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######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release” and was not written by Leasing News nor information verified, but from the source noted. When an article is signed by the writer, it is considered a “by line.” It reflects the opinion and research of the writer.

Small Business Lending Dips in 2013
as Big Banks Continue to Grow
by Divya Lulla

A SNL Financial Exclusive

Small nonfarm business loans at U.S. banks and thrifts stood at $582.65 billion at the end of 2013 — down 0.69% from $586.68 billion at the end of 2012.

The decline was not, however, across the board. Total small business loans at banks with assets between $1 billion and $10 billion grew by 0.11% during 2013, and banks with more than $10 billion in assets saw small business loans increase by 0.37%. However, banks and thrifts with total assets of less than $1 billion recorded a 2.43% year-over-year decline in small nonfarm business loans

Over the last 20 years, the largest banks have steadily grabbed a larger slice of the small business loan pie. Banks with more than $10 billion in assets held 47% of all nonfarm small business loans at the end of 2013, up from 39% at June 30, 2003, and 20% at June 30, 1993. Midsized banks with assets greater than $1 billion but less than $10 billion saw their portion fall to 21% at the end of 2013 from 34% in 1993. The portion held at the smallest banks, those with less than $1 billion in assets, fell to 32% at the end of 2013 from 46% in 1993.

Wells Fargo Bank NA ended 2013 with $31.91 billion in small commercial and industrial loans and commercial real estate loans — the most of any bank or thrift in the US. In second place, Bank of America NA held $27.82 billion in small business loans at the end of 2013, followed by JPMorgan Chase Bank NA at $19.31 billion.

Among the top 15 small business lenders, Regions Bank held the highest average small business loan size at $116,613 at year-end 2013. Average loan size is calculated as loans by value divided by the number of loans disbursed during the year.

Regions Bank also featured on the list of the top 15 small farm lenders, with a total small farm loan portfolio of $313.0 million at Dec. 31, 2013. John Deere Financial F.S.B., a banking subsidiary of Deere & Co., took first spot with $1.40 billion in small farm loans at the end of 2013. Eight of the top 15 small farm lenders were midsized banks with assets between $1 billion and $10 billion at Dec. 31, 2013.

Grand Forks, N.D.-based Bremer Bank NA was the only bank on the list with assets below $1 billion, and its average loan size of $298,205 was the highest in the group.

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Classified Ads---Senior Management

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

Tampa, FL
Executive leader accomplished in leasing operations, finance, sales and marketing seeking new opportunity. Capitalizes on strategic, ideation, communication and analytical strengths to identify opportunities, formulate solutions and articulate strategies that drive increased sales productivity, incremental revenue, operating expense reductions and customer acquisition and retention. Reg.Lindholm@gmail.com

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

Look for More Changes in Conducting Leasing
by Christopher Menkin

(Fax to Fund)

Aaron Baar in Marketing Daily believes the growing tablet market is changing the way business is being conducted, citing NPD Group’s prediction there will be 34 million active mobile broadband connections by the end of 2015, a nearly 50% increase over the number at the end of 2013. He states, " Of those connected devices, two-thirds (66%) will be tablets, up from 40% currently.”

My suspicions are that on an individual basis, many sales reps, perhaps others, are using tablets more in issuing formal proposals, securing and transmitting credit applications, communicating requests for additional information, and are likely sending contracts for eSignature via tablets.

If any of this is occurring to any degree, it is reasonable to expect that the trend discussed herein will drive more rapid adoption of these devices and continue, if not accelerate, the mobile capabilities of brokers, funding sources, administrative servicing agents, and others who are directly involved in the continuum of the deal from initial contact to closing and funding.

As the generations following the Millennials ascend into these roles in our business, since they will have been using smartphones and tablets as the media of learning and communication for the majority of their lives, would it not be a ‘futures’ consideration to address this with policy, controls, and procedures that deal with these functions?

The analogy that comes to mind is the old cold-calling and prospecting by driving around being replaced by industry and prospect research using the internet and MapQuest.

In addition, companies like Microsoft’s DocuSign and Adobe’s EchoSign are making the process much easier, including fundings online without the use of driver's licenses or notarized signed signatures. Additionally, new structures are making leases work: payments on line directly from ACH accounts or bank accounts; elimination of advance rentals or fees required by lessees; prepaying vendors online prior to equipment delivery within four hours of the lease being signed.

This may be happening sooner than you think; perhaps right now.

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

We are looking to grow our sales team!
Sales Managers and Sr. Account Executives

CalFirst is seeking seasoned sales professionals to join our sales team in Irvine, CA. Our sales professionals are responsible for originating equipment leasing and
secured loan opportunities with middle to
large size companies located nationwide.
Transactions range from $1,000,000 to $30,000,000.
For more information, please contact
recruiting at: (949) 255-0500 ext. 392
Email: bcrogan@calfirst.com

www.calfirst.com

National Sales Representatives
Experienced, with existing business to bring, all industries. Salary plus commission, good benefit package. AXIS - A, B, C lender for small and mid-ticket markets. Call Jean Harlow– 800.994.0016
email or forward resumes to: HR@Axiscapitalinc.com

axiscapitalinc.com
Growing with fast approvals and quick fundings

For information on placing a help wanted ad, please click here:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Hwanted/Hwanted-post.htm

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

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Social Media Traffic Referrals Chart
Business Insider

Pinterest drives 7.10% of Web traffic that sites receive, second only to Facebook (21.25%), and leagues ahead of other social sites like Twitter, Reddit, StumbleUpon and LinkedIn. In the first quarter of 2014, the company drove 48.36% more traffic than it did at the end of 2013.

According to www.businessinsider.com, “Turns out, Pinterest is way more important than Twitter or Reddit for referral traffic, according to data from Shareaholic, a company that makes "share" buttons for more than 300,000 different websites (which range from independent lifestyle blogs to publishing companies to commerce sites).”

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NAELB Orlando, Florida Conference---Update

May 1 - 3
National Association of Equipment
Leasing Brokers
2014 Annual Meeting
Caribe Royale Hotel
Orlando, Florida

Dwight Galloway, RLC Funding, will be covering the
conference for Leasing News readers.

Latest List of Exhibitors

360 Equipment Finance
Amerimerchant
Amerisource Funding
Axis Capital
Banc of California, N.A.
Bankers Capital
Blue Bridge Financial LLC
Bryn Mawr Funding
BSB Leasing
Business Credit Reports
Channel Partners LLC
CLP Foundation
Dakota Financial, LLC
Facteon, Inc.
The Finance Marketing Group
Financial Pacific Leasing, LLC
First Federal Leasing
Fora Financial
Funding Circle USA
Gateway Commercial Finance
instaCOVER
IOU Central Business Lending
KS State Bank, Baystone Government Finance
Leasepath
Marlin Equipment Finance
Maxim Commercial Capital LLC
Merchant Cash and Capital, LLC
Microbilt Corporation
NCMIC Finance Corporation
NFS Leasing
North Mill Equipment Financing LLC
OnDeck
Orange Commercial Credit
Pacific Western Equipment Finance
Paradigm Equipment Finance
Pawnee Leasing Corporation
Pinnacle Specialty Capital
Preferred Business Solutions
Quiktrak, Inc.
RLC Funding
TEAM Funding Solutions
Tetra Financial Group
Varilease Finance, Inc.

Joan Modes, BPB
President, NAELB

“A searchable directory of Funder members is also available to registered NAELB members through our website. If you are not already a member, you can find info about joining the NAELB and about our annual conference at www.naelb.org."

Information:
http://www.naelb.org/NAELB/Events/2014_Annual_Conference.aspx

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LastPass Heartbleed Checker

If you believe you might be vulnerable to being hacked, or whether you should change your password, here is a site that explains, as well as providing the ability to check a site you visit to see if you should change your password.

https://lastpass.com/heartbleed/

I don't know about the utilization of the software, but I am recommending the check web site procedure.

Kit Menkin

((Please click on ad to learn more))
(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

Dunning Letter on Time Barred Debt
is Actionable under FDCPA
By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal News Editor

Decision Is At Odds with Two Other Circuits and Sets Up
Show Down Before United States Supreme Court

McMahon v LNLV Funding 744 F.3d 1010 (7th Cir. 2014)
Huertas v. Galaxy Asset Mgmt., 641 F.3d 28 (3d Cir.2011)
Freyermuth v. Credit Bureau Servs., Inc., 248 F.3d 767 (8th Cir.2001)

Back end asset purchasers often buy obligations for pennies on the dollar that are beyond the statute of limitations and are time- barred. They then foist collectors on the borrower. Is the practice of dunning a time-barred debt actionable under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act?

The answer is “it depends.” It depends on which Federal Court you ask. The facts follow.

In McMahon, Scott McMahon received a bill for utility service, and did not pay the bill. Fourteen years later, LVNV Funding, LLC, purchased the debt, which by then was for $584.98 and retained a collection agency to pursue payment. The collection agency sent a collection letter which offered a 60% discount to pay the obligation. The letter did not disclose that the debt was time-barred. It did threaten a lawsuit if the settlement amount was not paid, however.

McMahon filed a class action suit, and the collection agency quickly offered to settle the claim for the statutory amount. Because of that surrender and offer, the Court dismissed the claims of McMahon. On appeal, the court reversed and held that McMahon could sue individually and as a class representative. Moreover, the letter which the collection agency sent was misleading.

Although the collection agency argued that the letter was not a misrepresentation (there was nothing in the letter which suggested the claim was enforceable), the court noted that the measuring stick for determining a misrepresentation is the “least sophisticated consumer.” Moreover, since the letter was coupled with the threat of litigation, the court found the misrepresentation more apparent.

The Court considered, but rejected, two decisions in the Third and Eighth Circuits which hold that such dunning letters are not actionable as a violation of the FDCPA, if there is no active misrepresentation. In doing so, the decision sets up a conflict amongst the various circuits which may only be resolved by the United States Supreme Court.

“We recognize that this interpretation conflicts with that of the Eighth and Third Circuits. … The plain language of the FDCPA prohibits not only threatening to take actions that the collector cannot take, but also the use of any false, deceptive, or misleading representation, including those about the character or legal status of any debt. If a debt collector stated that it could sue on a time-barred debt but was promising to forbear, that statement would be a false representation about the legal status of that debt.”

Therefore, debt collectors need to be more careful in how they pursue collection of old debts. If there is any question that the debt may be time-barred, the letter must, at least in the 7th Circuit (Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin) explain that fact.

McMahon Case
PDF

Huerta Case
PDF

Freyermuth Case
PDF

Tom McCurnin is a partner at Barton, Klugman & Oetting in Los Angeles, California.

Tom McCurnin
Barton, Klugman & Oetting
350 South Grand Ave.
Suite 2200
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Direct Phone: (213) 617-6129
Cell (213) 268-8291
Email: tmccurnin@bkolaw.com
Visit our web site at www.bkolaw.com

Previous Tom McCurnin Articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/leasing_cases.html

John Kenny
Receivables Management

• End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement
• Fraud Investigations
• Credit Investigations • Asset Searches
• Skip-tracing • Third-party Commercial Collections

john@jkrmdirect.com | ph 315-866-1167| www.jkrmdirect.com

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

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Top Rated Bank Stocks Analyzed by SNL Financial

After two straight years of strong outperformance in bank stocks, the sell-side analyst community has narrowed its focus and recommends buying banks that can separate themselves from the pack.

Banks outperformed the broader markets by 30% in 2012 and 2013, rising close to 77% during that time period. Bank stocks added to those gains modestly in the first quarter, leaving the group trading at close to 1.80x tangible book value, up significantly from the beginning of 2012, when bank stocks traded at approximately 1.30x tangible book value. Much of that growth came during 2013, when the group benefited from investors engaging in an asset sensitive trade, believing that rising interest rates would boost banks' earnings.

Some analysts believed that trade had more than run its course even at the beginning of 2014. In early January, many analysts no longer saw the bank group as cheap, since a number of bank stocks traded in line with or at higher earnings multiples than historical averages despite a challenging fundamental environment.

Several members of the sell-side community said early in 2014 that investors would be better served by picking specific outperformers rather than trading the broad bank group as they had in recent years. For instance, Sterne Agee & Leach analyst Peyton Green noted in a mid-January report that stock selection would be more important in 2014 since the group appears "fairly to slightly overvalued." He said banks that could stand apart likely would have one or more positive characteristics such as a strong organic growth profile, the ability to serve as an opportunistic consolidator or have exposure to faster growing niche business.

Fellow Sterne Agee analyst Brett Rabatin offered a similar recommendation a day later, advising investors to purchase "misunderstood names with potential controversy" or banks with unique growth prospects.

"On the flip side, we see less value in names at present valuations that will benefit from higher short-term interest rates, but have minimal prospects for profitability improvement and modest growth otherwise in the near-term," the analyst wrote in a Jan. 15 report.

Keep reading the full report and analysis here: http://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/Article.aspx?cdid=A-27778884-9766

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##### Press Release ############################

Fleet Financing Resources Reports Growth First Quarter Volume

Riverside, CA – Fleet Financing Resources (FFR) reports strong growth in first quarter volume. For the period ending March 31, 2014, as compared to the prior year, Funded Volume was up 43% at $11 million; Net Income was up 43%.

FFR’s President and CEO Dave Reynolds commented, “We are pleasantly surprised as first quarter is typically subdued after the year-end customer rush to capture tax benefits. Volume success can be attributed to the continued attractive interest rate environment along with the need to replace equipment that was retained beyond traditional recycling. ”

FFR, a national lender, manages a current portfolio receivable of $120 million in titled transportation equipment including motor coaches, buses of all sizes, school transportation, vocational trucks, and all livery related vehicles.

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### Press Release ############################

North Mill Equipment Finance Closes $30 Million
Loan Facility with East West Bank

North Mill Equipment Finance LLC has entered into a $30 million senior loan facility with East West Bank. The new facility is in addition to the company’s existing $50 million facility and will enable North Mill Equipment Finance to continue expanding its business of originating small-ticket equipment leases and loans through brokers, vendors and dealers. Based in Norwalk, CT, North Mill Equipment Finance is a specialty finance company with a long history of leasing equipment in the small-ticket sector as well as purchasing and servicing equipment lease portfolios from banks and other specialty finance companies.

Gary Silverhardt, President and CEO of North Mill Equipment Finance, said, “We’re very happy the East West Bank team expressed its confidence in our business. The new loan facility will help us continue expanding our equipment finance activities, particularly in California where East West Bank is headquartered, and it will enable us to continue providing our customers with superior service.”

Andrew Stein, Senior Vice President and Team Manger of East West Bank’s New York Commercial Banking Center, said,” “We are pleased to provide North Mill, a leading independent specialty finance company a loan facility to help them achieve their financial goals.”

About North Mill Equipment Finance
North Mill Equipment Finance is a subsidiary of Colford Capital Holdings LLC, a New York City based holding company that is building a diversified and industry-leading specialty finance and asset management business through acquisitions, strategic partnerships and new business development. In addition to North Mill Equipment Finance, Colford owns North Mill Capital, an asset based lending and receivables factoring company based in Princeton, NJ. Colford is majority owned by Monitor Clipper Partners, a private equity firm that targets growth-oriented businesses with strong management teams and currently manages over $2 billion in capital. For more information about North Mill Equipment Finance, visit www.northmillef.com. For more information about Colford Capital, visit www.colfordcapital.com.

#### Press Release #############################

Labrador Retriever Mix
Westport, Connecticut Adopt-a-Dog

Citrine
Animal ID: 22468132
Breed: Retriever, Labrador/Mix
Age: 2 months 21 days
Sex: Female
Size: Small
Color: Black/White
Spayed
Declawed: No

Site: Westport Branch - CT Humane Society
Location: Lower Kennel

Connecticut Humane Society
Westport Adoption Center
455 Post Road East
Westport, CT 06880
203-227-4137

$350
Adoption Agreement:
http://www.cthumane.org/atf/cf/%7BBBB5AD00-2DEB-4C88-BE2B-D7C5E360B0F2%7D/Adoption%20Agreement%20For%20Website.pdf

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

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Classified ads— Signing Service/Site Inspection

Leasing Industry Outsourcing
(Providing Services and Products)

Signing Service: New Jersey Mobile NJ Lease Signing Service We are New Jersey mobile lease signers and Notaries.We bring lease to clients, expedite signing and return docs. Same day. Jim Lissemore, Pres www.Flexo-Notaries.com	Site Inspection: Placentia, CA On site verifications, document signing or collections. Quick, accurate and professional. Reports with photographs e-mailed direct. Agents throughout US. Contact for coverage and rates. E-mail: pwright@yk2bizsolutions.com
Site Inspection: US & Canada Quiktrak performs equipment inspections within 24 hours of your job placement anywhere in the US. Order, check status & receive reports & photos online. E-mail:sdresser@quiktrak.com	Site Inspection: National Property Tax Compliance Services to the leasing industry. Over 60-years experience and fifty Lessors as clients. References and free quotes available, (216) 658-5618, E-mail gary@avptc.com
Inspection: Tampa /St. Pete, FL Contact Dick Mitchell @ Randolph Lynn Associates for prompt professional pre-funding equipment inspections, collateral "visits", and related lessee/vendor contacts. (Florida locations) 727-302-9144 E-mail:dmrla@gte.net	Site Inspection plus: Greater Baltimore area C. and A. Courier Services™, TA / Andreas Klepp-Egge Jr., Baltimore MD 21229.Field Appraisal Inspection Service, 410-746-6355, candacourier22@aol.com.
Site Inspection: US & Canada Funding Inspection Services perform equipment inspections within 24 hours of your job placement anywhere in the US. Order, check status & receive reports & photos online. ron@fundinginspectionservices.com www.fundinginspectionservices.com
Asset Inspections/Lender Services:Serving Michigan, N.Ohio, N.Indiana – Lender services including asset inspection, business/vendor verification, collections, and lease/loan signings. 25 years experience leasing/financial. www.michiganclosingsandmore.com sheri@michiganclosingsandmore.com	Appraisals/Inspections – Construction & Mining Heavy Equipment, Transport, Agriculture and Manufacturing. We provide Certified Appraisal Reports, (USPAP Compliant), Inventory Inspections, Collateral Valuation, VIN and Serial Number Verification with Detailed Photos, Lessee and Vendor Site Inspections including Customized Inspections. In a Hurry? Try our Kwik-Kwote Email www.MobileEquipAppraisals.com

All "Outsourcing" Classified ads (advertisers are both requested and responsible to keep their free ads up to date:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing.htm

How to Post a free "Outsourcing" classified ad:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing-post.htm

News Briefs----

Bitcoin ATM debuts in South Carolina
http://www.ababj.com/component/k2/item/4570-bitcoin-atm-debuts-in-south-carolina

Signature Bank Reports 2014 $66 Million First Quarter Results
http://www.twst.com/update/52874-signature-bank-reports-2014-first-quarter-results

TCF Reports Quarterly Net Income of $39.9 Million
http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140422-906047.html

The American Middle Class Is No Longer the World’s Richest
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/upshot/the-american-middle-class-is-no-longer-the-worlds-richest.html?_r=1

Amazon takes sales hit in states with online tax, study finds
http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology
/2023435069_amazonsalestaxxml.html

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--You May Have Missed It

25 Years Later, Here Are the Games That Made Nintendo's Gameboy A Phenomenon
http://www.businessinsider.com/nintendos-gameboy-25-years-later-games-that-made-it-a-phenomenon-2014-4

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

What to Eat After You Work Out
Refuel and Recover with a Post-Workout Meal or Snack
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1082

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Spring
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,

Cuckoo;
Cuckoo, cuckoo: Oh word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
And merry larks are plowmen’s clocks,
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
And maidens bleach their summer smocks,

The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,

Cuckoo;
Cuckoo, cuckoo: Oh word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!

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Sports Briefs----

Northwestern football players to vote on union Friday
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-northwestern-football-union-vote-20140422,0,4342638.story

Seahawks acquire quarterback Terrelle Pryor from the Raiders for a seventh-round draft choice
http://seattletimes.com/html/seahawks/2023429217_
seahawks22xml.html?cmpid=2628

Warriors find they can't beat bay
http://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/Warriors-find-they-can-t-beat-bay-5419141.php

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California Nuts Briefs---

Sacramento man abandons Everest climb in wake of avalanche that killed Sherpa guides
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/22/6345018/sacramento-man-abandons-everest.html

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“Gimme that Wine”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8

Earth Day Events at California Wineries
http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm
?section=news&content=131442Direct

Sales by US Wineries Surpass $1.5B
http://www.vinetalk.com/direct-sales-by-us-wineries-surpass-1-5b/

Bordeaux Needs to "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee" Says Sherry-Lehmann CEO
http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2014/04/bordeaux-needs-to-wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee-says-sherry-lehmann-ceo

Vineyards for all seasons
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140422/lifestyle/140429933

Napa's Top 10 Vintages

http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2014/04/napa-s-top-10-vintages

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

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     1564- Birthday of Williams Shakespeare: perhaps the first non-American birthday we celebrate here. Shakespeare created the most influential and lasting body of work in the English language, an extraordinary explanation of human nature in 36 plays and 154 sonnets. Also died on what is considered historically his birthday, 23 April 1616. http://www.shakespeare.org.uk
    1635- The first public school in America opened, the Boston Latin School. The first schoolmaster was a Dutchman, Adam Roelantsen, who arrived in New Amsterdam in 1633 and set up the first school in America as part of the Dutch Reformed Church. The first secondary school was the Boston Latin School, with a classical curriculum derived from English schools. By 1720, five public schools were maintained in Boston, and were so well regarded they enrolled students from as far away as the West Indies. The Boston Latin School is still in existence.
    1637 – 200 Pequot warriors attacked a settlement in southeastern Connecticut, killing 9 men and women, while stealing 2 girls.
    1662 - Connecticut was chartered as an English colony.
    1750-- The first colonial settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains other than military forts and outposts was established by the Loyal Land Company of Virginia. On March 6, a group of six men in the employ of the company, led by Dr. Thomas Walker, a physician, started out from Charlottesville, VA. They searched the future site of Barbourville, KY, on April 23, and built a house that was completed on April 30.
    1789 - President-elect Washington and his wife moved into the first executive mansion, the Franklin House, in New York. George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall and lived at 3 Cherry Street in New York City. In 1790, with construction on the new federal capital underway, the government was moved temporarily to Philadelphia, where Washington served out his two terms. He is the only president who never resided in the White House.
    1778 – John Paul Jones launched a surprise attack on Whitehaven, England. This was the only US raid of the Revolutionary War on England’s homeland.
    1791- The birthday of James Buchanan, 15th president, born at Cove Gap, PA, who served from March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1861, the only president who never married.
    1813-birthday of Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. Congressman, Senator and presidential candidate who ran against Abraham Lincoln. He was in favor of the new territory and states being allowed to choose whether they wanted to be “slave” or “anti-slave states.” He is also very well known for the series of “Lincoln-Douglas” debates.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr23.html
    1856- Granville T. Woods was born at Columbus, OH. Known as the ”black Thomas Edison,” he invented the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph which allowed communication between dispatchers and trains while the trains were in motion, thereby decreasing the number of train accidents. In addition, Woods is credited with a number of other electrical inventions and historians do compare him favorably to Thomas Edison. Died Jan 30, 1910, at New York, NY.
    1865 – Confederate President Jefferson Davis wrote to his wife, “Panic has seized the country!” After the surrender of the Confederacy by Gen. Lee, Davis kept moving his government south in order to re-establish rule over the fallen ‘nation’. He was captured two weeks later by Union troops in northern Georgia, was charged with treason, but was never tried.
    1872-Charlotte E. Ray became the first African-American woman attorney admitted to the Washington Bar, to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. History also records her as the first African-American woman to receive a law degree, receiving her LLB. degree from the Howard University School of Law, Washington, DC, on February 27, 1872. She opened a law practice, but both racial and gender prejudice forced her to close the office. She then joined the Woman's Suffrage Movement.
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/womenenc/ray.htm
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_ray_charlotte.htm
    1885 - The city of Denver, CO, was in the midst of a storm which produced 23 inches of snow in 24 hours, and at Idaho Springs, CO produced 32 inches of snow.
    1896- The first movie was shown at Koster and Bials Music Hall in New York City. Up until this time, people saw films individually by looking into a Kinescope, a box-like "peep show." This is the first time an audience sat together and watched a movie together. What they saw was a series of short scenes, including a ballet scene, a burlesque boxing match, surf breaking on the shore, and a comic allegory entitled," The Monroe Doctrine." Thomas Alva Edison was present for his Vitascope and the audience called for Edison, but he did not appear and refused to take a bow.
    1898 – President William McKinley asked for 125,000 volunteers to fight Spain following Congress’ demand that Spain withdraw from Cuba.
    1906 – San Francisco: most of the fires resulting from the April 18 earthquake and fires were extinguished, allowing the rebuilding to finally begin. Estimates placed the loss of lives at 3000 and 30,000 structures destroyed.
    1907 - The steam laundries of San Francisco and vicinity, with the exception of a few, remain on strike after more than four weeks. Soiled linen is becoming a serious problem in many households. The few laundries that are in operation were unable to call for or deliver washing. Patrons who took their wash to the laundries returned with the dirty linen.
     1907 - Jack London, on board his yacht, the Snark, pulled out into the harbor from the Franklin Street wharf at 12:30 today amid the cheers of his friends and admirers. He stood on deck with his wife and small crew.
    1910 - The temperature at the Civic Center in Los Angeles, CA, hit 100 degrees to establish an April record for the city.
    1915-birthday of pianist-arranger Joe Lippman, Boston, MA.
    1920-- Canadian string instrument builder Frank Gay was born in Marcelin, Saskatchewan. In 1953, Gay established a studio in Edmonton, building guitars for such famous country stars as Johnny Cash, Don Gibson and Hank Snow. Three of Gay's guitars - those owned by Johnny Horton, Webb Pierce and Faron Young - have been placed in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
    1921-birthday of baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Edward Spahn, Buffalo, NY. Spahn remains the winningest left-hander in Major League history with 363. He also is the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter. At the age of 42, he chalked up a 23-7 record.
    1928---Birthday of Shirley Temple (Black) - child movie star who was Hollywood's greatest box-office attraction by the age of seven. She danced, sang, acted, and beguiled in one escapist musical hit after hit during the darkest days of the depression. By age 12, her appeal dropped and after a series of flops, she retired. In later years she became the darling of the Republican Party and was appointed to political and/or ambassadorial posts by three Republican presidents, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George H. Bush, but surprisingly not by Hollywood's own Ronald Reagan. She was appointed a U.S. Ambassador to Ghandi and chief of protocol under President Gerald Ford and then Ambassador to Czechoslovakia 1989 to 1992 by Bush I. She passed away February 10, 2014, Woodside, California.
    1932-Bing Crosby records “Sweet Georgia Brown” with Isham Jones Band.
    1934 – Public Enemy #1, John Dillinger is killed by the FBI in Chicago.
    1936- Pioneer rock singer Roy Orbison was born in Vernon, Texas. His writing and performing in the 1950's helped create a mass market for rock music, including his own recording of "Ooby Dooby," which was a moderate hit in 1956. In 1958, Orbison wrote "Claudette," named for his wife, which became a million-seller for the Everly Brothers. Roy Orbison's sound mellowed somewhat in the following decade, and he began his string of million-sellers in 1960 with "Only the Lonely." His other hits included "Running Scared," "Crying" and "Oh, Pretty Woman," a number-one record in 1964. Orbison suffered two personal tragedies in the '60s. In 1966, his wife was killed in a motorcycle accident. Three years later, two of his three children died in a fire at his home near Nashville. Orbison's career took an upswing in 1988 when his collaboration with Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Tom Petty under the name “The Highwaymen”.
http://www.orbison.com/
http://www.hotshotdigital.com/OldRock/RoyOrbisonDisco.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_orbison
    1941 - Birthday of Allen Cohen. Poet, editor of San Francisco Oracle, visionary, champion for peace and justice who inspired his generation. Allen died April 30, 2007. The memory of Allen Cohen will forever live in the hearts of those who loved him and all whose lives he touched with his poetry and his promotion of peace and love.
    1942--Birthday of “Gidget”, Sandra Dee, singer/actress/heart throb to a generation.
    1943 - The Earl "Fatha" Hines Band, featuring then-unknowns Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and a vocalist named Sarah Vaughan, begins a series of engagements at the Apollo in Harlem.
    1944 – birthday of Tony (Anthony James) Esposito. Hockey Hall of Fame goalie: NHL: Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks. Won Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL's outstanding rookie in 1969-1970; All-star, 1970, 1972, 1980. Shared Vezina Trophy for best goaltender [1972, 1974]; played 886 games in NHL, winning 423, losing 307, earning draw in 151; 76 shutouts with a 2.92 goals-against-average; in 99 playoff games, Tony won 45, lost 53 with a 3.07 average; shared goaltending duties with Ken Dryden in 1972 when Team Canada played the Soviet Nationals in famed Series of the Century in which Canada edged Soviets, four games to three w/one tied. Brother of Hockey Hall Fame player, Phil Esposito.
http://www.legendsofhockey.com
    1944 – Birthday of Marty Fleckman, golfer. Univ. of Houston: 3 NCAA championship teams/individual title in 1965 with a two-day total of 135. All-American, 1965; medalist honors at Western Amateur, 1966; Walker Cup team, 1967. Pro: Cajun Classic champ, 1967; Golf teacher: Meyer Park Golf Course, Houston.
    1945 – President Harry Truman angrily confronted Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov, accusing the Soviets of breaking the Yalta agreements reached among FDR, Churchill, and Stalin just weeks before FDR died on April 12, 1945.
    1948-Johnny Longden became the first jockey to ride 3,000 career winners as he set the mark at Bay Meadows in San Mateo, CA.
    1950-- CBS-TV premieres The Gene Autry Show.
    1951--Chuck Berry releases "Maybellene"
    1951-- Rosemary Clooney's "Come On-A My House" hits #1
    1953---Top Hits
Doggie in the Window - Patti Page
Pretend - Nat King Cole
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Your Cheatin’ Heart - Hank Williams
    1954-Henry Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hit the first home run of his major league career. It came against Vic Raschi of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Braves' 7-5 victory. Not only did he raise the bar for home runs, but he also established 12 other major league career records, including most games, at-bats, total bases and RBI's. Aaron won three Gold Glove awards, earned National League MVP honors in 1957, and appeared in a record 24 All-Star Games. Aaron went onto hit 755 homes, more than any other player.
    1954-The NBA approved a proposal by Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biasone to adopt a 24-second clock. The rule stated that “a team in control of the ball must make an attempt to score within 24 seconds after gaining possession of the ball.” Biasone promoted the rule to boost the league's offensive output. He decided on 24 seconds by dividing the total number of shots taken in an average game into 48 minutes, the time played in regulation game.
    1956 - High on his recent successes, and at the insistence of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley begins a disastrous concert stint at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas where he opens for comedian Shecky Greene. Despite having "Heartbreak Hotel" at the top of the charts, the middle-aged audience, miles removed from Elvis' teen fan base, are completely indifferent to him, and his contract is soon torn up after only one week of a two-week engagement. However, while there, Presley witnesses a band called Freddie Bell and the Bellboys doing a wild rave-up version of Big Mama Thornton's blues hit "Hound Dog." He soon works it into the live act. Presley wouldn't play Las Vegas again for almost 13 years.
    1960-Herman's Hermits released a song called "My Sentimental Friend", which would become a major European hit, reaching number two on the UK pop chart. In the US however, the band was now hopelessly out of style and one of the best songs they ever recorded was ignored completely.

1961—Birthday of George Lopez, Mission Hills, California; comedian/actor.
    1963-- High school student Neil Young and his band, the Squires, enter a Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada studio to record their first single, a surf instrumental called "The Sultan."
    1961---Top Hits
Blue Moon - The Marcels
Runaway - Del Shannon
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe
Don’t Worry - Marty Robbins
    1963 - Jan and Dean record "Surf City"
    1963 - Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds got his first hit in the major leagues. It was a booming triple off the Pirates' Bob Friend. ‘Charlie Hustle' went on to break Ty Cobb's all-time hitting record more than 20 years later, playing for the Reds, the Phillies and the Expos. He was later banished from baseball for illegal betting.
    1964 - Ken Johnson of the Houston Astros will certainly never forget this day. Johnson tossed the first no-hit game -- for a loss -- in baseball history. Cincinnati's Reds beat Johnson's no hitter by a score of 1-0. The Reds capitalized on two costly Houston errors.
    1966-- Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" hits #1
    1966-- Frank Sinatra's “Strangers in the Night” LP hits #1
    1966-- Roger Miller's "You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd" enters the charts
    1966 -- President Lyndon Johnson publicly appeals for more nations to come to the aid of South Vietnam.
    1968 – NYPD rushed occupied buildings on the Columbia University campus to break up a student protest of a decision to build a gymnasium on public land in Harlem.
    1969 - Top Hits
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat & Tears
It’s Your Thing - The Isley Brothers
Galveston - Glen Campbell
    1969 – Sirhan Sirhan received the death penalty for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles. That sentence would later in 1972 be commuted when the State of California abolished the death penalty. I covered the afternoon as news producer ABC-TV News, Burbank, California.
    1970 -Show: Joe Cocker (Mad Dogs and Englishmen), Van Morrison, The Stoneman, Metro Toll, Fairport Convention, Salt 'N Pepper, Clouds, Dry Paint, Brotherhood of Light, Little Princess #109 perform at the San Francisco Fillmore West Artist: David Singer.
http://images.wolfgangsvault.com/images/catalog/thumb/BG229-231-PC.jpg
    1970-Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" is awarded a Gold record. The single sold two million copies in 1969 and 1970 and reached number three in the US and number one in the UK.
    1977-- Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" hits #1
    1977---Top Hits
Don’t Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
Hotel California - Eagles
She’s Got You - Loretta Lynn
    1985 - The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, GA, told the world in a barrage of advertisements that it was changing its 99-year-old secret formula. New Coke was called “the most significant soft drink development” in the company's history. The public did not like it. Fans of the original Coke were instrumental in bringing Classic Coke back. The Coca-Cola did keep the “new” diet Coca-Cola. This year they started introducing cherry coke, lemon coke, and this summer, vanilla. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ccmphtml/colahome.html
http://www.coca-cola.com/
    1985 - Top Hits
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Nightshift - Commodores
I Need More of You - Bellamy Brothers
    1987 - "Business Week" magazine announced its list of the highest paid executives in the U.S. Lee Iacocca of Chrysler Corporation topped the list, followed by Paul Fireman of Reebok International. The computer revolution did not begin until the 90's, knocking most automobile executives way off the charts.
    1988-the smoking ban on airplane flights went into effect. In compliance with rules issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, airlines banned smoking on domestic passenger flights lasting less than two hours, with the exception of chartered flights and travel club flights. Northwest Airlines voluntarily banned smoking on domestic passenger flights of all durations. The first commercial domestic air service that was entirely smoke-free, including the cockpit, was inaugurated by Delta Air Lines of Atlanta, GA, which banned smoking on all flights beginning January 1995. Other airlines adopted this policy in the following year.
    1988 - An intense winter-like storm brought thunderstorms to southern California, and produced snow in some of the higher elevations. Nine girls at Tustin CA were injured when lightning struck the tree under which their softball team had taken shelter from the rain.
    1989 - Salina, KS, was the hot spot in the nation with a high of 105 degrees. The high of 105 degrees established an April record for the state of Kansas. A total of eighteen cities in the central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date.
    1989 - "Baywatch" premiered on television. Set on a California beach, this program starred David Hasselhoff and a changing cast of nubile young men and women as lifeguards. Later the program was moved to Hawaii; the last episode was made in 2001. The most widely viewed TV series in the world, the program aired in 142 countries with an estimated weekly audience of 1.1 billion.
    1994 - Discovery of the top “quark.” Physicists at the Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory found evidence for the existence of the subatomic particle called the top quark, the last undiscovered quark of the six predicted to exist by current scientific theory. The discovery provides strong support for the quark theory of the structure of matter. Quarks are subatomic particles that make up protons and neutrons found in the nuclei of atoms. The five other quark types that had already been proven to exist are the up quark, down quark, strange quark, charm quark and bottom quark. Further experimentation over many months confirmed the discovery and it was publicly announced Mar 2, 1995.
1999-- Fernando Tatis becomes the first player in major league history to hit two grand slams in one inning. The Cardinal third baseman hits both off Dodger starter Chan Ho Park in an 11-run third inning, setting the major league mark. His eight RBIs in one inning also breaks the old record of six.
    2013---Glen Campbell's publicist told members of the press that his client is no longer capable of performing on stage due to advancing Alzheimer's disease. Sandy Brokaw went on to say that the 77-year-old Campbell planned on recording one final album called "See You There", which would feature new renditions of old songs. In April, 2014, he was admitted to a nursing home that specialized in Alzheimer’s disease.

Stanley Cup Champions This Date
    1950 Detroit Red Wings

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