UNIVERSITY STRONG MAN

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1057, 22 August 1930, Page 1

UNIVERSITY STRONG MAN

Widely-Travelled Professor PROWESS AS STUDENT-ATHLETE TO be taken for an itinerant wrestler, when having supper in a City restaurant last evening, was the amusing experience of Dr. Michael Dorizas, professor of geography at the University of Pennsylvania, who is visiting Auckland in the course of his third world tour. “I was in travelling kit and .. . well, I suppose my calves are rather big,” the professor observed with a twinkle. “A stranger came up and offered to be my manager,” he laughed.

Dr. Dorizas looks the part; indeed, his athletic record is as brilliant as his scholastic. His 18st and iron frame —he invited a SUN man to feel his biceps—stamp him as a man of immense strength. He admitted that he had done some wrestling, and that he had never been defeated. At the age of 18, “Mike” Dorizas, as they call him in United States athletic circles, won the world’s record in the javelin throw, and later took part in

three Olympic Games. A native of Greece, Dr. Dorizas is a graduate of Robert College, Constantinople, and went to America for advanced study, to become a citizen of the United States by adoption.

The young giant earned fame immediately he joined the professorial staff of his university. There they hold an annual strength contest, and Professor "Mike” smashed all records by piling up 1,776 points against the previous mark of 1,460. Later he increased his total to the astonishing record of 1,890 points, then again in 1916 he won fresh laurels with 2,200, a figure never before dreamed of by strong men of college rank. , A FOOTBALL “BLUE” Here is a footballer in a land of footballers. At his university Professor Dorizas won what they term his "letter” in football, running and wrestling. "While a student he took three intercollegiate championships in wrestling in the ridiculously short time of four minutes, 20 seconds, easily throwing all opponents. Dr. Dorizas’s all-absorbing hobby Is travel. He has visited no fewer than 34 countries —practical geography he terms it. Asked how he manages to get off from his tutorial duties. Dr. Dorizas remarked nonchalently that it was his practice to work for a number of years, put away money, and ask for a year’s leave of absence. "As long as I pay my own expenses and draw no salary I am readily granted permission.” Dr. Dorizas has tasted war. When the United States came into the Great War the doctor was in the early contingents that crossed the Atlantic and saw 20 months’ service “lifting wounded” as he calls stretcher-bear-ing. The American soldiers got along very well with the “Colonial boys”—better than they did with the Tommy. The professor is not unknown to journalism and is under commission to write weekly for the "Public Ledger,” Philadelphia. Taking from his wallet a number of clippings boldly headlined, Dr. Dorizas ran rapidly through articles touching on life in many parts of the world. He sighed a little wistfully in commenting that his writings got “chopped about” by the "Ledger’s” editors. “They mainly want sensational doings in the United States,” he said. Incidentally, he paid tribute to the standard of the New Zealand daily Press as a whole, which was loftier in tone than the Press of nearly all countries he could recall. A shrewd observer of men, manners, peoples, and the trend of the times. Dr. Dorizas is watching interestedly the evolution of the British Empire. The American people regarded the Empire with wonderment, how it held up under difficulties, economic and racial, with which it was now beset. “No —definitely no—l am not of opinion that your Commonwealth of Nations is disintegrating,” Professor Dorizas said. "India, Palestine, Egypt will stay with Britain. ... I don’t know about Mesopotamia. South Africa has nothing to gain and a lot to lose by a secession. I think the difference between Briton and Boer is only temporary.” TROUBLES OF INDIA Dr. Dorizas has twice visited India, travelling throughout the country. Conflict of caste and religion, were responsible, he felt, for a great deal of the turbulence which was giving Britain so much trouble. Professor Dorizas relates a strange happening when he sought a meal of Hindu food. He was being driven to a restaurant when his Mohammedan conductor was forced to pull up when a cow strolled out on to the road. The driver said persuasively: “Please, madam cow, get out of the road.” If he had used his whip on the animal there would have been uproar from the Hindu people. Arrived at the eating house the professor was debarred from entrance, being told that he wa3 unclean. He remonstrated, and the crowd of natives inside became threatening. He was told that he could eat if he plucked a and had his meal under a tree. The crowd was in a bad mood and advanced. Dr. Dorizas then shouted: “No violence, please, gentlemen,” and stood in an inviting stance. “I could have taken on half a dozen at once . . . they had legs like cornstalks,” he said amusedly. SOVIETISM A FAILURE The professor has examined Soviet Russia closely and concludes that Sovietism has failed. A year ago he saw queues waiting with bread cards to obtain black bread, and this in what was formerly the granary of Europe. Leningrad looked like a deserted city. Though the anti-God campaign had not begun when he was there, Christianity was being caricatured in the clubs, prizes being offered for the best costumes and characters derisive of religion. At the same time he had seen Red soldiers praying in the churches. Dr. Dorizas will return to the United States by the Aorangi on Tuesday, in time for the beginning of term at his University.