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Glenn Strange  Born August 16, 1899 in Weed, New Mexico, Glenn Strange was of Irish and Cherokee descent. He was the fourth child of William Russell Strange and Sarah Eliza Byrd.
He grew up in the west Texas Panhandle town of Cross Cut, Brown County. In the 1920s, Glenn was a policeman in Durant, Bryan County, Oklahoma. (The Daily Oklahoman, September 1973) In 1925 Mr. Strange came the little over 20 miles from Durant, Oklahoma to Denison, Texas to compete in a wrestling match with Bob Garvin. Previous to the ring fight between Strange and Garvin, Garvin was injured in a "grudge match" in Austin. That injury allowed Strange to gain one fall in the 3 fall match in Denison about 2 weeks later.   The Denison Herald Friday, July 31, 1925 pg. 14 Glenn Strange, Oklahoma wrestler, who is to scuffle it out with Bob Garvin tonight at the Armory hall is scheduled to arrive in Denison late this evening, according to a phone message received by Garvin yesterday. The go this evening has attracted considerable interest among local fans, who, while believing that Garvin will come out victor, express the opinion that it will be one of the hardest tussles of his mat career. Garvin is outweighed by something like 30 pounds and is badly bested in the way of height and reach. Strange won considerable reputation when he defeated Jack Rooney, nationally known wrestler...he [Strange] has youth and tremendous power... The Denison Herald Sunday, August 2, 1925 pg. 10-11 Bob Garvin gained two falls out of three over Glenn Strange of Durant, Oklahoma, last night at the Armory hall...Strange entered the ring at 198 pounds. He was in poor condition and about 20 pounds under his usual ring weight. However, he outweighed Garvin by about 30 pounds. Following 20 minutes of fierce struggling, Garvin gained the first fall, using a body scissors and double arm lock. Strange made herculean efforts to break the hold, and failing, patted the map and lay limp and exhausted... Strange surprised the spectators by pinning Garvin to the mat in the second fall, taking 17 minutes. He used a toe hold. Garvin made short work...in the third wrestle, taking only 8 minutes to put his shoulders on the mat. He used a double arm lock.... Strange left Oklahoma, moving to El Paso, Texas by 1928. While there he worked as a fireman at the Central Fire Station until February 1931. (The El Paso Times, Friday, December 11, 1931, pg.2) Strange and his cousin, Taylor Peters, better known as "Cactus Mack" went to Hollywood and starred in hundreds of "B" westerns, playing the part of a cowhand, rustler, henchman, sidekick or harmonica-blowing cowboy. Strange's massive build and height of 6' 6", helped him break into the Universal picture horror movies. In the 1950s he began playing the role of Sam the bartender in "Gunsmoke" from 1962 until shortly before his death in 1973. Robert "Bob" Garvin died early Sunday morning September 9, 1979 in Denison and was buried in Fairview Cemetery, Denison, Texas, along with his first wife and two sons. Biography Index Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |