Milan Jackson

Happy Birthday Rod Hayes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Helen Nicolaysen (Thompson)

Happy Birthday Rod! May you have many, many more Healthy Happy Years Ahead!

Rodney (Rod) Hayes

Thanks for the B-Day wishes to Milan, Helen and all.  I've had a great day.  I must be on the Devil's list today.  66 on the 6th.  666 - Oooooo.

Jack Habich

So Rod, what does 66 feel like?  Couple of naps like Steve?

Milan Jackson

Happy Birthday Sue Leben Ochs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Milan Jackson

Happy Birthday Marcia Rodwell Ficeli !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jack Habich

Was just cleaning out some stuff in the basement and ran across the following article. 

On September 8^th, 1980, I was sitting in a rural restaurant outside of Atlanta, GA eating my grits and looking through the Atlanta Constitution.  To say the least, I was surprised to see a substantial article about a neighborhood kid from Bloomington.  Les Armes lived in a little and unremarkable house on Allin Street right around the corner from me on the 700 block of West Monroe,   and a stone’s throw from Suzie Gross’s (‘63) house.

Armes and his buddy, Eric Bates, a few years younger than us, decided to make a name for themselves in wrestling at U-High, and they did.  Bates won the state, and later the nationals at ISU.  Armes came in third at the state level (he got screwed on a bad call in the semi-finals…..Holt and I were in Champaign to watch) but later won the national Junior College championship.   I remember watching Armes grow up, and after he became a wrestling sensation, taking him (and Bates individually) over to Thorpe’s boxing gym on West Oakland, just to try to keep him (them) in line.

I don’t know how things finally turned out for Armes, but his life to 1980 sure made national news.

(If anyone wants an easier to read version, just ask and I’ll e-mail as an attachment)

Jack Habich

Linda Bristow (Elias)

,, Happy Easter everybody!

I hope the Easter Bunny found everyone!  Have a wonderful day!

Love to all, Linda

Cheryl Turner (Hitzner)

Jack - Eric Bates lives next door to my son-in-law in Normal.  I know a few years ago he was bartending at Schooner's.  Still looks pretty fit.

Jack Habich

Cheryl - Any resemblance to the original Eric?  He sure was fit back then. I know.  Wish I would have known about Schooners.

Steve Jetton

I think Eric Bates still works at Schooners.  The guy I'm thinking of looks a lot like the picture.

Years ago I worked with a guy at SF who played football at U High with Les Armes and heard the story about the team circling around him on the field when he had seizures.   Had no idea about what occured later, though. 

Cheryl Turner (Hitzner)

Actually, except for maybe a little gray hair here and there and a few wrinkles, he pretty much looks the same.

Cheryl Turner (Hitzner)

Next time you are in town and if you have the time, I'm sure he would be more than happy to reminisce with you.  He lives about 4 blocks away from me.

Jack Habich

Considering their full body of work, you’d have to say that Armes and Bates are still the two best wrestlers to ever come out of the B/N school system.  Amazing, since they go back to the late 60’s.

Rod, they would have eaten Antrim (Pekin) for breakfast.

I worked out with Bates at ISU in either the summer of ’68 or ’69.  I was full of myself, but he was like concrete.  Yea Cheryl, it might be interesting to say hi to him on a future trip down.  I doubt that we'd end up at Thorpe's gym anymore.

When looking for Bates’ ISU pic, I discovered that Jim Bowers was also in the ISU Hall of Fame……for football and baseball both.

Steve, if you had gone out and been able to maintain 103 lbs. for three years, maybe you’d be right in there with Bates and Bowers. The coach was always looking for athletic smaller guys, and then made them smaller.

Jack Habich

On Sept. 7, 1980, the Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune carried a slightly different article about Armes.  They were even going to make a Hollywood movie called "Open Arms" The Les Armes Story, which undoubtedly would have had some filming in the old West Side neighborhood.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19800907&id=HQgeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yGcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6613,3772954

Rodney (Rod) Hayes

Jack, I didn't set around on my 66th B-Day.  I played golf in the morning, shot the s--t with my senior group.  Went home and played with the Gran Boys and then celebrated that night.  You just have to keep going man.  I think maybe Jetton could have been pretty good in the lower weights.  But remember back then, he would have to contend with Gaston and Norton.  That was a pretty good order.  Now about Bates and Armes.  They were for sure good, no doubt.  I saw them both wrestle.  They were really good kids back then too.  But, you put yourself out on a really short and breaking limb when you say they were the best two wrestlers to come out of the Twin Cities.  Check the record books.  As far as Armes.  I hope I'm wrong, but I think he passed away just a few years ago. I do know for a fact that he had a brain tumor several years back.  Very tragic.

Jack Habich

Rod,

When I finally turn 66, I think I’ll just do a Jetton-Hayes combo.  Walk the dogs, maybe take a nap, and try to have some fun.  Usually though, I just treat it like any other day. 

I sent you a private message regarding Bates and Armes, but I still don’t know who came close.

Gaston (103) did not go out for wrestling our senior year, saying he wanted to concentrate on music.  I was standing/sitting close to Bowers first part of senior year when Dave sang “Gina” at some assembly.   Typically, the coach just lowered his head and shook it in disgust.

I think Armes had a recurrence of the tumor, but I have a picture of him (with a little paunch and shiny head) taken in 2010, so I assume and hope he’s still kicking.

Marilyn Evans (Tate)

On my 66th I went to the gym.  I don't do naps. I let Bill do those. He's an expert.

Jack Habich

A little gym wouldn't hurt, so maybe a Jetton-Hayes-Tate combo is in order.  I nap about once every two weeks, if I'm tired enough to fall asleep in the daytime...and don't think I could do that after the gym.

Rodney (Rod) Hayes

Jack, that would be great if Armes is still around.  He's just to youn to go the other route and I would assume he is a real fighter.  I'll get with you on the one's who should be on your list of greats.

Jack Habich

Rod,

First, the neighborhood kid, then Armes (tall guy with shiny head) at his daughter's wedding in August 2010.

He did have an operation to remove yet another brain tumor in 2007.

And remember, 50-0 in Jr. college, only guy in history to ever win two back to back national Jr. college championships, straight-up National Freestyle champion and a full ride to Oklahoma State, which won the national championship the year he got sick.  Hard to beat.

Helen Nicolaysen (Thompson)

Who's Armes? 

Jack Habich

A tall man with less hair than he used to have, standing next to the bride,  an uncommon competitor and survivor, from a little bitty white house on Allin Street in Bloomington.

Milan Jackson

Happy Birthday Jeannie Whittinghill Crutcher !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!