"Rated
one of the finest baton twirlers in the country" and identified as
"pep personified" in the 1947 and '48 Cincinnatian yearbooks,
Don Poynter, BusAd '49, was UC's drum major for three years. In 1948,
at the Thanksgiving game against Miami University, he dove into a tepee
during the halftime show and emerged dressed in Indian attire. Unfortunately,
muddy turf pulled off his moccasins, leaving him in a dangerous position
to be swinging a sharp knife under his feet. The next yearbook contained
this photo and called him a "versatile jack of all trades."
He upheld the reputation with an interesting list of activities and accomplishments:
- Supported
himself at UC by performing ventriloquist and magic shows, a sideline
career he began in the Army
- Toured
with the Harlem Globetrotters for three years after graduation, twirling
on a unicycle at halftime, serving as assistant tour director and shooting
newsreels for television
-
Met Eva Perón and partied with Prince Rainier of Monaco
- Produced
and did puppet work for "Big John and Sparky's No School Today"
television show, which aired in 280 cities for 13 weeks
- Produced
a stage show starring Basil Rathbone on the West Coast
- Appeared
on the television show "What's My Line?" and won $25 by stumping
the panel as the creator of whiskey-flavored toothpaste
Link: See story in this issue on the moccasin escapade and Poynter's career inventing novelties
You've
seen ours; now show us yours.
Among those souvenirs of your days on campus may be a photograph that
would look great on this page. Send pictures to: Horizons magazine, University
of Cincinnati, PO Box 210141, Cincinnati OH 45221-0141 or e-mail to Deb.Rieselman@UC.Edu.
