The Boxing Poet

In his 85 years on Earth, Evert Loyd Blaylock led an exciting if ordinary life. After growing up on a farm in Tennessee and hunting to survive the Great Depression, he joined the Navy and became a ship's cook who traveled the world during World War II. He rose above the label of "hillbilly", eventually becoming the boxing champion of his ship. Above all else, he combined the ruggedness of his rural upbringing and boxing glory with the intellect that accompanied his avid reading and heartfelt writing in order to overcome the odds in life.