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 

In December of 2012 I published twenty three boxing posts from the Joe Louis era. 

Molovinsky Marches On City Hall

Yesterday morning activist/blogger Michael Molovinsky briefly took over Mayor Matt Tuerk's 5th fl. office in Allentown City Hall.  He reportedly was distressed about the city's plan to redesign center square. 

Molovinsky agreed to surrender to Police Chief Roca if WFMZ would televise a brief statement by the septuagenarian.  Molovinsky's proclamation was rather rambling and incoherent. He was arraigned before District Justice Michael D'Amore and committed to Lehigh County Prison, in lieu of $200 bail.  

At this time it is unknown whether or not he remains incarcerated.

posted by the staff of molovinsky on allentown

ADDENDUM3:51AM:I was released at 3:30AM, gratitude to A-Town Bail&Bond. I've been informed that the mayor has invited city residents to 7th and Hamilton today for their input on redesigning the square. I know that the former merchants of Hamilton, Linden, 7th and 8th Sts. had no input when their property, business and dreams were taken. I know that residents of hazardous intersections were always told that stoplight placement was a state issue. Disappointing that Tuerk would stoop to the old public input dog and pony show to change the town square. After recent history, if they give the contracts out honestly, that's all we can ask for.

UPDATE JUNE 30: The main elements of the square redesign is funneling Hamilton's two lanes around the statue into one, and 7th Street's three lanes into two lanes. This merging, combined with Allentown's inconsiderate drivers and chronic double parking, will create induced congestion on both streets. The solution finds a problem!

Allentown's Folly

J.B. Reilly's NIZ is pulling the Lehigh Valley down, and nobody says a word, save for this blogger. While every city is facing an office vacancy dilemma,  Reilly keeps building, using our diverted state taxes.  Until now the consequence of his scheme has been to poach office tenants from the surrounding suburban office parks. However, now he has induced PPL to exit their iconic tower and take up residence in one of his mostly vacant buildings. 

What has been the pride of Allentown for almost a hundred years may end up being the tallest white elephant in the country. While Allentown is hoping that the tower becomes residential rather than just vacant, he can't fill his new apartment houses that he has already built. 

As someone who spends time on the streets adjoining the NIZ, I can tell you that the street life is becoming grittier than ever. Between the wokeness and delusion, there is no plan in place to  realistically address the problems. We know from the past that lipstick on a pig, or paint on a building, only lasts so long.

Allentown On My Mind

I'm a baby boomer. I was born in December of 1946. As soon as my mother climbed out of the hospital bed, another woman climbed in. I grew up in the neighborhood now called Little Lehigh Manor, wedged between Lehigh Street and the top of the ravine above Lehigh Parkway. That's me on our lawn at the intersection of Catalina and Liberator Avenues, named after airplanes made by Vultee Corporation for the War. We had our own elementary school, our own grocery store, and the park to play in. On Saturdays my older brother would take me on the trolley, and later the bus, over the 8TH Street Bridge to Hamilton Street. There were far too many stores to see everything. After a matinee of cartoons or Flash Gordon, and a banana split at one of the five and dimes, we
would take the bus back over the bridge to Lehigh Street.





Not that many people know where Lehigh Parkway Elementary School is. It's tucked up at the back of the development of twin homes on a dead end street, but I won't say exactly where. I do want to talk about the photograph. It's May Day, around 1952-53. May Day was big then, so were the unions; Most of the fathers worked at the Steel, Mack, Black and Decker, and a hundred other factories going full tilt after the war. The houses were about 8 years old, and there were no fences yet. Hundreds of kids would migrate from one yard to another, and every mother would assume some responsibility for the herd when it was in her yard. Laundry was hung out to dry. If you notice, most of the "audience" are mothers, dads mostly were at work. I'm at the front, right of center, with a light shirt and long belt tail. Don't remember the girl, but see the boy in front of me? His father had the whole basement setup year round with a huge model train layout. There were so many kids, the school only went up to second grade. We would then be bused to Jefferson School for third through sixth grade. The neighborhood had its own Halloween Parade and Easter egg hunt. We all walked to school, no one being more than four blocks away. 

compilation of two posts from June 2008

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 December 2012

Lunch At Allen

Up to the mid 60's, students at Allen High could leave the building for lunch. Scattered in alleys around the the school, garages had been converted into lunch shops and hangouts. The Hutch was in the alley between 17th and West Streets, in the unit block between Hamilton and Linden. Suzy's was behind the Nurse's Dormitory, between Chew and Turner. Another was across Linden from the Annex. They all had the same basic decor, a few pinball machines, a few tables and a small lunch counter. Most of the business was during lunch period, and before and after school. It's my understanding that occasionally a kid or two would skip school and hangout all day. Today these garages, turned into luncheonettes, have long ago reverted back to garages. Most of the current residents of West Park probably don't even know about this commercial history right behind their houses. I missed photo day at Allen for my yearbook, but if anybody has a picture of the gang from the Hutch, I'd appreciate a copy.

Reprinted from Sept. 24, 2008

Nagy Novelty Company

In Downtown Allentown's commercial years, stores extended 3 blocks out from Hamilton Street. The only remaining remnant of that era is the parking meters, which apparently haven't noticed that the stores have been gone now for over 30 years. On 8th Street, also a couple blocks off Hamilton, was the Nagy Novelty Company. The dictionary defines novelty as a small, often cheap, cleverly made article, usually for amusement. The Nagys' had thousands of them, floor to ceiling. There were little jokes and gags, sometimes risque, passed around parties in the 40's and 50's. When you pulled " Miss Lola, The Snappy Bubble Dancer" leg's out, your finger got snapped. The Nagys', an ancient father, son and dog, stayed open till around 1980. I was never sure which one was the son. To me, as an aficionado of the old and curious, the store was a shrine. Items which they sold for a few cents, now sell on ebay for many dollars. They manufactured their own greeting cards. Shown here is the front and inside of an embossed card probably dating back to the 1920's.

Reprinted from Dec. 23, 2008

Mayor Tuerk Wake-Up Call

There's another blogger and we often wonder who is the bigger bastard. I think after this post we can put that question to rest. This weekend there is another event in Allentown, a blues and brew event downtown. One thing is for sure, Mayor Tuerk will be there doing a live video which starts in Spanish. Mayor Tuerk, in all due respect, it's getting tired. Last weekend we had our 12th homicide. Don't know how many shootings, because the bullets are small(9mm) and the docs are good. I understand that part of your job is to rally public spirit, but let's not cultivate delusion. Some Hispanics are flattered by your bi-lingualness, but I suspect that even for many of them it's getting old. 

While Hasshan Batts' growing orange shirt brigade might keep some Blacks from complaining out loud, they also know that those shirts can't really keep them safe.

Brand new empty buildings on Hamilton Street are becoming like a Hollywood movie set, a facade with nothing behind them. 

It's time to put public safety first and foremost.