“THE BEAR”

JOHN FRANK HOLAUS BORN JANUARY 23RD. 1923 IN ST LOUIS, MO.
JOHN GREW UP IN THE STREETS OF SOUTH ST LOUIS THE SOULARD AREA LOCATED NEAR DOWNTOWN. AS A YOUNG BOY HE SERVED AS AND ALTER BOY AND WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL TO THE EIGHTH GRADE. HE WOULD OFTEN SAY FOR ONLY GOING TO EIGHTH GRADE I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO ACCOMPLISH THE THINGS I HAVE. HE SPOKE SEVERAL LANGUAGES AND NEVER FORGOT ANYONE THAT HE HAD CROSSED PATHS WITH IN HIS LIFE. AS JOHN WOULD SAY HE ALWAYS WAS HUSTLING TO MAKE A BUCK. HIS FATHER WAS A HOD CARRIER AND HE FOLLOWED FOR A WHILE IN HIS FOOTSTEPS BUT SAID HE MADE MORE MONEY WORKING FOR THE BOOTLEGGERS WITH HIS WAGON. FOR A WHILE IN HIS CHILDHOOD JOHN ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE IN TROUBLE. BUT IN HIS TEENAGE YEARS CHANGED HIS MIND AND DECIDED TO ENLIST IN THE US NAVY IN WHICH HE SPENT 10 YEARS OF HIS LIFE IN THE NAVY FIGHTING IN WORLD WAR II AND THE KOREAN WAR. AT AGE TEN HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO BOX AND WENT ON TO WIN THE MIDDLE WEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE NAVY FLEET IN 1941 IN CHICAGO, IL. WHEN JOHN LEFT THE NAVY HE STARTED TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP THE KIDS, HE STARTED WITH THE CORY LEAGUE WITH BASEBALL, SOCCER, BASKETBALL AND FOOTBALL. HE ALSO AT THE TIME STARTED COACHING YOUNG BOXERS AT JEFFERSON BARRACKS. BEFORE LONG JOHN MADE HIS MARK ON THE ST LOUIS AREA. JOHN MARRIED A WONDERFUL WOMEN LOIS MARRIED FOR OVER 60 YEARS AND THEY HAD FOUR CHILDREN JOHN, STEVE, ROBERT AND KAREN. HE HAS MANY GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, NIECES AND NEPHEWS.

HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE ORGANIZATION OF THE GOLDEN GLOVES FRANCHISE, HE WAS PRESIDENT OF THE AAU ORGANIZATION NOW KNOWN AS OZARK USA BOXING ASSOCIATION LBC 22. HE SAID THAT HE HAD 256 AMATEUR FIGHTS AND NOT TO QUOTE HIM 1000 IN THE STREETS. JOHN WENT ON TO FURTHER HIS LOVE OF THE SPORT BY BECOMING A REFEREE/JUDGE HE PURSUED HIS CAREER BY BECOMING ONE OF THE TOP 10 WORLD CLASS AIBA AMATEUR REFEREES/JUDGES. THE ORGANIZATION THAT RECOGNIZES THESE AMATEUR R/J’S IS AIBA, INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION. JOHN HAS BEEN INDUCTED INTO THREE HALLS OF FAME, THE UNITED STATES AMATEUR HALL OF FAME, THE GOLDEN GLOVES OF AMERICA HALL OF FAME AND THE ST LOUIS GATEWAY CLASSICS HALL OF FAME. HE HAS BEEN HONORED WORLD WIDE BY KINGS, QUEENS, PRESIDENTS, AND TOP RANKED MILITARY OFFICERS AND MANY INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, ALONG WITH HIS PEERS. JOHN HAS TRAVELED AROUND THE WORLD SEVERAL TIMES TEACHING FOR THE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEE. BEFORE HIS DEATH HE WAS HONORED BY HIS PEERS, AIBA AS BEING PRONOUNCED HONORARY AIBA R/J IN WHICH THERE ARE ONLY A FEW. JOHN WORKED AS A CLINICIAN, REFEREE, JUDGE, TIMEKEEPER, COACH IN THE UNITED STATES AND WORLD. HIS LOVE OF THE SPORT OF AMATEUR BOXING AND HIS MANY, MANY FRIENDS THAT HE HAS MADE THROUGH THE YEARS CAN TELL EVERYONE MANY STORIES. HE REFEREED THE OLYMPICS IN 1984 IN LOS ANGELES, CA. THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES IN 1987 IN INDIANAPOLIS, IN. WORLD GAMES, CISM, DUAL MEETS JUST TO NAME A FEW MORE OF HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS. HE WAS ROUGH ON THE OUTSIDE BUT HAD A HEART OF GOLD. THEY CALLED HIM THE BEAR, THE DUKE AND JOHN.

MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE TOLD STORIES ABOUT JOHN SAID THEIR FIRST REACTION WAS THEY WHERE SCARED TO DEATH OF HIM BUT ALWAYS ADMIRED HIM LATER ON AND THANKED HIM FOR HIS DEDICATION AND THE TIME HE SPENT WITH THEM TO MAKE THEM A BETTER OFFICIAL. MANY OF THEM CALLED HIM THEIR MENTOR IN AMATEUR BOXING AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE WHAT THEY HAVE BECOME WITHOUT HIM. JOHN RETIRED FROM ANHIESER BUSCH AS A BREWER AFTER 30 YEARS. DURING THE YEARS ONE OF JOHNS FAVORITE HANG OUTS WAS THE EDGE HE MADE MANY LIFE LONG FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCES. YOU COULD ALWAYS FIND JOHN SITTING AT THE ROUND TABLE FROM 11:30 AM TILL? HIM AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. AT THE END HE WAS STILL FIGHTING BUT LOST HIS BATTLE NOT IN THE RING BUT TO CANCER. ALL THAT HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF MEETING HIM WILL MISS HIM. JOHN FRANK HOLAUS DIED DECEMBER 21ST. 2006 BEFORE HE PASSED HE STRETCHED OUT HIS ARM WITH HIS TWO FINGERS IN THE AIR POINTING TO THE CORNERS THREE TIMES. I GUESS HE WAS COUNTING HIMSELF OUT BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. THIS IS JUST A SMALL PART OF JOHN’S LIFE.

JULIANA NEISZ
PRESIDENT OZARK USA BOXING LBC 22