Page 29 - French and Electric Blue - Winter 2017-2018

~MSP Boxing 40th Anniversary~

Four Decades Fighting for a Good Cause

By Trooper Robert E Benoit (Ret.)
It was a long time since I had seen some of That show benefited the Boy Scouts of
the boys. Eight were able to make the trip out of America. Tickets were $2.00 and the “nights take”
the original 10 to the Battle at the Bay in Quincy was $270.00. This money took the Boy Scouts to
last year. Older, with gray hair, the ones who still Treasure Valley Scout Reservation in Rutland that
had it, they climbed into the ring at the Quincy year. Lionel Lajoie, Jr., the announcer that night,
show upon being introduced. remained the team announcer for the next 20
They met each other, bit by bit early in years.
the evening, and it warmed my heart to see the The announcer at the Quincy show,
hugs given all around. One such meeting was Trooper Dan Clark (Ret.), did a great job making
between Billy Mann and John LePage. They stood the announcements and brought the attention of
eight feet apart, staring at each other for several the large crowd to focus on these men who started
seconds before LePage lit up and yelled, “Billy”. the MSP Boxing Team 40 years ago. It was a proud
They embraced. Both men fought each other in moment for the old team.
the first fight at the very first show at the Oakham
Elementary School 40 years prior.

(L to R) Col. Mark Delaney (Ret.), LTC Jack Cunningham (Ret.), Capt. Leo Gerstel (Ret.), Tpr
Robert Benoit (Ret.), LTC Jack Dunn (Ret.), Lt Steve Bennett (Ret.), Sgt William Mann (Ret.), and
Tpr John LePage (Ret.)

F r en c h·a n d·E le c t r ic·B l ue·W in t er·2017/2018·p a g e·29