Bob Rodi (History Repeats Itself?)
Archives April 25, 2001

Bob and Marina Rodi, 2000
Bob was president of United Association of Equipment Leasing
in 2000 as well as a Certified Leasing Professional.

I have received a few comments from some people who, I assume, took offense at my comments regarding small brokers, Super brokers and the direction of the dot com/high tech market. Please pass on to everyone that I wasn't just predicting delinquent accounts in the dot com/high tech sector. I had already done that at the beginning of last summer, long before the high tech scene was the disaster it is now. I was merely pointing out that the dot com demise and the accompanying default and high delinquency has a "downstream" impact on our industry that is just starting to hit us. This is why my comments state that there is "no margin for error".

Consider this. There is a liquidity "crisis" in the banking industry. Just look at the fallout in the Pacific Northwest in our industry from B of A cutting off lines of credit to third parties. I heard from one funding source CEO that he was tired of reading business plans from brokers and lessors who were cut off by B of A in that region. Raising equity for a leasing company was tough beginning two years ago, right now it's next to impossible. If this situation causes mainstream funding sources to "lower" their risk profile, even a little, then the credits on the margins suffer.

So do the lessor/brokers who package and sell those credits because the sources that buy them dry up temporarily. Let's take any major funding source who has several divisions and a diverse set of financial services products. Third Party business is undoubtedly a very small part of that. In a fast paced market, that business represents enough incremental profit to keep the funding source interested, even though it may create lower a ROE and represent a higher risk to the overall portfolio. In a slower, tighter market, one where costs and risk are being managed much more tightly, those transactions are cut from the mix because of the cost of booking and managing them. This is where the term "high maintenance" business comes from. In case anyone hasn't noticed financial services companies are cutting back on "high maintenance" business or raising the price on that business to "force" it to justify its existence.

A lot of the companies on Kit's list did the high maintenance deals and didn't price them right. This is done to get market share, increase sales for captives, etc. It affects us because, as an example, Sun Microsystems Leasing is really GE Capital Vendor Services. They share a building with Colonial GE. Although Colonial had no part in the Sun program I can almost guarantee that any problems with the Sun portfolio will affect them indirectly. This will be true with any company because management will shift burdens to more profitable divisions to maximize shareholder value. If they don't their shares get sold off and the stock price drops. Management will only tolerate that so long or they'll be replaced.

I know this sounds like big picture stuff and small brokers wonder how this even matters to them. Those of us that were around in the late 80's and early 90's will remember the bank owned leasing companies that tanked because of the real estate debacle. The bank exposure was enough to have them catch a cold but the far weaker leasing subsidiaries got pneumonia and died. As I recall, they took some third party companies with them.

The same thing is going to happen to anybody that had heavy exposure to dot coms and high tech companies. The sad thing is that even if you didn't do this business and you were dealing with a funding source, bank, Super broker, etc. who did then your business will be affected by the delinquency and bad debt in that segment.

If you couple the problems in the high tech sector with the general liquidity crisis you get a pretty bad scenario for anybody that made their living on the fringes of our industry. It's not a great scenario if you do mainstream A/B business either, but it's manageable and may even represent a growth opportunity.

I'm not trying to insult anyone---I'm just trying to give them a heads up. It’s just my opinion and you know what everyone says about opinions.

Bob Rodi
(today: drlease@mountpleasantcapital.com)

http://two.leasingnews.org/archives/April01/4-25-01.htm

Classified Ads---Credit/Legal

(These ads are “free” to those seeking employment or looking
to improve their position)

 

Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas Proven results Credit Manager-Strong vendor/broker/funding Learned from BEST - Schiell & Galtelli, Centerpoint, Affiliated, Heritage Pacific. ulrich_elizabeth@yahoo.com http://www.linkedin.com/pub/elizabeth-ulrich/8/a26/240

Credit and Collections Manager Seasoned Ops, Broker Development, Credit, Legal, Strategy, P & L Management detail oriented team player seeks position with Small ticket direct lender. Wgriffith61@yahoo.com | Resume

San Diego , CA Experienced in-house corporate, equipment leasing and financial services attorney seeks position as managing or transactional counsel. Willing to relocate. Cell Phone: 760-533-4058; Email: sandidq@msn.com | Resume

Free Posting for those seeking employment in Leasing:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm

All “free” categories “job wanted” ads:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

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[headlines]
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Bank Beat---Plea Deal gets Omni Bank Co-Founder off lightly

Georgia, which leads the nation with 59 bank failures since 2008, and certainly the most with fraud and bank officers being charged with misconduct, had one of its “bad boys” bankers sentenced, perhaps a quite light penalty for his behavior and harm he did to investors, bank customers, and home owners. He was 70 year old Jeffrey Levine who told the judge he was really sorry he orchestrated all the fraud at Omni National Bank, Atlanta. He made a deal with prosecutors and may wind up serving on two years.

"I'm profoundly, profoundly sorry for my behavior and the pain it has caused and I will regret my actions for the rest of my life," he said. "I knew they were wrong when I did them."

His bank grew from a mortgage loan operation to a full fledge bank with investors who believed they would get the best return. Omni was well- known to those in the real estate industry who wanted to "flip property," buy low, sell quickly at a higher price. Omni grew too fast during the housing boom in Georgia, orchestrated by Levine, attracting hot brokered deposits that they paid a higher going interest, then turned it around making real estate loans at high rates that were subcredit or not checked very well, and often refinancing the same property at higher rates each time ---as many as three times a year, while cooking the books to fool regulators (Levine admitted to this in a plea deal.)

If any bank was the sign of the times when it came to mortgage loans, it was Omni National Bank, under the direction of its co-founder Jeffrey Levine.

"You managed to participate in the crime of the century," U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester told him as he attempted to apologize for his misdeeds at the sentencing. "Globally, the whole financial industry is on its heels."

When Omni national Bank, Atlanta, Georgia, failed March 27, 2009, there was over $2.0 million in uninsured deposits that exceeded the insurance limits. This amount was an estimate that changed once the FDIC obtains additional information from these customers. Brokered deposits were not a part of this transaction. The FDIC paid a record $320.1 million in brokered deposits directly to the brokers for the amount of their insured funds.

The cost to the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund was estimated to be $290 million. It exceeded that after the Ponzi shuffling of real estate and assets came to its end. This does not count the bank investors who lost everything or the over 500 who were directly affected by foreclosures and other improprieties by the bank as brought up in court documents. To make this clear it does not count others who were trapped in a house they could not afford or had purchased to “flip” to pay off their loan. The get rich scheme came to a terrible end to many.

Levine pled guilty January, 2010 to doctoring the bank books to obscure losses on bad loans the bank made. Prosecutors in their original complaint stated he “…"aided and abetted by others, did willfully and knowing make and caused to be made materially false entries which overvalued bank assets in the audits, reports and statements."

Levine was executive vice-president from 2000 to 2007. When he pled guilty, U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester sentenced him to pay $6.8 million in restitution, go to jail for five years, and to be supervised on parole for five years after his release. With time served for good behavior, he could be out in less than two years. A far cry from the original indictment that would have carried a maximum imprisonment of 30 years with full restitution to all victims (1).

A good example of the “ Georgia Old Boys” club came from Fulton County Superior Court Judge John Goger who had the chutzpah to request a further reduction at the sentence hearing, speaking on Levine, his friend of 30 years, who had obviously helped him get elected.

However, prosecutors noted Jeffrey Levine had directed the clearing of foreclosures off the books by making alleged loans to new buyers, not recording foreclosures in the books, and various other maneuvers for several years while financially profiting greatly, thus the plea deal that allowed Levine to keep his several houses, other many investments, and cash spread many places, it was reported.

Judge Forrester said he was bound by the prosecutors’ arrangement, made on the basis that Levine had turned evidence on eight other individuals. He did not want to reduce the sentence, and had a few strong words, wanting to give a message to others who corrupt the system for their own gain.

There were other judgments related to Omni, reportedly instituted by President Barack Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which brought the bank to the attention of state and federal regulators, including Brent Merrill sentenced to 39 months for making false statements to the FDIC, plus using stolen identities, creating fictious buyers, and negotiating phony short sale deals for properties.
http://www.flippingfrenzy.com/category/omni-national-bank/

To give you the information on others who were sentenced for lessee dollar amounts and involvement, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported, "Separately, one of Omni’s borrowers, Delroy Davy, 38, of Lithonia, was sentenced by Forrester to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty in March 2010 to charges related to a house flipping scheme. He was also ordered to pay more than $5.5 million in restitution. Prosecutors said he paid kickbacks to an Omni loan officer and defrauded investors."

Here is an example of one of the mortgage loans and how it was repossessed three times and each time the value on the bank books rose from $160,000 to $308,875.
http://www.ajc.com/business/from-dream-home-to-287659.html

(1) Levine Plea Arrangement on paper:
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/LevinePleaArrangement.pdf

Tracking Bank Failures Map:
http://graphicsweb.wsj.com/documents/Failed-US-Banks.html

List of Bank Failures:
http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html

Bank Beat:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Bank_Beat.htm

Why Choose Advanced Property Tax Compliance?

Dedicated to the leasing industry click here to learn more. Hear What Our Clients say about us click here Gary DiLillo, President 216-658-5618 or gary@avptc.com

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“The List” --- March, 2011

--- Mergers, Acquisitions & Changes
"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"--

CIT Group, New York (03/09) announces it has renewed its $1 billion committed U.S. Vendor Finance conduit facility.

AdvanceMe, Inc., (03/09) Settles California suit for $23.4MM; doesn't hold California Finance Lender's License.
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2011/3_30.htm#update_settlement

Business Leasing Northwest, Seattle, Washington (03/09) Promises broken, many made repeatedly since November 15, 2010. New complaints received from original. BBB is "F". Michael Palmer, former Colonial Pacific officer questions about if he resigned or was let go.

International Lease Finance Corp. (part of AIG) (03/09) Forbes labels Steven Udvar-Hazay 132 richest in United States (also the richest man in leasing.) http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2011/3_14.htm#richest

Sunrise International Leasing (SILC), Golden Valley, Minnesota (03/09) Sunrise International/King Capital Founder Peter John King passed away: http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2011/3_21.htm#king

One World Leasing (03/09) Announces they have been approved as a "Preferred Service Provider for community bank equipment leasing and financing for members of Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).

Marlin Leasing, Mount Laurel, NJ (03/09) Evergreen Leasing Continue Marlin's Sole Net Profit http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2011/3_21.htm#marlin (03/09) Marlin Officers Acquire Stock Before 4th Q Announcement http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2011/3_07.htm#marlin_stock

Main Street Bank, Kingwood, Texas (03/09) Depping no longer CEO, remains as chairman, no CEO or new president appointed, it appears, but from loss of $1.85 million the year before, Main Street had a profit of $4.8 million and improved its Tier 1 risk-based capital to a very strong 16.15% and Total risk-based capital to 17.43%

Sun National Bank, Vineyard, New Jersey (03/09) Lent Allied Health Care Services and Charles K. Schwartz over $15 million, allegedly didn't tell creditors who called asked him to move his account as was in work out, also allegedly had officers working on getting moved to other banks, reports lost $182.8 million December 31, 2010 after $79.7 charge off (Allied Charged off previous year, it appears).

Reliant National Finance, Jacksonville, Florida (03/09) Founder announces "no longer doing business in the United States," also no longer in leasing but "investments" business.

Snowflake Financial, Orange County, CA (03/09) New angle "professional engagement pricing," Bulletin Board Complaint about experience

Panthera, San Francisco, Ca. (03/09) Enters $2MM to $50MM fray, includes former ICON president Paul Weiss.

GreatAmerica, Cedar Rapid, IA (03/09) Completes 10th securization for $362.4 million, total securitization in 18 years $2.5 billion.

Capital Source, Chevy Chase, Md. (03/09) New unit led by leasing veteran Laird Boulden finds after his 11 month hire. approvals for over $450 million in loans/ leases and funded $260 million (with another $110 million on backlog for 2011). Its largest loan was $35 million, and the top sectors for their equipment finance/leasing deals were:
• Transportation (air, marine, rail, truck) – $90 million
• Energy – $51 million
• Retail – $27 million

Balboa Capital, Irvine, Ca. (03/09) Calif. A.G. files regarding Church Kiosks
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2011/3_02.htm#bite

Alphabetical List
http://www.leasingnews.org/list_alpha_new.htm

Chronological List
http://www.leasingnews.org/list_chron_new.htm

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

High Compensation to High Achievers Leasing Subsidiary of a National Bank Holding Company looking for experienced professionals (10+ years of experience in commercial finance industry) who can originate a volume of bank-qualified credits (primarily SEC reporting companies). Average transaction size from $1-20MM. Enjoy private office in our Southern California location. We offer excellent commission with a draw. Send resume in strictest confidence to: rose.jones98@yahoo.com

Syndication Manager Rancho Cucamonga, CA Knowledge of transportation industry a plus, but not required. Compensation commensurate with experience contact: wdalton@crlease.com We can finance or lease any make or model of truck, bus, or equipment

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

[headlines]
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Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

Structuring and Pricing for Vendors

I have been asked to explain a few vendor programs to help separate a lease from a loan knowing that customer contact will be made through the vendors’ sales staff.

There are a lot of ways to support the vendor with rate participation, loss reserves, or limited recourse programs but they also need to be placed in a vendor agreement. Lots of lessor’s have paid incentives to vendor sales staff with or without the vendors knowledge, but there are current laws regulating kick backs and you could get into a lot of trouble if it is not handled in the correct manner. Please never, never do it without the vendor‘s permission.

There are as many ways to obtain business from an equipment vendor as there are equipment vendors, but what gets you the best accolades is a fast answer and being completely up front about your abilities. The leasing industry has received many a complaint from vendors that have not been serviced correctly or have been lied to or taken advantage of. A well serviced vendor is very reluctant to switch lessors unless a broader better program comes around. If you can learn to structure a lease payment for the customers need, it will win you many accounts.

In Leasing 102, you define structuring to be determining the lessee’s needs. The definition of pricing is then placing the lessor’s needs into the structure, thus is becomes structuring. While it sounds simple, it is not, unless you get the vendor also involved.

One of our most important sources of business is equipment vendors and usually the contact with the lessee is limited. So To begin with I usually suggest a rate sheet that provides lease factors over a term from 33 months to whatever the maximum term of months may be for the type of equipment in question with three columns for different plans. (Send me an email and I will supply you with examples).

Instead of just throwing out numbers, find out what the lessee budget restriction are; don’t just throw out a high and a low. Find out what the lessee thinks the payments will be. Don’t get into interest, but the monthly payment. Once the lease payment is in mind, the vendor need only select the proper factor nearest to the payment requirement allowing the term to be flexible. The point is: “Who cares if it is 39 months or 57 months?” Why do you have to go 36 months, 48 months, 60 months. This only pushes the attention into “What is the interest rate?”

Sell the sizzle of the lease that can fit their budget. The lessee is usually looking for payments, often not the lowest they can get, but where they feel comfortable or have a plan in mind to up-date or their budget planning. This definitely helps keep the discussion off rates and if they get the payment they are looking for they are more apt to buy which makes the vendor happy.

Programs placed in rate sheets are usually level payments but ramped up, ramped down, or seasonal payments can be used also to accommodate cash flow issues. Most types of equipment from agriculture to manufacturing have some type of seasonality. Just remember that even though your payments may be irregular or seasonal, the new capital lease accounting rules will straight line the expense. However it can be an irregular or seasonal expense for income tax deductions, if it is a true lease.

Prearranged skip payments in months of inactivity is a good program as well as floating skips for unknown cash shortage situations or equipment that must be taken out of service for maintenance or overhaul problems. (Again, if you need examples, then email me)

Another popular need is the 90 day delay prior to the start of lease payments to allow the lessee to use the equipment to generate revenue prior to lease payment requirements. This is easy to price and place in your rate chart.

The capital lease requirement will bring back the prepaid purchase option program which allows the 10% or 20% upfront cash requirement to be used as a prepaid purchase option which allows the lessor to reduce his investment (because of the prepaid option cash) which lowers the payment and effective rate to the lessee when the rate is a function of the purchase price. This helps leasing look lower than lending.

If a lessee’s credit is not up to standard, then a rent to lease program is useful. This program requires the vendor to guarantee the rent portion (say 6 months) with a high payment requirement and a guaranteed buy back at termination of the rent period, or, the customer can select to flip it into a lease program at lower payments over a standard term. At the termination of the rent period the lessee has equity in the equipment and has proven that they can pay higher payments making the lease payments look attractive. This usually structured by determining the vendors buy back amount and subtracting it from the purchase price to determine the payments for the rent period. The reason the vendor usually goes along with this is that without it the sale usually would not occur.

Occasionally a vendor may prefer to have a “hold back” where some portion of the purchase price is held for the first year until the lessee can prove that payments can be made and will handle the lease in a proper manner.

Recourse is always an option, but it requires a strong agreement with the vendor regardless of the nature of the recourse. Every fact or expense from attorney fees to remarketing costs including the cost of money during the storage time prior to resale or release must be negotiated and placed in the agreement. Also please understand the States requirements for replevin actions and the associating costs prior to entering into a vendor recourse agreement.

The main point is don’t go in thinking you have to have the lowest rate or the lowest payment. You need to be prepared to satisfy the vendor’s customer, as that is basically what will keep your vendor happy.

Having the lowest rate in town is like being the old west “fastest gun in town” until you meet someone who is faster. Step out of this fight by being able to structure a lease plan that will make the customer happy when then makes the vendor happy with a sale and customer who will come back.

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty-five years and can be reached at leaseconsulting@msn.com or 502-649-0448

He invites your questions and queries.

Previous #102 Columns:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Leasing_102/Index.htm

(This ad is a “trade” for the writing of this column. Opinions
contained in the column are those of Mr. Terry Winders, CLP)

Top Stories April 18-April 22

Here are the top ten stories opened by readers

(1) Leasing Icon Robert Krause Retires
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2011/4_19.htm#krause

(2) U.S. Bancorp Sunny Days
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2011/4_22.htm#bancorp_sunny

(3) Key Bank and Leasing---The Numbers
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2011/4_19.htm#key_numbers

(4) Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Signatures on Documents
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2011/4_19.htm#signatures

(5) Archives, April 22, 2005
BSB Ad in Leasing News
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2011/4_22.htm#archives_bsb

(6) Utah bank official charged with money laundering
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/51650236-79/bank-companies-payments-poker.html.csp

(7) "The End of Off balance Sheet Financing"
by Matthew Troyer and Brian Villa, Attorneys
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2011/4_22.htm#end_off

(8) Leasing is Not one of the reasons for all the bank failures
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2011/4_19.htm#bank_beat

(9) Proposed FASB Rules Delayed again
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2011/4_19.htm#delayed

(10) Microfinancial Smooth Sailing to Better Profits
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Apr2011/4_22.htm#micro_fin

John Kenny Receivables Management www.jrkrmdirect.com • End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement • Fraud Investigation • Credit Investigations • Asset Searches • Skip-tracing • Third-party Commercial Collections The Solution to Your Credit & Accounts Receivable Needs John Kenny 315-866-1167 |  John@jkrmdirect.com

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for investigations
and background information provided by John Kenny)

Leasing Association 2011 Conferences

 

May 4-6, 2001
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Buckhead
Atlanta, Georgia

Full Event Brochure and Calendar:
NFAEventAnnouncement.pdf

Members	$450.00
Non-Members	$550.00

---

Registration is open for the AGLF/ELFA Public Sector Finance Forum. The agenda is designed to help equipment-finance professionals understand trends in the municipal-leasing marketplace and explore opportunities with public-sector equipment leasing.

Program highlights

• Keynote speaker Beth Ann Bovino, senior economist at Standard & Poor's

• Keynote speaker Eugene L. Munin, budget director for Chicago

• Lease Accounting Issues for Lessors and Lessees

• Federal Government: Termination Rights and Federal Services Contract

• State and Local Bankruptcy, Defaults and Workouts in Governmental Leasing

• A Road Trip From California to Illinois: Financing Situations
  
  Who should attend
  Experienced municipal lessors, as well as those seeking insight into the municipal-leasing market, plus business executives, document-management specialists, syndicators, credit rating agencies, municipal bond insurers, investment bankers, government officials, manufacturers, vendors, third-party lessors, attorneys, credit and sales personnel, and individuals interested in pursuing a business-development opportunity.
  
  See additional conference details. If you have questions about the conference, contact aglfmtg@talley.com.

Members register here:
http://secure.aglf.org/core/events/events.aspx

---

May 11-May 13
National Vehicle Leasing Association
The Allerton Hotel on Magnificent Mile
Chicago, Illinois

Members $595
Non-Members $895

More Information:
http://www.nvla.org/Events/AnnualConference.aspx

---

September 15-17
Minneapolis, Minnesota

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September 16-17
Atlanta, Georgia

---

October 23-25
Equipment Leasing and Financial Association
50th Annual Convention
JW Marriott Hill Country
San Antonio, Texas

---

November 11-12
Costa Mesa, California

-------------------------------------------------------------------

To view Leasing Association Events-Meetings Open to All, please click here.

 

Auburn, Washington-- Adopt-a-Dog

Otis
German shepherd Mix

Otis is a handsome 5 year old neutered male German shepherd mix. He looks primarily shepherd, maybe has some husky or related breed in him. Otis loves people and does well with other dogs. He does not do well with cats or livestock as he has a high prey drive. Otis walks well on a leash and loves to play fetch. He is housebroken, microchipped, and up to date on shots. Otis is a wonderful boy, a great age for a family looking for a fun new member to their pack. Otis's adoption donation is $250.

Spayed/Neutered
• Up-to-date with routine shots
• House trained • Primary colors: Black, White or Cream
• Coat length: Short

pugetsoundrescue@hotmail.com
http://pugetsoundrescue.org/index.html

Adopt-a-Pet by Leasing Co. State/City
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Adopt_Pet.htm

Adopt a Pet
http://www.adoptapet.com/

Leasing News Help Wanted Ad Pricing

Help Wanted Web Ad New Programs Classified Ad Section (rotates chronological above headlines and also appears in Classified Ad section.) * 15 days in a row: $395 four lines (a space is a line) ($25 each additional line or space) 30 days in a row: $595 four lines (a space is a line) ($40 each additional line or space) Design work is free. Logo is free as well as company description not to exceed the number of lines of the ad. Also free: click to a click to a web site or a full description of the position. Ads are placed in the "Help Wanted' section by category, alphabetical, with the ad with the most lines first in the group. They appear on the web site and in each news edition at the top in a rotation basis per issue. * Help Wanted” ads  appear in each issue on a chronological basis above the top headline as a courtesy. This position is not available as a paid position, but is generally on a rotation basis.  At the same time, the ad continues in the classified help wanted section in the news edition and web site, so in effect appears twice. Leasing News reserves the right to refuse advertising, particularly to a company that has appeared in the complaint bulletin board

--- News Briefs

Accounting reform would change truck leasing rules
http://fleetowner.com/management/news/accounting-reform-truck-leasing-rules-0422/

Manpower boss: We are seeing end of layoffs
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/24/manpower-boss/

Bank of the West hires three for its wine group in Napa
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/32907/bank-of-the-west-hires-three-for-its-wine-group/

Comerica Bank hires Jeff Clark as VP Commercial Banking, Wine Industry
http://www.winebusiness.com/people/?go=getPeopleArticle&dataid=86686

You may have missed -

More Banks Saying Yes
http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14570487/c_14571152

Sports Briefs----

Source: 49ers privately workout Peterson
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/patrick-peterson-san-francisco-49ers-hold-private-workout-042411

The Huddle
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/index

California Nuts Briefs---

Poll finds support for tax extensions
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/04/poll-finds-support-for-tax-ext.html

Former California National Guard chief's dual pay to be probed
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/23/3574613/former-california-national-guard.html

Farmers Turn to Agritourims to Stay in Business
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/24/3574522/farmers-turn-to-agritourism-to.html

“Gimme that Wine”

With Jess Jackson gone, what's next for winery?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/24/BUOQ1J5ITI.DTL

How Winemaking Is Like the Fashion Industry
http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/04/how-winemaking-is-like-the-fashion-industry/237524/

$21 million for Justin Winery land
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2011/04/19/1569266/21-million-for-justin-winery-land.html

Wine Industry Matures in Texas
http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=news&am
p;content=86697&htitle=Wine%20Industry%20Matures%20in%20Texas

Free Mobile Wine Program
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2010/2_26.htm#mobile

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com

http://www.wine-searcher.com/

US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/

Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas/\

Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm

    1507-Little is known about the obscure scholar now called the "godfather of America," the German geographer and mapmaker Martin Waldseemuller, who gave America its name. In a book titled Cosmographiae Introductio, published this day, 1507, Waldseemuller wrote: "Inasmuch as both Europe and Asia received their names from women, I see no reason why any one should justly object to calling this part Amerige, i.e., the land of Amerigo, or America, after Amerigo, its discoverer, a man of great ability." Believing it was the Italian navigator and merchant Amerigo Vespucci who had discovered the new continent, Waldseemuller sought to honor Vespucci by placing his name on his map of the world, published in 1507. First applied only to the South American continent, it soon was used for both the American continents. Waldseemuller did not learn about the voyage of Christopher Columbus until several years later. Of the thousand copies of his map that were printed, only one is known to have survived. Waldseemuller probably was born at Radolfzell, Germany, about 1470. He died at St. Die, France, about 1517-20.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15531a.htm
    1781 - Gen. Nathanael Greene engaged British forces at Hobkirk’s Hill, South Carolina, and was forced to retreat.
    1831-The first streetcar company was incorporated this day in 1831 to be known as the New York and Harlem Railway http://www.westchestergov.com/wcarchives/sneakapeek/Mar2000/
march2000sneakapeek.htm
http://www.aggreen.net/ny_railroads/ny_rails.html
http://www.harlem.org/
    1861-- Emma Edmonds alias Frank Thompson became a male nurse in the Second Volunteers of the United States Army. She later wrote Nurse and Spy, published in 1865, a rather lurid and perhaps not too accurate an autobiographical account of her exploits as a Union field nurse in northern Virginia and Kentucky but who was also a spy for the union forces. It has been estimated that approximately 400 women succeeded in enlisting in the army (either Union or Confederate) during the Civil War. She is buried in Washington Cemetery, Houston Texas, in lot G-26. This is a GAR lot that belonged to George B. McClellan Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. She is the only female member of the organization formed after the Civil War by Union veterans-The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). There is also a biography of EE, She Rode with Generals, by Sylvia Gannett. Also, Richard Hall in Patriots in Disguise has some biographical information on Edmonds, including her postwar career, but the source of Hall’s comments appears to be from Gannett's book.
    1865 - Four of the five Lincoln assassination suspects arrested on the 17th were imprisoned on the monitors U.S.S. Montauk and Saugus which had been prepared for this purpose on the 15th and were anchored off the Washington Navy Yard in the Anacostia River. Mrs. Mary E. Surratt was taken into custody at the boarding house she operated after it was learned that her son was a close friend of John Wilkes Booth and that the actor was a frequent visitor at the boarding house. Mrs. Surratt was jailed in the Carroll Annex of Old Capitol Prison. Lewis Paine was also taken into custody when he came to Mrs. Surratt's house during her arrest. Edward Spangler, stagehand at the Ford Theater and Booth's aide, along with Michael O'Laughlin and Samuel B. Arnold, close associates of Booth during the months leading up to the assassination, were also caught up in the dragnet. They were joined by Arnold on the 19th and Spangler on the 24th. George A. Atzerodt, the would-be assassin of Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Ernest Hartman Richter, at whose home Atzerodt was captured, were brought on board the ships on the 20th. Joao Celestino, Portuguese sea captain who had been heard to say on the 14th that Seward ought to be assassinated, was transferred from Old Capitol Prison to Montauk on the 25th. The last of the eight conspiracy suspects to be incarcerated on board the monitors was David E. Herold. The prisoners were kept below decks under heavy guard and were manacled with both wrist and leg irons. In addition, their heads were covered with canvas hoods the interior of which were fitted with cotton pads that tightly covered the prisoners' eyes and ears. The hoods contained two small openings to permit breathing and the consumption of food. An added security measure was taken with Paine by attaching a ball and chain to each ankle.
    1875 - New York City received three inches of snow, the latest measurable snow of record for that location.
    1898—The U.S. declares war on Spain.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr25.html
    1898 - The temperature at Volcano Springs CA hit 118 degrees to establish a U.S. record for the month of April.
    1901- New York began requiring license plates on automobiles, the first state to do so.
    1907- Revolutionizing shipping, covered in a “History” Television documentary very well, was the first turbine-propelled naval ship “Chester,” commissioned this day and built at the Bath Iron Works, Bath, ME. The contract price for the hull and machinery was $1,688,000, quite a bit of money for its day. The” Chester” was equipped with four Parsons turbines. It trail speed was 26.52 knots, freeing ships from relying on wind to cross the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.
    1908-birthday of pianist Joe “from Bowling Green” Dean, St. Louis, MO.
    1908-Birthday of Edward R. Murrow( born Egbert Roscoe Murrow) in Greensboro, North Carolina
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/murrow_e.html
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/murrowedwar/murrowedwar.htm
    1910 - Chicago, IL, was blanketed with 2.5 inches of snow, and a total of 6.5 inches between the 22nd and the 26th. It was the latest significant snow of record for the city.
    1913-birthday of the great alto sax player Earl Bostic, Tulsa, OK Died 1965, New York City.
http://www.spaceagepop.com/bostic.htm
http://www.jazzradio.net/jazzcity/m_earl_bostic.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/bostic.html
(When I was learning how to play the alto sax, he was my favorite in the early 1950’s. I played along with “Harlem Nocturne” for hours until I memorized every lick and turn. It was not until I went to California and saw Charlie Parker in person that I decided I would never become an alto saxophone player and took up playing the Dixieland clarinet and fronting a 21 piece dance band sans musical instrument. I realized I had no talent to be an alto sax player after hearing “the Bird” in person. Charlie Parker with strings is perhaps my favorite album, next to Gil Evans and Miles Davis “Sketches of Spain” or “Old Bottle, New Wine.” or Basie’s atom bomb album. I also like both Turk Murphy Plays WC Handy and Louis Armstrong plays WC Handy. I like my friend Warren Luening's Big Band recordings. On yes, forgot, Bill May plays Jimmy Lunceford. Love all the Billy May albums. What a great arranger!!!!
My dance band could play “Lean Baby, Lean.” Kit Menkin).
    1913-birthday of accordion player Santiago “Don” Jimenez, San Antonio, TX
Died December 18, 1984 San Antonio
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/JJ/fji3.html
http://www.arhoolie.com/titles/7023.shtml
    1915-birthday of guitarist Johnny Shines, Frayser, TN .Died April 20, 1992, Tuscaloosa, AL
http://www.island.net/~blues/johnnys.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003OQZ/inktomi-musicasin-20/
103-6620160-9563023
    1917-birthday of Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Fitzgerald was admired for her superlative musicianship and her skill in scat singing (singing improvised syllables while using the voice as an instrument). Born in Newport News, Virginia, and reared in a New York City orphanage, Fitzgerald was discovered at the age of 16, singing in a Harlem talent show. From 1934 until 1939 she sang with the Chick Webb Band, directing it for a time after the leader's death in 1939. One of her first hit tunes was is now an Easter favorite,” A Tisket, A Tasket.” In the mid-1940s, working with the American impresario Norman Granz, she toured Europe and Asia and performed in his Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts. Fitzgerald appeared in the 1955 film "Pete Kelly's Blues." In 1958 Fitzgerald appeared with the American jazz composer Duke Ellington at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She has also toured Europe frequently with the Oscar Peterson Trio. She died at her home in Beverly Hills, California, on June 15th, 1996. http://museum.media.org/ella/
http://www.redsugar.com/ella.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000047FO/inktomi-musicasin-20/
103-6620160-9563023
    1923-birthday of guitarist/singer Albert King (Albert Nelson), Indianola, MS. He was a star at the Fillmore’s East and West during the 1960's, appearing on the bill with top rock stars. King's most popular records were made for the Stax label in Memphis in the late '60s and early '70s. "Cold Feet" made the pop charts in 1968. King died of a heart attack on December 21st, 1992, in Memphis, Tennessee.
http://home.t-online.de/home/MSilberberg/king.htm
http://www.blueflamecafe.com/index.html
    1928-birthday of tenor sax player Willis “Gator Tail” Jackson, Miami,FL. Died, October, 1987 http://www.musicweb.uk.net/encyclopaedia/j/J14.HTM
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/jackson_w_cat.html
    1928 - Buddy, the first seeing eye dog, was presented to Morris S. Frank on this day. Many seeing eye organizations and schools continue to offer specially trained dogs “...to enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of blind people...” (visit http://www.seeingeye.org/).
    1932-birthday of Meadow George “Meadowlark” Lemon II, basketball Hall of Famer, born Lexington, SC. http://www.wcgroups.com/globe.htm
    1945-East meets West: US Army Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue encountered a single Soviet soldier near the German village of Lechwitz, 75 miles south of Berlin. Patrols of General Leonard Gerow's V Corps saluted the advance guard of Marshall Ivan Konev's Soviet 58th Guards Division. Soldiers of both nations embraced and exchanged toasts. The Allied armies of East and West had finally met.
    1945-GONZALES, DAVID M. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 127th Infantry, 32d Infantry Division. Place and date: Villa Verde Trail, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 25 April 1945. Entered service at: Pacoima, Calif. Birth: Pacoima, Calif. G.O. No.: 115, 8 December 1945. Citation: He was pinned down with his company. As enemy fire swept the area, making any movement extremely hazardous, a 500-pound bomb smashed into the company's perimeter, burying 5 men with its explosion. Pfc. Gonzales, without hesitation, seized an entrenching tool and under a hail of fire crawled 15 yards to his entombed comrades, where his commanding officer, who had also rushed forward, was beginning to dig the men out. Nearing his goal, he saw the officer struck and instantly killed by machinegun fire. Undismayed, he set to work swiftly and surely with his hands and the entrenching tool while enemy sniper and machinegun bullets struck all about him. He succeeded in digging one of the men out of the pile of rock and sand. To dig faster he stood up regardless of the greater danger from so exposing himself. He extricated a second man, and then another. As he completed the liberation of the third, he was hit and mortally wounded, but the comrades for whom he so gallantly gave his life were safely evacuated. Pfc. Gonzales' valiant and intrepid conduct exemplifies the highest tradition of the military service.
    1945-KNIGHT, RAYMOND L. (Air Mission) Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps. Place and date: In Northern Po Valley, Italy, 24 25 April 1945. Entered service at: Houston, Tex. Birth: Texas. G.O. No.: 81, 24 September 1945. Citation: He piloted a fighter-bomber aircraft in a series of low-level strafing missions, destroying 14 grounded enemy aircraft and leading attacks which wrecked 10 others during a critical period of the Allied drive in northern Italy. On the morning of 24 April, he volunteered to lead 2 other aircraft against the strongly defended enemy airdrome at Ghedi. Ordering his fellow pilots to remain aloft, he skimmed the ground through a deadly curtain of antiaircraft fire to reconnoiter the field, locating 8 German aircraft hidden beneath heavy camouflage. He rejoined his flight, briefed them by radio, and then led them with consummate skill through the hail of enemy fire in a low-level attack, destroying 5 aircraft, while his flight accounted for 2 others. Returning to his base, he volunteered to lead 3 other aircraft in reconnaissance of Bergamo airfield, an enemy base near Ghedi and 1 known to be equally well defended. Again ordering his flight to remain out of range of antiaircraft fire, 1st Lt. Knight flew through an exceptionally intense barrage, which heavily damaged his Thunderbolt, to observe the field at minimum altitude. He discovered a squadron of enemy aircraft under heavy camouflage and led his flight to the assault. Returning alone after this strafing, he made 10 deliberate passes against the field despite being hit by antiaircraft fire twice more, destroying 6 fully loaded enemy twin-engine aircraft and 2 fighters. His skillfully led attack enabled his flight to destroy 4 other twin-engine aircraft and a fighter plane. He then returned to his base in his seriously damaged plane. Early the next morning, when he again attacked Bergamo, he sighted an enemy plane on the runway. Again he led 3 other American pilots in a blistering low-level sweep through vicious antiaircraft fire that damaged his plane so severely that it was virtually nonflyable. Three of the few remaining enemy twin-engine aircraft at that base were destroyed. Realizing the critical need for aircraft in his unit, he declined to parachute to safety over friendly territory and unhesitatingly attempted to return his shattered plane to his home field. With great skill and strength, he flew homeward until caught by treacherous air conditions in the Appennines Mountains, where he crashed and was killed. The gallant action of 1st Lt. Knight eliminated the German aircraft which were poised to wreak havoc on Allied forces pressing to establish the first firm bridgehead across the Po River; his fearless daring and voluntary self-sacrifice averted possible heavy casualties among ground forces and the resultant slowing on the German drive culminated in the collapse of enemy resistance in Italy
    1946 - Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra recorded "Cement Mixer", (Majestic . ) http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_lunceford_jimmie.htm
http://home.swipnet.se/bearrecords/luncef.htm
http://www.cleveland.oh.us/wmv_news/jazz54.htm
    1947-Theodore Roosevelt National Park established. Located in North Dakota, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park includes two sections of the Badlands on the Missouri River as well as Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch. http://www.theodore.roosevelt.national-park.com/
    1950-The Boston Celtics made Chuck Cooper, an All-American from Dugquesne University playing with the Harlem Globetrotters, the first black player drafted by any NBA team when they selected him in the second round.
    1952-ESSEBAGGER, JOHN, JR. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company A, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Popsudong, Korea, 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Holland, Mich. Born: 29 October 1928, Holland, Mich. G.O. No.: 61, 24 April 1952. Citation: Cpl. Essebagger, a member of Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. Committed to effect a delaying action to cover the 3d Battalion's withdrawal through Company A, Cpl. Essebagger, a member of 1 of 2 squads maintaining defensive positions in key terrain and defending the company's right flank, had participated in repulsing numerous attacks. In a frenzied banzai charge the numerically superior enemy seriously threatened the security of the planned route of withdrawal and isolation of the small force. Badly shaken, the grossly outnumbered detachment started to fall back and Cpl. Essebagger, realizing the impending danger, voluntarily remained to provide security for the withdrawal. Gallantly maintaining a l-man stand, Cpl. Essebagger raked the menacing hordes with crippling fire and, with the foe closing on the position, left the comparative safety of his shelter and advanced in the face of overwhelming odds, firing his weapon and hurling grenades to disconcert the enemy and afford time for displacement of friendly elements to more tenable positions. Scorning the withering fire and bursting shells, Cpl. Essebagger continued to move forward, inflicting destruction upon the fanatical foe until he was mortally wounded. Cpl. Essebagger's intrepid action and supreme sacrifice exacted a heavy toll in enemy dead and wounded, stemmed the onslaught, and enabled the retiring squads to reach safety. His valorous conduct and devotion to duty reflected lasting glory upon himself and was in keeping with the noblest traditions of the infantry and the U.S. Army.
    1953-MIYAMURA, HIROSHI H. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company H, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Taejon-ni, Korea, 24 and 25 April 1951. Entered service at: Gallup, N. Mex. Birth: Gallup, N. Mex. G.O. No.: 85, 4 November 1953. Citation: Cpl. Miyamura, a member of Company H, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On the night of 24 April, Company H was occupying a defensive position when the enemy fanatically attacked threatening to overrun the position. Cpl. Miyamura, a machine gun squad leader, aware of the imminent danger to his men unhesitatingly jumped from his shelter wielding his bayonet in close hand-to-hand combat killing approximately 10 of the enemy. Returning to his position, he administered first aid to the wounded and directed their evacuation. As another savage assault hit the line, he manned his machine gun and delivered withering fire until his ammunition was expended. He ordered the squad to withdraw while he stayed behind to render the gun inoperative. He then bayoneted his way through infiltrated enemy soldiers to a second gun emplacement and assisted in its operation. When the intensity of the attack necessitated the withdrawal of the company Cpl. Miyamura ordered his men to fall back while he remained to cover their movement. He killed more than 50 of the enemy before his ammunition was depleted and he was severely wounded. He maintained his magnificent stand despite his painful wounds, continuing to repel the attack until his position was overrun. When last seen he was fighting ferociously against an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers. Cpl. Miyamura's indomitable heroism and consummate devotion to duty reflect the utmost glory on himself and uphold the illustrious traditions on the military service.
    1953 - NBC-TV presented "Ethel and Albert", the video version of the popular radio show. Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce starred in the program
http://www.classicthemes.com/50sTVThemes/themePages/ethelAndAlbert.html.
    1954-Bell Telephone Laboratories, New York City, announced the invention by Gearld Pearson, Calivin Fuller, and Daryl Chapin of a solar energy battery to convert the sun’s energy into useful amounts of electricity. Made of specially treated strips of silicon, the battery needed no fuel other than the light of the sun. It had no moving parts, nothing in it was consumed or destroyed, and theoretically it was possible for it to last indefinitely.
    1956-Malcolm McLean of Maxton, NC first containership, the Ideal X, left the port of Newark, NJ. He invented containerized shipping. He developed a large shipping container that could be packed with goods at the factor5y, hauled by truck to a port facility, carried on a specially fitted ships to a port terminal, offloaded from the ship, and hitched directly to trucks or loaded on freight cards for cross-continental transport, all without unpacking the containers' contents. The first containership facility was the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal, operated by the Port of New York Authority. It opened for business on August 15,1962, when Sea-Land Service’s SS Elizabethport docked in New Bay, Elizabeth, NY, on the south side of Elizabeth Channel, south of Port Newark. During its first year, the facility handled 1.5 million tons of cargo on 242 vessels and employed730 people, who earned a total of more than $4 million. This revolutionized the entire shipping industry, plus gave birth to container and railroad carrier leasing.
http://lonestar.texas.net/~mdmclean/MDM_BIO.html
    1956- Elvis Presley reached number one on the charts for the first time, with "Heartbreak Hotel." It was Presley's first hit for RCA Victor after the company purchased his contract from Sam Phillips of Sun Records for $35,000.
    1958-Arnold Palmer struggled to a final round 73, one over par, but still won the first of his four Masters championships. Palmer finished at 284, one shot better than Doug Ford and Fred Hawkins. He would win the tournament again in 1960, 1962 (in a playoff) and 1964.
http://www.palmergolf.com/
    1959-the canal incorporated into a seaway opened, a 400-mile waterway between Montreal and Lake Erie, connecting the St. Lawrence River with the Great Lakes. It formed part of the St. Lawrence Seaway, 2,342 miles long, which allowed oceangoing ships to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth, MN.
    1960-Elvis Presley's first release since leaving the US Army, "Stuck On You" tops the Billboard chart. The record had been so highly anticipated, it sold over one million copies before it was even recorded.
    1960-With the Folk music craze in full swing, The Brothers Four enjoyed their biggest hit as "Greenfields" reached #2 on the Billboard chart.
    1964- US President Lyndon B. Johnson announces that General. William Westmoreland will replace Gen. Paul Harkins as head of US Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) as of 20 June. The assignment would put Westmoreland in charge of all American military forces in Vietnam. One of the war's most controversial figures, General Westmoreland was given many honors when the fighting was going well, but when the war turned sour, many Americans saw him as a cause of US problems in Vietnam. Negative feeling about Westmoreland grew particularly strong following the Tet Offensive of 1968, when he had requested a large number of additional troops for deployment to Vietnam. On 22 March 1968, President Johnson announced that Westmoreland would leave South Vietnam to take on the post of Army Chief of Staff; Gen. Creighton Abrams replaced him as the senior US commander in South Vietnam.
    1964-Dionne Warwick's "Walk on By" enters the Hot 100. Her fifth and thus far, biggest hit will eventually get to #6 on the chart for 13 weeks.
    1964-Peter and Gordon reach Number One on the U.K. pop chart with "World without Love," a song composed by Paul McCartney of the Beatles.
    1967-Abortion first legalized: the first law legalizing abortion in the US was signed by Colorado Governor John Arthur Love. The law allowed therapeutic abortions in cases in which a three-doctor panel unanimously agreed.
    1967-STUMPF, KENNETH E. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant (then Sp4c.), U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Duc Pho, Republic of Vietnam, 25 April 1967. Entered service at: Milwaukee, Wis. Born: 28 September 1944, Neenah, Wis. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Stumpf distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader of the 3d Platoon, Company C, on a search and destroy mission. As S/Sgt. Stumpf's company approached a village, it encountered a North Vietnamese rifle company occupying a well fortified bunker complex. During the initial contact, 3 men from his squad fell wounded in front of a hostile machinegun emplacement. The enemy's heavy volume of fire prevented the unit from moving to the aid of the injured men, but S/Sgt. Stumpf left his secure position in a deep trench and ran through the barrage of incoming rounds to reach his wounded comrades. He picked up 1 of the men and carried him back to the safety of the trench. Twice more S/Sgt. Stumpf dashed forward while the enemy turned automatic weapons and machineguns upon him, yet he managed to rescue the remaining 2 wounded squad members. He then organized his squad and led an assault against several enemy bunkers from which continuously heavy fire was being received He and his squad successfully eliminated 2 of the bunker positions, but one to the front of the advancing platoon remained a serious threat. Arming himself with extra hand grenades, S/Sgt. Stumpf ran over open ground, through a volley of fire directed at him by a determined enemy, toward the machinegun position. As he reached the bunker, he threw a hand grenade through the aperture. It was immediately returned by the occupants, forcing S/Sgt. Stumpf to take cover. Undaunted, he pulled the pins on 2 more grenades, held them for a few seconds after activation, then hurled them into the position, this time successfully destroying the emplacement. With the elimination of this key position, his unit was able to assault and overrun the enemy. S/Sgt. Stumpf's relentless spirit of aggressiveness, intrepidity, and ultimate concern for the lives of his men, are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
    1967-Just days after completing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", The Beatles laid down tracks for "Magical Mystery Tour" at Abbey Road studios in London.
    1970 - DJs around the U.S. played the new number one song, "ABC", quite often, as the Jackson 5 reached the number one spot in pop music for two weeks. "ABC" was the second of four number one songs in a row for the group from Gary, IN. "I Want You Back" was their first. "ABC" was one of 23 hits for Michael, Tito, Jackie, Jermaine and Marlon. "ABC" was knocked out of first place by The Guess Who and their hit, "American Woman".
    1972 - Bill Sharman, ending his first year as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, was named Coach of the Year in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Sharman had a first year record of 69 wins and 13 lo1973 - The group, The Sweet, received a gold record for the hit "Little Willy". The English rocker band recorded four hits in addition to their first million-seller, "Ballroom Blitz", "Fox on the Run", "Action" and "Love is like Oxygen". "Little Willy" was a top-three hit, while the group’s other gold record winner, "Fox on the Run" made it to the top five.
http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/Sharman.htm
1974, Anniversary of the Portuguese revolution; a public holiday in Portugal.
    1974-the National Football League adopted a 15-minute, sudden death quarter in an effort to reduce the number of tie games. The league also moved the goal posts from the goal line to the back line of the end zone to make it more difficult to kick field goals.
    1976-Center fielder Rick Monday of the Chicago Cubs rescued an American flag from several fans who ran onto the field and attempted to set it on fire. The incident occurred in Dodger Stadium in the fourth inning of a 5-4 10 inning victory by the Dodgers.
    1976 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``Let Your Love Flow,'' Bellamy Brothers.
    1977-At a concert at the Saginaw, Michigan Civic Center, Elvis Presley makes what will be the last recordings of his life. Three songs from the show will appear, in heavily overdubbed mixes, on the posthumously released Presley album, "Moody Blue."
    1978- Queen's single "We Are the Champions" was certified Platinum.
    1979-The film "Rock & Roll High School" starring the Ramones premiers.
    1980 -- President Jimmy Carter tells the American people about the hostage rescue disaster in Iran.
    1982- National holiday in Egypt celebrating the return of Sinai to Egypt after the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
    1985 - "Big River (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)" opened at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on Broadway in New York City. The Tony Award-winning score for the show was written by Roger Miller (his first Broadway production). The show, about life on the Mississippi, with Daniel Jenkins in the starring role of Huck Finn, ran for 1,005 performances and won the Tony for Best Musical of the Year. "Big River" picked up several more Tony Awards: Featured Actor in a Musical to Ron Richardson; Best Director (Musical) to Des McAnuff; Best Book (Musical) to William Hauptman; and Best Scenic Designer and Lighting Designer to Heidi Landesman and Richard Riddell respectively.
    1988---Top Hits
Wishing Well—Terence Trent D Arby
Anything for You—Gloria Estefan
Angel---Aerosmith
Where Do Broken Hearts Go—Whitney Houston
Pink Cadillac---Natalie Cole
    1990-Hubble Space Telescope: deployed by Discovery, the telescope is the largest on-orbit observatory to date and is capable of imaging objects up to 14 billion light-years away. The resolution of images was expected to be seven to ten times greater than images from Earth-based telescopes, since the Hubble Space Telescope is not hampered by Earth's atmospheric distortion. Launched Apr 12, 1990, from Kennedy Space Center, FL. Unfortunately, the telescope's lenses were defective, so the anticipated high quality of imaging was not possible. In 1993, however, the world watched as a shuttle crew successfully retrieved the Hubble from orbit, executed the needed repair and replacement work and released it into orbit once more. In December 1999 the space shuttle Discovery was launched to do extensive repairs on the telescope.
    1993—Top Hits
Freak Me---Silk
Informer—Snow
Nothin’ But a “G” Thang---Dr.De
I Have Nothing (from the “Bodyguard”)—Whitney Houston
    1994-- Yankee Stadium in New York holds their first "Joe DiMaggio Day," featuring Paul Simon singing "Mrs. Robinson" (and cheers when he gets to the "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?" part).
    1995-- The 257-day strike ends as the Dodgers beat the Marlins 8-7. The work stoppage caused last season to end early, force the cancellation of World Series, and delayed the opening of this season.
    1996- U2 began their first tour in more than four years before a sellout crowd of 38,000 in Las Vegas. The band featured 11 songs from its "Pop Mart" album but the audience reacted more enthusiastically to such U2 standards as "Pride (in the Name of Love)" and "Where the Streets Have No Name." The glitzy and extravagant show featured what was billed as the world's biggest TV screen and the band emerging from an enormous lemon-shaped mirror ball suspended above the stage.
    1998-- The 'Iron Man's' streak continues as Cal Ripken plays in his 2,500th consecutive game as the Orioles host the A's at Camden Yards.
    2001-- Padres' outfielder Rickey Henderson, 42, breaks the career walks record established by Babe Ruth when he receives his 2,063rd base on balls.
    2002—Top Hits
Foolish---Ashanti
What’s Luv---Fat Joe featuring Ashanti
U Don’t Have to Call—Usher
I Need a Girl (part 1)---P.Diddy featuring Usher and Loon
Ain’t It Funny—Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule

NBA Finals Champions This Date

    1952 Minneapolis Lakers
    1965 Boston Celtics.

Stanley Cup Champions This Date

    1964 Toronto Maple Leafs