As a five-year-old, my dad was my rock, and fifty years later he still stands solid in my memory. Alex “Art” Kettles came one fight away from fighting Joe Louis for the heavyweight championship of the world. Fighting in Chicago’s Marigold Gardens on October 23, 1939 at age 21, he quickly scored a knockdown against his opponent, National AAU and Golden Gloves Champion Dan Merritt. My dad was a three-time Indiana AAU champ. Maybe my dad got cocky when he dropped him so fast, but when “Big Dan” got to his feet, my dad’s jaw got caught in the trajectory of a furious right hand and he went down for the count, knowing and yet not knowing who or where he was. After he came to, he left the ring and he never fought again.