December 16, 2024 • 7 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Our American Stories listener Patty Kingsbaker shares this "knockout" Frank Sinatra story.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:17):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
and we tell stories about everything here on this show,
from the arts to sports, and from business to history
and everything in between, including your story. Send them to
our American Stories dot com. There's some of our favorites.
So our next story comes from a Colorado listener. Let's
(00:37):
take a listen.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
My name is Patty Kings Baker, and I grew up Miami.
My dad was the boxing coach for the University of Miami,
but they discontinued boxing in nineteen fifty four, I believe.
But at the time, I mean he had two jobs.
He worked for the Coral Gables Fire Department and he
(01:11):
was the boxing coach for the University of Miami. So
when they discontinued boxing, he started refereeing, and so as
when I was growing up, I'm not sure how old
I was when he started taking me to the fights,
but I feel like I was at least seven. So
every Friday night I was over on Miami Beach with
(01:31):
my dad and going to the fight. So I grew
up like knowing all the boxers, and in growing up
in that world, I mean, I just love boxing. So
we found out that the Johanson Patterson heavyweight championship fight
was going to be in Miami, and of course, you know,
I was like, my Dad's going to referee, you know,
(01:54):
but they really they don't find out who's going to
referee a fight until like five minutes before the fight.
They come over and get tagged, you know, to do it. So,
long story short, my dad. There was one other referee
that I knew was probably had enough experience or that
it was between my dad and this other guy. Well
(02:14):
and his name was Si Godfrey and my dad was
Billy Reagan, and but Si refereed a ten rounder right
before the main event, and so I knew. I knew
that my dad was so I hit it, you know.
I just was headed down towards to see my dad,
you know, to go, yeah, you're gonna get this fight.
(02:36):
And I was behind the bleachers, but they were holding
the crowd back, and all of a sudden I looked
up and like ten feet in front of me is
Frank Sinatra and he's standing there with that you know,
he had his finger on his coat over his showlder,
he had the hat on, and I was stopped in
(02:57):
my tracks. I was like, oh my god, that's for instance.
So I never made it down ringside to talk to
my dad before the fight, but he did in fact
referee the fight, and it was when Patterson regained the
title from Johansson. And so when I found my dad
after the fight, of course, the first thing I said
to him wasn't you got to referee the fighter? Was like, Daddy,
(03:20):
I saw Frank Sinatra, you know. So anyway, the story
had kind of circulated through the fighters and Chris Dundee,
who was the promoter at the time, and you know,
everybody gave me a hard time for not getting his autograph,
and I was like, I was just scared. I didn't
know what to do. So it was a few months later,
(03:40):
I think, and I was at the fights with my
dad and Chris Dundee came up to me and he goes,
all right, Frank's coming in tonight, and he's going to
come in through that door over there, all right, at
nine o'clock. So you keep your eyes peeled and you
go get your autograph this time. So sure enough, at
nine o'clock that door open, incomes Frank, and I'm ready,
(04:02):
and so I go hauling over there. They're taking him
to a seat. But the thing was is Chris forgot
to tell security to let me through, so they're not
letting me through, and again can't get his autograph. So
and I was just so disappointed because I felt like
I had a clearer path that night. Anyway, I went
(04:23):
home and I ended up writing him a letter. And
he was performing over the Fountain Blue at the time,
and I wrote him a letter and I explained everything.
I explained that my dad had refereed the championship fight,
that I had been standing ten feet you know, with
a clearer path to him, but was scared, and that
Chris had told me he was coming in the other night,
and that you know, I had my paper and pen ready,
(04:46):
but then security wouldn't let me through. And I said,
so now it looks like I'm never going to get
your autograph. You know, if you could just send it
to me, that I would really appreciate it. So and
I mailed the letter off to Frank Sinatra at the
Fountain Blue Hotel. So it was a few days later,
maybe I don't know, but my dad called me chuckling
(05:08):
and he said, I got the strangest phone call today.
And he was working at the first station at the time,
and he said, this guy calls me and he goes,
are you the Billy Reagan the referee the handsome Patterson fight?
And he said yeah. He said, oh god, thank god.
Frank's been driving us nuts. Your daughter wrote him a letter.
(05:30):
Somebody threw away the envelope. He doesn't have an address,
and he wants to send her a picture. So my
dad gave him the address. And I have my autograph
picture from Frank Sinhutter from that.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And you've been listening to Patty Kingsbaker and she has
another story about Elvis Presley. And look, have you got
stories like it? Send them to our American Stories dot com.
Brushes with greatness or a celebrity or star you really
love or care about, tell us those stories again, send
them to our American Stories dot com. And I could
just picture it, I mean. And Frank was always working
(06:13):
on that image. No matter where he walked, that coat
was over his back, just like on so many of
his records. In that hat, that signature hat was always there.
And there was a day when he played little places
like the Fountain Blue By the way, that hotel is
still there and it still has top line entertainment and
if you want to get a taste of the old Miami,
it's still there. And South Beach is still a great
(06:35):
place to go and have some fun, listen to some
great music, and enjoy the sun. Patty Kingsbaker's story, her
story of her encounter, well her almost encounter with Frank Sinatra.
You're on Our American Stories. Here are to our American Stories.
(07:24):
We bring you inspiring stories of history, sports, business, faith
and love. Stories from a great and beautiful country that
need to be told. But we can't do it without you.
Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not
free to make. If you love our stories in America
like we do, please go to our American Stories dot
com and click the donate button. Give a little, give
(07:45):
a lot, help us keep the great American stories coming.
That's our American Stories dot Com.
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
and we tell stories about everything here on this show,
from the arts to sports, and from business to history
and everything in between, including your story. Send them to
our American Stories dot com. There's some of our favorites.
So our next story comes from a Colorado listener. Let's
(00:37):
take a listen.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
My name is Patty Kings Baker, and I grew up Miami.
My dad was the boxing coach for the University of Miami,
but they discontinued boxing in nineteen fifty four, I believe.
But at the time, I mean he had two jobs.
He worked for the Coral Gables Fire Department and he
(01:11):
was the boxing coach for the University of Miami. So
when they discontinued boxing, he started refereeing, and so as
when I was growing up, I'm not sure how old
I was when he started taking me to the fights,
but I feel like I was at least seven. So
every Friday night I was over on Miami Beach with
(01:31):
my dad and going to the fight. So I grew
up like knowing all the boxers, and in growing up
in that world, I mean, I just love boxing. So
we found out that the Johanson Patterson heavyweight championship fight
was going to be in Miami, and of course, you know,
I was like, my Dad's going to referee, you know,
(01:54):
but they really they don't find out who's going to
referee a fight until like five minutes before the fight.
They come over and get tagged, you know, to do it. So,
long story short, my dad. There was one other referee
that I knew was probably had enough experience or that
it was between my dad and this other guy. Well
(02:14):
and his name was Si Godfrey and my dad was
Billy Reagan, and but Si refereed a ten rounder right
before the main event, and so I knew. I knew
that my dad was so I hit it, you know.
I just was headed down towards to see my dad,
you know, to go, yeah, you're gonna get this fight.
(02:36):
And I was behind the bleachers, but they were holding
the crowd back, and all of a sudden I looked
up and like ten feet in front of me is
Frank Sinatra and he's standing there with that you know,
he had his finger on his coat over his showlder,
he had the hat on, and I was stopped in
(02:57):
my tracks. I was like, oh my god, that's for instance.
So I never made it down ringside to talk to
my dad before the fight, but he did in fact
referee the fight, and it was when Patterson regained the
title from Johansson. And so when I found my dad
after the fight, of course, the first thing I said
to him wasn't you got to referee the fighter? Was like, Daddy,
(03:20):
I saw Frank Sinatra, you know. So anyway, the story
had kind of circulated through the fighters and Chris Dundee,
who was the promoter at the time, and you know,
everybody gave me a hard time for not getting his autograph,
and I was like, I was just scared. I didn't
know what to do. So it was a few months later,
(03:40):
I think, and I was at the fights with my
dad and Chris Dundee came up to me and he goes,
all right, Frank's coming in tonight, and he's going to
come in through that door over there, all right, at
nine o'clock. So you keep your eyes peeled and you
go get your autograph this time. So sure enough, at
nine o'clock that door open, incomes Frank, and I'm ready,
(04:02):
and so I go hauling over there. They're taking him
to a seat. But the thing was is Chris forgot
to tell security to let me through, so they're not
letting me through, and again can't get his autograph. So
and I was just so disappointed because I felt like
I had a clearer path that night. Anyway, I went
(04:23):
home and I ended up writing him a letter. And
he was performing over the Fountain Blue at the time,
and I wrote him a letter and I explained everything.
I explained that my dad had refereed the championship fight,
that I had been standing ten feet you know, with
a clearer path to him, but was scared, and that
Chris had told me he was coming in the other night,
and that you know, I had my paper and pen ready,
(04:46):
but then security wouldn't let me through. And I said,
so now it looks like I'm never going to get
your autograph. You know, if you could just send it
to me, that I would really appreciate it. So and
I mailed the letter off to Frank Sinatra at the
Fountain Blue Hotel. So it was a few days later,
maybe I don't know, but my dad called me chuckling
(05:08):
and he said, I got the strangest phone call today.
And he was working at the first station at the time,
and he said, this guy calls me and he goes,
are you the Billy Reagan the referee the handsome Patterson fight?
And he said yeah. He said, oh god, thank god.
Frank's been driving us nuts. Your daughter wrote him a letter.
(05:30):
Somebody threw away the envelope. He doesn't have an address,
and he wants to send her a picture. So my
dad gave him the address. And I have my autograph
picture from Frank Sinhutter from that.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And you've been listening to Patty Kingsbaker and she has
another story about Elvis Presley. And look, have you got
stories like it? Send them to our American Stories dot com.
Brushes with greatness or a celebrity or star you really
love or care about, tell us those stories again, send
them to our American Stories dot com. And I could
just picture it, I mean. And Frank was always working
(06:13):
on that image. No matter where he walked, that coat
was over his back, just like on so many of
his records. In that hat, that signature hat was always there.
And there was a day when he played little places
like the Fountain Blue By the way, that hotel is
still there and it still has top line entertainment and
if you want to get a taste of the old Miami,
it's still there. And South Beach is still a great
(06:35):
place to go and have some fun, listen to some
great music, and enjoy the sun. Patty Kingsbaker's story, her
story of her encounter, well her almost encounter with Frank Sinatra.
You're on Our American Stories. Here are to our American Stories.
(07:24):
We bring you inspiring stories of history, sports, business, faith
and love. Stories from a great and beautiful country that
need to be told. But we can't do it without you.
Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not
free to make. If you love our stories in America
like we do, please go to our American Stories dot
com and click the donate button. Give a little, give
(07:45):
a lot, help us keep the great American stories coming.
That's our American Stories dot Com.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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