February 25, 1918 – full diary entry:

“Greb vs Mike good fight, Mike won on points.

Met Score(?) had little party.

Got home late. Dad was sore.”

This is really cool, once I did a little research. Harry Greb and Mike O’Dowd fought to a draw at the St. Paul Auditorium. Greb, nicknamed “The Pittsburgh Windmill,” is now a legendary boxer and thought to be among the best middleweights of all time. O’Dowd (known as ”The St. Paul Cyclone” and “The Harp”) had a much shorter career but was the World Middleweight title at the time of the fight. Newspaper accounts were split on who actually won the fight.

Calling him “Mike” in the diary makes me wonder if Robert knew him? They were the same age, possibly schoolmates?

This was Robert’s last day before leaving for Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa.