton and was on board for the invasion of Okinawa.
In 1955 I was in New Jersey awaiting a ship to take me to a duty station in Germany. Four or five of us caught a cab to walk the streets of New York and gawk like country boys. We saw a restaurant named Dempsey's and went in. The walls were filled with Jack Dempsey pictures. I couldn't believe I was actually in a restaurant with his name. But that wasn't all. Coming across the room toward our table (we were all proudly in uniform) was a square-jawed man we knew in a moment. He walked up to the table and said, " Hello, soldiers, I am Jack Dempsey!".
Pick me up off the floor!!! I reached out and shook that hand that as a fist had been a lethal weapon. He sat down and chatted with us for a moment. I don't remember a word of that. All I could think of was that he was Jack Dempsey and sitting at our table. You can have your Ali and Mike and Joe. I'll go with the Manassa Mauler, Jack Dempsey. (I do like Foreman).