Page Two

 

THE ALLIED YOUTH

Ray Evans
Goes to War

By “Phog”” Allen

Ray Evans was inducted into the
United States Army on March 6th, at
Fort Leavenworth Kansas. He was in
the ERC and was able to finish the
basketball season, going over to Leav-
enworth after the game.

Ray abstains from all forms of al-
coholic beverages, narcotics, and the
like. He does not use tobacco in any
form, nor any type of alcoholic bever-
age. He is a perfect trainer, a very
modest chap and a man of exceptional
mental and physical powers.

He is by far the most popular man
on the campus at the University of
Kansas and has made both the all-
American foot-ball and basketball se-
lections. I have had the pleasure of
coaching him for two years and have
never had a finer boy on any athletic
team.

It is a great pleasure for me to make
this testimonial for Ray.

 

 

An Athlete Sets the Pace

 

 

N today’s blackest headlines, “Yanks”
doesn’t stand for a baseball team—
but for American fighting men in action.

Stars of yesterday are remembered
most favorably when we read of this
one’s promotion in rank, another’s well
executed leap from a plane out of con-
trol, still another’s gallantry in battle.

One officer tells of coming upon a
familiar name in the list of those whose
_ outstanding usefulness made them look
like non-com, perhaps officer, material.
Where had he heard or seen the name
before? It seemed to have come in
from the civilian—perhaps undergradu-
ate—section of his memory.

A sergeant told him promptly that
this man had been a track star. He
specialized in relays, so he was a good
team man.. He’d been trained by a
coach who doesn’t over-emphasize his
athletes.

“T recognized the name the second
time I hit it on the roll,” the sergeant
reports. “ ‘Another celebrity!’ I grum-
bled. We’ve had a movie actor, some
millionaires, a bridge champ, who
couldn’t quickly realize that ‘this is the
Army, Mr. Jones!’

“T took a look‘ at this’ track man.
Nicely built, but green. I figured him

“hard maneuvers.

at first for a fellow who’d take a long
time to learn our stuff.

“Probably he’d been good in his
specialty, but it wasn’t an Army spe-
cialty. And if his headlines had given
him a swelled head or made him crave
the spotlight wherever he went, that
track-meet prominence might be the
worst possible introduction to Army life.

“T decided I’d keep my eyes on my
new man—and what a treat my eyes did
get!”

Makes His Muscles Obey

For the thoroughbred of the inter-
collegiate tracks proves to be one who
can make his muscles respond instantly
to the signals of the nervous system.
The non-com finds him to be a man of
quick perception, excellent balance and
even disposition. This trained athelete
could rest standing up. On hikes five
minutes of relaxation and_ breathing
routines restore all his vigor. A small
amount of food, a few swallows of
water, keep him going energetically in
He’s a cool and clever
marksman.

““He’s really got everything,” the ser-
geant admiringly admits. ‘‘He’s a better
man than the headlines ever claimed he
was.

May, 1943

mou

 

 

ie =

 

‘“Phog”’ Allen

“Phog” Allen,
teenth championship in his

won his nine-.
twenty-fifth
coaching at University

Forrest C.

year of basketball
of Kansas last year. He has never had an
offensive machine to compare with his
1942 outfit in his entire 32 years of coach-

ing.

 

“Td call him a Grade A soldier, even
if I’d never heard the name before.”

The sergeant told his officer that the
track man has been quietly setting the
style for alcohol-free Army life. Mates
noticed that the long-geared, unwinded
newcomer didn’t reach for a “gasper”
when time came to fall out for five
minutes. Someone asked him if he
never smoked. ‘That’s right!” he
agreed pleasantly. Casually he made
known that he “trained mostly on
water.” ‘You can’t run on alcohol,” he
said, “so I got a habit of never using
any form of liquor.”

“Athlete, eh?” commented his cor-
poral. “I guessed as much. Id have
a squad to be proud of if every man on
it could keep up with you on the march,
at the range, and in learning new stuff!”

Learn from “Long Legs”

Almost as an afterthought, the ser-
geant remarked:

“T wonder how many of us that fellow
has shamed out of drinking, without
preaching, or in fact saying much of
anything. I for one took a good look at
myself and said, ‘Heck, you don’t need
that stuff—so why not pass it up like
Long Legs seems to enjoy doing?’

“T’m glad he came into our outfit—
though I don’t usually have any use
for celebrities on my roll-call.”