Bud Yount was a great baseball player and a very good friend of mine. We really miss his weekly visits to the Advocate. While doing some research I found the following story about Bud’s signing with the New York Yankees….

BUDDY YOUNT SIGNS WITH N.Y. YANKESS

Buddy Yount has made his decision in favor of the New York Yankees. Four major teams had tried to persuade him to sign a contract with them: the St. Louis brown, Brooklyn dodgers and the Detroit tigers. None of them were allowed to approach the young player till he had graduated from high school, but that did not keep them from talking to Mrs. W.H. Daugherty, his mother. Saturday morning Tom Greenwade, top talent scout for the Yankees, was in Allen bright and early and succeeded in getting the young pitcher to sign with them. He told Buddy and Mrs. Daugherty that he has signed 29 men that are now in the major leagues and that he felt he would bring Buddy good luck. The young player left for McAlester Wednesday where he has been farmed out to the rockets. If he makes good in the next two months, he will receive a bonus in addition to his salary.

Pepper Martin, scout for the Dodgers, arrived in Allen after Buddy had signed his contract with the Yankees and was very disappointed.

JERRY PARKER JOINED THE NAVY AND SAW THE WORLD

Jerry Parker is visiting his mother, Mrs. Clyde Russell, on a thirty-day leave. The sailor has been in the navy since 1943 and saw considerable action in the South Pacific during the war.

When Jerry was a small boy he used to study about the North and South pole and South America and wished that he might visit them. He has been granted his heart’s desire because he has visited all three.

First, he went with the Admiral Richard Byrd expedition to little America in 1946 and later to the North pole, each of the trips packed with excitement and thrills. A moving picture was made on the North pole trip and later on the South pole expedition. The name of the North pole picture is “Summer Vacation” and the South Pole film will be called “Operation High Jumping.” These pictures will be released to the public in about a year.

Admiral Catsup was in charge of the last expedition to the South Pole or little America. On Christmas day the sailors had to have some sort of recreation, so why not the good old game of baseball. Jerry admits it was a pretty slippery affair but there wasn’t the slightest danger of breaking the ice as it was 26 feet think. Sacks were used for bases and the game went on.

On this same trip while the ship was at Ross Island the sailors were exploring around when one, Vernon Stuck, had an unusual experience. He happened to look in a rock and there was an English Newspaper over 200 years old. Jerry said they had quite a bit of fun reading what had happened two centuries back. Some of the words they could not pronounce, and the paper didn’t resemble the newspapers of today. Vernon is going to send the paper back to the town where it was originally printed.

They also found food that had been left by other expeditions for two years that was still good. The boys decided it was a perfect method of deep freezing.

They saw a lot of Penguins and tried to get back with 24 large ones and a group of smaller once of two different varieties, but they only succeeded in arriving here with five of the large ones and eight of the smaller ones. They are now on exhibition at the government zoo in Washington D.C. They also tried to bring back a couple of live seals, but they died enroute.

AWARDS LISTED FOR A.H.S. STUDENTS

The following awards were presented to member of Allen High School: Valedictory medal, Pat Miller; salutatory medal, Helen Rowe; honor roll: Jim Pipkins, Bill Martin, Helen Rowe, Pat Miller, Joan Iker Albert Rowe, Jethery Bohannon, Gianna Jones, Arlena Bryant, Louis Kimbrough, Millard Jarrett, Robert Jones and Nancy Haliburton; citizenship awards, Bill Martin and Carol Sue Jacobs; American Legion awards: Lily Mae Cosper and Pat Miller; athletic award: Robert Jones; Music, Louis Kimbrough; English and History, Jean Iker; scholarship, Jethery Bohannon; science, Tim Pipkins; commerce, Albert Rowe; agriculture, Bill Martin and Crable Chiles; math, Glenna Kay Jones; home economics, Gerlene Estes; attendance, Edna Faye Patrick, 9 years, Willie Zoe Tillery and Donald Hammonds, 7 years; Alma Ruth Burris and Rettia Jean Burris, two years.

This list of awards for the Allen High school was composed from memory. If anyone has been omitted, please report it and you will be recognized next week.