ARRIVAL ---- NOTRE DAME ACADEMY

Notre Dame Academy, Mitchell , South Dakota

My brother Neal having deposited us, myself and
Ben Lesselyoung at the school and having been
welcomed by Msgr. Brady, We found a room on
North LAWLER Street and settled in.

Our room windows looked over the alley behind
the Corn Pallace where big bands played for
dances  and celebrations .  The orchestra members
would frequently jam in the alley and we got the
benefit of a free concert.


Soon after our arrival Fr. Brady called me and asked
me to be his houseboy.  I gladly accepted as I needed
to pay for my room and he would absorb my room
rent.
Soon he called on me again and stated, " I understand
that you have had some experience boxing ?"

I agreed that I was familiar with the sport, so he
told me that he was going to start a boxing class
as "physical education" for the Notre Dame High
school students. "Would you be interested?"
With that he said "follow me" and we walked down
to the basement. 

In the basement he found two pair of boxing gloves
and we put them on .  Fr. Brady told me to hit him.
I said , No I would not hit a priest, then he instructed
me to assume the boxing stance an d box him.

He then started shadow boxing and I finally took a
half hearted swing at him and ---- WHACK !
I found myself sliding down the wall ten feet away
from where he hit me.

As I slid down the wall, I was pissed, I sprang to my
feet, my eyes blazing .  I was going to kill this guy,
priest or no .  He was done !   'Fr. Brady then pulled
the gloves off and said, "You will do".

So started my job , "Boxing Instructor at Notre Dame
Academy", for which I got my room rent paid,
$8.00 per month.

As you may have guessed, this was a big town and we
were  from cow country to the West.   Awkward,
innocent and this was a college town with several large
colleges and Universities.   Lots of opportunity for us
to raise hell and get in big trouble.   But we did`nt.
Well, I did`nt anyway.

---- John Crowley