Harold "Red" Grange shakes hands with an unidentified man in late January of 1926 while on the rooftop of the Winthrop Hotel. Mr. Grange is on the right. By 1926, he had graduated from the University of Illinois where he was an outstanding football player and was playing pro ball. He was in Tacoma very briefly on Friday, January 29th, to help publicize his Chicago Bears Sunday game against the Washington All-Stars in Seattle. A smallish crowd of about 5000 would see the Bears demolish the All-Stars 34-0. Later that year would come the release of a silent film, "One Minute to Play," starring Mr. Grange. (TDL 1-29-26, p. 1-article; TNT 1-29-26, p. 18-article) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Grange)

Grange, Harold; Football players; Shaking hands--Tacoma;

Contract bridge expert Ely Culbertson visited the Tacoma Bridge Club on May 1, 1936, at the Winthrop Hotel. Mr. Culbertson is standing directly in front of the hanging framed picture. He was nearly 45 at the time and had been a key figure in the international popularization of contract bridge in the 1920s and 1930s. Photographer Chapin Bowen was present during this visit; he is standing far left. TPL-6687

Culbertson, Ely; Tacoma Bridge Club (Tacoma); Bowen, Chapin; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Guests--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Football star and motion picture actor Harold "Red" Grange posed with Helen Nelsen (left) and Corinne Martin on a rainy day atop the Winthrop Hotel in late January, 1926. The ladies are holding a sign "Ice" in front of Mr. Grange; it was his nickname when he was a leading rusher at Wheaton (Illinois) High School. He had worked as an ice hauler while in school which accounted for his nickname ("Ice Man" or "Wheaton Ice Man") and developed his strong physique. Now better known as "The Galloping Ghost" for his blinding speed and elusive running style, Mr. Grange, a three-time all-American at the University of Illinois, had paid a very short visit to Tacoma a couple of days before his Chicago Bears pro team faced the Washington All-Stars in Seattle. He would run for two touchdowns and pass for a third en route to a 34-0 shellacking of the local team. (TDL 1-29-26, p. 1-article & alternate photograph; TDL 2-1-26, p. 8-article on game; www.britannica.com)

Grange, Harold; Football players; Nelsen, Helen; Martin, Corinne;