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HomeMy Public PortalAboutParent, Ed "Porky"PAGE C--14- -THE STAR - NEWS -- WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1982 gh school sports 1 111 When Ed Parent was growing up in McCall, the area around Park and Mission Streets- was mostly pasture land. He came to the valley in 1930 at the age of eight with his parents, Eugene and Catherine, and his nine brothers and sisters. "My dad bought 32 acres; we owned clean out past the school house," Ed recalled. A lumberjack, Ed's father saw "a future up here," and worked for Brown's mill. Not too long after, however, his father had a stroke. "He couldn't pay for the land so Brown bought it back, all except for the part which the Parents' home stood on. Ed still lives on part of the land. "All this was pretty much pasture land then," he said. "The road out there (in front of the forest supervisor's) was just a mud hole. Guy Fairbrother would bring his cows in to milk. He delivered milk around here. When I was a kid, he would hire me when a hand got sick or quit. We'd have 40 -50 cows to milk by hand every morning and every night." School and work, that's what Ed said consumed most of the youngsters' time in the.'30s. "Kids those days were busy," he said. "After we got the chores done, we didn't have much time left. All the kids had to keep the trails shoveled and a lot of 'em had to carry water. "Every weekend I had to shovel from the top of the hill (on Stibnite Street) right down there to the road (Park Street), It all had to be four feet wide. I would take ya all day. "When I went to see a picture show, it cost 10 -15 cents. I had to go out and shovel trail or split wood. "Any time the kids weren't do- ing anything, we'd have a touch football game down where the bank is." The school, he said, was near where Medley's is today. Youngsters would ride their horses to school and stable them in Carl Brown's barn. And his eyes shine when he talks about the football and basketball games he 'used to play in high school, and his days as a professional boxer. i "The American Legion had a boxing deal down there on the lake ( where the city park is now) , Ed said. "They had a ring. That hillside there was for spectators." Though no "real famous names" boxed by the lake, Ed recalled: "The Kid Mathews was here on exhibition. 1 was 12 years old. They wanted me to fight him, but his dad wouldn't let him. I. was pretty fair for my age.. "I used to work in the bakery. They'd let me off to go fight. We got $3 if we won and $1 if we lost. I fought guys that were 25 when I . was 13 -14-. 1 won quite a few of 'em.,, Ed Parent takes break from building woodshed at his Park Street home. Ed Parent, back row center with helmet, with his McCall team year before championship. W-11lb' 1115 UUWJ 111 lU 11111K. nC delivered milk around here. When I was a kid, he would hire me when a hand got sick or quit. We'd have 40 -50 cows to milk by hand every morning and every night." .School and work, that's what Ed said consumed most of the youngsters' time in the,'30s. "Kids those days were busy," he said. "After we got the chores done, we didn't have much time left. All the kids had to keep the Off to go camping near stockyard, Ed Parent and his horse, 111C - t1111C1l1:d11 J Curpu11 11[lu A boxing deal down there on the lake ( where the city park is now) , Ed said. "They had a ring. That hillside there was for spectators." Though no "real famous names" boxed by the lake, Ed recalled: "The Kid Mathews was here on exhibition. I was 12 years old. They wanted me to fight him, but his dad wouldn't let him. 1: was pretty fair for my age. "I used to work in the bakery. They'd let me off to go fight. We got $3 if we won and $1 if we lost. I fought guys that were 25 when I ".. was 13 -14. I won quite a few of 'em." Ed said his boxing skills were self taught, and he would watch other boxers to learn what he_ could. "Nails Gorman, he used to be a regular professional fighter, and he was up here," Ed said. "He did training in Goodman's garage next to the city park. There used to be a bunch of us watch old Nails go through his training. "We used to go around and fight in New Meadows, Warrens, Don - nelly... I think it was Saturday nights. "I had a lot of fun. I only got paid $12 a week at the bakery so if I could make $3 on top of that, I felt a little richer." About high school sports, Ed said: "We used to have championship teams. We'd play New Meadows, Council, Cambridge, Midvale, Donnelly." . Ed recalled the year he was quarterbacking for the team and it won the league. The boys were pointing for the state champion- ship. "I didn't get to play; I got kick- ed out of school. I don't know what I done. I figured I'd get back in Ed Parent, back row center with helmet, with his McCall team year before championship. rholus cotilra•s, of j, "a i -aren' High school team plays infield where smokejumpers are now. because I was captain and quarterback of the team and we only had one week to go before the state championship. I figured I was a cinch. "I got fooled. I thought I was a pretty good boy, that week." The McCall team lost. "We could have won that game awfully easily," Ed said. Before the league championship game against Co�pncil, Ed said McCall held a practice game with Cascade. ``I went deer huneing," he said. Council came down' to spot the team, and Ed said they were real surprised to see him back at quarterback for the championship game. "We had seven banquets of- fered us if we could beat the Coun- cil team," Ed said. "We had 'em 33 -0 at the half and beat 'em 42 -13." Ed said he wasn't sure if the McCall boys ever ate any of those promised banquets, "but there was sure a lot of people betting on 'em, I know that." Games used to be played -where ( Continued on Page C =15 ) ...Ed Parent (Continued from Page C -14) the Smokejumper loft is now, he said. Their equipment and facilities were not the best. "My helmet, I could always crush it up and it would,stay in my pocket. We didn't have any grass. Our legs were just like pieces of hamburger, peeled up one end to the other." The hot spots of the day, Ed said, were the Dog House saloon on the south side of Main Street and Abbott's, where the tPlgnhnne company office now is. "They had a bar, gambling and a cat house upstairs," Ed said. "Seemed to me was three of them around here at that time. They played roulette, poker, black jack, slot machines. "I worked at the sawmill and in the winter I used to tend bar at the Stadium. The guy at Forester's wanted me to come to work for him. He put in slot machines that paid off $1,000 on a $1 and $250 for a quarter." Gambling was legal before Ed was of age. "We was actually too young as kids to be in there, but as long as you could get that money over the bar, they'd take it," he said. "Those times, the mob w5sn't out here like they are nowadays. As far as I'm concerned, the peo- ple who had the joints were all really nice people._ "They did a lot for the com- munity; bought a lot for the city through taxes and donations." When "Northwest Passage" was filmed in McCall in 1937 -'38, Ed got to be in the movie. "Down there at the Texaco Sta- tion, Don Peer and Jack Sacker- man were always arguing," Ed said. "I got to telling Don about these blanks (they used in the movie gun fights) . Don told me to bring some down. He went in and loaded this gun with these blanks and then went out and told Jack `I've taken all I'm gonna take from you.' Jack started shaking. I'll never forget that as long as I live." Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennen's double, Young's double and Wallace Beery's dou- ble were all in town. "I was sitting out there eating huckleberries, and Wallace Beery's double came over and asked what I was doing," Ed recalled. "I told him, and he was like a big gorilla, pulling them out by the roots. They called him to come on the set, but he said `Oh, I'm busy, I'm busy.' He wouldn't leave, either." PAGE C-- 15 - -THE STAR - NEWS -- WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1982 McCall under snow. On horses in spring. 7A AIn !Y7 • A _7 T 71• CV• T _7 7i 7' e 14 w att y 3 v } McCALL HIGH 5C HOOL event through the long and tough long Pin Six -man football league season to bring the title to :McCall for the first time since slx -man May began in the area. Pictured above Is the full DleCall sgnad. Front roxv, left to right — Roland, Bon•I- inVarent, Shaw, Watkins, Farrell, Leaf, Gantz, Campbell, Drake, Mason, manager and Coach MeJunkin. Back row. left to right— Shaver, Siari, Badley, Legler, D. Brown, Yeager, Canada,)•., B. Bro«Tn and Callander. (Statesman Photo) Football started in McCall in 1936. Eddie Neyman was the first coach. Two games were played tl year, five games the second year and from then on it became a regular season.