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": ;■ ■■" ■ ; — 1SR Gand w flB *"™ OReilly on Racing By Tom OReilly Tab Charlie Johnson Preakness Historian Pimlico Publicist Actually Lives the Race Young Newspaperman, Protege of Ev Clay PIMLICO, Baltimore, Md.. May 15. — Charles Hanson it should be handsome » Johnson is the personable." dark-haired, brown-eyed, intense, young man who beats ■■" ■ — the the drums drums for for Pimlicos Pimlicos historic historic ": ;■ ; the the drums drums for for Pimlicos Pimlicos historic historic 00,000 Preakness Stakes to be run again. Saturday, for the 81st time. Although only in his second year of operating pimlicos percussion department, this slight, trimly built. 29 - year - old polo playing bachelor who. in but-toned-down collar and fancy four - in - hand resembles Pat Boone, the bobby soxers singing "ideal." "ideal." says, says, with with a a grin: grin: Weve "Weve flB *"™ "ideal." "ideal." says, says, with with a a grin: grin: Weve "Weve been doing fine, so far. but I wont be satisfied until Congress adjourns and attends the Preakness in a body, like they did on October 24. 1877, when George Lorrillards Parole beat Ten Broeck and Tom Ochiltree. A famed three-horse event in Pimlicos long history. Such dates roll glibly through Johnsons conversation, since he is a profound student of American racing traditions, having dug up quite a library it includes many racing excerpts from George Washingtons diary I at the "Old Hilltop" track and compiled the first complete set of Preakness books. A former crack Miami newspaperman himself, covering everything from police, fires and union meetings to sports, love-lorn letters • you should pardon the redundancy* and re-write assignments, he speaks the language of the nations better reporters and has picked up what Oscar Wilde called "the careless journalistic habit of accuracy. Noted Horsemen His Favorite People Johnsons heroes are Jimmy Jones, Preston Burch who wrote the book . Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons. Harry Trotsek, Sherrill Ward and other trainers who have taken time to answer his constant questions on the best way to develop a champion race horse. Johnson was born at Miami Beach and as a boy, going for a swim, daily traversed patches of scratchy straw grass growing where the Fontainbleu Hotel now blooms. Majoring in advertising art and having started the first student weekly at Miami Technical High School, he was hired, before graduation, as a copy boy, by Lee Hill, current executive editor of the Miami Herald and Detroit Free Press. He admits he was a fresh, wise-cracking copy boy. His brash ways must have been effective because he was given two great advantages on the Herald. First, he was turned over to the tender mercies of Ned Aitchison, a top-flight city editor with the usual ulcers and an acid tongue that, without swearing, could cut the most pretentious prima donnas down to size. Like all reporters who have survived a session under a good, tough city editor. John-son speaks of Aitchison and the blue serge suit he wore, daily, like a uniform, with awe. "He knew everything. Was never satisfied with anything less than perfection, which is rare and kept the staff in a constant state of terror.- Johnson recalls, fondly. "He was a great man and Ive got scars to prove it." Secondly and obviously because of his eagerness to , learn, young Johnson was switched from one department to another until he became, at an early age. a well-rounded newspaperman. Eventually he came under the watchful eye of Everett Clay, himself a practicing genius, being sports editor of the Miami Herald at 23. Clay left to do publicity for Hialeah, in 1944 and Johnson quit, in 1947, to become sports editor and daily columnist for the Miami Beach Sun. When that paper was merged out from under him. in 1949, he started his own publicity business. At first it was based on five "strip tease" acts, an admittedly frail, G-string hold on existence. Soon, however, he took over drum beating for two rival ball clubs — Pepper Martins Miami team and Ducky Medwicks Miami Beach club. Working Accounts With All Sports By the time the Army beckoned, in 1950. his accounts also included Chris Dundees fight club, the Florida stock car races and the Coral Gables Coliseum. He had been .laughingly turned down for enlistment,, during the war, since he weighed a fat 98 pounds. Now. tipping 123. the Army sent him to Camp Tucker, Ala., with the chemical corps and eventually, as a corporal in the press information office, to Fort Benning. Ga. He announced the base football games and picked up a few bucks on the side writing sports columns for both of the nearby Columbus. Ga., newspapers. On being discharged, Everett Clay, a real master of racing publicity, had a nice fat job waiting for him at Hialeah. In 1954 and 55 he helped Barker Seeley, at Monmouth Park and also, in 1955. he worked for his old mentor, Clay, on the Garden State Stakes, richest race in the world. Avery Brown, statistical editor of Daily Racing Forms Chicago edition, recommended him to Lou Pondfield, executive director of Pimlico. He took the job. April 1. in Baltimore and on May 19 worked his first Preakness. "One of the biggest jobs here," he says, "was to get the local people excited about the Preakness. Here it is. the second jewel in the Triple Crown and they were taking it for granted. Baltimore is a sophisticated town but it was making a dreadful mistake in overlooking the fine thing it has here. The Preakness and Pimlico racing are tremendous business assets that should not be ignored. Now the merchants and other businessmen are giving the Preakness proper recognition with window displays, flags and so forth." Last winter Johnsons love of polo brought him the customary dislocated shoulder and sprained ankle. He was thrown from his horse in a Miami game. He plays with John Clark, Lyle Phillips, E. W. King. Del Carroll and Jules Romfh among others. Far from a heavyweight, Charlies efforts at polo are remindful of the accolade accorded Pete Bostwick, when that ex -steeplechase rider first bounced Argentinas great 200-pound gaucho genius, Manuel Andrada, off the line of the ball. Quote Manuel, "Leedle man — beeg bump!" That goes for Charlie and his Preakness, too. O. Maryland. My Maryland.
