The Summer of 39: The summer of 1939 was a busy time for my father. He and his polo team had been the guest of the Mexican government in Mexico City the previous summer, so Dad and Courtney Burton invited the Mexican Natl. polo team to the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio to play. The location was Gates Mills, Ohio where Courtney and his family owned the Hunt Club there and had a magnificent polo field built just below their mansion on the hill above it. The Mexican polo team was captained by General Jesus Jaimie Quiniones of Villa Acuna, Coahuila, just across the Rio Grande River from Del Rio, Texas. He was a full blooded Yaqui Indian and cut quite a figure in his generals uniform. The picture shown here was taken at his ranch near Acuna when earlier that summer he had invited Dad and Courtney to be his guest there. While there, they all went into Acuna and the General took over Ma Crosbys Restaurante and threw his American guests quite a party. So, when the Mexican Team arrived in Ohio, Courtney repaid the compliment by having the Mayor of Cleveland throw a grand parade for the General and his team and the Mayor graciously offered General Quinions the key to the City of Cleveland. Mother and I just happened to be up there from our 101 ranch in Hays County Texas and I remember riding in an open Packard Touring car in he parade. This all happened in August of 39 and one month later the whole world would go to war when Hitlers Armys invaded Poland. The Polish would stage the last great Cavalry Charge when the cream of the Polish Cavalry Corp charged their horses into the German Panzier Tanks and were slaughtered almost to a man (and horse). The day of the horse Cavalry ended on that day and all the American Cavalry men who dad had played polo against for years, stepped off of their horses and got into Tanks and the world was changed forever. From the Summer of 39 in Tidbits from Driftwood. MEK
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 15:29:28 +0000
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