How Gus Russell Championed the Tracy High School Football Squad

It is a well knorvn fact in California lumber circles, that when Gus Russell is your friend, you've got a friendship worth treasuring. And rvhen he espouses a cause, he goes the limit for it.

This was never more clearlv demonstrated than in the friendship he has shown for the football team of the high school at Tracy, California. Mr. Russell has had a lumber yard at Tracy for many years, and while he lives in 'Oakland and has his office in San Francisco and brags about the entire Bay District as putting to shame all other parts and portions of the great state of California, yet he has always been very close to the civic life and business development of the very fine little city of Tracy.

So when he decided to God-father the Tracy High School football team, he proceeded to do things for that team that have probably never been done for a small town football team before.

He wanted to give the individuals of the team something real to work for, so he got busy. A year ago the school created and dedicated a new football field in Tracy which they were very proud of, and which Mr. Russell assisted largely in getting started. Mr. Russell enlisted the aid of California's famous lumber author, Peter B. Kyne, and the field was named "Peter B. Kyne Field" and Mr. Kyne presided at the dedication, and also pledged himself to the support and assistance of the "Tracy Bulldog Football Squad."

star each year rvill be engraved on the plaque of the trophy, and the first name to go down was that of Ernest Belluomini, selected as the most valuable player in the past season.

And so ended this glorious and unusual event, and Tracy

.

So much did Mr. Russell interest Mr. Kyne in the team, / that the announcement came last spring, and set the town r of Tracy all agog, that Mr. Kyne had decided to create and r present to the Tracy High School a trophy to be presented ' annually to the most vqluable player on the squad, to be held by that flalF for a year, until the next award be 'made.

So May l7th, 1928, was set for the presentation of the trophyl anil-Tricy prepared the biggest and most notable banquet in its history to stage the event. The affair was held in Tracy Inn, the very excellent leading hotel of the town, and of course, Mr. Russell, past master in such af- ' fairs, staged it. Not only did Mr. Kyne go to Tracy with i his trophy to be presented, but Mr. Russell also brought /with them several of California's most brilliant artists to help in the entertainment. They brought Mr. Roy Pike, ' of San Francisco, one of the most notable and artistic toastmasters of the Bohemian Club of San Francisco, who presided. Dean Donaldson, first violinist of the Bohemian Club orchestra; Uda Waldrop, famous San Francisco organist .and pianist.; Harry Robertson, famous San Fran' ,cisco singer, were in the party and part of the program.

' When Mr. Kyne unveiled the trophy it was found to be " a masterpiece in bronze, a miniature football player. And when it was found that it had been done by no other than Mr. Haig Patigan, of San Francisco, one of America's most famous sculptors, who himself was with the party to take pride in his beautiful statuette, Tracy got a thrill that will rever be repeated.

No one but Mr. Russell could ever have devised the scheme, and then enlisted the assistance of such a group of notables as this, and Tracy knows rvell the mind that guided it all.

Rules were laid down by which the most useful player should be selectpd every year. The name of the chosen

High School has a trophy such as few if any school ever boasted before.

No use talking folks, when Gus Russell "puts it on," he does a real job of it. He handled the shingle fight in California several years ago in about that same thorough fashion.

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