|
Rudolf Walter Wanderone, Jr. (January 19, 1913 – January 15, 1996; originally spelled Wanderon)〔 Includes three photos of his grave marker; provides birth and death dates, and legal surname spelling.〕〔 Provides surname spelling without the terminal "e", name with "Jr.", age of 7 as of 1920, mother's name as "Rosa" or "Rose", New York City residence. Copy is poor; data columns verified by comparison to (legible blank 1920 census form ). Census-taker's handwriting poor as well, but "e" clearly absent. ''Note:'' Full details of search results, including scan of document, only available to site subscribers, but original document on file in US National Archives.〕 was an American professional pocket billiards player, also known as "Minnesota Fats". Though he never won a major pool tournament as "Fats", he was perhaps the most publicly recognized pool player in the United States – not only as a player, but also as an entertainer. Wanderone was inducted in 1984 into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame for his decades-long public promotion of pool. Wanderone began playing at a young age in New York City. As a teenager, he became a traveling pool hustler. Later in his 30s, he moved to southern Illinois where he met and married his first wife, Evelyn. During World War II, he hustled servicemen in Norfolk, Virginia. With the end of the war, Wanderone returned to Illinois and entered semi-retirement. Wanderone adopted the nickname "Minnesota Fats" from a character in the 1961 film ''The Hustler'', claiming that the character was based upon him. He parlayed the association with the film into his own book deals and television appearances, including a series of matches with rival Willie Mosconi. Later in life, Wanderone divorced Evelyn and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he married his second wife, Theresa, with whom he remained until his death. ==Early life and career== Rudolf Walter Wanderon, Jr. was born in New York City to Rosa and Rudolf Wanderon, Swiss immigrants.〔〔Dyer (2003), p. 9〕 He was born in 1913〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=MyFamily.com Inc. )〕 but sometimes hinted he was born earlier, even as early as 1900. The surname was later changed to Wanderone. Known as "Rudy" to friends and family,〔 Wanderone started playing pool as a child while living in Washington Heights, Manhattan. In 1923, he traveled to Europe with his father where he received training from German balkline billiards champion Erich Hagenlocher. His first prominent match was in 1926 when he competed against former nine-ball champion "Cowboy" Weston (Wanderone won, handily).〔Dyer (2003), p. 13〕 Wanderone left school in the eighth grade〔 and became a traveling pool hustler, spending much of the 1920s playing at a pool hall called Cranfield's in New York City, where Wanderone received his first nickname after beating another hustler known as "Smart Henry". The intensity of their competition led Wanderone's friend, Titanic Thompson, to dub Wanderone "Double-Smart".〔Dyer (2003), p. 16〕 By the mid-1930s, during the Great Depression, Wanderone had become a manager of a pool hall, owned by a friend, in Anacostia, southeast Washington, D.C.〔Dyer (2003), p. 35〕 He had acquired more notoriety and nicknames, including "Triple-Smart Fats", "New York Fats", "Broadway Fats", and "Chicago Fats",〔Dyer (2003), p. 13, 122–23〕 attracting from other hustlers, including the then unknown Luther "Wimpy" Lassiter.〔Dyer (2003), p. 34–7〕 In 1941, Wanderone and friend Jimmy Castras arrived in southern Illinois—major hustling center on a fast track to televised tournament play—and settled in Du Quoin, Illinois, where he continued hustling.〔Dyer (2003), p. 52〕 Eventually he met Evelyn Inez Graff; they married two months to the day later, on May 7, 1941.〔Dyer (2003), p. 61〕〔 Following their marriage, the Wanderones settled in Dowell, Illinois. In 1942, the couple moved to Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk had become a key mustering point for US soldiers, as well as a shipbuilding center. The growing population led to an enormous interest in gambling; Wanderone, in partnership with fellow hustler Lassiter, quickly recognized the financial possibilities.〔Dyer (2003), p. 71〕 Following World War II, however, the action "dried up" soon, and the Wanderones returned to Little Egypt.〔Dyer (2003), p. 88〕 For a period throughout the 1950s, Wanderone entered semi-retirement, making only occasional hustling trips to New York City. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rudolf Wanderone」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|