Set Yourself Apart and Prosper Interviewing highly skilled professionals Motivated by success, rooted in integrity Exclusive funding sources. Full Med/401(k) Click Herefor more information. Submit Resume To: smiscovich@stradacapital.com About the Company: With over 10 years in business, Strada Capital Corporation exists to provide customized commercial finance solutions through our unique customer-centric approach. Our boutique firm is steadfast in providing personal attention, swift turnaround and extraordinary customer experiences. Visit us at www.stradacapital.com

Monday, March 22, 2010

Headlines---

 Classified Ads---Sales Manager
  ELFF Confidence Index Slight Drop
   Cartoon—New Mission
 Trucking Repos Decline, But Why?
  Bank Beat---Record Seven Banks Closed last week
NEFA Dallas Conference
 by Bernie Boettigheimer, CLP
  Top Stories March 15-19
 Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
   Return Fees
 Six Certified Leasing Specialists
  ELFA Accepting Member Nominations Op/Tech.Awards
   Skokie, Illinois ---Adopt a Pet
News Briefs ---
 Congress approves historic health care legislation
  Now Texas and other states may secede from the Union
   Four U.S. cities best weathered the recession
    Former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski eyes millions in benefits
 Tiger Woods interview transcript
   You May have Missed---
     California Nuts Brief---
      "Gimme that Wine"
   Today's Top Event in History
    This Day in American History
      Basketball Poem
       SuDoku
        Daily Puzzle
     GasBuddy
  Weather, USA or specific area
     Traffic Live----

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Classified Ads---Sales Manager

Bayville, NJ Dedicated individual seeking a account management position, 3 years leasing experience and 15+ years sales experience. Resume furnished upon request, email Frank at weag4th@gmail.com .

Fort Myers, Florida Very experienced and strong skills with both Captive and Specialty Sales Management. Over 25 years , will relocate and travel---successful and team player. e-mail: tlinspections@gmail.com

For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

Other e-Mail Posting Sites:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Posting_sites.htm

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ELFF Confidence Index Slight Drop

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) releases the March 2010 Monthly Confidence Index confidence in the equipment finance market is 60.1, a slight drop compared to the February 2010 index of 60.6.

“Until capital expenditures increase we will not see growth," Elaine Temple, President, BancorpSouth Equipment Finance, Hattiesburg, Mississippi said." The best will be to maintain status quo.”

“The industry will continue to finance strong businesses with good balance sheets," she added. "...it will be more difficult for banks to extend credit to small business because of the condition of their balance sheet.

Temple predicts, "The industry will continue to suffer from higher than normal delinquency and charge offs throughout 2010.”

The March ELFF report notes that "Depending on the market segment they represent, executives have differing points of view on the current and future outlook for the industry."

Bank Sector

Russell D. Nelson
Farm Credit Leasing
Minneapolis, Minnesota
http://www.farmcreditleasing.com/

“We expect our customer base and industries served will see increased appetite for capital expenditures and lease financing during the 2nd Quarter and escalate the remainder of the year. This is predicated on improving economic conditions in the United States and globally. The future of the industry remains bright, and dependent on the pace of recovery.”

Independent Financial Services

George Booth
Black Rock Capital, Inc.
Bridgeport, Connecticut
http://www.blackrockcapital.com/

“Demand is starting to improve. Banks are becoming more realistic regarding modifications; however liquidity is still major problem with very little to no access to funds.”

Captive Market

Anthony Pacchiano
ADP Commercial Leasing
Parsippany, New Jersey
http://adpcredit.com/

“As the recession slows and the parent’s sales begin to show upward movement, the leasing and financing activity of the captive will follow as well. The captive may become more important and better utilized to get the fence sitters’ to make a decision on the product purchase’.”

General Consensus:When asked to assess if their current business conditions would remain the same over the next four months, 45 % of executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months. 2.5% believe conditions will get worse, and the majority, 52.8% believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months.

60% of survey respondents believe demand for leases and loans to fund capital expenditures (capex) will “remain the same” over the next four months while 35% indicated there will be an increased demand for leases or loans to fund capex, up from February’s index of 31% of CEOs who believed their would be an increase in demand.

67.5% of the survey respondents indicate they expect the “same” access to capital to fund business, up from 61.9% in February. 30% of executives expect more access to capital to fund equipment acquisitions over the next four months.

When asked, 25% of the executives reported they expect to hire more employees over the next four months, up slightly from 23.8% in February, and 60 % expect no change in headcount over the next four months, compared to 52.4% from February 2010.

100% of the leadership evaluates the current U.S. economy as “poor” or “fair.” In March, 57.5% rated the economy as “fair,” compared to February when 59.5% of respondents rated the economy at “fair.”

35% of survey respondents believe the U.S. economic conditions will get “better” over the next six months, down from February’s response of 42.9%. 62% of survey respondents indicate they believe the US economy will “stay the same” over the next six months, up from 52.4% in February.

30% of respondents believe their company will increase spending on business development activities during the next six months, while 62.5% believe their will be “no change” in business development spending.

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides vision for the equipment leasing and finance industry through future-focused information and research. Primarily funded through donations, the Foundation is the only organization dedicated to future-oriented, in-depth, independent research for the leasing industry. Visit the Foundation online at http://www.LeaseFoundation.org.

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Bank Beat---Record Seven Banks Closed last week

The record of bank failures this year is up to 37, closing at a faster pace than last year's count of 140. Most of these banks have had two consequent year loss, several three year losses.

Again, a large loss to the FDIC, $419.3 million.

Appalachian Community Bank, Ellijay, Georgia (also known as Gilmer County Bank) was closed with Community & Southern Bank, Carrollton, Georgia, to assume all of the deposits.

Ten Branches has gone from 266 full time employees December 31, 2008 to 209 full time employees December 31, 2009. Equity in the bank in the same time periods has gone from $73.8 million to $17.9 million; a $2.3 million loss year-end 2008 and $53.9 million loss 2009 year-end after a $44 million charge off ($35.3 million real estate with $22.3 million construction and land development, $1 million farm land, $8.9 million 1-4 family residential properties, $5.9 million commercial and industrial loans, $2.7 million credit cards.)

As of December 31, 2009, Appalachian Community Bank had approximately $1.01 billion in total assets and $917.6 million in total deposits. Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio 2.26%

It appears the bank was having problems much earlier, noting the stock traded at $24 late 2006:

Late 2006 – APAB stock peaks at $24
Aug. 15, 2008 – Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President resigns [Keith Hales] Interim COO [Danny F. Dukes]
April 24, 2009 – An agreement is signed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp to reduce the concentration in real estate loans.
Oct, 2009 – Voluntary delisting from NASDAQ
Nov, 2009 – Stock trading at 0.30 per share
Nov. 17, 2009 -
* CEO is placed on leave pending a review for alleged violations of foreclosed real estate procedures [Tracy Newton]
* CCO is placed on leave pending a review for alleged violations of foreclosed real estate procedures [Adam Teague]
* Head of Foreclosed Property is placed on leave pending a review for alleged violations [Rusty Bemoan] Interim COO is hired that has previous history with a failed Georgia bank [Danny Jett]. Appalachian Bancshares hires Stewart Long & Associates as consultants. An Interim Chief Credit Officer [Fred Smith] and interim “head of special assets” [Kirk Rankin] join APAB.

Dec. 8, 2009 -
* Chief Executive Officer resigned [Tracy Newton]
* Chief Credit Officer resigned [Adam Teague]
* Head of foreclosed real estate resigned [Rusty Bemoan]

Interim COO Danny Jett said the decisions to resign were all personal decisions.
http://www.banksofgeorgia.com/tag/gilmer-county-bank/

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $419.3 million.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2010/pr10059.html

Advanta Bank cost the FDIC $635.6 million.

The FDIC was unable to find another financial institution to take over the banking operations of Advanta Bank Corp., a Utah Industrial Bank. As a result, checks to depositors for their insured funds will be mailed on Monday. Brokered deposits will be wired once brokers provide the FDIC with the necessary documents to determine if any of their clients exceed the insurance limits.

This was an industrial bank, part of the Advanta Credit card operation. It had 763 full time employees the end of 2008, but December 31, 2009: 124. Equity had dropped from $378.6 million 2008 to $56.4 million the end of 2009, from a $6.3 million profit the year before to a $354.2 million loss year-end 2009 after a $205.7 charge off in commercial and industrial loans. Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio 5.99%

Once both a successful leasing company and mortgage packager, the company boldly expanded its credit card operation.

The FDIC estimates the cost of the failure to its Deposit Insurance Fund to be approximately $635.6 million.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2010/pr10058.html

American National Bank, Parma, Ohio was taken over by The National Bank and Trust Company, Wilmington, Ohio.

One branch with 22 full time employees formed June 25, 1963. Net equity had gone from $8 million December 31, 2008 to $560,000 December 31, 2009; net income $358,000 the year before to a loss of $10.6 million. As of December 31, 2009,

American National Bank had approximately $70.3 million in total assets and $66.8 million in total deposits. Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio 0.92%.

Cleveland.com reported:
"'The bank has been struggling for a while,' said Mike Van Buskirk, president and chief executive officer of the Ohio Bankers League, a nonprofit co-op owned by the banking industry. "And that was compounded by the unexpected death of the [president], I think, last year."

"In August, David Null died after suffering a heart attack at work. He was 59 and had led the bank since 2003. Null was replaced at the helm by Richard Wise, a former American National president and board member.

"Van Buskirk speculated that regulators brought in National Bank and Trust, rather than a Northeast Ohio bank, to preserve competition in Parma. National Bank and Trust runs 24 branches and an insurance agency in Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Highland, Montgomery and Warren counties."

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/03/fdic_closes_american_national.html

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $17.1 million.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2010/pr10056.html

Century Security Bank, Duluth, Georgia was closed with the Bank of Upson, Thomaston, Georgia assuming deposits.

Two branches with 19 full time employees formed February 28, 2006. Net equity had gone from $7.4 million December 31, 2008 to $2.2 million. Year-end 2008 the bank had a $4.9 million loss and year-end 2009 a $5.19 million loss. Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio 2.64%

As of December 31, 2009, Century Security Bank had approximately $96.5 million in total assets and $94.0 million in total deposits. The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $29.9 million.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2010/pr10057.html

Bank of Hiawassee, Hiawassee, Georgia was closed with Citizens South Bank, Gastonia, North Carolina, to assume all of the deposits of Bank of Hiawassee.

Five Branches with 136 full time employees the year before down to 119 employees December 31, 2009.

As of December 31, 2009, Bank of Hiawassee had approximately $377.8 million in total assets and $339.6 million in total deposits.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $137.7 million.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2010/pr10060.html

First Lowndes Bank, Fort Deposit, Alabama was closed with First Citizens Bank, Luverne, Alabama, to assume all of the deposits.

Four branches with 50 full time employees founded February 9, 1984. As of December 31, 2009, First Lowndes Bank had approximately $137.2 million in total assets and $131.1 million in total deposits. Equity had gone from $34.4 million to $5.6 million at the end of 2009; a loss of $6.8 million the prior year to a $30.6 million loss the end of 2009. The bank had charged of $22 million the end of last year ($15,621 construction and land development, $2.8 million 1-4 residential property, $2.3 real estate nonfarm residential property), $953,000 commercial and industrial loans, $235,000 loans to individuals.)Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio 1.75%

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $38.3 million.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2010/pr10061.html

State Bank of Aurora, Aurora, Minnesota, was closed with Northern State Bank, Ashland, Wisconsin, to assume all of the deposits.

Founded January 1, 1906 the small bank had nine full time employees where net equity was $2.8 million year-end 2008 but $325,000 year-end 2009. The bank had lost $224,000 year-end 2008 and $1.9 million year-end 2009 after charge off of $1.7 million ($1.4 million construction and land development, $300 industrial and commercial loans). Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio 1.58%

As of December 31, 2009, State Bank of Aurora had approximately $28.2 million in total assets and $27.8 million in total deposits. Northern State Bank will pay the FDIC a premium of 0.5 percent to assume all of the deposits of State Bank of Aurora. In addition to assuming all of the deposits, Northern State Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the failed bank's assets.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $4.2 million.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2010/pr10062.html

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

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

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Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

Return Fees

Some leasing companies that do not like to take residuals or do not take the time to research equipment values place a restocking fee in the lease as a requirement at termination. What this means is that the lessee must pay the fee if they return the equipment but it does not exist if the equipment is purchased or released. Let’s say that a 15% residual is required to have a competitive lease factor but there is some question if the equipment is really going to be worth that. So by placing a restocking fee of 5%, as a termination event if the lessee returns the equipment, at lease termination, it reduces the residual exposure to 10%. This allows the Lessor to give the lessee lower payments over the term and be competitive. However there are a few issues to discuss.

The question for the courts is; does this restocking fee put the true lease nature of the lease in jeopardy? Is the Lessor taking a meaningful residual? Is the fee considered part of the return cost and does this, when added to the shipping cost make it more expensive to return and therefore forcing the lessee to purchase the asset because it is cheaper than returning it? Has the lessee considered the impact of the fee on the rate and has the Lessee been informed about the fee or is it buried in the small print in the return paragraph. Does the Lessee understand that because the fee is mandatory upon return it is included in the rent for the 90% test for lease classification? These are issues that must be considered prior to lease commencement so that both the Lessee and Lessor are informed as to the risks they are assuming.

The larger the actual residual and the smaller the restocking fee the more the problems begin to disappear. However, most of the leases with a restocking fee that I have seen tend to be in the lower end of the issue. I think, and it is only my opinion, that it should only be used on residuals over 25% and with a restocking fee at 5% or under. If not all the issues raised above will come to light. I know that if you only do this on rare occasion it will be buried in your portfolio and would be hard to pull out and question. But, the authorities are looking at everything today and it will only be a matter of time before this issue will come up in a suit.

I think it is more of a legal and tax issue than an accounting problem, but because it is a way to reduce payments it is very popular. Some Lessor’s continue to use it because they have a strong income tax indemnity section in their lease and are putting the burden on the lessee and they are prepared to accept the legal risk that it may be an Article 9 loan in default situations. In most cases the lessee is unaware of the risk and if they purchase the equipment at termination it becomes a non issue except the purchase price had to be high enough to cover the residual. This may even be a problem. If the equipment is sold for only the residual on a consistent basis then the IRS could question the portfolio on the bases that the payments plus the purchase price approximates the cost to acquire title on a loan basis and challenge the tax nature of the transactions.

If you are doing leases with bargain options and do not take the tax benefits and are making Article 9 transactions then a restocking fee works very well to lower payments and take a low residual risk.

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty years and can be reached at leaseconsulting@msn.com or 502-327-8666.

He invites your questions and queries.

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

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

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

News Briefs----

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Today's Top Event in History

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This Day in American History

    1526-The first North American Slave Revolt: Nearly 40 years before the first permanent European settlement in North America, Spanish explorers bring enslaved Africans to what are now the Carolinas. The Africans escape in what is the first recorded slave revolt in North America. In 1501- Spanish settlers brought slaves from Africa to Santo Domingo (now the capital of the Dominican Republic). There was a slave revolt in 1522 on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which now comprises Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Most of Columbus bounty were Indian slaves as this was large commerce for basically “free labor.” In 1562, John Hawkins, the first Briton to take part in the slave trade, makes a huge profit hauling human cargo from Africa to Hispaniola.
    1619-Africans brought to Jamestown are the first slaves imported into Britain's North American colonies. Like indentured servants, they were probably freed after a fixed period of service. 
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/tl.html
    1621-A peace treaty and defensive alliance between the Wampanog Indians and the Pilgrims was concluded at Strawberry Hill, Plymouth, Mass. Arranged by Squanto, an English-speaking Indian, it was one of the earliest recorded treaties between Europeans and Indians in North America. Squantohad been kidnapped and sold as a slave in Spain. He escaped to England, where he learned English, and lived in Newfoundland for a time before returning to Massachusetts in 1916.
http://www.night.net/thanksgiving/massasoit-treaty.html
    1621 - The Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe lead by Chief Massassoit reach a treaty agreement. They form a defensive alliance. Squanto, who speaks English because he had been captured by the English in 1615 and spent two years in England, brokers the pact.
    1622 - The Powhattan Confederacy massacred 347-350 colonists in Virginia, a quarter of the population. On Good Friday over 300 colonists in and around Jamestown, Virginia, were massacred by the Powhatan Indians. The massacre was led by the Powhatan chief Opechancanough and began a costly 22-year war against the English. Opechancanough hoped that killing one quarter of Virginia’s colonists would put an end to the European threat. The result of the massacre was just the opposite, however, as English survivors regrouped and pushed the Powhattans far into the interior. Opechancanough launched his final campaign in 1644, when he was nearly 100 years old and almost totally blind. He was then captured and executed.
    1622- The first Indian massacre, led by Powhatan's brother, almost wiped out the settlements outside Jamestown, Virginia, which was itself heavily fortified. 347 colonists out of a population of 1,240 were slain. In 1644, another Indian uprising, led by Opechancanough, threatened Jamestown, but was surprised by the colonists, and resulted in a treaty which forced the Indians to cede additional territory and effected a peace until 1675. Remains of the successful English settlement were found in 1996, including wood stains showing where the original wall was, the skeleton of a settler, and glass beads used for trading with the local Indians.
    1630 - The first legislation prohibiting gambling was enacted in Boston, Massachusetts.
    1765- Britain enacted a requirement to buy revenue stamps for every pair of dice, every pack of playing cards, and every newspaper, document, and pamphlet. The purpose of the tax was to raise funds to pay for the upkeep of the British army in America. Colonists mounted a sustained boycott of British goods until the tax was repealed.1862-the Confederate cruiser built in England the Oneto, set sail from Liverpool, bound for the Bahamas. The ship was transferred to Captain John Newland Maffitt of the Confederate Navy, who took rank as commodore. The guns and stores were sent in another ship that followed.
    1812-Birthday of Stephen Pearl, author, born in Templeton, Massachusetts ; died in New York City, 21 May 1886. He was an ardent abolitionist, and in 1839 removed to Texas, where he converted many of the slave-owners, who were also large land-owners, by showing them that they would become rapidly rich from the sale of land if immigration were induced by throwing the country open to free labor. Here he acquired considerable wealth in the practice of his profession. He also had a dedicated following around a “universal” philosophy and language.
http://www.famousamericans.net/stephenpearlandrews/
    1820- Naval hero Stephen Decatur died from a duel. One of Decatur's colleagues, Commodore James Barron had been the subject of scandal in 1807 when he commanded the frigate Chesapeake and failed to prepare it for battle to British warship Leopold. Barron's disgraceful defeat lead to his court martial in 1808. One of Decatur's naval duties was to sit on the trial of Barron's court martial. Although Decatur and Barron had been friends, Decatur agreed to a verdict that expelled Barron from the Navy for five years. This event began the thirteen year dispute that would end on the dueling grounds in Maryland. Barron was overseas at the end of his five year expulsion from the Navy and did not return to help defend his country during the War of 1812. Upon Barron's return to the United States in December 1818, Decatur challenged his absence during the war. In his defense, Barron claimed he had no money, and therefore could not get back to his country. Back and forth over four years, letters were written and both men stood their ground. Eventually, the quarrel became a fatal battle of honor. 
Although dueling was illegal in the city of Washington, it was still common for naval officers to challenge one another. On March 22, 1820, Commodore Stephen Decatur and Commodore James Barron met on the dueling ground in Bladensburg, Maryland. Both men were shot, but Decatur was mortally wounded. He was brought back to his home on Lafayette Square and died several hours later. The nation mourned the death of a great naval hero.
http://www.decaturhouse.org/museum/history2.htm
    1822- Birthday Rosa Bonheur, born in France, her paintings were celebrated in her home country, but her paintings were the rage in the Golden Age of American History. Her father was a minor painter and by an early age, she showed an aptitude for sketching live animals. Before long she dressed in boys' clothing so she could go into the fields and stockyards to study animals (in the days of skirts to the ground). By the time she was 19, two of her paintings were exhibited in the annual Parisian Salon and at 23 she received her first medal. Although radical in the way she lived her personal life, Bonheur was politically and artistically conservative. She worked in a very traditional way, making sketches and studies in preparation for larger, final paintings. This is an oil study for her most famous painting,The Horse Fair. The study is quite small; the final painting is 8 x 16 feet. Bonheur believed in direct observation of nature and was determined to be accurate in all details. To this end, she dissected animal parts, sketched from life, and attended horse fairs, which were opportunities for dealers of horses to show off their stock to potential buyers. This was not the type of event normally attended by women. To avoid the taunts and comments a woman could receive if she were seen at a horse fair, Bonheur applied for permission from the prefecture of police to dress in men's clothing, and received authorization to do so in 1852. She reportedly did live in an acknowledged lesbian relationship for most of her life. Her paintings were the rage of the 19 th century in America. One of her finest and most famous painting, The Horse Fair (1853), was purchased by Cornelius Vanderbilt, it was brought to the U.S. (where her artistic abilities and personality "meshed with American interest in innovation and bravura") and now hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/bonheur_rosa.html
    1842-publisher / abolitionist Josiah Warren (1798-1874) opens 2nd Time Store in New Harmony. Warren founded several “equity” stores, founded three utopian colonies, and wrote True Civilization. These stores based sales on the hours of labor and worked on the trade of these goods for the time of labor, utilizing a “clock” formula. He is considered America's first anarchist.
http://www.famousamericans.net/josiahwarren/
http://www.kat.gr/kat/history/Txt/Gl/Anarchism/JosWarren.htm
http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/warren.html
http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/nh.html
    1862-The Confederate cruiser built in England was the Oneto, which sailed this day from Liverpool, England, bound for the Bahamas. The ship was transferred to Captain John Newland Maffitt of the Confederate Nay, who took ran as commodore. He is considered one of the best known naval commanders of the Confederate navy. The guns and stores were sent in another ship that followed. Maffitt organized blockade-running operations from the West Indies. The high point of his career, however, was his captaincy of the commerce-raider C.S.S . Florida. In only two cruises, Maffitt took 57 prizes, wreaking over $4 million worth of damage to Union shipping. Reassigned to blockade-running in 1863, Maffitt continued to baffle Yankee captains and bring vital military cargoes into Southern ports until nearly the end of the war. Maffit was a true Naval hero known for his ingenuity, courage, seamanship and high-spirited leadership .
http://nautarch.tamu.edu/PROJECTS/denbigh/Maffitt.htm
http://www.csnavy.org/jnm.htm
http://www.civilwar-photos.com/monthly.htm
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-m/j-maffit.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0872499863/
inktomi-bkasin-20/ref%3Dnosim/104-0082188-8675910
    1872-the State of Illinois was the first to pass a law banning sex discrimination in employment: “ no person shall be precluded or debarred from any occupation or employment ( except military) on account of sex” was one of the provisions. 100 years later the Senate passed the passed a law to prohibit sex discrimination, but it required ratification by 38 states, which even when the deadline was extended, it never received the necessary passage so did not become the law of the land. Ironically, only 35 states ratified the 1972 amendment. Among the ones that ironically did not was Illinois:
Alabama 
Arizona 
Arkansas 
Florida 
Georgia 
Illinois 
Louisiana 
Mississippi 
Missouri 
Nevada 
North Carolina 
Oklahoma 
South Carolina 
Utah 
Virginia
    1874-The Young Men's Hebrew Association originated in the 1840s as the Young Men's Hebrew Literary Association. The first YMHA opened in Baltimore, MD, in 1854, but was unsuccessful The first permanent YMHA was founded this day in 1874 by a group of German-Jewish businessmen and professionals headed by Dr. Simeon Newton Leo. The first president was Lewis May. A second club was started in Philadelphia in 1875.
    1882-The Edmunds Act is passed by Congress, making polygamy a felony offense, disenfranchising polygamists and barring them from public office. Apparently the only US law to deprive citizens of their civil rights without trial. More than 1,300 men were imprisoned under the terms of this measure. It was specifically enacted to halt the growth of the Mormon religion in Utah.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h734.html
http://www.vermonthistory.org/educate/Edmunds/gEdmunds.HTM
    1893-The first women's collegiate basketball game was played at Smith College at Northampton, MA. Senda Berenson, then Smith's director of physical education and "mother of women's basketball," supervised the game, in which Smith's sophomore team beat the freshman team 5-4.
    1899-Ruth Page, American dancer and choreographer Ruth Page was born at Indianapolis, IN. She was a leading figure in Chicago dance with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Opera Ballet and the Chicago Ballet. She died Apr 7, 1991, at Chicago, IL. 
http://www.ruthpage.com/
    1907-trumpter player Rex Stewart born Philadelphia, PAhttp://www.dnai.com/~lmcohen/BOOKS/dc801590.htm
    1908 -- Birthday of Louis L'Amour (1908-1988) lives. American writer of western fiction. After the 1950s L'Amour published, at the peak of his career, several westerns a year. Best known is Hondo.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/lamour.htm
    1908-guitarist/violinist Claude Williams born Muskogee, OK 
http://shoko.calarts.edu/~chung/artists/ClaudeWilliamsBio.html
    1915-tenor sax player Buddy Tate born Sherman, TX
http://elvispelvis.com/buddytate.htm
    1919 –Electric guitarist Charlie Christian birthday
http://www.duke.edu/~asr2/charlie.html
    1920 - A spectacular display of the Northern Lights was visible as far south as Bradenton FL, El Paso TX, and Fresno CA. At Detroit MI, the display was described "so brilliant as to blot out all stars below first magnitude".
    1922-trumpter player Joe Wilder born Colwyn, PA
http://www.lpb.com/eveningstar/joe2.htm
    1928-guitarist Johnny “Texas” Brown born Chotaw City, MS
http://bioc09.uthscsa.edu/~seale/tjbrown.html
    1931-yesterday Day in History had James T. Kirk birthday; today is William Shatner's birthday, Montreal, QC, Canada.
    1936 -great floods were at their crest on rivers from Maine to Ohio. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania reached 6.1 feet, Harrisburg hit 3.5 feet, and Hartford hit 8.6 feet, a depth greater than ever before. 107 lives were lost and damage was placed at $270 million.
    1936 - A great flood crested on rivers from Ohio to Maine. The flood claimed 107 lives and caused 270 million dollars property damage.
    1943-singer/guitars/song writer George Benson born Philadelphia, PA. Benson began as a jazz guitarist, playing and recording with organist Brother Jack McDuff, and recording a series of mainstream jazz LPs on his own for several labels. In 1975, Benson signed with Warner Brothers, where he was encouraged to sing. The result was "Breezin'," which became the biggest-selling jazz album of all time. His hit singles, all vocals in the Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway mold, include "On Broadway," "This Masquerade," "Give Me the Night" and "Turn Your Love Around."
    1943-Birthday of Keith Relf, vocalist, guitarist and harmonica player with the legendary British band, the Yardbirds, was born in Richmond, England. The group gave birth to three major guitar heroes of the 1960's - Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. For his part, Relf is credited with being one of the first to use guitar feedback. After the Yardbirds broke up in 1968, Relf and another member of the group, Jim McCarty, formed a duo called Together. Relf then organized a classical rock band, Renaissance, and a heavy rock group, Armageddon. In 1976, Keith Relf was found dead in his London home with a guitar in his hands. He had died of an electric shock.
    1945—Top Hits
A Little on the Lonely Side - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Jimmy Brown)
Accentuate the Positive - Johnny Mercer
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Pied Pipers
There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder - Jimmie Davis
    1948- Andrew Lloyd Webber birthday, composer of such smash musicals as "Jesus Christ, Superstar," "Evita," "Cats," "Phantom of the Opera," "Starlight Express" and "Aspects of Love" was born in London. Webber, the son of a composer, studied music at the Guildhall School and the Royal College, as well as attending Oxford. With lyricist Tim Rice, Webber was asked to write a children's show for EMI Records. The result was a version of an Old Testament story, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," which was a moderate success.With manager David Lands underwriting their efforts, Webber and Rice started work on a rock opera, "Jesus Christ, Superstar," which tells the story from the viewpoint of children who might have known Christ. The recording of the opera was released on two LP's in October, 1970, and four years later had sold 5.5 million copies. "Jesus Christ, Superstar" opened on Broadway in 1971 and in London a year later. . A film version, directed by Norman Jewison, was made in 1973.
    1953—Top Hits
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Doggie in the Window - Patti Page
Kaw-Liga - Hank Williams
    1955-Disc Jockey Alan Freed joins the staff of Coral records as an A&R man. His two year deal calls for him to work with Coral's parent Company, Decca, as a producer.
    1956 - Sammy Davis, Jr. becomes an instant celebrity when he stars in the Broadway play Mr. Wonderful.
    1956 - Sammy Davis, Jr. starred in the play, "Mr. Wonderful", in New York City. The critics were unkind, saying that they didn't care for the production. Audiences, however, gave it ‘thumbs up' and the show went on to be one of Broadway's more popular musicals, catapulting Davis into the limelight. He appeared with Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas, as Sinatra was also making a comeback, having won the Academy Award in 1954 as best supporting actor in “From Here to Eternity.” They became fast friends. The public black and white relationship was ahead of its time.
    1956 - Perry Como became the first major TV variety-show host to book a rock and roll act on his program. The ‘Incomparable Mr. C.' booked Carl Perkins for the show and Perkins sang "Blue Suede Shoes".
    1958 - Movie producer Mike Todd and three other passengers were killed when the Lockheed Lodestar aircraft they were in exploded while in midair. Mike Todd was Elizabeth Taylor's third husband, and she took his untimely death very hard. It was reported that Taylor had planned to be on board as well, but her husband discouraged her from the trip due to an illness she was getting over. Todd produced the Oscar- winning movie from two years earlier, Around the World in 80 Days, and introduced innovative methods of filming to the industry.
    1958- At the urging of his mother, Hank Williams Junior makes his stage debut in Swainsboro, Georgia. he is the eight year old son of the late country singer (who past away New Year's Day 1953) and his wife, Audrey Williams. It would take years and a near-fatal accident before he could develop a style of his own and come to terms with being the son of one of country music's greatest performers
    1960-the first patent for a laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) granted to Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes.
    1961—Top Hits
Surrender - Elvis Presley
Where the Boys Are - Connie Francis
Dedicated to the One I Love - The Shirelles
Don't Worry - Marty Robbins
    1961- industrial designer Raymond Loewy made this sketch of a futuristic sports car at the request of Sherwood Egbert, the recently appointed president of the ailing Studebaker Corporation. Egbert charged Loewy to design a new car bold enough to capture the popular imagination and boost the company's sagging fortunes. Loewy and his team of designers produced a prototype in record time, and the Avanti debuted in the spring of 1962 to rave reviews. My parents liked it so much they sold their Olds to get a red Avanti. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar22.html
    1962 - 19-year-old Barbra Streisand becomes an instant celebrity when she stars in the Broadway play I Can Get It for You Wholesale.
    1962 - The play, "I Can Get It For You Wholesale", opened on Broadway. It featured a 19-year-old named Barbara Streisand. She stopped the show at the famed Shubert Theatre in New York City. Streisand starred as Miss Marmelstein. Audiences kept coming back for more of Barbara for 300 performances. 1969 - UCLA defeated Purdue 92-72 to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball championship. The Bruins were the first team to win three consecutive championships -- all under legendary head coach John Wooden. UCLA went on to dominate the college basketball title through the 1973 season. 1969 - UCLA won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball championship after defeating Purdue 92-72. The Bruins were the first team to win three consecutive championships, while under head coach John Wooden. Until the 1973 season, UCLA went on to dominate the college basketball title.
    1963 -"Our Day Will Come" by Ruby and The Romantics topped the Billboard Hot 100.
    1966- Sopwith Camel appears at the Matrix in the San Francisco Marina District.
    1967 -McNERNEY, DAVID H. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. place and date: polei Doc, Republic of Vietnam, 22 March 1967. Entered service at: Fort Bliss, Tex. Born: 2 June 1931, Lowell, Mass. Citation: 1st Sgt. McNerney distinguished himself when his unit was attacked by a North Vietnamese battalion near polei Doc. Running through the hail of enemy fire to the area of heaviest contact, he was assisting in the development of a defensive perimeter when he encountered several enemy at close range. He killed the enemy but was painfully injured when blown from his feet by a grenade. In spite of this injury, he assaulted and destroyed an enemy machinegun position that had pinned down 5 of his comrades beyond the defensive line. Upon learning his commander and artillery forward observer had been killed, he assumed command of the company. He adjusted artillery fire to within 20 meters of the position in a daring measure to repulse enemy assaults. When the smoke grenades used to mark the position were gone, he moved into a nearby clearing to designate the location to friendly aircraft. In spite of enemy fire he remained exposed until he was certain the position was spotted and then climbed into a tree and tied the identification panel to its highest branches. Then he moved among his men readjusting their position, encouraging the defenders and checking the wounded. As the hostile assaults slackened, he began clearing a helicopter landing site to evacuate the wounded. When explosives were needed to remove large trees, he crawled outside the relative safety of his perimeter to collect demolition material from abandoned rucksacks. Moving through a fusillade of fire he returned with the explosives that were vital to the clearing of the landing zone. Disregarding the pain of his injury and refusing medical evacuation 1st Sgt. McNerney remained with his unit until the next day when the new commander arrived. First Sgt. McNerney's outstanding heroism and leadership were inspirational to his comrades. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
    1967 - Elvis Presley begins filming his 25th movie, Clambake, in Los Angeles.
    1967 - The Who make their US stage debut, performing at the Paramount Theater in New York City.     1968 - President's daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson, ordered off San Francisco cable car for eating ice cream cone.
    1968 - For the real trivia buffs: President's daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson, ordered off cable car for eating ice cream cone, of course, only in San Francisco.
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/rock.html
http://www.sfheart.com/SF_History.html
http://www.sfgate.com/sf/howe/1115.html
    1969—Top Hits
Dizzy - Tommy Roe
Traces - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
Indian Giver - 1910 Fruitgum Co.
Only the Lonely - Sonny James
    1972- the Senate passed the 27th Amendment, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sending it to the states for ratification. Hawaii led the way as the first state to ratify and by the end of the year 22 of the required states had ratified it. On Oct 6,1978, the deadline for ratification was extended to June 30, 1982, by Congress. The amendment still lacked three of the required 38 states for ratification. This was the first extension granted since Congress set seven years as the limit for ratification. The amendment failed to achieve ratification as the deadline came and passed and no additional states ratified the measure. 
http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/
    1972- The Yankees trade first baseman Danny Cater to the Red Sox for lefty reliever Albert Walter Lyle. Over the next seven years, Sparky will pitch in 420 games in relief with 57-40 record and a 2.41 ERA notching 141 saves as he helps the Bronx Bombers to appear in three World Series.
    1975 - Barry Manilow makes his first US television appearance, performing "Mandy" and "It's A Miracle" on ABC-TV's American Bandstand.
    1975 - Frankie Valli's "My Eyes Adored You" hits #1
    1976-Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter tells the audience at the National Association of Record Merchandisers' Scholarship Foundation Dinner that Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin and other bands inspired him while working late nights when he was the Governor of Georgia. To prove he would never lie to them, he quoted lines from the Beatles' "Yesterday" and Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind.
    1977-a blockbuster coastal storm lashed New York and New England. Norfolk, Connecticut was buried under 33 inches of snow. 24 inches was reported at Pittsfield, Massachusetts and 18 inches piled up at Gardner, Massachusetts. Snow amounts exceeded 30 inches in the Catskills in southeastern New York. 3 to 5 inches of rain deluged south coastal New England and wind gusts reached 60 to 90 mph. A 450 foot radio tower in Framingham, Massachusetts was toppled by the high winds.
    1977—Top Hits
Love Theme from "A Star is Born" (Evergreen) - Barbra Streisand
Fly like an Eagle - Steve Miller
Rich Girl - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
    1977 - Comedienne Lily Tomlin made her debut on Broadway, as "Lily Tomlin on Stage" opened in New York.
    1977-Stevie Wonder releases the single, "Sir Duke." The tune was a tribute to Duke Ellington and would spend 3 weeks at #1
    1977-The John Denver TV special, Thank God, I'm A Country Boy aired on ABC-TV. Guests included Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell and Roger Miller.
    1982-Diana Ross' first solo album for RCA, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," goes platinum less than three months after its release.
    1985—Top Hits
Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon
The Heat is On - Glenn Frey
Material Girl - Madonna
Crazy for Your Love – Exile
    1988 - Rain and high winds battered the Northern Pacific Coast Region, with wind gusts to 78 mph at Ocean Shores WA. The high winds uprooted trees and down power lines. Ten cities in the northeastern U.S. reported new record low temperatures for the date. Eight cities in the central U.S. reported record highs. Southerly winds gusting to 60 mph helped push the mercury at Ottumwa IA to a record warm reading of 83 degrees
    1988 - Rain and high winds battered the Northern Pacific Coast Region, with wind gusts to 78 mph at Ocean Shores WA. The high winds uprooted trees and down power lines. Ten cities in the northeastern U.S. reported new record low temperatures for the date. Eight cities in the central U.S. reported record highs. Southerly winds gusting to 60 mph helped push the mercury at Ottumwa IA to a record warm reading of 83 degrees.
    1989-Dick Clark announces he'll no longer host "American Bandstand," ending a 33-year run.
    1989 - Six cities in the Great Lakes Region, and three in southern Texas, reported new record low temperatures for the date, including Alpena MI with a reading of 9 above zero, and Brownsville TX with a reading of 38 degrees
    1989 - Six cities in the Great Lakes Region, and three in southern Texas, reported new record low temperatures for the date, including Alpena MI with a reading of 9 above zero, and Brownsville TX with a reading of 38 degrees.
    1990 - A surge of arctic air kept temperatures in the teens and 20s during the day in the north central U.S., and heavy snow fell over parts of Montana. Record warmth was reported in the western U.S., and in Alaska. Phoenix AZ reported a record high of 94 degrees, and the town of Barrow, located along the arctic coast of Alaska, reported a record high of 20 degrees.
    1999---Top Hits
Believe- Cher
Heartbreak Hotel- Whitney Houston Feat. Faith Evans
Angel Of Mine- Monica
I Still Believe- Mariah Carey
    2002- After a poor spring trying to make the Dodgers as a bench player, 38-year-old Dante Bichette (.299, 274, 1,141) announces his retirement. The four-time All-Star played with the Angels, Brewers, Rockies, Reds and Red Sox during his 14-year major league career.

NCAA Basketball Champions This Date

    1958 Kentucky
    1969 UCLA

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