It’s often times the odd trigger that takes you back.

And so it was when I engaged in idle conversation with a fellow who works out at the same gym that I do.  He introduced himself as Frank Corbett, and I then made idle reference to Gentleman Jim Corbett, who defeated the great John L. Sullivan in a bare knuckles boxing match in the 1890s.

As it turned out, Frank is a distant relative of Gentleman Jim’s and, as astonished as I was to meet someone from the legendary boxer’s family tree, he was equally astonished to know that someone actually knew who Gentleman Jim was.

And that brought me back to my dad, his love of boxing, and the little store on the cusp of South Norwalk, Conn., where he and I would occasionally venture on Saturday mornings, my dad to talk about local politics with John McGurk, the store’s owner, while I read undisturbed the articles in Ring Magazine, the bible of boxing at that time.

I didn’t have to worry about someone chasing me from the magazine rack and cherry cokes from the fountain were on the house.  Oh, those were glorious days.

My dad had many good friends and, in my eyes, John McGurk stood near the top.  He had a wonderful smile, always asked how I was doing, and was possessed of a gentle spirit.

The latter belying the fact that John McGurk, like Jim Corbett, could account for himself quite well when it came to the ropes that define a boxing ring.  He was, after all, a gracious man…and, in his day, a pretty good boxer.