We're two sisters who are craft book publishers and found ourselves in the midst of an avocado grove. We bought this house where we planned to conduct our publishing business and in the deal got 4 acres of avocado trees thrown in. Now we're not only publishers but ranchers as well! This blog is all about avocados and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Sepia Saturday #145 What A Kick


Here's my dad. He went to the University of Chicago and I think this is maybe where this photo was taken. But I don't remember him being on the team. He was on the varsity wrestling team. Maybe this was for an intramural football team. Maybe that's why the "K" is part of the insignia.

I tried to find out what the fraternities were back then, but found nothing that had a K, only sororities. I doubt if he played for a sorority team!

His uniform looks pretty official, so this must have been a serious team of some sort. And the photo was taken by an official photographer. It's marked on the back - J. Sandy of Chicago.

When searching through the University of Chicago logos, I did find this:

T-Shirt Slogans
Houses often raise money for bonding events by selling t-shirts with the University logo on the front and a self-deprecating slogan on the back. Regularly sold during prospective student weekends, the shirts make parents think twice before sending their children to the U of C. Some of the most famous slogans are “Where fun goes to die,” and “Hell does freeze over.” But, as you’ll hear over and over again, don’t take them seriously; the only thing the slogans signify is the wit of the student body.
Overheard while selling self-deprecating T-Shirts: “It’s funny because it’s true.”


My dad would have thought these slogans were funny. He had a great sense of humor. I wonder, though, if he was a great football player. He looks like he knew what he was doing.

Check out other sporting stories by clicking Sepia Saturday.

23 comments:

  1. Wow -- look at that extension. If he didn't play football, he surely could have qualified as a Rockette.

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    1. I thought the same thing when I saw this kick. He would have made a great Rockette.

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    2. A chorus line also came to my mind!!
      What a great extension!!
      But one needs also accuracy on the field...

      "Where fun goes to die"...
      :D~
      HUGZ

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  2. Love the title and also the photograph - he would be good at dancing!

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    1. Actually, he hated to dance. I think it was because he was very shy.

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  3. Can we have him up here in New England? The Patriots need some help this year!

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  4. Judging by the position of your father's arms, he must have been a winger.

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    1. I don't know what a winger is. But yes, maybe that's what he would have been good at.

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  5. It is hard to tell his age. Maybe the picture was before he was in college.

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    1. You could be right. This might have been high school. But neither Barbara nor I can remember what high school he went to. And now, there's no one left to ask. So frustrating.

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  6. i like the idea of the tee-shirts with slogans on the back, but even more the idea that it's funny because it's really true! I am in awe of your Dad's high kick.

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    1. I couldn't post all of the slogans. One was very off-color and I think this was the one parents would have been a little wary of.

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  7. Great picture! He looks like he is having fun, no matter what team is was playing for.

    Kathy M.

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  8. Great picture of your dad. As far as solving the mystery, a few questions for you - Did your dad have a yearbook? Have you considered checking old newspapers for the city where your dad went to high school & Chicago newspapers to see if his name was mentioned? If he was involved in sports, there's a good chance his name appeared in the sports section. Most libraries offer inter-library loans for microfilm for a small fee.

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  9. Looks as though he could kick a ball some distance, what a great action photo. I guess this type of balance and flexibility would transfer well to a wrestling team.

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  10. This is a fantastic photograph, any idea of the year or range of years?

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  11. I'm thinking yes, he was fabulous! Look at that kick, and I can believe that he had all the ladies coming to see him, hoping for a date!

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  12. I'm with Wendy - he's Rockette material. What a gret picture of your dad. Hope you can find out more about his football career and high school days.

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  13. My immediate thought was this must have been posed as such a high follow through is not necessary when kicking a rugby ball. On the other hand I've never tried American football.Fun photo - now if I could only get my foot that high today!

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  14. That's some high kick - he could have been a can-can dancer :-) Jo

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  15. It looks like a real football kick from back in the day to me! Love the tee shirt story. But were they selling them as far back as the era in which this was taken?

    Queen Bee is correct. You can search microfiche transfers to the Internet. Contact the University.

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