Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
My great grandmother Lydia Margaret “Dollie” Story Zimmerman’s youngest sister Hattie May Story was born on August 20, 1896. Hattie was Dollie’s half-sister as she was the daughter of George Washington Story and his second wife Margaret Sweat. Dollie’s mother was George Story’s first wife Malinda Davis. Hattie’s mother Margaret either died in giving birth to Hattie or passed away
On October 29, 1868, “Irish Giant” Ned O’Baldwin and English prizefighter Joe Wormald met in a bare knuckle prize-fight outside of Boston in Lynnville, Massachusetts. O’Baldwin stood 6’06” tall and weighed around 220 pounds. Possessed of a violent disposition, O’Baldwin had the perfect attitude for the ring but poor social skills outside of it. Fans of both men arrived in
When I earned my 1st Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo during December 2005 at Willow Martial Arts, I had already studied Judo for three months. My instructor, Master Pat Weseman, is a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Judo as well as a 6th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. With this background, a number of our self-defenses were Judo based, so I
My stepfather, Ernest C. Diaz, raised me, so I included his family in my genealogical research. However, Dad’s father, Joseph Diaz, emigrated from Mexico and his mother Marie Moellenberg was a first generation American born to German immigrants. Finding information on his family has not been easy. We know Joseph’s father was Ulalio Diaz and his mother’s birth name was
My second great-grandfather George Washington Story was born in August 1843 to Gilford Dudley Story and his second wife Nancy Jane Story nee Womack. George was born in Shawneetown, Gallatin County, Illinois, USA. He was the fourth of Dudley’s and Nancy’s nine children. George Washington Story married his first wife and my second great-grandmother Malinda Davis on November 26, 1863,
On September 16, 1932, RKO Pictures released The Most Dangerous Game (1932), a film about a big game hunter becoming the hunted. Joel McCrea plays big game hunter Bob Rainsford. Rainsford is on a yacht off the South American coast discussing his latest hunt, when another guest asks him, “Do you ever think how the tiger felt?” Rainsford laughs at
“Don’t break my leg!” As the two muscular men struggled in the center of the ring, the man on top continued to work on the downed man’s legs. Again, the man on bottom yelled, “Please don’t break my leg!” Frank Gotch looked over at his rival George Hackenschmidt, who was writhing in obvious pain. Despite a severe knee injury, Hackenschmidt
Yesterday, my maternal grandmother Alvina M. Ellis nee Mosblech would have been 100 years old. Born in St. Louis, Missouri on May 15, 1916, Grandma was the seventh of fourteen children. She married an only child in 1938 and they would have two children, my mom and Aunt Maureen. Grandma had a big influence on my sisters and me because
On May 7, 2016, my daughter Caity returned to Taekwondo competition for the first time in eight years. As her dad but also her coach, I tried to dissuade her from sparring until we had a few more months but she was adamant about sparring at the tournament. Caity likes forms but she always preferred sparring. Reluctantly, I agreed. I
In 1877, St. Louis was the largest city west of the Mississippi. St. Louis Police dealt with the typical problems of a major city. St. Louis Police Officers responded to reports of murder, rape and robbery. On the morning of December 12, 1877, St. Louis Police Officer Daily responded to the report of a bear on the Downtown St. Louis