Presentation to focus on "The Lancaster Thunderbolt"

Cory Van Brookhoven, president of the Lititz Historical Foundation, is known for his writings, including his book on Warwick Township. In 2006, Van Brookhoven was signing copies of his book at an event in Manheim when he met Joe Hauck. Joe's father, Leo Houck, had been a boxer, known as "The Lancaster Thunderbolt," who grew up in the Cabbage Hill area. During Leo's career, which lasted from 1904 to 1926, he was never knocked out. Van Brookhoven and Joe struck up a friendship. "Both having an interest in local history ... we would get together for coffee or lunch and talk about Leo," recalled Van Brookhoven. "These meetings were a gateway for me in learning just how important Leo was in sports history."

Van Brookhoven will share his knowledge of the fighter when he presents "The Lancaster Thunderbolt -  The Story of Leo Houck Champion Boxer" at the New Holland Area Historical Society (NHAHS) meeting on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. in the chapel at Garden Spot Village, 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland.

Van Brookhoven's friendship with Joe led him to begin collecting news articles, photographs, and memorabilia related to Leo's life. "Joe and I spent many hours at LancasterHistory's archives," reported Van Brookhoven, noting that the pair looked at countless photos and articles collected by Leo's brother and boxing historian Johnny. "In 2018, Joe and I met a man named Randy Swope who wanted to write a book on Leo," Van Brookhoven stated. "We met with Randy on many occasions and provided him with our resources." When Swope published his book in 2019, Van Brookhoven was surprised to be given an acknowledgement. Known for his knowledge of local history and many presentations in Lancaster County over the last decade, Van Brookhoven first had the chance to talk about Leo's boxing career for an East Petersburg Historical Society meeting on Oct. 2, 2023.

Van Brookhoven's multimedia presentation includes many photos of Leo's days in the ring thanks in part to Johnny's extensive collection. "(Leo) was a professional boxer for the first half of his life," said Van Brookhoven, who added that Leo's attachment to boxing did not end with his retirement. "He had a very successful career as a boxing coach at Penn State for 27 years," said Van Brookhoven, who noted that Leo was married and fathered six children and that, after retiring from Penn State, he returned to Lancaster to live until his death in 1950.

In his research, Van Brookhoven has collected a number of interesting facts about Leo. "He was very active in his community. He also played several other sports during his offseasons from boxing," said Van Brookhoven, who recounted that the original spelling of the family name is "Hauck." "It's a funny story," explained Van Brookhoven. "One time a boxing promoter spelled Leo's last name as 'Houck' accidentally, and he liked it, so he kept that as his last name in the ring." Van Brookhoven also pointed out that Leo fought in every weight division, which he stated is "unheard of in today's game of boxing." According to Van Brookhoven, Leo sparred with Jack Dempsey twice, also facing a few International Boxing Hall of Fame members, including Frank Klaus, Jeff Smith, Gene Tunney, and Harry Greb.

The program is free and open to the public. More information about NHAHS may be found at https://nhhistorical.com or by searching for "New Holland Area Historical Society" on Facebook.