Fall 2002

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Hogtown Authors

Famous athletes, along with sports developments and changes impacting Florida nearly 40 years ago, are spotlighted in Glitz Capsule, a nostalgic narrative by Bob Lynch, JM 1956. The former sports writer for the Fort Lauderdale News recounts his interviews and relationships with legendary golfers and boxers in the 1950s and '60s.

He focuses on golfers Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead and Julius Boros as well as boxers Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson.

He also discusses South Florida's interest in acquiring a pro football franchise, Fort Lauderdale's efforts to host a pro golf tournament and months of legal and legislative debate prior to opening the Pompano harness racing track.

"Unless a lot of Floridians lived in the Fort Lauderdale area, they missed reading what I have in the book," Lynch said. "I want to share those hectic and significant years of my reporting life with thoughts about what went on."

Glitz Capsule concludes with an "issues and answers" section focused on about 100 separate interviews and trends that affected Broward County and South Florida.

Lynch was editor and director of information for UF from 1964-73 and then was executive director of the Florida Onsite Wastewater Association until his retirement in 1999. He now lives in High Springs.

The book is available only through the association at glitzbob@aol.com.

Tom Leahy, MA 1972, is the author of a new novel called Blood Red Sand, published by Xlibris Corp.

Set in a small village in the red sand hills of western Oklahoma in 1970, the book is about a New York newspaper reporter who has been directed to produce an in-depth feature story on five soldiers who were freed on charges of murdering Vietnamese civilians, and who were then discharged from the Army without court martial.

Leahy's first novel was Sharron's Song, the story of a couple separated during the Vietnam War. A third novel, The Steward, will be published later this year.

Leahy is a retired Army officer who also retired as director of communications for the Sea Grant and Marine Advisory Program at UF in 1988.