WPA Boxing Gym in Lawrence

I first heard of the WPA boxing gym while reading articles written by Lawrence boxer/trainer Al Brien. Al enjoyed his first formal boxing experiences at the WPA gym, a place where pros worked out alongside beginners. The bulk of the information used in this article came from the scrapbooks and personal recollections of Roland Tardugno, former member of the WPA boxing gym. Thank you, Roland, for sharing this wonderful story.

The WPA Boxing Gym of Lawrence, Part One

The Great Depression of the 1930s had taken its toll on America, its people, and on the sport of boxing. Demoralizing unemployment left many starving and unable to justify the cost of admission to boxing events. Nationwide attendance to boxing matches dropped and the professional world of local boxing would never again reach the heights of the 1920s. The city of Lawrence saw many gyms close, but in 1936 the local world of boxing got a shot in the arm from an unusual benefactor – the US government via the WPA. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration’s was set up to keep America working. Today most of us associate the WPA with bridges, parks and magnificent deco-styled municipal buildings. The WPA also ran local recreation programs and starting in 1936, Lawrencians were able to attend WPA-funded classes in rug-making, knitting, orchestral instruments, tap dancing and boxing. The government-sponsored program gave an air of legitimacy to Lawrence boxing. Thanks to this program and the hard work of local fistic talents Henry Janco, Angie Tardugno and later Richard “Ticky” Ford, the decline of local boxing was halted.

There were several Depression-era programs aimed at keeping young men off the streets. The Civilian Conservation Corps, the CCC, ran overnight camps for young men between the ages of 18 to 25 whose father’s were on government relief. Each month, over 1,000 families in Lawrence would receive $25 in payment for the conservation work (ditch-digging, tree planting, forest fire-fighting) provided by their sons. WPA recreational programs covered everything from sports to the finer arts such as theater and writing. Actor Walter Matthau, the original Oscar Madison, started his career in a WPA neighborhood theater in New York City. (An aside: he also worked as a boxing instructor training cadets at the NYPD Academy.) In the city of Lawrence one of the most successful WPA projects was the boxing gym. Lawrence Alderman Adam Eberhardt and City Park’s Director Augustine T. Walsh were pleasantly surprised when, in the spring of 1936, the WPA program got over 2,000 enrollees in the many exciting offerings; 600 of those young men seeking boxing instruction.

Henry “Bud” Janco and Angie Tardugno were selected to run the boxing program. Henry Janco, born in Lawrence in 1908, came from a large Italian-American family. He trained under sailor Seventy Powers, while enlisted in the US Navy during the mid 1920s, and was the US Scout Fleet Featherweight Champion of 1927-1928.  In the Navy, Janco got the nickname, Bud, when he saved lives by throwing a live artillery shell overboard and a shipmate said “Thanks, Bud.” He came back to Lawrence in 1928 and went into professional boxing as a way to put food on the table and perfect his talent.

Angie Tardugno, also an Italian-American, came from the most famous fighting families ever to come out of Lawrence. Along with brothers Michael and Danny, the Tardugno trio met up with some of the biggest names of their day in their respective weight classes. Michael parlayed his fistic talents into a NCAA scholarship to both Georgetown and Columbia, eventually receiving a law degree. Angie won the 1933 Bantamweight National Championship. Danny turned pro and was managed by famed Boston manager Johnny Buckley, whose stable included Jack Sharkey and Andy Callahan. The Tardugno brothers fought for the love of the sport and Angie was keen to share what boxing had given him with others. (The Tardugno family is one of the few Lawrence families to get voted into the Lawrence High School Hall of Fame. There were many more Tardugno brothers who collectively contributed to Lawrence’s domination in amateur sport; boxing, football and baseball, were just a few of the many sports they “dabbled” in. The lone Tardugno sister, Anna, helped her mother run this incredible machine.) 

The boxing program was divided into three age groups and they staggered the lessons: twelve to sixteen year olds from 4 pm to 9 pm, sixteen to eighteen year olds from 5 pm to 6 pm and eighteen and older from 6 pm to 9 pm. The instructors certainly had their hands full with this many participants, and worked hard to keep everyone safe. Originally housed in Lawrence High School, coordinating evening WPA hours with ongoing Lawrence High activities proved to be difficult. Eventually the WPA boxing gym moved into the old Franklin Street School, which had closed down as a public school in the mid-1930s and was then used by Central Catholic while its Hampshire Street location was built. New equipment was installed at the Franklin Street School: a raised platform, new canvas, striking-bags and new gloves.

The program was so popular and the facilities so attractive that many area pros wound up working out alongside amateurs. Lawrence greats Arthur Flynn, Willie Hagan and Andy Callahan went on record stating, “that this is one of the best training spots around.” A popular urban legend has Andy Callahan training for one of his last fights at the WPA gym and asking Henry Janco to act as a sparring partner. Callahan and Janco had met professionally a decade earlier with Callahan winning by KO. Callahan was notoriously aggressive when sparring, so no one was surprised when he knocked Janco out with a punch, well, no one except Janco who told Andy, in graphic sailor-speak, “to get out of his gym and don’t come back.”

With their personal boxing careers behind them, Janco and Tardugno performed some of their best work at the WPA, rebuilding a local audience who were excited to follow the fruits of their ringside labors. The program maintained its popularity during the five or so years it ran, in no small part due to the devotion of these two men. Their personalities complimented one another: Tardugno was quiet and soft-spoken while Janco, aka  “The Great Bud” was famous for his salty lingo, usually delivered out of the side of his mouth at full volume. Evening Tribune newspaperman Suds Kelly enjoyed quoting Janco at every opportunity and wrote that Janco reassured uninitiated youngsters with phrases such as: “If you don’t know, the Great Bud will learn yuh!” Another time, Suds shared his favorite Janco story:

Henry is best remembered for that immortal remark (while a horse was being destroyed at Suffolk Downs) “Why should they shoot horses with broken legs? –Ain’t they human beings like ourselves?”

WPA Boxing Gym, Part 2

A very young Al Brien found himself intoxicated with the world of boxing at this very gym. Al, who would go on to train Paul Despres, George Cote, and later become the Massachusetts Deputy Boxing Commissioner, got his start with Mister(s) Janco and Tardugno at the Franklin Street gym. Al wrote a brief autobiography for the Lawrence Bee in 1950, singing the praises of his early training and reminiscing on how he got to work out alongside the great Andy Callahan.

Legendary Lawrence promoter Cy Brown (working out of the Genoa Café, Essex Street) from the Buffalo AC, used his marketing acumen to help put on local boxing shows. Lawrencians were going back to the fights in large numbers, to see bouts with fighters such as Wilfred Despres, father of 1949 NE Golden Gloves champ Paul Despres. Other area fistic talents that built a strong local following were: Bill Tammany (Andover), Pat Perrino, Frankie Norman, Charlie Fallon, Dan Tripoli, Jimmy Fields (Methuen) and Howard Freedman, to name a few. Lawrencian Richard “Ticky” Ford joined the gym as an instructor after his spectacular win as the 1938 National Lightweight Champion, following in the footsteps of Angie Tardugno, his fellow instructor and former trainer.

During the spring of 1940, the headlines in the Lawrence papers became more global and grim. The light-heartedness in the local WPA ring was a bright spot amidst the otherwise tragic news coming out of Europe. WPA relief programs were being shut down as the country ramped up munitions production. Still, the WPA boxing gym stayed open and operational, providing direction for young men and entertainment for the masses. An earnest attempt was made to answer the age-old question: which is better, the fighter or wrestler? Henry Janco agreed to a free-for-all fight with local grappler Crash Gagnon and delivered a devastating blow to Crash’s beezer (nose). Crash went down and on his way took the Great Bud and a hunk of his hair with him. Things got nasty on the ground, with Crash pinning a very angry Janco. For weeks Janco would speak of nothing else, his pride and his scalp wounded from this exchange. Crash’s repeated requests for a rematch went unheeded.

The years between the wars were a tumultuous time. The economy whipsawed from heights of untold wealth and prosperity to punishing poverty and fearful unknowns. For approximately six years the WPA boxing gym of Lawrence provided a sense of order in an otherwise chaotic world. America entered the war in December of 1941 and many of the boys and men who participated in Lawrence boxing were off to war. Although I’m not sure of the official closing date of the WPA boxing gym, I feel it is safe to guess that it occurred sometime between December of 1941 and November of 1942, when Henry Janco re-enlisted in the Navy. There are other periods of brightness in the history of Lawrence boxing, but few are as endearing as the six-year reign of the WPA.