Table 5, the Miracle Table

My life has struck gold at the Encinitas Senior Center. At table five for their lunches sits Abe. He listens to all of us. The miracle is that this 84 year old matriculated at Hollenbeck Jr. High School in the 40's - the same East Los Angeles School where I began my teaching. (The school is located in East Los Angeles.)
   Big deal ah? Well what I didn't know then was one of his three sons played his high school football under Bud Langley. Now you ask who in the hell was Bud Langley? He played his football at U.S.C. in the fabled coach, Howard Jones. 
   The U.S.C. Spartan team had entrained to San Diego to play the local Marine team at Navy Field in 1936. Nine members of the Trojan varsity had been demoted  to the scrub team because the Frosh had been loaded the season before and now made up the Trojan Second team. They were led by the San Diego Caver, Ambrose Parks Schindler. 
   A picture of Langley was illustrated kicking the pigskin in the United Tribunes October 36 issue. He was supposed to get into the fray but at the last moment, Howard Jones decided to beef up his week kicking team. 
   "Riverside Bud" the nickname the Trojan pinned on him became a stalwart in many games, but most of all will be remembered for his interception of a Notra Dame pass. He ran it back 100 yards for a U.S.C. touchdown. The game ended up a tie since their big bad tackle went down and his replacement let the doors open for the boys from South Bend to score the tying touchdown.
    I had told his son, a retiring fireman,  o get me in touch with Langley's son. He did.  My e mail sent by Langley's son, who lives in the L.A area told me he would come down and provide commentary and pictures about his Dad. 
    Schindler would never have given me his story if I did not include others from the Great Trojan Team of the late 30's. Again, Schindler is still kicking at 96 and is waiting for my book. 

   For the late comers to my Blog, table 5 consists of Lady Barbara, Gregorio, Abe, Ron, Horst, and our lover, Thomas. Lady Barbara is related to Kathrine Parr, the late wife of Henry the Eight. Gregorio led and played for a band for Joseph Stalin. Horst is the only one still alive from an Auschwitz death camp. Horst Cahn's Cardiff Deli made dishes his Mom made a hundred years ago. Ron biked to every state in the Union and is an ardent Christian. Thomas was sent by Mussolini here in the late thirties to go to U.C. L. A. Thomas became a professor and later an accountant.