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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

 

Steve Agnello was hired as Director of Business Development, Equipment Leasing Group of America, Northfield, Illinois. He is located in the Greater Chicago Area.  Previously, he was Senior Account Executive, CHG-Meridian (August, 2018 - January, 2021); Area Vice President, Presidio Technology Capital (April, 2014 - July, 2018); Account Executive, Higher Education, Healthcare and Public Sector, Oracle Financial Services (November, 2004 - March, 2014); Area Operations Manager, Paccar Financial Corp. (September, 1993 - October, 2004). Education: Washington State University. Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Business Administration and Management with an Emphasis in Marketing. Dormitory President.  Resident Assistant. President of WSU Sales and Marketing Association.  Director of WSU entry into General Motor Marketing competition.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-agnello-97153099/

Stephane Arsenault, CFA, was promoted to SVP, Commercial Finance & Sustainable Development, Hitachi Capital, Canada, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He joined the firm April, 2017, as Director, Syndications; promoted April, 2019, Vice President of Sales. Previously, he was Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Eagle Copters, Ltd. (April, 2016 - March, 2017); Vice President, Capital Markets, Element Financial Corporation; Managing Director, Diversified Industries, Corporate Finance Division, BMO Financial Group (July, 2012 - October, 2012).  He joined GE Capital, February, 2005, as Account Manager, Manufacturing Finance; promoted March, 2006, Senior Account Manager, Aircraft Financing. Education: HEC Montreal, BAA, Finance and Marketing (1998 - 2001). https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephane-arsenault-cfa-495ba511/

Jonathan Barcelos was promoted to Senior Credit Analyst, BlueVine, Redwood City, California. He is located at the Jersey City, New Jersey office.  He joined the firm June, 2019, as Credit Analyst.  Previously, he was Social Enterprise Intern, Spectrum Works, Inc. (November, 2018 - May, 2019); Peer Advisor, Seton Hall University (April, 2018 - May, 2019); Banquet Waiter, Bistro 1051 (September, 2013 - May, 2019). Volunteer: Mentor, UStrive (August, 2020 - Present).  Education: Seton Hall University. Bachelor of Science. BS, Business Administration (2015 - 2019). Activities and Societies: First Gen. Student Organization. Founder/Treasurer/Peer Adviser.  Dual-concentration in Finance & Entrepreneurship.  Union High School, Diploma. 3.79. (2011 - 2015). Activities and Societies: Club Soccer Team. Captain/NSHSS.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-barcelos/
 

JP Camire was hired as Senior Strategic Account Manager, CIT, New York, New York.  He is located in Greater Boston, Massachusetts.  Previously, he was National Account Manager, TimePayment (February, 2020 -January, 2021). He began his career at CIT, starting February, 2006, Program Manager; promoted 2017, Sales Manager; promoted AVP, Enterprise Sales, February, 2018). Education: Southern New Hampshire University. Granite State College. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jp-camire-65a953a/

James Jackson was promoted to Merger and Acquisition Advisory Services to the Equipment Leasing and Finance Industry at the Alta Group, Glenbrook, Nevada.  He is located in Plaistow, New Hampshire.  He joined the firm February, 2016, as Managing Director, Merger and Acquisition Advisory Practice Leader. Previously, he was Senior Vice President, CFO, Microfinancial, Inc./TimePayment Corp (April, 2002 - October, 2015); Vice President, Finance (January, 1999 - August, 2001); Manager of Business Planning, AT&T Capital Corporation, Leasing Services (August, 1992 - December, 1998); Finance Manager, Real Estate Division, Signal Capital Corporation (February, 1986 - June, 1992).  Education: Babson F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business. MBA, Finance (1988 - 1992); Hawthorne College (1970 - 1983). Sanborn Regional High School (1975 -1979).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrjacksonjr1/

Chris Johnson, CLFP, was hired as Sales Director, Construction, ENGS Commercial Finance, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Finance Group, Itasca, Illinois. He is located in Memphis, Tennessee Metropolitan Area. Previously, he was at Terex Corporation, starting 2003 as National Product Manager; promoted 2008, National Sales Manager; promoted 2017 as Director, Sales & Strategy, Terex Cranes; promoted 2018, Sales Director, North and South America (Tower Cranes and Tough Terrain Cranes); Program Manager, Dana Commercial Credit Corporation (2000 - 2003). He joined Detroit Diesel Allison 1996 as Application Engineer; promoted 1997, Major Account Sales Manager. Certifications: Certified Lease & Finance Professional. 2020. Education: The University of Texas, Master of Business Administration, MBA, Finance.  Michigan State University, Bachelor's Degree, Applied Engineering. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjohnson03/

Or Rilov was hired as Risk Data Analytics Team Leader, BlueVine, Redwood City, California. He is based in Tel Aviv Area, Israel. He joined the firm as Risk Data Analyst, January, 2019. Previously, he was Implantations Engineer, Datorama, a Salesforce Company (May, 2018 - January, 2019); Data Analyst, Intel Corporation (February, 2016 - May, 2019). Education: Tel Aviv University, Master of Business Administration (MBA). (2020 - 2022). Technion. Israel Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Science. BS, Information Systems Engineer and Management, 85. (2014 - 2018).
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/or-rilov-6037aa184/

Connie Schmidt was hired as Vice President, Business Development, River Capital Finance, Westlake, Ohio.  She is located in Dunedin, Florida. Previously, she was Vice President of Originations, Alliance Funding Group (January, 2018 - December, 2020); Managing Director of Capital Markets, Wood Forest National Bank (September, 2015 - December, 2017); Senior Account Executive, Chemical Bank (November, 2013 - September, 2015); National Sales Director, Vendor Finance, PNC (May, 2011 - November, 2013); Regional Vice President of Sales, Banc of America Leasing (May, 2004 - February, 2009); Vendor Direct Relationship Manager, Bank of America (January, 2000 - March, 2004); Asset Management Manager, Fleet Capital Leasing (January, 1997 - June, 2000); Asset Recovery Paralegal, Sanwa Leasing (1995 - 1997). Volunteer: Cuddle Program, Hurley Medical Center (January, 2017 - Present).  Education: Central Michigan University. BA, Business Administration (1999 - 2003).
Oakland Community College, Associates, Legal Assistant (1987 - 1989). https://www.linkedin.com/in/connielschmidt/

Jason Smith was promoted to Client Service Executive, Cisco, Salt Lake City, Utah. He is located in Seattle, Washington. He joined the firm November, 2017, Financial Solutions Manager. Previously, he was Financial Area Manager, Hewlett Packard Enterprises (May, 2011 - November, 2017); Owner, Finance Capital, LLC (July, 2006 - May, 2011); Director, Leasing Institute of America (May, 2004 - August, 2006); AE, ACC Capital Corporation (1998 - 2000). Education: University of Utah.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-smith-65486b7/

Michael "Mike" Verploegh, Jr. was hired as Vice President and Business Development Manager, Wintrust Commercial Finance.  a division of Wintrust Asset Finance, Frisco, Texas. He is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Previously, he was Director, CIT (April, 2015 - November, 2020). He joined GE Capital, August, 1999 as Account Manager; promoted July, 2002, to Vice President; promoted July, 2005, Senior Vice President.  He started in sales as Account Manager, Penske Corporation, July, 1995. Education: Michigan State University - The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, M.B.A. (2011 – 2013); Western Michigan University, Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Finance, General
(1991 – 1994). https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-verploegh-jr-ba65467

Michael White was promoted to Director of Pay per Use, Solutions, DLL, Wayne, Pennsylvania.  He joined the firm February, 2008, Risk Analyst; promoted January, 2009, Sales Support Representative: promoted July, 2013, Sales Executive; promoted November, 2015, Sales Support Manager; promoted January, 2019, Fleet Solutions. Education: Penn State University. Master's degree, Leadership and Organizational Development. Activities and Societies: Beta Gamma sigma.  Temple University, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), History (2000 - 2006). Activities and Societies: Temple University Study Abroad Program: Rome, Italy. (2004).  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikewhitedll/

Megan Zoba was promoted to Vice President Documentation and Funding, Oakmont Capital Holding, LLC d/b/a Oakmont Capital Services. She joined Oakmont Capital Holdings, LLC, which partnered with Quaint Oak Bank, October, 2010. Previously, she was President, Preferred Business Leasing (January, 1997 - October, 2010); Broker Relations Manager, Corporate Capital Leasing (September, 1991 - December, 1996). Education: Immaculata University, Bachelor’s Degree, Business/Managerial Economics. https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-zoba-5b563727/

 

Leasing News
Help Wanted Ads

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President Biden has announced an ambitious plan to replace the entire federal auto fleet with electric vehicles. The move is part of strategy to embrace clean energy and it comes shortly after Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement. He also stated that the new electric fleet would be built in America, by Americans. Biden often spoke about electric vehicles during his election campaign which made the announcement not entirely surprising.

The scale of the task does look daunting, however, with hundreds of thousands of gas-guzzling vehicles set to be replaced. The latest General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Vehicle Report shows that civilian and military agencies together with the Postal Service have 645,000 vehicles in their respective inventories worth more than $4 billion. As of 2019, they had been driven over 4.5 billion miles, consuming 375 million gallons of diesel and gasoline.

Out of the total federal fleet, 336,000 vehicles are gasoline powered, 195,000 run on E-85 and 76,000 are diesel while a mere 3,000 are electric, illustrating the scale of Biden's task. However, the president said it would create one million new autoworker jobs. It would also boost the number of electric vehicles on U.S. streets by 40 percent upon the plan's completion. Thus far, no details have emerged regarding a timeline its implementation.

By Niall McCarthy, Statista

 

  

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Report Shows Biggest Housing Market Gains in 15 Years
MR Report

A year ago — when COVID-19 was something happening somewhere else, the Millennial generation was aging into prime first-time home-buying age and mortgage rates were at record lows — the housing market was poised for a robust 2021.

When the pandemic hit and Americans shifted from in-office to remote work, the shift "prompted many to reevaluate their housing options and supercharged demand," according to researchers at Zillow, as outlined in its 2020 housing market report.

Zillow expects bigger growth in 2021 as sustained demand pushes home values higher. A few other highlights from the report follow:

• The full U.S. housing stock gained about $2.5 trillion in value last year, including $2.2 trillion from appreciation of existing homes and $274 billion from new construction.
• That $2.5 trillion gain is more than in any year since 2005 in what was a remarkably strong year for housing, and 2021 is likely to be stronger.
• More than a fifth of the total housing value in the U.S. and almost half of the 10 most valuable metros are in California. Homes in California are worth a cumulative $7.8 trillion, more than the next three states combined, and the state boasts four of the 10 metro areas with the highest total housing value — Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and San Diego.

Zillow Economist Treh Manhertz, said, "2020 was a record-breaking year for the housing market with intense competition among buyers driving up home prices.

 “While many faced financial hardships because of the pandemic, others fortunate enough to maintain stable income took a step back to contemplate what they wanted their home to be and hopped on Zillow to help find a place that filled their wish list. Builder confidence, perhaps in reaction to the boosted demand, hit record highs and more homes are being built as a result. Add that together and you see why the housing market gained more than in any year since the Great Recession."

Micro-locally, New York's metro area, at $3.1 trillion total, still holds the most housing value, though Los Angeles, at $2.8 trillion, and San Francisco, at $1.7 trillion, are catching up, according to Zillow.

"Seven metros gained more value than New York in 2020, reducing the gap at the top of the list," Zillow noted. "The value of Los Angeles' housing stock grew the most last year, up $262 billion -- that's more than the total value of homes in Las Vegas, Orlando, and Nashville, to name a few."

More details are available on www.Zillow.com.

 

The List - December, 2020
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Trebels Group Found Guilty $350,000
    Dallas School Bus Sale/Leasebacks
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_30.htm#trebels

Gov. Cuomo signs bill to protect small businesses
    getting loans to survive COVID-19 and other emergencies
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_28.htm#bill

Despite the Pandemic, New Study Finds
    Americans Are Starting New Businesses at Record Pace
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_23.htm#despite

Marlin Business Service Christmas Chutzpah
    Bonuses to Key Executives
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_21.htm#marlin

Chase Business Relationship Manager Steals $1.25 Million
    from 82-Year-Old Customer
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_21.htm#chase

      Reaction to
Huntington Bancshares and TCF Financial Corporation
    Announces Merger to Create Top 10 U.S. Regional Bank
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_16.htm#reaction

Ralph Petta, President and CEO
    Message to Equipment Leasing & Finance Association Members
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_09.htm#elfa

The Top Seven Leasing/Finance Company Websites
    in North America
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_07.htm#sites

Office Return Stalls in the U.S.
    Percent of U.S. Workers Returning to Office in 2020
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_04.htm#office

 The Results are in from the
  2020 Compensation and Production Survey
    Wheeler Business Consulting
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_02.htm#results

North Mill Sets Another Record in 2020
    as November Originations Hit as All-Time High
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2020/12_02.htm#north

 

 

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

AACFB Announces Scholarship Winner
    Vincent Borges, North Mill Equipment Finance

LOUISVILLE, KY – The American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (AACFB) is pleased to announce Vincent Borges as the winner of its newly developed scholarship.

In October of 2020, the AACFB announced the new scholarship program open to high school seniors and students attending a trade or technical school in addition to those attending a two or four-year institution of higher learning. Vincent, a high school senior in Norwalk, Connecticut will be the first recipient of the new scholarship and will receive an award of $500.

Vincent Borges stated, “This scholarship is a great opportunity to help me get closer to being able to afford college and help take some of the weight off me and my parents in our joint effort to help me with college. This scholarship will help me on my way to achieving everything that I want during and after college.”

Vincent was recommended by Don Cosenza and Paul Cheslock, with North Mill Equipment Finance where Vincent started as an intern in 2020. Paul shared that Vincent is, “the youngest and one of the most responsible and valued members of our team. He has become someone that we can rely on to handle various tasks and projects efficiently and effectively.”

AACFB President Cindy Downs, said, “The Scholarship Taskforce was impressed with Vincent as a hard-working young man, both in his studies and in his role at North Mill Equipment Finance.

“We are excited to be able to assist him in achieving his goal of a college degree. We wish him a bright future.”

The AACFB hopes to grow the scholarship fund and increase the award amounts in the future. Donations to the scholarship fund may be made HERE. More information is available at https://aacfb.org/scholarship. Questions about the program may be sent to info@aacfb.org.

About American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (AACFB)
The American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (AACFB), formerly the NAELB, is the premier trade association empowering independent commercial finance brokers. The AACFB represents the expanding interests of its growing membership by providing best practice education and networking opportunities, while promoting a culture of ethics. For more information visit: www.aacfb.org

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

 

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Fernando Croce Reviews
Watch at Home

To ward off the dreary January blues, check out this collection of excellent new releases, from wrenching drama to sturdy Westerns to graceful ensemble pieces. Check your streaming services for availability.

The Father (Sony Pictures Classics): Anthony Hopkins gives his best performance in decades in this often emotionally devastating drama, which marks the directorial debut of French playwright Florian Zeller. Hopkins plays 80-year-old Anthony, a wealthy Londoner suffering from encroaching dementia who must be cared over by his daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman). As the film continues, we get a view from inside the protagonist’s slipping mind, with people seemingly changing appearances as reality becomes increasingly difficult to separate from memory or fantasy. The subjective approach could have been a gimmick if it weren’t for Zeller’s compassionate control, and for the remarkable balance of charm, vulnerability and terror that Hopkins brings to the character. Not an easy film but a powerful one, with strong support from Olivia Williams, Rufus Sewell, and Imongen Poots.

Let Them All Talk (HBO Max): Like fellow prolific filmmaker Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh is not one to let something like a global pandemic stand in the way of his directing. Thus this jazzy, modest yet captivating drama, set entirely aboard a transatlantic ocean liner and featuring a powerhouse cast that includes Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat” star, Meryl Streep. She plays Alice Hughes, a Pulitzer-winning author on her way to England alongside two of her oldest friends, Roberta (Candice Bergen) and Susan (Dianne Wiest). As the women hope to patch up old wounds, Roberta’s nephew Tyler (Lucas Hedges) becomes involved with Alice’s agent (Gemma Chan). Combining the irresistible, largely improvised verve of the performers with Soderbergh’s graceful and propulsive direction, this is wise, lively entertainment.

Locked Down (HBO Max): It was only a matter of time before movies started to take the pandemic lockdown as its subjects, and among the first ones is this enjoyable genre-twister, which benefits hugely from its leading actors. As London issues a stay-at-home order for people during the Covid-19 crisis, Linda (Anne Hathaway) and Paxton (Chiwetel Eijofor), a married couple on the verge of breaking up, find themselves instead forced to stick together. Dealing with the uncertain emotions and new routines of this situation, they reevaluate their relationship and plan to steal a valuable diamond together. The switch from claustrophobic drama to heist is an unexpected one, yet it’s made believable by the dry humor of director Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity”) and Hathaway and Eijofor.

News of the World (Universal Pictures): Director Paul Greengrass re-teams with his “Captain Phillips” star, Tom Hanks, for this engaging, sturdily old-fashioned Western. Set in 1870s Texas, the story tracks Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks, characteristically resonant), a former Confederate infantryman who now makes his living traveling from town to town and charging locals to read newspapers for them. Things take a sudden turn when he stumbles upon a 10-year-old girl named Johanna (Helena Zengel), who’s been taken by indigenous people. Reluctantly tasked with taking her back to her surviving family, Kidd develops a strong bond with her, particularly as they must stick together in the face of danger. Drawing on the tradition of classic Westerns, Greengrass and Hanks serve up a stirring portrait of grace in the sagebrush.

One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios): Long a scene-stealing presence in films, actress Regina King makes a promising directorial debut with this engaging and insightful drama, which imagines a meeting of four icons of African-American culture. In the mid-1960s, Malcom X (Kingley Ben-Adir), Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Sam Cooke (Lesley Odom Jr.), and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) find themselves spending an evening together in Miami lodge, right before Clay’s bout with Sonny Liston. With the Civil Rights movement still very much raging, there’s no shortage of talk of the national state of racism and equality, whether in politics or sports. But also there’s an appealing disposition to see these legendary people as, well, people, a breeziness of touch which makes King’s film its mix of contemplative power and human vibrancy.

Shepherd Puppy
Norwalk, Connecticut  Adopt a Dog

Chase

Male
8 months old, Puppy
Size: When grown 26 - 60lbs
Current Size: 34 lbs.
Black, with Tan, Yellor or Fawn
Shots Up to Date
Good with Dogs

Chase is an 8 month old Shepherd mix who is looking for a family to learn and grow with. He's an energetic boy who would do well with an active family ready to keep him busy. Chase would benefit from training time and comfortably learning more about the world around him. He would probably do well with an energetic canine playmate. We think Chase will excel in a home with adults and children 12+ ready to shape him into the excellent adult dog he can become.

PAWS
Pets Animal Welfare Society
504 Main Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06851
(203) 750-9572 ext. 109
http://www.pawsct.org

Contact: Lisa Barnett
Email: dogs@pawsct.org

Their Adoption Process
1. Submit Application
You must be an approved adopter before making an appointment.
2. Approve Application
You must be an approved adopter before making an appointment.

By Appointment Only
Visit www.pawsct.org to submit our Application.

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Leasing News Advisor
Phil Dushey

Philip Dushey
Global Financial Services
1 State Street
New York NY 10004
Email:phil@gbtsinc.com
Phone 212-480-4900
www.globalfinancialtrainingprogram.com
www.globaleasing.com
www.globalchurchfinancing.com

Phil is one of the original founding members of the Leasing News Advisory Board. Phil Dushey has been active in the finance and leasing industry for the over 39 years. His first company was Global Financial Services, which is still active and successful today. Global specializes in all types of financing such as equipment leasing, accounts receivable financing, debt restructuring, and establishing lines of credit. Mr. Dushey feels that to be competitive in today's expanding financial climate a company must be able to service all of his clients’ needs not just equipment leasing. 

In 1989, Mr. Dushey saw a need for a company that would serve the needs of churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship throughout the country for equipment Leasing. At the time, most financing sources were reticent regarding religious institutions. He then formed Global Church Financing. It continues to be the leading company in providing financing to churches and other religious institutions today.

In 2001, Mr. Dushey fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams and formed Global Financial Training Program.

He believes it is the most comprehensive and successful training school in the country to train people who want to enter the finance and leasing business. The program includes everything they need to enter the business. He says he very much enjoys teaching how to make money in the finance industry based on 38 years of experience.

Mr. Dushey is a founding member of the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers, who changed their name to American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers.

He has been a member and speaker at many leasing organizations for several years.

He and his wife Laurie have been married for 50 years, with six grandchildren, three boys and three girls age 12, 14, 16, 20, 22 and 24

News Briefs---

Marlin Reports 4th Quarter Net Income $15.3 million
    Net Income 2020 $.04 million, Down from $27.1 Million 2019
https://investor.marlincapitalsolutions.com/news-events/news/news-details/2021/Marlin-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2020-Results-and-Declares-a-Cash-Dividend-of-0.14-Per-Share/default.aspx

GATX reports Fourth Quarter $17.8 Million Profit
    Full Year was $150.2 Million Net Income
https://ir.gatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/gatx-corporation-reports-2020-fourth-quarter-and-full-year

G.M. Will Sell Only Zero-Emission Vehicles by 2035
   "to become carbon neutral by 2040 "
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/business/gm-zero-emission-vehicles.html

 

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You May Have Missed---

Insights for Equipment Finance
The Alta Group
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/alta_insights2021.pdf

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Sports Briefs---

Popular former 49ers, Raiders player, assistant coach retires
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/202California wine business faces new, ongoing challenges as it adjusts to pandemic, wildfires1/01/28/popular-former-49ers-raiders-player-assistant-coach-retires/

A's loss of Marcus Semien might be final blow to reeling franchise
https://www.sfchronicle.com/athletics/ostler/article/A-s-loss-of-Marcus-Semien-may-be-final-blow-to-15900594.php

NFL's latest coaching, GM hires reveal some troubling issues,
    along with a few gains
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/mike-jones/2021/01/28/nfl-coaching-gm-hires-troubling-issues-few-gains/4293532001/

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California Nuts Briefs---

Blue Shield to take over California COVID-19
    vaccine distribution campaign
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Area-vaccinations-steadily-rising-despite-15903058.php

1,700 claims from 1 address?
    How California missed widespread unemployment fraud
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article248831459.html?ac_cid=DM374118&ac_bid=-712245546

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

Cabernet on the Decline in the US?
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2021/01/cabernet-on-the-decline-in-the-us

Wine shipments in US increase slightly in 2020 amid pandemic
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/business/wine-shipments-in-us-ticked-up-slightly-in-2020-amid-pandemic/

California wine business faces new,
    ongoing challenges as it adjusts to pandemic, wildfires
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/industrynews/california-wine-business-faces-new-ongoing-challenges-as-it-adjusts-to-pan/

Former San Francisco 49ers Star Terrell Owens
    Launches His Own Wine Label
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jefffedotin/2021/01/27/former-san-francisco-49ers-star-terrell-owens-launches-his-own-wine-label/?sh=19a6b3bf1084

K&L Wines: top buys from the US
https://www.decanter.com/decanter-best/k-and-l-wines-top-buys-from-the-us-452285/

UC Davis Launches $3 Million Project
      to Improve Farmworker COVID Safety
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataId=240883

Constellation Brands Wins Trademark Dispute
    Over ‘To Kalon’ Wine
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/constellation-brands-wins-trademark-dispute-over-to-kalon-wine

Free Wine App
https://www.nataliemaclean.com/mobileapp/

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/

This Day in History

      1737 - Thomas Paine (d. 1809), was born in Thetford, England.  American Revolutionary leader, a corset-maker by trade, author of “Common Sense”, “The Age of Reason”, “Rights of Man”, and many other influential works. "These are the times that try men's souls" are the well-known opening words of his inspirational tract, “The Crisis”, which holds the records for the most widely-read publication in American History and was a major influence on the American Revolution. Paine also is known for proposing the government subsidy of steamboat building in America that opened commerce and the great expansion of the country. In 1819, 10 years after his death, his remains were moved to England by William Cobbett for reburial there. Reburial was refused, however, and the location of Paine's bones, said to have been distributed, is unknown.
    1780 - On the coldest morning of one of the most severe winters of record in the northeast, the mercury dipped to 16 degrees below zero at New York City, and reached 20 degrees below zero at Hartford, CT. New York harbor was frozen for 5 weeks, allowing the British to transport a heavy cannon across the ice to help fortify Staten Island.
    1802 - John Beckley became the first Librarian of Congress with the starting salary of $2 a day. He served until his death on April 8, 1807. The first library catalog, dated April, 1802, listed 964 volumes and nine maps. Until 1815, when George Watterston was appointed, the librarians were also the clerks of the House of Representatives.
    1834 - Federal Troops Quell the First Labor Dispute.  The banks of the Potomac River erupted in violence as workers on the then-unfinished Chesapeake and Ohio Canal rioted after a planned strike was brutally extinguished. Never exactly a fast friend of indecision or conciliatory action, President Andrew Jackson swiftly called on Secretary of War Lewis Cass to send Federal troops in to quell the workers. While this was an eventful moment for the nation—it marked the first, though hardly the last time Federal troops were deployed to settle a labor "dispute"—it was just another roadblock in the troubled history of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Originally conceived as a transit and trade friendly route between the Midwest and Atlantic seaports, the canal was periodically delayed by fiscal woes, stiff competition from the Erie Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. When construction began in 1828, the canal was designed to reach Pittsburgh. By the time the project was abandoned in 1850, the waterway reached Cumberland, MD. Flooding forced the closing of the canal in 1924; it was bought by the U.S. government in 1938 and transformed into a national historic park in 1971.
    1843 - Birthday of William McKinley, 25th president of the US (1897-1901), at Niles, OH. For the third time in the nation's history, a president was assassinated. On September 6, President McKinley was visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. While greeting visitors he was shot twice in the abdomen by a young anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, who was carrying a concealed piston in a handkerchief. Vice-President Theodore Roosevelt, not quite 43 years old, became the youngest person to hold the presidential office. Ironically, according to historians, Conservative Republicans had elected McKinley, but to keep what they considered "too liberal" New York Theodore Roosevelt "in line," plus gather votes, they choose him to fill what they considered a "harmless post." This was a period of muckraking journalists such as Frank Norris and Lincoln Steffens exposing the corruption in government and government controlled industries such as wheat, railroad tariffs and land acquisition. "The Octopus", published this year by Norris, dealt with the struggles of farmers in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Forty years later John Steinbeck was to continue the saga, “Grapes of Wrath.”
    1845 - "The Raven" is published. Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem beginning "Once upon a midnight dreary," is published in the New York Evening Mirror. Poe's dark and macabre work reflected his own tumultuous and difficult life. Born in Boston in 1809, Poe was orphaned at age three and went to live with the family of a Richmond, Virginia businessman. Poe enrolled in a military academy but was expelled for gambling. He later studied briefly at the University of Virginia. In 1827, Poe self-published a collection of poems. Six years later, his short story "MS Found in a Bottle" won $50 in a story contest. He edited a series of literary journals, including the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond starting in 1835, and Burton's Gentleman's Magazine in Philadelphia, starting in 1839. Poe's excessive drinking got him fired from several positions. His macabre work, often portraying motiveless crimes and intolerable guilt that induced growing mania in his characters, was a significant influence on such European writers as Charles Baudelaire, Stephane Mallarme, and even Dostoyevsky.
    1847 - The 500 men of the US Mormon Battalion, along with 50 women and children, arrived at San Diego, CA. Having marched 2,000 miles since leaving Council Bluffs, Iowa on July 16, 1846, to fight in the war against Mexico, it was the longest march in modern military history. In the course of their trek, they established the first wagon route from Sante Fe to Southern California. Their arrival is commemorated each year with a military parade in San Diego’s Old Town.   
    1850 – Henry Clay introduced the Compromise of 1850 to Congress.  A package of five separate bills passed in September 1850, which defused a four-year political confrontation between slave and free states regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War.  Texas surrendered its claim to New Mexico and its claims north of the Missouri Compromise line. It retained the Texas Panhandle and the federal government took over the state's public debt.  California was admitted as a free state with its current boundaries.  The South prevented adoption of the Wilmot Proviso that would have outlawed slavery in the new territories, and the new Utah and New Mexico territories were allowed, under the principle of popular sovereignty, to decide whether to allow slavery within their borders. In practice, these lands were generally unsuited to plantation agriculture and their settlers were uninterested in slavery.  The slave trade (but not slavery altogether) was banned in the District of Columbia.
    1861 - Kansas became the 34th state. Known as the Sunflower State, the capital is Topeka. Kansas, the Jayhawk State, is named so because before and during the War Between the States, guerillas in the antislavery camp ... known as jayhawkers ... were extremely active in the Kansas territory. The pro- and anti-slavery groups fought such vicious battles that the state was referred to as ‘Bleeding Kansas’.  Trouble in territorial Kansas began with the signing of the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act by President Franklin Pierce. The act stipulated that settlers in the newly created territories of Nebraska and Kansas would decide by popular vote whether their territory would be free or slave. In early 1855, Kansas’ first election proved a violent affair as over 5,000 Border Ruffians invaded the territory from western Missouri and forced the election of a pro-slavery legislature. The territory’s admittance into the Union in January of 1861 only increased tension, but, just three-and-a-half-months later, the irrepressible differences in Kansas were swallowed up by the full-scale outbreak of the American Civil War. During the Civil War, Kansas suffered the highest rate of fatal casualties of any Union state, largely due to its great internal divisions over the issue of slavery. 
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan29.html
    1861 - Linus Yale, Jr. gets a patent for his invention of a pin-tumbler cylinder. The pin-tumbler cylinder lock with a thin, flat key, still the basis for many combination locks today, was the most successful of Yale’s many lock inventions, which included the first dial combination bank lock and a double bank lock that required two keys to open.
    1863 - Bear Hunter, leader of a Shoshone band, and 224 others were massacred in village on Bear River near Great Salt Lake, Utah.
http://www.utahhistorytogo.org/brmassacre.html
    1856 - Light earthquake felt at the Mission Dolores in San Francisco. 
    1872 - African-American Francis L Cardoza was elected State Treasurer of South Carolina. He served until 1876 when his enemies accused him of taking money, but he was found not guilty. He later served as a teacher at Howard University, received a law degree and served on several boards. In his later life, he was principal of a high school.
http://vi.uh.edu/pages/mintz/43.htm 
http://stills.nap.edu/btw/Vol.3/html/118.html 
    1877 – A highly partisan Electoral Commission, made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats, was established by Congress to settle the election of Democrat Samuel Tilden for President against Republican Rutherford B. Hayes. Under the terms of the Tilden-Hayes Election Compromise, Hayes became President and the Republicans agreed to remove the last Federal troops from Southern territory, ending Reconstruction. On election night, 1876, it was clear that Tilden had won the popular vote, but it was also clear that votes in Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Oregon were fraudulent because of voter intimidation. Republicans knew that if the electoral votes from these four states were thrown out, Hayes would win. The country hovered near civil war as both Democrats and Republicans claimed victory. Illustrator Thomas Nast drew his cartoon, ”Tilden or Blood,” showing the Democrats threatening violence.
    1879 - Custer Battlefield National Monument, Montana established
http://www.nps.gov/libi/ 
http://visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?IDRRecordID=3124&SiteID=1 
    1880 - Birthday of W.C. Fields (d .1946), born Claude William Dukenfeld at Philadelphia, PA.  Stage and motion picture actor (“My Little Chickadee”), screen writer and expert juggler. He wrote his own epitaph: “On the whole, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”
    1896 - United States physician Emile Grubbe became the first to use radiation treatment for breast cancer on his patient, Rose Lee of Chicago. 
    1889 - 6,000 railway workers strike for union and end of 18-hour day. 
http://historytogo.utah.gov/rrstrike.html
    1891 - Following the death of her brother, King Kalakaua, Liliuokalani is proclaimed the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii, first settled by Polynesian voyagers sometime in the eighth century, saw a massive influx of American settlers during the nineteenth century, most coming to exploit Hawaii’s burgeoning sugar industry. In 1887, under pressure from US investors and American sugar planters, King Kalakaua agreed to a new constitution that stripped him of much of his power. However, in 1891, Liliuokalani ascended to the throne and refused to recognize the constitution of 1887, replacing it instead with a constitution that restored the monarchy’s traditional authority. Two years later, a revolutionary "Committee of Safety," organized by Sanford B. Dole, a Hawaiian-born American, staged a coup against Queen Liliuokalani with the support of US Minister John Stevens and a division of US marines. On February 1, 1893, Stevens recognized Dole’s new government on his own authority and proclaimed Hawaii a US protectorate.
    1900 - In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the American Baseball League was organized. The Philadelphia Athletics, owned by Connie Mack, were original members of the league. Mack would manage the team for fifty years.  There were eight charter teams in 1901, the league's first year as a Major League. These franchises constituted the league for 52 seasons, until the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and took up the name Orioles. All eight original franchises remain in the American League, although only four remain in the original cities (Detroit, Chicago, Boston, and Cleveland). The eight original teams and their counterparts in the "Classic Eight" were:

• Baltimore Orioles (went bankrupt and became defunct after 1902 season), were sold and moved to New York in 1903 and became the Highlanders.  In 1913, they were sold again and renamed the New York Yankees.
• Boston Americans (became the Red Sox in 1908)
• Chicago White Stockings (became the White Sox in 1903)
• Cleveland Blues (became the Indians in 1915)
• Detroit Tigers (name and locale unchanged from 1894 forward)
• Milwaukee Brewers (became the St. Louis Browns in 1902, moved to Baltimore in 1954 and took the Orioles name.)
• Philadelphia Athletics (were sold and moved to Kansas City in 1955 and moved to Oakland in 1968, still the Athletics)
• Washington Senators (moved to Minnesota and became the Twins in 1960)

    1901 - Birthday of Allen DuMont (d. 1965). In 1946, DuMont founded the first television network to be licensed, the DuMont Television Network, initially by linking station WABD (named for DuMont) in NYC to station W3XWT, which later became WTTG, in Washington, DC (WTTG was named for Dr. Thomas T. Goldsmith, DuMont's Vice President of Research, and his best friend.) In 1915, DuMont became the youngest American to obtain a first class commercial radio operator's license at age 14. My father worked for Dr. Dumont in the late 1940’s as a TV writer-producer for “Harlem Detective,” “Captain Video,” “Hands of Mystery.” I used to put “exploding” practical joke in his cigars, and one day at a board meeting, he gave one to Dr. Dumont, who lit it up. My father used to tell me this story often, as Dr. DuMont thought it was very funny and that my father had done it on purpose. Allen DuMont perfected the cathode-ray tube and manufactured the first commercially available television sets. Brooklyn-born DuMont worked as chief engineer at De Forest Radio Company until 1931, when his interest in television led him to start his own company, DuMont Laboratories. In 1937, he offered his television receivers for sale and set up experimental broadcasting stations. DuMont continued to shape the television industry. He helped formulate broadcast standards for black and white--and later, color--television, and he worked with the FCC to allocate frequencies for television channels.  DuMont's successes in television picture tubes, TV sets and components and his involvement in commercial TV broadcasting made him the first millionaire in the business.  http://xoteria.com/DUMONT.html      
    1904 – Letters for athletic competition were awarded for the first time, by the University of Chicago.
    1912 - In Lawrence, Massachusetts, textile companies were angered when, in 1911, state law reduced the workweek for women and children from 56 to 54 hours. They retaliated by increasing the workload, but not the wages. The workers responded with a massive strike. Workers had been averaging $8.76 for a 56-hour work week when a state law made 54 hours the maximum for women and for minors under 18. The companies reduced all hours to 54 but refused to raise wage rates to make up for the average loss of 31 cents per week suffered by each worker because of the reduction in hours. This caused the walkout which rocked the great New England textile industry. Under the aggressive leadership of the Industrial Workers of the World, the strike became front-page news throughout the country. Over twenty thousand men, women and children won concessions by staying out of work for ten weeks. A song “Bread and Roses” became popular with the strikers, actually becoming a “marching song” and the rallying cry of the strike. The strikers--largely Russian Jewish, Eastern European and southern Italian immigrants, although 54 languages were spoken in the mills--learned the art of mass protest. Forming a human chain, they took over the main streets of Lawrence on Jan. 29. After failed attempts to disperse strikers by dousing them with water in the freezing January cold, officers fired into the crowd. A young Italian woman, Anna LoPizzo, was killed. News reports from the time focused on predictions about the "ascendancy of white-skinned races" in Lawrence. They promised that illiterate immigrants couldn't possibly organize themselves on their own. The strikers, running out of food and money, decided to adopt a European tactic, of sending their children to stay with families outside the city. Four hundred letters were received from New York City who wanted the children, and on February 10, over 100 aged 4 to 14 were sent. They were greeted at Grand Central Station by 5,000 Italian socialists singing the "Marseillaise" and the "Internationale". The following week another 100 came to NY and 35 to Barre, Vt. It was becoming clear: if the children were taken care of, the strikers would stay out, for their spirit was high. The city officials in Lawrence, citing a statute on child neglect, said no more children would be permitted to leave. 
Despite the city edict, a group of 40 children assembled on February 24 to go to Philadelphia. The railroad station was filled with police and the scene that followed was described to Congressmen by a member of the Women's Committee of Philadelphia: "When the time approached to depart, the children arranged in a long line, two by two, in orderly procession, with their parents near at hand, were about to make their way to the train when police closed in on us with their clubs, beating right and left, with no thought of the children, who were in the most desperate danger of being trampled to death. The mothers and children were thus hurled in a mass and bodily dragged to a military truck, and even then clubbed, irrespective of the cries of the panic-stricken women & children..." After ten weeks, the strikers won important concessions from the woolen companies, not only for themselves but also for 250,000 textile workers throughout New England. During one of the many parades conducted by the strikers, some young girls carried a banner with the slogan: "We want bread and roses too." This inspired James Oppenheim to write his poem, "Bread and Roses," which was set to music by Caroline Kohlsaat, There is also an Italian song with the same title, "Pan e Rose," written by the Italian-American poet Arturo Giovannitti which is used by the Italian Dressmakers' Local 89 of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. 
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/03.10.99/women3-9910.html 
http://www.laborheritage.org/iall-ma.html 
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAettor.htm 
http://1912.history.ohio-state.edu/labor/FirstDays.htm 
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/breadrose.html 
    1919 - 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages. Its enforcement was authorized by the National Prohibition Enforcement Act, otherwise known as the Volstead Act on 28 October 1919. The Coast Guard had been tasked with the prevention of the maritime importation of illegal alcohol. This led to the largest increase in the size and responsibilities of the service to date.
    1920 – Walt Disney started his first job.  He was an artist for $40 a week with Kansas City Slide Co. 
    1921 - The great "Olympic Blowdown" commenced in the Pacific Northwest as a small but intense windstorm funneled along the mountains and downed vast expanses of Douglas fir trees. 8 billion board feet of timber was destroyed. Winds at North Head, WA gusted as high as 113 mph.
    1923 – Birthday of film and TV writer Paddy Chayevsky (d. 1981), in The Bronx, New York. He eventually made a name for himself writing radio and teleplays, one of which became 1955's “Marty”, a touching tale of a homely butcher and lonely schoolteacher that won Chayefsky his first Oscar. His first credit was 1951's “As Young As You Feel”, which was adapted from his story. Dividing his work between Hollywood and Broadway over the next two decades, Chayefsky penned a series of acerbic works that were often heavy on social commentary, like “The Bachelor Party” (1957), the Marilyn Monroe-inspired “The Goddess” (1958), “The Hospital” (1971), which won him his second Oscar, and “Network” (1976), which brought in a third. He also adapted such films as “The Americanization of Emily” (1964) and “Paint Your Wagon” (1969). Chayefsky's last film was the Ken Russell extravaganza “Altered States” (1980). The director's decision to have the actors deliver Chayefsky's dialogue in breathless, rapid-fire manner so infuriated the author that he had his name withdrawn from the credits. He did a teleplay called "The Man Who Loved Dickens," based on a section of Evelyn Waugh's “A Handful of Dust”, about an illiterate man in a South American jungle who holds a lost explorer captive so the latter can read Dickens to him. 
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Chayefsky,+Paddy 
http://www.turnerclassicmovies.com/ThisMonth/Article/
0,,1180|1181|1185,00.htm 
    1924 - Carl Rutherford Taylor of Cleveland, OH, obtained a patent for his invention of an ice cream cone rolling machine. It was a “machine for spinning or turning a waffle”, enabling ice cream cones
to become very popular.
    1926 - The first African-American female lawyer admitted to practice before the Supreme Court was Violette Anderson of Chicago, Illinois. 
    1928 - Birthday of vocalist Joan Shaw, born Salena Jones, Newport News, VA.
http://www.officepark.co.uk/salena-jones/biog2.htm 
    1929 - Seeing Eye guide dog organization forms.  The first guide dog training schools were established in Germany during World War I to enhance the mobility of returning veterans who were blinded in combat.  Interest in guide dogs outside of Germany did not become widespread until Dorothy Harrison Eustis, an American dog breeder living in Switzerland, wrote a first-hand account about a guide dog training school in Potsdam, Germany, that was published in “The Saturday Evening Post” in 1927. Earlier that same year, U.S. Sen. Thomas Schall of Minnesota was paired with a guide dog imported from Germany but the guide dog movement did not take hold in America until Nashville resident Morris frank returned from Switzerland after being trained with one of Eustis's dogs, a female German shepherd named Buddy. Frank and Buddy embarked on a publicity tour to convince Americans of the abilities of guide dogs and the need to allow people with guide dogs access to public transportation, hotels, and other areas open to the public. In 1929, Eustis and Frank co-founded The Seeing Eye” in Nashville (relocated in 1931 to Morristown, NJ). 
http://www.seeingeye.org/AboutUs.asp 
    1929 - Glen “Fireball” Roberts (d. 1964), auto racer, born at Daytona Beach, FL. Roberts was one of the most popular stock car racers in NASCAR history. He won 35 races in 206 starts from 1950 to 1964 when he was fatally injured in a fiery crash at the World 600 in Charlotte.
    1929 - Drummer Ed Shaughnessy (d. 2013) birthday, Jersey City.  Swing and bebop drummer best known for his long association with Doc Severinsen and The Tonight Show Band on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” 
http://www.angelfire.com/mac/keepitlive/drummers/ed.htm 
http://www.promark-stix.com/ss/artists/EdS.html 
    1934 - As a result of a compliment from Walter Winchell's newspaper column, a local disc jockey began getting offers from talent scouts and producers. The DJ became known as Redhead, to those in Washington, DC and later, by millions across the United States on CBS radio and television. His trademark, strumming a ukulele and delivering down-home talk, endeared him to fans. His name was Arthur Godfrey. He became more famous on TV in the 1950's, often broadcasting from Hawaii.
    1936 – The first inductees to the National Baseball Hall of fame were announced:  Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Honus Wagner.
    1937 - Tommy Dorsey records “Marie, Song of India”, NYC. (Victor 2555523)
    1939 - Birthday of singer Jeanne Lee, New York City, died October 24, 2000
http://www.nprjazz.org/programs/jeannelee.html 
http://users.erols.com/eye/jeannelee.html 
http://www.edmicheljazzproducer.com/jeanne_lee.htm 
    1943 - Ruth Cheney Streeter became the first woman to reach the rank of major with the U.S. Marines. She became a lieutenant colonel in 1943 and a full colonel in 1944. 
    1944 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “My Heart Tells Me,'' Glen Gray Orchestra.
    1945 - Birthday of Tom Selleck, TV actor in "Blue Bloods," "Magnum, P.I.", Detroit.
    1946 - FUNK, LEONARD A., JR. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 508th Parachute Infantry, 82d Airborne Division. Place and date: Holzheim, Belgium, 29 January 1945. Entered service at: Wilkinsburg, Pa. Birth: Braddock Township, Pa. G.O. No.: 75, 5 September 1945. Citation: He distinguished himself by gallant, intrepid actions against the enemy. After advancing 15 miles in a driving snowstorm, the American force prepared to attack through waist-deep drifts. The company executive officer became a casualty, and 1st Sgt. Funk immediately assumed his duties, forming headquarters soldiers into a combat unit for an assault in the face of direct artillery shelling and harassing fire from the right flank. Under his skillful and courageous leadership, this miscellaneous group and the 3d Platoon attacked 15 houses, cleared them, and took 30 prisoners without suffering a casualty. The fierce drive of Company C quickly overran Holzheim, netting some 80 prisoners, who were placed under a 4-man guard, all that could be spared, while the rest of the under strength unit went about mopping up isolated points of resistance. An enemy patrol, by means of a ruse, succeeded in capturing the guards and freeing the prisoners, and had begun preparations to attack Company C from the rear when 1st Sgt. Funk walked around the building and into their midst. He was ordered to surrender by a German officer who pushed a machine pistol into his stomach. Although overwhelmingly outnumbered and facing almost certain death, 1st Sgt. Funk, pretending to comply with the order, began slowly to unsling his submachine gun from his shoulder and then, with lightning motion, brought the muzzle into line and riddled the German officer. He turned upon the other Germans, firing and shouting to the other Americans to seize the enemy's weapons. In the ensuing fight 21 Germans were killed, many wounded, and the remainder captured. 1st Sgt. Funk's bold action and heroic disregard for his own safety were directly responsible for the recapture of a vastly superior enemy force, which, if allowed to remain free, could have taken the widespread units of Company C by surprise and endangered the entire attack plan.
    1947 - Herbie Fields records “Dardanella” (Victor 20-2274) 
    1947 - Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" premieres in New York City.
http://www.shunsley.eril.net/armoore/gcse/allmysons.htm 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0783226721/inktomi-videoasin-20/002-1241397-9042458 
    1949 - Top Hits
“A Little Bird Told Me” - Evelyn Knight
“Far Away Places” - Margaret Whiting
“Buttons and Bows” - Dinah Shore
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
    1950 - Heavyweight Jack Dempsey was voted the greatest boxer of the first half of the 20th century in a poll of sportswriters and broadcasters conducted by the Associated Press. Dempsey polled 251 votes to runner-up Joe Louis’s 104.
    1954 - Birthday of Oprah Winfrey, Kosciusko, MS.  America's most popular TV talk show host who garnered an Academy Award nomination for her startlingly marvelous depiction in the movie “The Color Purple” (1985).   “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011.  The series finale aired on May 25, 2011, after which she started The Oprah Winfrey Network. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she has been ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century, the greatest black philanthropist in American history, and is currently (2015) North America's only black billionaire. Several assessments regard her as the most influential woman in the world and others credit her support of Obama’s candidacy with delivering over 1 million votes.  In 2013, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of freedom by President Obama and honorary doctorate degrees from Duke and Harvard. 
    1955 – John Williams Cox bought Yankee Stadium and sold the land to the Knights of Columbus.  In 1962, he left the structure to his alma mater, Rice University.   In 1971, in preparation for a wholesale remodeling of the ballpark, New York City, under Mayor John Lindsay, threatened eminent domain, forcing Rice to sell the ballpark to the city for $2.5 million.
    1957 - Top Hits
“Singing the Blues” - Guy Mitchell
“Don’t Forbid Me” - _Pat Boone
“Jamaica Farewell” - Harry Belafonte
“Singing the Blues” - Marty Robbins
    1958 - Paul Newman marries Joanne Woodward, creating one of the most enduring of Hollywood marriages. The couple became politically active, lobbying for liberal causes and supporting Democratic candidates. Newman was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve on a United Nations Conference on Nuclear Disarmament. In the 1980s, Newman launched a line of food products as “Newman’s Own”, including salad dressing and pasta sauce, donating the profits to charity. (The salad dressing is my favorite). Both Newman and Woodward have won Academy Awards: Woodward in 1957 for “The Three Faces of Eve”, and Newman in 1986 for “The Color of Money”.  Newman died in 2008.
    1958 - Challenge Records releases "Tequila" backed with "Train to Nowhere" by the Champs. The A side will make it to Number One in mid-March. One other note...the Champs included Jim Seals and Dash Croft, later to become Seals and Crofts. Glen Campbell later joined the Champs
but it was after the record was made.
    1958 – Dodgers’ 3-time MVP catcher, Roy Campanella, suffered a broken neck in an early morning auto accident on Long Island.  Campanella lived in Glen Cove while operating a liquor store in Harlem. After closing the store for the night, he began his drive to his home. En route, his car hit a patch of ice at an S-curve, skidded into a telephone pole, and overturned. Campanella was paralyzed for the remainder of his life. 
    1959 - Walt Disney's classic animated film, “Sleeping Beauty”, was released in theaters on this date. Reviews and reactions were mixed, as Disney had deviated from the style of animation the public had grown accustomed to.
    1960 – Olympic gold medal swimmer Greg Louganis was born in El Cajon, CA.  He won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games on both the springboard and platform. He is the only male and the second diver in Olympic history to sweep the diving events in consecutive Olympic Games. In 1984, he received the Sullivan Award from the AAU as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. 
    1961 - After performing in New York, Bob Dylan visits the home of a friend in East Orange, NJ, and meets his idol, Woody Guthrie.
    1962 - Warner Bros. Records signs the folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary. They will go on to have big hits with harmonized versions of such Bob Dylan songs as "Blowin' in the Wind" as well as "If I Had a Hammer," "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Leaving on a Jet Plane."
    1963 – The first inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced.  There were 17 charter inductees:  Sammy Baugh, Bert Bell, Joseph Carr, Dutch Clark, Red Grange, George Halas, Mel Hein, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard, Don Hutson, Curly Lambeau, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, Blood McNally, Bronko Nagurski, Ernie Nevers, and Jim Thorpe.   
    1964 - For the 1965 to 1969 seasons, NBC-TV agreed to pay $36 million for the broadcast rights to the American Football League games. CBS already secured the National Football League.
    1964 - “Dr. Strangelove” premiered.  Stanley Kubrick's black comic masterpiece, “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” opened in theaters to both critical and popular acclaim. The movie's popularity was evidence of changing attitudes toward atomic weapons and the concept of nuclear deterrence. The movie focused on the actions of a rogue U.S. officer who believes that communists are threatening the "precious bodily fluids" of Americans. Without authorization, he issues orders to U.S. bombers to launch atomic attacks against the Soviet Union. When it becomes evident that some of the bombers may actually drop their atomic payloads, American President Merkin Muffley frantically calls his Soviet counterpart. The Russian leader informs Muffley that an atomic attack on the Soviet Union will automatically unleash the terrible "doomsday machine," which will snuff out all life on the planet. Muffley's chief foreign policy advisor, Dr. Strangelove, reassures the president and chief officials that all is not lost: they can, he posits, survive even the doomsday machine by retreating to deep mineshafts. Close scrutiny of the Dr. Strangelove character indicated that he was probably a composite of three people: Henry Kissinger, a political scientist who had written about nuclear deterrence strategy; Edward Teller, a key scientist in the development of the hydrogen bomb; and Wernher von Braun, the German scientist who was a leading figure in missile technology. Who can forget the character riding on the bomb falling out of the bomb bay to Russia?
The film is near its conclusion with the unforgettable scene of the "Leper Colony" bomber plane approaching closer and closer to its target. As the airship approaches its new objective with the bombing plane's theme song “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” playing on the soundtrack, Major Kong and bombardier Lieut. Lothar Zogg (James Earl Jones) make final bomb run technical checks: bomb fusing circuits, the bomb arming test lights, the primary trigger switch override, the track indicators for maximum deflection, the detonator set at zero altitude, and safety releases. Then Kong finds that one of the bomb bay doors won't open - "the Teleflex drive cable must be sheared away." He leaves his cockpit seat to fix to faulty bomb-release mechanism manually, telling his co-pilot Capt. G. A. "Ace" Owens (Shane Rimmer): "Stay on the bomb run, Ace. I'm goin' down below and see what I can do." He proceeds through the hatch to the bomb bay, telling the D.S.O. and crew, “Stay on the bomb run, boys. I'm gonna get them doors open if it hare lips everybody on Bear Creek”. There are two huge nuclear warhead bombs in the foreground, each labeled with sexual salutations: "Hi There!" (a homosexual advance), the other labeled "Dear John!" (the typical opening of a letter that ends a relationship). Kong sees a sparking tangle of wires, and climbs astride the "Hi There!" bomb like a bucking bronco, fanning the flaring sparks with his cowboy's Stetson hat. Sweating profusely, he busily works to fuse two wires together to rewire the door circuitry. Ace asks anxiously: "Roger, 3 miles. Target in sight! Where in hell is Major Kong?" as Kong attaches an alligator clip to a patch panel above his head, causing the bomb doors to open wide. 
The film has given us a memorable cultural image. When the bomb doors open, he first grabs onto his Stetson to avoid losing it in the sudden draft of air. The Hi There! bomb is dislodged, with Kong riding on it - the huge bomb [a potent swollen phallic symbol] between his legs. The bombardier asks: "Hey, what about Major Kong?" Kong is flailing the bomb with his hat like a rodeo cowboy atop a bucking bronco, howling wildly toward oblivion: "YAHOO!! YAHOO!!" as it malevolently descends toward its target and detonates in a white, climactic flash on the ground. 
http://wso.williams.edu/~mhacker/strangelove2.html 
http://www.filmsite.org/drst.html 
    1964 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit:  “I Want to Hold Your Hand,'' The Beatles. This first American release by the Beatles is one of the biggest selling British singles of all time with worldwide sales of 15 million copies.
    1965 - Top Hits 
“Downtown” - Petula Clark
“You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” - The Righteous Brothers
“The Name Game” - Shirley Ellis
“You’re the Only World I Know” - Sonny James
    1966 - "Sweet Charity", starring Gwen Verdon, opened at the Palace Theatre in New York. The Neil Simon musical was an adaptation of the Federico Fellini film, "Notti di Cabiria". The play lasted for 608 performances. In 1969, Hollywood produced a big-budget version starring Shirley MacLaine. 
    1966 - The Bobby Fuller Four's "I Fought The Law" is released
    1966 - Folk singer Joan Baez wins three gold records this day, for the albums "Joan Baez," "Joan Baez, Vol. 2" and "Joan Baez in Concert."
    1968 - Gore Vidal's controversial sex novel, “Myra Breckenridge”, was published by Little, Brown & Company on this date. It was later made into a film starring Raquel Welch and Mae West. 
    1968 - Coach Adolph Rupp, of the University of Kentucky Wildcats, got win #772, becoming the winningest coach in college basketball history.  He is currently fourth behind Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight and Dean Smith. 
    1968 - President Johnson requests additional funds. In his annual budget message, President Lyndon B. Johnson asks for $26.3 billion to continue the war in Vietnam, and announces an increase in taxes. The war was becoming very expensive, both in terms of lives and national treasury. Johnson had been given a glowing report on progress in the war from Gen. William Westmoreland, senior U.S. commander in South Vietnam. Westmoreland stated in a speech before the National Press Club that, "We have reached an important point when the end begins to come into view. I am absolutely certain that, whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing. The enemy's hopes are bankrupt." The day after Johnson's budget speech, the communists launched a massive attack across the length and breadth of South Vietnam. This action, the Tet Offensive, proved to be a critical turning point for the United States in Vietnam. In the end, the offensive resulted in a crushing military defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese, but the size and scope of the communist attacks caught the American and South Vietnamese allies by surprise. The heavy U.S. and South Vietnamese casualties incurred during the offensive, coupled with the disillusionment over the administration's earlier overly optimistic reports of progress in the war, accelerated the growing disenchantment with the president's conduct of the war. Johnson, frustrated with his inability to reach a solution in Vietnam, announced on March 31, 1968, that he would neither seek nor accept the nomination of his party for re-election. 
He died shortly after he retired, a broken man.
    1971 - New York music business financier Allen Klein was found guilty of ten counts of evading US income taxes. His conviction was upheld on appeal. Klein once controlled the finances of both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The Beatles, apparently over Paul McCartney's objections, hired Klein in 1969 to try to rescue their ailing Apple Corps Limited, which was losing thousands of pounds a week. The tangled business affairs of Apple, and Klein's failure to solve them, are cited as one reason for the Beatles' breakup
    1973 - Johnny Rivers was awarded a gold record for "Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu". 
    1973 - Top Hits
“Superstition” - Stevie Wonder
“Crocodile Rock” - Elton John
“Your Mama Don’t Dance” - Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina
“(Old Dogs-Children And) Watermelon Wine” - Tom T. Hall
    1973 - The first female pilot on a regularly scheduled major airline was Emily H. Warner. She was hired by Frontier Airlines as the second officer (co-pilot) on a Boeing 737.
    1973 - CBS-TV presented the first episode of "Barnaby Jones". Lee Meriwether, Miss America 1955, played the detective’s daughter-in-law assistant. Buddy Ebsen, playing the detective, started in movies back in the 1920s, and was chosen to play a part in "The Wizard of Oz", but bowed out. He also shot the first film used in Walt Disney's the animation tests for a character named Mortimer Mouse, who would be known as Mickey Mouse. He is best known for portraying Jed Clampett the CBS-TV series, "The Beverly Hillbillies". 
    1974 - Fighting continues in South Vietnam, despite the cease-fire that was initiated on January 28, 1973, under the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords. This latest fighting was part of the ongoing battles that followed the brief lull of the cease-fire. The Peace Accords had left an estimated 145,000 North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam when the cease-fire went into effect. Renewed fighting broke out after the cease-fire as both sides jockeyed for control of territory throughout South Vietnam. Each side held that military operations were justified by the other side's violations of the cease-fire, resulting in an almost endless chain of retaliations. During the period between the initiation of the cease-fire and the end of 1973, there were an average of 2,980 combat incidents per month in South Vietnam. Most of these were low-intensity harassing attacks designed to wear down the South Vietnamese forces, but the North Vietnamese intensified their efforts in the Central Highlands in September when they attacked government positions with tanks west of Pleiku. As a result of these post-cease-fire actions, approximately 25,000 South Vietnamese were killed in battle in 1973, while communist losses in South Vietnam were estimated at 45,000. 
    1975 - After girlfriend Linda Thompson wakes up and finds him struggling to catch his breath, Elvis Presley is admitted to Memphis' Baptist Hospital for "a liver problem," which in reality is an attempt by Presley's personal physician "Dr. Nick" to curtail his growing addiction to prescription medication.
    1977 – Normally we do not write about deaths, but on this day gifted comedian and television actor Freddie Prinze, age 22, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver in front of Martin "Dusty" Snyder, his business manager. He died in a Los Angeles hospital 36 hours later. Prinze catapulted to fame in the television sitcom, “Chico and the Man”, and experienced many emotional problems as a result, as well as a divorce. His suicide note read, "I cannot go on any longer." It was later determined that the suicide was actually intended as a practical joke by Prinze, who was under the influence of Quaaludes. He had faked suicide attempts in front of network secretaries earlier that day. Whether Prinze thought the gun was empty, thought that the safety was on, or just wasn't thinking due to the drugs, the joke he thought he was pulling on Snyder resulted in his untimely death. Modern history is full of such incidents including Russian Roulette or thinking the gun was not loaded and proving it by pointing to the head and pulling the trigger as one famous rock ’n ’roll musician did back stage after a performance.
    1977 - Rose Royce took the #1 spot on the music charts with "Car Wash", from the movie of the same title. The song lasted a week at the peak before dropping away. 
    1979 - President Jimmy Carter commutes the sentence of Patty Hearst.
    1981 - Dolly Parton barreled to the top of the charts with "9 to 5," her immortal paean to the woes of the daily grind. "9 to 5" was also the title and theme song of the hit movie starring Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as disgruntled secretaries who exact revenge on their lecherous boss, played by Dabney Coleman. 
    1981 - Top Hits
“(Just Like) Starting Over” - John Lennon
“Love on the Rocks” - Neil Diamond
“The Tide is High” - Blondie
“9 to 5” - Dolly Parton
    1983 - A series of Pacific coast storms finally came to an end. The storms, attributed in part to the ocean current, "El Nino", produced ocean swells 15 to 20 feet high which ravaged the beaches of southern California. Much of the damage was to homes of movies stars in the exclusive Malibu Colony.
    1988 - The Canadian rock band Prism, which faded in 1983 after earlier hit records and a Juno award, staged a reunion at the 86 Street Club in Vancouver. The reunion group featured three of the original members - Lindsay Mitchell, Rocket Norton and Al Harlow. Prism was formed in 1977 and produced such hit records as "Armageddon," "Spaceship Superstar" and "Night to Remember." It won the Juno for Group of the Year in 1980 and served as a springboard for writers such as Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. 83 record. 
    1988 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Need You Tonight,'' INXS. The group is only the third from Australia - and the first in five years - to top the pop chart.
    1989 - Top Hits
“Two Hearts” - Phil Collins
“When I’m with You” - Sheriff
“When the Children Cry” - White Lion
“Deeper Than the Holler” - Randy Travis 
    1989 - Billy Joel performs the US National Anthem at the Super Bowl; five years later to the day, Natalie Cole would get the honor at Super Bowl XXVIII.
    1989 - The first of 20 episodes of the children's television program, “Shining Time Station”, the half-hour American version of Britain's "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends," was aired in the United States on PBS. Former Beatle drummer Ringo Starr was originally cast as the 18-inch-tall Mr. Conductor. A few years later, he was replaced by comedian George Carlin. 
    1990 - Severe thunderstorms in the southeastern U.S. spawned a tornado which destroyed three mobile homes near Blythe, GA injuring six persons. A fast moving cold front produced high winds in the western U.S. Winds along the coast of Oregon gusted to 65 mph at Portland, and high winds generated 22 to 26 foot seas which battered the coast. Winds near Reno, NV gusted to 78 mph. High winds also buffeted the Central High Plains, with gusts to 94 mph reported at La Mesa, CO.
    1993 - An interim policy on ending the ban on homosexuals in the US military was announced by President William Clinton. The policy ended the questioning of military recruits regarding their sexual orientation but allowed removal of openly homosexual members from active service. President Clinton's announced policy of "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" allowed homosexuals to serve in the armed forces as long as they were discreet.
    1995 - San Francisco 49ers defeated San Diego Chargers, 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX. San Francisco scored on the third play of the game and led, 28-10, at half time. Steve Young passed for a record six touchdowns as the 49ers become the first team to win five Super Bowls. Young was also named MVP.
    1996 - The London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" became the world's longest-running musical with 6,138 performances. It had opened at the New London Theatre on May 11th, 1981. The previous record was held by the Broadway production of "A Chorus Line."
    1996 - Sun exhibited a prototype of a simple, inexpensive computer that allowed users to surf the Web or corporate networks. A number of similar network computers, or "thin clients," hit the market in 1996-97. The network model — where small, inexpensive machines communicated with a more sophisticated, central info hub — proved economically attractive to large companies.
    1996 - Country superstar Garth Brooks refused to accept his American Music Award for Favorite Overall Artist. Brooks said that Hootie and the Blowfish had done more for music that year than he did.
    1998 - A bomb exploded outside the New Woman, All Women Health Care Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed Robert Sanderson, an off-duty police officer working as a security guard. Emily Lyons, a nurse, was critically injured. Police have been searching for suspect Eric Rudolph in the North Carolina area.
http://www.fbi.gov/most
http://www.covenantnews.com/eric/rudolph/eric01.htm want/topten/fugitives/rudolph.htm
    2002 - In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush described "regimes that sponsor terror" as an ‘Axis of evil’, in which he includes Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.
    2009 – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was removed from office following his conviction of several corruption charges, including the alleged solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to the Senate as a replacement for then President-elect Obama.  In March 2012, Blagojevich began serving a 14-year sentence in federal prison.
    2014 - Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina experienced a mix of snow and ice, declaring emergencies as over 3,400 flights were cancelled; temperatures dipped 10 to 20 degrees below normal.

Super Bowl Champions:
    1995 – San Francisco 49ers