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

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Craig Bassel was hired as Vice President, Business Development Officer, Crestmark Financial Division of MetaBank, N.A., Troy, Michigan. He is located in Pleasanton, California. Previously, he was Vice President, Business Development Officer, Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Commercial Services Group (January, 2000 - October, 2020). Education: University of California, Davis. Bachelor of Arts BA, Economics. Activates and Societies: Member, Phi Delta Fraternity, Held the office of Office of Rush Chairman; Two internships: Hyatt Hotels and Sacramento Army Depot. https://www.linkedin.com/in/csb702/

Ben Carapezzi was hired as Director of Originations, Stonebriar Commercial Finance, Plano, Texas. He is located in the New York City Metropolitan Area. Previously, he was Managing Partner, Agrius Capital Partners (June, 2019 - May, 2021); Vice President of Sales, SLR Equipment Finance (June, 2017 - June, 2019). Education: Roger Williams University, Bachelor of Science, BS, Marketing Operations from the Mario J. Gabelli School of Business (2013 - 2017). Activities and Societies: Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). https://www.linkedin.com/in/equipmentloans/

Michael Cole was hired as Senior Vice President, Wintrust Commercial Finance, Rosemont, Illinois. He is located in the Little Rock Metropolitan Area, Arkansas. Previously, Managing Director Aviation, at, Bank OZK (May, 2016 - April, 2021); Vice President, Aviation, Bridgeview Bank Group (February, 2015 - May, 2016); Senior Vice President, Aviation, Bank Financial (June, 2013 - January, 2105); Aviation Underwriter, Chartis Aerospace Insurance Services (August, 2009 - April, 2013); Vice President, Sales, Jet Linx Aviation Corporation (February, 2008 - March, 2009); Vice President Aircraft Finance Sales, US Bancorp Aircraft Finance (2004 - 2007); Vice President, Sales, Capital Equipment Financing & Leasing, GMAC (2002 - 2003); Regional Vice President, Comdisco (1995 - 2001); Vice President, Regional Sales, CIT (1995); Area Sales Manager, GE Capital Computer Learning. Licenses and Certifications: Airline Transport Pilot. Certified Flight Instructor (CFMEII), Federal Aviation Administration, FAA. Commercial Seaplane Pilot, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA. Volunteer: Volunteer Support, Hesed House (2013 - Present). Education: Northern Illinois University, College of Business. MBA, Marketing/Marketing Management, General (2002 - 2006). Activities and Societies: Beta Gamma Epsilon. Saint Xavier University, MBA, Finance & Investment Analysis (2000 - 2002). https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-cole-05325a5/

Brian Daley was hired as Senior Managing Director, Commercial Leader, Encina Equipment Finance, Westport, Connecticut. He is located in Irvine, California. Previously, he was Managing Director, Stonebriar Commercial Finance (September, 2016 - March, 2021). He began his career at GE Capital, Corporate Finance, June, 1988, as Assistant Vice President, promoted June, 1991 to Sales Representative, Corporate Aircraft Financing, June, 1991; promoted April, 1994,Region Sales Manager; promoted April, 2004, Managing Director; promoted September, 2013, Senior Managing Director; promoted February, 2015, Commercial Leasing Leader. Education: Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, MBA, Finance (1997 - 2000). University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, Bachelor of Science in Economics, Finance (1984 - 1988). https://www.linkedin.com/in/daleybrian/

Dan Fluharty was promoted to President, Huntington Asset Finance, Huntington National Bank, Columbus, Ohio. He joined the firm May, 2014, as Senior Managing Director. Previously, he was Senior Vice President, AIG Commercial Asset Finance (March, 2011 - March, 2014); Senior Vice President, AIG Commercial Equipment Finance (October, 2004 - April, 2011); Senior Vice President, Transamerica (February, 1995 - February, 2004); Senior Credit Manager, ITT Capital Finance (February, 1985 - February, 1995). Education: Kent State University. Degree in Business Manager (1984). https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-fluharty-83180311/

Randy Gartz was hired as Sales Manager, Crestmark, a division of MetaBank, Troy, Michigan. He is located in the Houston, Texas Area. Previously, he was SVP, Corporate Relationship Manager, BBVA Compass (2016 - April, 2021); Corporate and Commercial Houston Manager, Mutual of Omaha Bank (2013 - 2016); Texas Market President, Whitney Bank (September, 2011 - October, 2013); Executive Vice President and Manager, Green Bank (February, 2005 - September, 2011); Senior Vice President, Marquette Capital (March, 1997 - February, 2005); Senior Vice President, Bank One (April, 1984 - March, 1997). Volunteer: Contest Committeeman, Houston Livestock (March, 2005 - Present). Education: University of Houston, Bachelor's Degree, Accounting (1982 - 1984). Texas A&M University. Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), International Finance (1977 - 1981). https://www.linkedin.com/in/randygartz/

Rita Giachini was hired as Chief Operating Officer, Armada Credit Group, Burlington, Ontario, Canada. "Giachini’s role will include oversight of Armada’s Sales and Operations functions in the United States and Canada.” “We are very fortunate to add someone with Rita’s character, track record and expertise,” said Bill Tsiobanos, Armada’s Co-Managing Director. “She will help us leverage our successes while we strengthen the foundation of our business to achieve sustainable and scalable growth.” According to Armada Co-Managing Director, Danny Lebovics, “With her experience, expertise and business relationships, Rita adds management strength to our leadership team as well as deep knowledge of financial products, industries and asset classes that we have been planning to pursue. She is a great complement to our stellar team and will help our own people as well as our valued customer; vendor, funder and investor partners grow and succeed.” Previously, she was President, Peel Financial (June, 2015 - January, 2015); Vice President, Business Development, Canadian Black Book (June, 2014 - January, 2015). She joined PowerBand Global February, 2008, as Director Business Development; promoted June, 2011, Vice President, Business Development; Director, Business Development, Bodkin Leasing (2004 - 2008); VP Sales and Marketing, Strategic Financial Solutions (1993 - 2003).Certificates: LifeScapers, Certificate, Coaching with Creativity and Imagination (2004 - 2005). Adler School of Professional Coaching. Certificate, Coaching Conversations in the Context of work. Education: UofC/RKC, MBA, Leadership and Sustainability (2013 - 2014). York University, 1985. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rita-g-22a7b513

Blake Goddard was hired as Vice President, Business Development, in the Asset-Based Lending Department, CIT, New York, New York. He is located in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, "where he will be responsible for generating new business leads, deepening client relationships and representing a wide range of bank products and services." He previously was Vice President, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (2019 - 2021); Assistant Vice President AloStar (2017 - 2019); Associate, Caymus Equity Partners (2016 - 2017); Analyst, ING (2013 - 2016). Volunteer: Mentor, Year Up (September, 2015 - June, 2017). Education: Kennesaw State University, BBA, Finance (2009 - 2012). CEO, Student Managed Investment Fund. Member, Dean's Student Advisory Board. Waffle House Foundation Scholarship. https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-goddard-89b81231/

Gary Greenspan was hired as Vice President, Equipment Finance, First Business Bank, Madison Wisconsin. He is based in Michigan. He previously was Vice President, National Account Executive, Crestmark Bank (January, 2018 - April, 2021). Previously, he was Vice President, National Account Executive, Crestmark Bank (January, 2018 - April, 2021); Senior National Account Executive, Lease Corporation of America (October, 2012 - January, 2018); Mortgage Origination, Goldstar Financial, Inc. (January, 2010 - August, 2011); Mortgage Origination, Quicken Loans, Inc. (2009 - 2010); Owner, Orchard Management (1997 - 2008). Education: Michigan State University (1980 - 1984). https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-greenspan-4a76a731/

Brian Griffin was hired as Senior Vice President, Head of Leasing, Republic Bank of Chicago, Oak Brook, Illinois. Previously he was Senior Vice President, Lease Banking Group Head, Fifth Third Bank (May 2019 - March, 2021). He began his career as Senior Vice President, Lease Banking Division Manager, March, 2005, MB Financial Bank; promoted President, Lease Banking, February, 2016). https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-griffin-531b139/

Tom Gutowski was hired as Senior Working Capital Specialist, Dext Capital, Lake Oswego, Oregon. He previously was at Marlin Capital Solutions, starting June, 2014 as Business Development Manager, Indirect Vendor Sales; promoted, July, 2015, Business Development Manager, Direct Lending. Prior, he was Senior Sales Account Manager, AT&T (June, 2015 - July, 2016); Senior Sales Account Manager, LifeShield Home Security (December, 2012 - November, 2014); Internet Coordinator, Davis Dealerships (June, 2009 - July 2012); Field Merchandiser, Plant Essentials (March, 2006 - April, 2009). Education: The College of New Jersey, Bachelor of Arts, Interactive Multimedia (2006 - 2009). Mercer County Community College Associates, Computer Graphics (2004 - 2006). Activities and Societies: Phi Theta Kappa, Top Male Scholar Athlete.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-gutowski-0ba4a439/

Ryan Kelly was hired as Vice President of Sales, Partners Capital Group, Santa Ana, California. He is located in Roseville, Michigan. Previously, he was Account Executive, Lease Corporation of America (September, 2012 - March, 2020); Government Contracting Specialist, Aldez North America (January, 2009 - December, 2011); Owner/Operator, Premier Golf Center (March, 2005 - November, 2008). Education: Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Administration, Bachelor's degree, Business Administration and Management, General (2009 - 2010). Macomb Community College, Associate’s degree, Business/Commerce, General (1988 - 2002). https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kelly-472b6061/

Jeffrey Sporer was hired as Senior Working Capital Specialist, Dext Capital, Lake Oswego, Oregon. He is located in Hainesport, New Jersey. Previously he was at Marlin Business Services, starting February, 2013, as Capital Loan Specialist; promoted February, 2013, Structured Funding Program Manager, Capital Loan Specialist, February, 2013. Education: Montclair State University, Bachelor of Arts (BA) (2004 - 2009). https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-sporer-9325b073/

Help Wanted Ads

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USA Traffic Ranks – May 20, 2021
Top Alexa Ratings in Leasing and Equipment Finance

Balboa Capital
20,314
https://www.balboacapital.com/

National Funding
39,556
https://www.nationalfunding.com/

Ascentium Capital
52,635
https://ascentiumcapital.com/

Leasing News
62,614
http://leasingnews.org/

Monitor Daily
72,481
https://www.monitordaily.com/

Marlin Capital Solutions
74,916
https://marlincapitalsolutions.com/

Crest Capital
83,487
https://www.crestcapital.com/

Time Payment
89,016
https://timepayment.com/

ELFA Online
112,251
https://www.elfaonline.org/

Navitas Credit
167,454
https://www.navitascredit.com/

Leaf Commercial Capital
180,956
https://www.leafnow.com/

Not listed are those without a US Alexa Rating. On Monday, May 24. Leasing News will present the three-month top Leasing and Finance Company ratings in North America.

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Motor Vehicle Dealers License May Be Required
for Lessors in New York
By Sloan Schickler, Esq. and Edward P. Kaye, Esq.

Lessors have been engaged in funding and brokering vehicle leases for decades. Many funding sources from nationally recognized banks and captive financing companies have entered into direct vehicle leases and accepted deals from auto broker businesses for just as long. It is nothing new for the auto broker business to be targeted by auto dealers but there is a bill pending in the New York State Legislature that could change the law and require all vehicle lessors doing business in New York to obtain a New York motor vehicle dealer's license.

NVLA board member and legal counsel Sloan Schickler has represented the New York Automobile Leasing Brokers Association (“NYABA”) for the last several years to oppose pending auto broker legislation. The newest iteration of anti-broker legislation is Senate Bill 4332-A and Assembly Bill 1932-A (the “Bill”). This Bill requires all lessors, whether commercial, consumer, fleet, independent leasing companies, auto lease brokers, auto brokers, captive or bank lessors, to obtain a motor vehicle dealer’s license if they lease five or more vehicles in any calendar year. Until now, lessors were not automatically required to obtain a dealer’s license; it depended on the nature of the lessor’s business.

The Bill also has onerous requirements for auto brokers to post a $250,000 bond (this is more than for dealers), obtain three bids for every deal (unconstitutional) and financially guaranty that the vehicles they are brokering are manufactured in accordance with U.S. safety and environmental specifications! These are steep hurdles for auto lease brokers; anti-competitive measures designed to put them out of business.

Failure to obtain the license authorizes the New York Motor Vehicle Commissioner to assess a penalty of up to $10,000 for each vehicle sold or leased without a license. Essentially, the Bill will put auto lease brokers out of business and force many lessors and banks out of compliance in New York.

The auto brokering business has always been a niche industry in various parts of the U.S. and caters to minority and insular communities that often do not speak English well. The benefit is that the broker speaks the language, knows the customs, and is a member of the community.

For example, in the borough of Queens in New York City there is a large Korean-American population. The auto district in this part of Queens is lined with franchised and independent automobile dealers as well as auto brokering businesses that cater to the local Korean-American population. They transact business in Korean, are helpful to the consumers in their community and, like most small businesses, pay their taxes, create jobs and are good corporate citizens. Clearly, the auto brokers in this community are an important intermediary between the consumers and the auto dealers.

The auto dealers claim the law must be amended to deal with bad acts of brokers. Notably, auto dealers were number 5 on the New York Attorney General’s list of top 10 consumer complaints for 2020 (they fell from the number 3 position in 2019 due to COVID-related complaints in an unusual year). The auto brokers did not show up on the list. Franchised auto dealers argue that brokers have minimal capital investments in their businesses, engage in deceptive practices, do not disclose their fees and add no value to the consumer. Yet dealers benefit from having brokers bring them business and sell more cars.

While the NVLA strongly opposes this Bill, the battle is far from over. Automobile dealers and vehicle lessors are usually aligned; however, requiring that all lessors obtain a vehicle dealer’s license in this proposed legislation is casting a wide net for no clear purpose.

Sloan Schickler and Ed Kaye are partners in the vehicle finance law firm, Schickler Kaye LLP (www.skfinancelaw.com). Schickler, a veteran vehicle leasing, finance, and bank attorney, has been the NVLA Legal and Legislative counsel since 2017 and currently sits on the board of directors. Kaye is the former CEO and General Counsel of a prominent independent vehicle leasing company and the immediate past president of the NVLA. He currently sits on the NVLA board of directors. Together, they provide decades of experience representing and protecting lessors and lenders in all facets of the vehicle leasing and financing business. They can be reached at ekaye@skfinancelaw.com, sschickler@skfinancelaw.com or 212-262-6400.

ELFF Reports May, 2021 Confidence Dropped 4 Points
from All-Time High in April of 76.1

The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) releases the May 2021 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry where confidence droped to 72.1

Glenn Davis, President and CEO, RESIDCO
“Near-term the high level of liquidity generally available will continue to drive investor demand in our primary sectors. A major concern over the short to intermediate term is the potential inflationary impact associated with that along with corresponding market pressures which may adversely impact interest rates.”

Michael Romanowski, President, Farm Credit Leasing
“We are seeing demand increase for capital expenditures, especially large facility expansions. Material and labor cost increases are requiring customers to sharpen the pencil to ensure investments remain prudent.”

Bruce J. Winter, President, FSG Capital, Inc.
Business owners are much more optimistic and stimulus supported capital spending will likely reach unprecedented levels in the next 12 months. Prolonged inflation risk is a real concern as this untested experiment in rapidly expanding government debt will reach new highs.”

According to the survey, all indicators were down from the previous month:

When asked to assess their business conditions over the next four months, 53.6% of executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, down from 73.3% in April. 46.4% believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months, up from 23.3% the previous month. None believe business conditions will worsen, down from 3.3% in April.

• 53.6% of the survey respondents believe demand for leases and loans to fund capital expenditures (capex) will increase over the next four months, down from 70% in April. 46.4% believe demand will “remain the same” during the same four-month time period, an increase from 30% the previous month. None believe demand will decline, unchanged from April.

• 32.1% of the respondents expect more access to capital to fund equipment acquisitions over the next four months, down from 43.3% in April. 67.9% of executives indicate they expect the “same” access to capital to fund business, an increase from 56.7% last month. None expect “less” access to capital, unchanged from the previous month.

• When asked, 39.3% of the executives report they expect to hire more employees over the next four months, down from 43.3% in April. 60.7% expect no change in headcount over the next four months, an increase from 56.7% last month. None expect to hire fewer employees, unchanged from April.

• 10.7% of the leadership evaluate the current U.S. economy as “excellent,” a decrease from 13.3% the previous month. 89.3% of the leadership evaluate the current U.S. economy as “fair,” up from 80% in April. None evaluate it as “poor,” down from 6.7% last month.

• 60.7% of the survey respondents believe that U.S. economic conditions will get “better” over the next six months, a decrease from 73.3% in April. 39.3% indicate they believe the U.S. economy will “stay the same” over the next six months, an increase from 23.3% last month. None believe economic conditions in the U.S. will worsen over the next six months, down from 3.3% the previous month.

• In May 53.6% of respondents indicate they believe their company will increase spending on business development activities during the next six months, up from 46.7% last month. 42.9% believe there will be “no change” in business development spending, a decrease from 53.3% in April. 3.6% believe there will be a decrease in spending, up from none last month.

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ELFA Announces Plans for 2021 Credit & Collections Management LIVE!

Association Recognizes Members of
2021 Credit & Collections Planning Committee

Washington, D.C. – The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association today announced plans for ELFA Credit & Collections Management LIVE!, an interactive virtual conference on June 7-8 focused on "Managing Risk in a New World.” The two-day event will address new and emerging issues relevant to credit and collections professionals in the equipment finance industry through the lens of the new business environment.

Lou Maslowe, Chair of the Credit & Collections Planning Committee, which is involved in planning and hosting the conference, said, “We’re looking forward to a lot of stimulating discussion at ELFA Credit and Collections LIVE!.

“Lessons learned from the COVID-19 downturn, sizing up changed markets, and what to do differently as our nation and world move into a new normal are just a few of the topics we’ll discuss. Plus, we’re excited to reconnect with industry colleagues! We are looking forward to our first virtual Happy Hour, which will be a great way to end the conference. We look forward to seeing as many members of the ELFA credit and collections community as possible on June 7-8!”

Topics addressed at ELFA Credit & Collections Management LIVE! will include:

Economic Outlook Keynote Presentation
Bank & Non-Bank Roundtables
What You Need to Know About Credit Scoring
Legal Update
What We Learned from the Pandemic: Credit & Collections Perspectives
Diversity Discussion Panel
Legal Update
The Other Side of the Pandemic
State of the Association and Industry Report with ELFA Board Chair Kris Snow and ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta

Attendees also will participate in curated networking opportunities and browse an interactive exhibit hall featuring the latest industry solutions.

Planning Committee
ELFA recognized the members of the 2021 Credit & Collections Planning Committee who are helping to plan ELFA Credit & Collections Management LIVE!, including:

Lou Maslowe, Chief Risk Officer, Marlin Capital Solutions (Committee Chair)
Alexander A. Darcy, Shareholder, Askounis & Darcy, PC
Robert J. Fagan, VP, Customer Service & Collections, Eastern Funding LLC
Arlene N. Gelman, Shareholder, Vedder Price P.C.
Daniel Goderis, Director, Portfolio Management, GreatAmerica Financial Services
Nicholas Jones, VP, Global Risk, Volvo Financial Services
Chris Jung, Senior Manager, Credit and Risk Management, Cisco Systems Capital Corporation
Cecile Latouche, Director, Atalaya Leasing
Chris Maudlin, CLFP, SVP, Chief Credit Officer, Wintrust Specialty Finance
Scott McCann, Sr. Credit Manager, Bank Channel, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance
Eric A. McGriff, President / Founder, Pinnacle Advisory Services
Michael A. Mount, CLFP, SVP, Credit Executive, U.S. Bank Equipment Finance
Dana M. Pace, SVP, Director of Operations & Asset Resolution, PNC Equipment Finance, LLC
Sarah Palmer, Underwriting and Asset Management Executive, Key Equipment Finance
Kevin P. Prykull, CLFP, SVP & Credit Underwriting Executive - Retired, PNC Equipment Finance, LLC
Jennifer P. Rosenberg, SVP, Senior Credit Officer, Fifth Third Bank
James St. Clair, Outsourcing Director, DLL
Thomas E. Ware, President, Tom Ware Advisory Services, LLC,

More Information
The agenda and registration details for ELFA Credit & Collections Management LIVE! are available at www.elfaonline.org/events/2021/CC.

About ELFA
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) is the trade association that represents companies in the nearly $1 trillion equipment finance sector, which includes financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its 575 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as manufacturers and service providers. In 2021, ELFA is celebrating 60 years of equipping business for success. For more information, please visit www.elfaonline.org.

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Watch at Home:
Fernando's Reviews

A pair of very different portraits of youth, an intense Western, an affecting melodrama and a haunting mystery comprise the latest batch of restored films from the dedicated folks at Criterion. Revisit these new and old classics or discover them anew.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Amy Heckerling, 1982): Many careers were launched by this outstanding comedy-drama, from director Amy Heckerling (“Clueless”) and screenwriter Cameron Crowe (“Say Anything...”) to the ensemble cast of breakout young stars. High-schooler Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) shyly moves into the dating scene, getting advice from her more seasoned friend Linda (Phoebe Cates) while split between jock Mike (Robert Romanus) and nerdish Mark (Brian Backer). Meanwhile, Stacy’s brother Brad (Judge Reinhold) struggles with small-time jobs while surfing stoner Jeff Spicolli (Sean Penn) butts heads with a strict teacher, Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). Brightly capturing the ups and downs of adolescence, the film is a time-capsule of early 1980s fashions and attitudes as well as a launching pad for up-and-coming actors like Nicolas Cage and Forest Whitaker.

The Furies (Anthony Mann, 1950): One of the masters of the Western genre, Anthony Mann had one of his earliest ventures on the rage with this intense melodrama set in 1870s New Mexico. Barbara Stanwyck is characteristically fierce as Vance Jeffords, the headstrong daughter of ruthless landowner T.C. (Walter Huston, in his last screen role). Vance wrangles with double-dealing gambler Rip Darrow (Wendell Corey) and childhood friend turned rebel Juan (Gilbert Roland), but the man she battles the most remains her father, towards whom love and hatred are inextricably braided. When she jealously lashes out at T.C.’s new wife (Judith Anderson), the old man declares war on the heroine. Showcasing Mann’s charged visual sense and obsession with suffocating familial structures, the film is a vivid collision of themes and personalities.

Masculin Féminin (Jean-Luc Godard, 1966): Few films capture the contradictory, freewheeling atmosphere of the 1960s better than this snapshot of restless youth from experimental French master Jean-Luc Godard. At the center of the maelstrom of music, movies and political fervor is the romance between struggling intellectual Paul (Jean-Pierre Léaud) and pop singer Madeleine (Chantal Goya), young Parisians negotiating the zeitgeist’s many fads and passions. As befits “the children of Marx and Coca-Cola,” however, they find their relationship threatened by the divergent pulls of revolutionary engagement and mainstream success. Told as a series of fragmented segments juggling exhilaration and disillusionment, Godard’s film displays the qualities of the French New Wave movement (humor, spontaneity, cinematic adventurousness) at their most invigorating. It remains as fresh today as the day it first hit screens. With subtitles.

Merrily We Go to Hell (Dorothy Arzner, 1932): One of the screen’s pioneering female directors, Dorothy Arzner serves up a thorny look at relationships to spike the froth of Thirties screwball comedy. Joan (Sylvia Sidney) is a young heiress who meets Jerry (Fredric March), a journalist and aspiring playwright, at a fancy party. The two fall and love and get married, and soon Jerry’s alcoholism casts a dark shadow over the couple’s happiness. Success comes as one of Jerry’s plays is well-received, yet the couple finds itself on shaky ground as he takes up with a former girlfriend. Joan decides to pursue her own affairs, but things get complicated when she becomes pregnant. Arzner’s film is a candid, surprisingly modern love story. Keep an eye out for a young Cary Grant.

Memories of Murder (Bong Joon-ho, 2003): Before achieving international stardom (and Oscar gold) with “Parasite,” South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho had his breakthrough with this stunning, true-story mystery. Beginning in the mid-1980s, it follows detective Park (Song Kang-ho) and his partner Cho (Kim Roi-ha) as they’re assigned to investigate a double murder in a rural province. Overwhelmed by the killer who strikes again and again, they’re joined by big-city detective Seo (Kim Sang-kyung), their contrasting techniques leading to a variety of suspects and clues. As years become decades and the culprit remains elusive, the protagonists’ resolve give way to obsession and desperation. Though it may sound grim, this absorbing thriller is full of Bong’s distinctive absurdist humor and canny tonal shifts. The result is mordant, moving, and unforgettable. With subtitles.

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This Day in History

     1542 – On the banks of the Mississippi River in present-day Louisiana, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto died, ending a three-year journey for gold that took him halfway across what is now the United States. In order that Indians would not learn of his death, and thus disprove de Soto’s claims of divinity, his men buried his body in the Mississippi River. In late May, 1539, de Soto landed on the west coast of Florida with 600 troops, servants, and staff, 200 horses, and a pack of bloodhounds. From there, the army set about subduing the natives, seizing any valuables they stumbled upon, and preparing the region for eventual Spanish colonization. Traveling through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, across the Appalachians, and back to Alabama, de Soto failed to find the gold and silver he desired, but he did seize a valuable collection of pearls at Cofitachequi, in present-day Georgia. Decisive conquest also eluded the Spaniards, as what would become the United States lacked the large, centralized civilizations of Mexico and Peru. As was the method of Spanish conquest elsewhere in the Americas, de Soto ill-treated and enslaved the natives he encountered. For the most part, the Indian warriors they encountered were intimidated by the Spanish horsemen and kept their distance. In October, 1540, however, the tables were turned when a confederation of Indians attacked the Spaniards at the fortified Indian town of Mabila, near present-day Mobile, Alabama. All the Indians were killed, along with 20 of de Soto’s men. Several hundred Spaniards were wounded. In addition, the Indian conscripts they had come to depend on to bear their supplies had all fled with baggage. De Soto could have marched south to reconvene with his ships along the Gulf Coast, but instead he ordered his expedition north-westward in search of America’s elusive riches. In May, 1541, the army reached and crossed the Mississippi River, probably the first Europeans ever to do so. From there, they traveled through Arkansas and Louisiana, still with few material gains to show for their efforts. Turning back to the Mississippi, de Soto died of a fever on its banks on May 21, 1542. The Spaniards, now under the command of Luis de Moscoso, traveled west again, crossing into north Texas before returning to the Mississippi. With nearly half of the original expedition dead, the Spaniards built rafts and traveled down the river to the sea, and then made their way down the Texas coast to New Spain, finally reaching Veracruz, Mexico, in late 1543.
    1758 - Ten-year-old Mary Campbell was abducted in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War. She was returned six and a half years later. She is believed to have been the first white child to travel to the Western Reserve. Campbell's return to her family in Pennsylvania in 1764 was a result of British military pressure on the Native Americans of southern Ohio by troops under Colonel Bouquet. Over two days, August 5 and August 6, Bouquet's forces prevailed against Native American irregulars in the Battle of Bushy Run, a key battle that turned the tide of Pontiac’s Rebellion.
    1796 - Attorney and Statesman Reverdy Johnson (d. 1876) was born in Annapolis, Maryland. Although he personally opposed slavery, Johnson represented the slave-owning defendant in the 1857 Dred Scott case in which the U.S. Supreme Court decided that slaves could not be citizens of the United States. The court's decision increased antislavery sentiment in the North and fed the antagonism that sparked the Civil War. He was a key moderate during the days of reconstruction and deserves a more noteworthy place in history than he has received.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may21.html
    1819 - Queen Victoria (d. 1901) was born in Kensington Palace, London. Her birthday has been commemorated in Canada as Victoria Day since 1845.
    1819 - Imported bicycles made their first appearance in New York City. The Common Council met on August 19 and passed a law “to prevent the use of velocipedes in public places and on the sidewalks of the City of New York.” In their early years, bicycles were called velocipedes, curricles, or swift walkers.
    1832 - Baltimore, MD, at the Athenaeum, the first Democratic National Convention was held under the name Republican Party. Delegates from 21 states and DC nominated Andrew Jackson for president and Martin Van Buren for vice-president, the latter to succeed incumbent John C. Calhoun of South Carolina.  This was precipitated by Calhoun’s advocacy for nullification involving a Supreme Court decision, resulting in his disfavor among much of the party. The party was officially the “Democratic-Republican Party, “and remained so until 1840.  The Whig and the Whip parties eventually became the Republican Party, but not as we know it today.  The Republican Party then was more “liberal” and the “National Democratic Party” was considered the “conservative wing.”
    1833 - Black students enroll in classes at Oberlin College, Ohio
http://www.oberlin.edu/~welcome/history.html
    1856 - The Siege of Lawrence occurred when pro-slavery activists, led by Sheriff Samuel J. Jones, attacked and ransacked the town which had been founded by anti-slavery settlers from Massachusetts, who were hoping to make Kansas as a "free state." The incident made worse the guerilla war in Kansas Territory that later became known as "Bleeding Kansas."
    1860 - A swarm of tornadoes occurred in the Ohio Valley. Tornadoes struck the cities of Louisville, KY, Cincinnati, OH, Chillicothe, OH, and Marietta, OH, causing a million dollars damage.
    1863 – Nathaniel Banks, commander of the Union Department of the Gulf, surrounds the Confederate stronghold at Port Hudson and attacks. Fortifications were built at Port Hudson in 1863 to protect New Orleans from a Union attack down the Mississippi River. On April 25, 1862, New Orleans had fallen into Union hands following an attack from the Gulf of Mexico by Admiral David Farragut. Still, Port Hudson was considered an important installation for the South since it was a significant threat to Federal ships on the Mississippi River. In 1863, the Union command began to focus attention on clearing the Mississippi of all Rebels. On May 21, newly-appointed Maj. Gen Franklin Gardner received orders from Gen. Joseph Johnston, operating in Mississippi, to abandon the fort. But Gardner refused and asked for reinforcements. This was a fatal mistake, and Banks soon had Gardner surrounded. For the next three weeks, Banks attempted to capture Port Hudson but failed each time. It was not until Vicksburg surrendered on July 4 that Gardner also surrendered. The Siege of Port Hudson was the final engagement in the Union campaign to recapture the Mississippi.
    1878 – American aviation pioneer and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry Glenn Curtiss (d. 1930) was born at Hammondsport, NY. Curtiss made the first officially witnessed flight in North America, won a race at the world's first international air meet in France, and made the first long-distance flight in the United States. His contributions in designing and building aircraft led to the formation of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, now part of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. His company built aircraft for the U.S. Army and Navy, and, during the years leading up to World War I, his experiments with seaplanes led to advances in naval aviation. Curtiss civil and military aircraft were predominant in the inter-war and World War II eras.
    1881- The first meeting of what was to become the American Red Cross happened at the home of Adolphius Simeon Solomons in Washington, D.C., where he and Clara Barton founded the American Association of the Red Cross as part of an international humanitarian movement to provide help to victims of war and natural disasters. It was thought the organization would have a better chance of growth with a woman as president, for which Mr. Solomons made an official motion.  It was made part of the International Red Cross on March 16, 1882 (started in Switzerland, 1864).
    1881 - The United Sates Lawn Tennis Association was formed at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City, by 34 clubs.  It formulated the rules of play, standardized the height of the net and the size of the ball, and ruled on such matters as the service line and the size of the court.  The first president was Robert Shaw Oliver of the Albany Tennis Club. In 1975, the name was changed to the United States Tennis Association.
    1895 - The temperature at Norwalk, OH, dipped to 19 degrees to set a state record for the month of May.
    1896 - The mercury soared to 124 degrees at Salton, CA, to establish a U.S. record for May.
    1898 – Armand Hammer (d. 1990) was born in NYC. American business manager and owner, most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran from 1957 until his death, he was also known as well for his art collection and philanthropy.
    1901 - Connecticut passed the first speeding driver's law, “the speed of all motor vehicles should not exceed 12 miles per hour on country highways and eight miles per hour on highways within city limits.”
http://www.linkny.com/curtissmuseum/
    1904 - Birthday of great singer/pianist Thomas ”Fats” Waller (d. 1943), New York City, NY. Perhaps the first jazzman I listened to as a young man as my father collected his vinyl records, and often played his jazz organ playing. More than 40 years after his death, he remains one of the most popular of all jazz musicians, admired even by those who say they don't like jazz. Many of his tunes, such as "Honeysuckle Rose," "Ain't Misbehavin' " and "Blue Turning Grey Over You," are considered popular music standards. Waller's commercial success and international fame did not begin until 1934, although he began recording 12 years earlier. It was in '34 that he formed the first of the "Fats Waller and His Rhythm" bands. The five-piece group provided the setting for Waller's lighthearted and often humorous vocals, which by then overshadowed his piano playing. Fats Waller died of natural causes on December 15th, 1943 while traveling aboard the Sante Fe Express train.
http://www.duke.edu/~jss7/fatspage.html http://www.redhotjazz.com/fats.html http://www.downbeat.com/artists/window.asp?aid=195&aname=Fats+Walle
http://hoflink.com/~alevy/waller.htm
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Waller,+Fats
    1909 - Massachusetts approved the first credit union, sponsored by Pierre Jay, the first bank commissioner of the state.
    1912 - Monty Franklin Pierce Stratton (d. 1982), baseball player, born at Palacios, TX. Stratton's five-year career in the Majors was ended when his leg was amputated after he accidentally shot himself in a hunting accident.  Jimmy Stewart played Stratton in a very successful movie, “The Stratton Story” (1949), based roughly on his life.
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_videos2.php/form_movieid =1044072/ut=0cea001161ce67c0
    1917 - Birthday of Raymond Burr (d. 1993), New Westminster, British Columbia. Stage, film and TV actor best known for the role of Perry Mason in the series of the same name (my late father, Lawrence Menkin, was the story editor and wrote many of the episodes. He had many funny stories to relate about the actors during the filming of the series.) He has many other TV series, including “Ironside,” and owned and operated a winery in Sonoma, California (still in operation).
http://www.raymondburrvineyards.com/
    1918 - IZAC, EDOUARD VICTOR MICHEL, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Aboard German submarine U-90 as prisoner of war, 21 May 1918. Entered service at: Illinois. Born: 18 December 1891, Cresco, Howard County, lowa. Citation: When the U.S.S. President Lincoln was attacked and sunk by the German submarine U-90, on 21 May 1918, Lt. Izac was captured and held as a prisoner on board the U-90 until the return of the submarine to Germany, when he was confined in the prison camp. During his stay on the U-90 he obtained information of the movements of German submarines which was so important that he determined to escape, with a view to making this information available to the U.S. and Allied Naval authorities. In attempting to carry out this plan, he jumped through the window of a rapidly moving train at the imminent risk of death, not only from the nature of the act itself but from the fire of the armed German soldiers who were guarding him. Having been recaptured and re-confined, Lt. Izac made a second and successful attempt to escape, breaking his way through barbed-wire fences and deliberately drawing the fire of the armed guards in the hope of permitting others to escape during the confusion. He made his way through the mountains of southwestern Germany, having only raw vegetables for food, and at the end, swam the River Rhine during the night in the immediate vicinity of German sentries.
    1919 – The New York Giants traded outfielder Jim Thorpe to the Boston Braves for $1,500. The Olympic star played only 60 games in Boston and finished his six-year Major League career with a lifetime .252 average.
    1921 - Birthday of arranger/songwriter, trumpet player Henry Glover (d. 1991), Hot Springs, AR
http://www.citybeat.com/cea/fame/1999.html
    1923 - Formal transfer of T. L. Huston’s interest in the Yankees to Jacob Ruppert was completed for $1.5 million. Ten days later, Ruppert bought two more sets of uniforms so his players can wear a clean outfit every day, an unprecedented move.
    1923 – Ara Parseghian (d. 2017) was born in Akron, OH. After two years in the Navy, he played halfback for the Cleveland Browns of the All-American Football Conference in 1948 and 1949, both resulting in championships for the Browns under Paul Brown. He then took a job as an assistant coach at Miami of Ohio. When head coach Woody Hayes left in 1951 to coach at Ohio State, Parseghian took over his job. He stayed in that position until 1956, when he was hired as head coach at Northwestern. Parseghian's success attracted the interest of Notre Dame, which had not posted a winning record in five straight seasons. He was hired as coach in 1964 and quickly turned the program around, coming close to capturing a national championship in his first year. He proceeded to win two national titles in 11 seasons as coach, a period often referred to as "the Era of Ara." He never had a losing season at Notre Dame and posted an overall record of 95–17–4, giving him the third-most wins of any coach in school history after Rockne and Lou Holtz. Parseghian was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1980. His career coaching record is 170–58–6.
    1929 - Birthday of drummer Lawrence Marable (d. 2012), Los Angeles, Ca.
    1927 - Charles A. Lindbergh arrived to a hero's welcome in Paris, in his spindly monoplane, "The Spirit of St. Louis" (the famous plane is now displayed in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC). Lindbergh's flight marked the first time that a person had flown across the Atlantic Ocean. The event got more press coverage than any other single even in history to that time. In American newspapers alone, it was estimated that some 27,000 columns of words were used to describe Lindbergh's epic journey. A depiction of that famous flight was portrayed by one of America's great motion picture actors, Jimmy Stewart, in the film, "The Spirit of St. Louis." Upon his return to American soil, Lucky Lindy was given another hero's welcome. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor:
“Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve. Place and date: From New York City to Paris, France, 20-21 May 1927. Entered service at: Little Falls, Minn. Born: 4 February 1902, Detroit, Mich. G.O. No.: 5, W.D., 1928; act of Congress 14 December 1927. Citation: For displaying heroic courage and skill as a navigator, at the risk of his life, by his nonstop flight in his airplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, from New York City to Paris, France, 20-21 May 1927, by which Capt. Lindbergh not only achieved the greatest individual triumph of any American citizen but demonstrated that travel across the ocean by aircraft was possible.”
    1927 - Arranger Bill  Holman birthday, born Willis Leonard Holman in Olive, CA.
http://www.spaceagepop.com/holman.htm
    1932 - Bad weather forced Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland and she thereby became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. On the morning of May 20, Earhart set off from Newfoundland, intending to fly to Paris in her single engine Lockheed Vega 5B to emulate Lindbergh’s solo flight. After a flight lasting 14 hours, 56 minutes during which she contended with strong northerly winds, icy conditions and mechanical problems, she was forced to land.
    1932 - Birthday of bandleader Bob Florence (d. 2008), Los Angeles, California. One of my high school idols, as I saw his band many times locally and patterned my 21-piece dance band after his.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Florence
http://www.spaceagepop.com/florence.htm
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/florence_bob/bio.jhtml
http://www.asmac.org/HTML.PAGES/5.MEMBER_SPOTLIGHT/
MEMBERS_New/bob_florence.html
    1936 - E.I. du Point de Nemours, Wilmington, DE, began production of Lucite, or polymethyl methacrylate, “a plastic that is low in moisture absorption, highly nonconducting, and crystal clear, and that possesses the interesting property of bending light rays as the pass through.”  In 1938, they produced Teflon but did not start commercial production until 1954.
    1940 - Will Bradley (Wilbur Schwichtenberg) cuts “Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar,” (Columbia 35530). http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/bradley_will/bio.jhtml
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/104-5094193-3483111?tag=drjohnholleman&keyword=will+bradley&mode=music
    1941 - Birthday of singer Ronald Isley (The Isley Brothers), Cincinnati, OH. The group first hit the charts in 1959 with "Shout," which has since become a rhythm-and-blues standard recorded by such artists as Lulu, Tom Petty and the Blues Brothers. The Isleys were still on the charts in the early 1980's. Their 1981 album "Grand Slam" earned a gold record.
    1941 - Claude Thornhill Band records their theme, “Snowfall.”
    1941 – Baseball Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox was born in Tulsa, OK. He first led the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981, and then managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He later rejoined the Braves in 1985 as a general manager. He moved back to the manager's role during the 1990 season and stayed there until his retirement following the 2010 season. The Atlanta Braves have since retired his number 6, having led the Braves to the World Series championship in 1995. He led the Braves to a division title every season from 1991 to 2005, excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season. He holds the all-time record for ejections in Major League Baseball with 158 (plus an additional three post-season ejections), a record previously held by John McGraw. Cox ranks fourth on the baseball all-time managerial wins list.
    1942 - Freddie Slack with Ella Mae Morse records “Cow Cow Boogie,” Los Angeles.
    1945 - Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were married. Legend has it that the couple fell in love in 1943 during making of the film, "To Have and Have Not." Theirs would become one of Hollywood's most enduring marriages.
http://www.uselessknowledge.com/vmd/bio_bogart.shtml
    1945 - DOSS, DESMOND T., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 29 April-21 May 1945. Entered service at: Lynchburg, Va. Birth: Lynchburg, Va. G.O. No.: 97, 1 November 1945. Citation: He was a company aid man when the 1st Battalion assaulted a jagged escarpment 400 feet high as our troops gained the summit, a heavy concentration of artillery, mortar and machinegun fire crashed into them, inflicting approximately 75 casualties and driving the others back. Pfc. Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying them 1 by 1 to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a rope-supported litter down the face of a cliff to friendly hands. On 2 May, he exposed himself to heavy rifle and mortar fire in rescuing a wounded man 200 yards forward of the lines on the same escarpment; and 2 days later he treated 4 men who had been cut down while assaulting a strongly defended cave, advancing through a shower of grenades to within 8 yards of enemy forces in a cave’s mouth, where he dressed his comrades’ wounds before making 4 separate trips under fire to evacuate them to safety. On 5 May, he unhesitatingly braved enemy shelling and small arms fire to assist an artillery officer. He applied bandages, moved his patient to a spot that offered protection from small arms fire and, while artillery and mortar shells fell close by, painstakingly administered plasma. Later that day, when an American was severely wounded by fire from a cave, Pfc. Doss crawled to him where he had fallen 25 feet from the enemy position, rendered aid, and carried him 100 yards to safety while continually exposed to enemy fire. On 21 May, in a night attack on high ground near Shuri, he remained in exposed territory while the rest of his company took cover, fearlessly risking the chance that he would be mistaken for an infiltrating Japanese and giving aid to the injured until he was himself seriously wounded in the legs by the explosion of a grenade. Rather than call another aid man from cover, he cared for his own injuries and waited 5 hours before litter bearers reached him and started carrying him to cover. The trio was caught in an enemy tank attack and Pfc. Doss, seeing a more critically wounded man nearby, crawled off the litter; and directed the bearers to give their first attention to the other man. Awaiting the litter bearers’ return, he was again struck, this time suffering a compound fracture of 1 arm. With magnificent fortitude he bound a rifle stock to his shattered arm as a splint and then crawled 300 yards over rough terrain to the aid station. Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions Pfc. Doss saved the lives of many soldiers. His name became a symbol throughout the 77th Infantry Division for outstanding gallantry far above and beyond the call of duty.
    1949 - Top Hits
“Riders in the Sky” - Vaughn Monroe
“Again” - Gordon Jenkins
“Forever and Ever” - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skylarks)
“Lovesick Blues” - Hank Williams
    1951 - RODRIGUEZ, JOSEPH C., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Sergeant (then Pfc.), U.S. Army, Company F, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Munye-ri, Korea, 21 May 1951. Entered service at: California. Born: 14 November 1928, San Bernardino, Calif. G.O. No.: 22, 5 February 1952. Citation: Sgt. Rodriguez, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations. Sgt. Rodriguez, an assistant squad leader of the 2d Platoon, was participating in an attack against a fanatical hostile force occupying well-fortified positions on rugged commanding terrain, when his squad’s advance was halted within approximately 60 yards by a withering barrage of automatic weapons and small-arms fire from 5 emplacements directly to the front and right and left flanks, together with grenades which the enemy rolled down the hill toward the advancing troops. Fully aware of the odds against him, Sgt. Rodriguez leaped to his feet, dashed 60 yards up the fire-swept slope, and, after lobbing grenades into the first foxhole with deadly accuracy, ran around the left flank, silenced an automatic weapon with 2 grenades and continued his whirlwind assault to the top of the peak, wiping out 2 more foxholes and then, reaching the right flank, he tossed grenades into the remaining emplacement, destroying the gun and annihilating its crew. Sgt. Rodriguez’ intrepid actions exacted a toll of 15 enemy dead and, as a result of his incredible display of valor, the defense of the opposition was broken, and the enemy routed, and the strategic strongpoint secured. His unflinching courage under fire and inspirational devotion to duty reflect highest credit on himself and uphold the honored traditions of the military service.
    1951 - Birthday of Al Franken, born New York, NY. Until forced to resign for allegations of sexual harassment, he was US Senator (D-Minnesota), comedian, actor, writer, best known for his “Saturday Night Live” performances.
    1952 - Birthday of actor Mr. T (“Rocky II,” “The A Team”), born Lawrence Tureaud, Chicago, Illinois.
    1955 - Chuck Berry went into a recording session for Chess, performing a restyled version of "Ida Red." What came out of that hot session was Ida Red's new name and Chuck Berry's first hit, "Maybellene," which went on to top the R & B charts at #1, and the pop charts at #5. And Beethoven rolled over...
http://www.chuckberry.com/
    1956 - 2,500 fans storm the stage at the Municipal Auditorium in Topeka, KS during Elvis Presley's show there.
    1956 – The US exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb,
“Redwing,” over Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. From 1946-58, the US exploded 23 bombs on the reef, underwater, and on the sea, before this first airborne explosion.
    1957 - Reaffirming their decision to bar females from the Fenway Park's male-only press box, Boston baseball writers deny a seat to Doris O'Donnell, a feature writer following the Indians.
    1957 - Top Hits
“All Shook Up” - Elvis Presley
“School Day” - Chuck Berry
“Love Letters in the Sand” - Pat Boone
“A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)” - Marty Robbins
    1957 - Birthday of actor Judge Reinhold, born Edward Ernest Reinhold, Jr., in Wilmington, Delaware. “Beverley Hills Cop,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Ruthless People.”
    1959 - Ethel Merman played the lead role in the musical, "Gypsy," which opened at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. The popular show ran for 702 performances. It was based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous burlesque queen.
    1969 - Henry “Hank” Aaron of the Atlanta Braves was lifted for a pinch hitter for the first time in his career. Mike Lum batted for Aaron in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Mets after Aaron had come to the plate 9,015 times.  Lum doubled, and the Braves won, 15-3.
    1960 - Fabian is reported to be working on two upcoming movies: “High Time,” starring Bing Crosby, and “North to Alaska,” starring John Wayne.
    1961 - "Every Beat of My Heart" enters the Hot 100 in two versions. One is on the Fury label by Gladys Knight and the other by the Pips on the Vee Jay label. They are not the same recording but are rendered by the same act, victims of a contract dispute. The Vee Jay single will be more successful, rising to #6 on the pop chart and Number One R&B. Both groups will eventually sign to Motown's soul label.
    1963 - Little Stevie Wonder who turned 13, just eight days ago, records his second album, "The Twelve-Year- Old Genius," live at a Detroit ballroom. One tune off the album, "Fingertips, Part Two," will become Wonder's first hit, topping both the R&B and the pop charts.
    1964 - After performing in England, Bob Dylan takes a vacation in Paris, where he would meet German model Nico, for whom he would later pen the classic "I'll Keep It with Mine."
    1965 - Top Hits
“Ticket to Ride” - The Beatles
“Help Me, Rhonda” - The Beach Boys
“Back in My Arms Again” - The Supremes
“Girl on the Billboard” - Del Reeves
    1966 - DOLBY, DAVID CHARLES, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization. Sergeant (then Sp4c.), U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date. Republic of Vietnam, 21 May 1966. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Born: 14 May 1946, Norristown, Pa. G.O. No.: 45, 20 October 1967. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, when his platoon, while advancing tactically, suddenly came under intense fire from the enemy located on a ridge immediately to the front. Six members of the platoon were killed instantly and a number were wounded, including the platoon leader. Sgt. Dolby’s every move brought fire from the enemy. However, aware that the platoon leader was critically wounded, and that the platoon was in a precarious situation, Sgt. Dolby moved the wounded men to safety and deployed the remainder of the platoon to engage the enemy. Subsequently, his dying platoon leader ordered Sgt. Dolby to withdraw the forward elements to rejoin the platoon. Despite the continuing intense enemy fire and with utter disregard for his own safety, Sgt. Dolby positioned able-bodied men to cover the withdrawal of the forward elements, assisted the wounded to the new position, and he, alone, attacked enemy positions until his ammunition was expended. Replenishing his ammunition, he returned to the area of most intense action, single-handedly killed 3 enemy machine gunners and neutralized the enemy fire, thus enabling friendly elements on the flank to advance on the enemy redoubt. He defied the enemy fire to personally carry a seriously wounded soldier to safety where he could be treated and, returning to the forward area, he crawled through withering fire to within 50 meters of the enemy bunkers and threw smoke grenades to mark them for air strikes. Although repeatedly under fire at close range from enemy snipers and automatic weapons, Sgt. Dolby directed artillery fire on the enemy and succeeded in silencing several enemy weapons. He remained in his exposed location until his comrades had displaced to more secure positions. His actions of unsurpassed valor during 4 hours of intense combat were a source of inspiration to his entire company, contributed significantly to the success of the overall assault on the enemy position, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. Sgt. Dolby’s heroism was in the highest tradition of the U.S. Army.
    1966 - The Castiles, a band made up of five school kids from Freehold Regional High in New Jersey, perform at their own senior prom. Lead singer: future superstar Bruce Springsteen. They formed in July, 1965 under the stewardship of Tex and Marion Vinyard, who sponsored young bands in Brick Township, New Jersey. Tex Vinyard named the band after a brand of soap. They recorded two songs in May 1966 at a public recording studio, "Baby I" and "That's What You Get." We are aware of 115 performances by The Castiles before their final gig, which is believed to have taken place in August 1968.
    1969 - EREVIA, SANTIAGO J., Medal of Honor
Rank and Organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Place and Date: May 21, 1969, Tam Ky, Vietnam. Born: 1946, Nordheim, TX. Departed: No. Entered Service At: San Antonio, TX. G.O. Number: Date of Issue: 03/18/2014. Accredited To: Citation: Then-Spc. 4 Erevia distinguished himself May 21, 1969, while serving as a radio-telephone operator during a search-and-clear mission near Tam Ky City, in the Republic of Vietnam.
    1973 - The sensual "Pillow Talk," by Sylvia (Sylvia Vanderpool), earned a gold record. The artist first recorded with Hot Lips Page for Columbia Records back in 1950 and was known as Little Sylvia. She was half of the singing duo Mickey & Sylvia, who recorded "Love is Strange" in 1957. "Pillow Talk" was her only major solo hit and made it to number three on the pop music charts.
    1973 - Top Hits
“You are the Sunshine of My Life” - Stevie Wonder
“Little Willy” - The Sweet
“Frankenstein” - The Edgar Winter Group
“What's Your Mama's Name” - Tanya Tucker
    1974 - One year after his firing from Columbia Records, Clive Davis is hired by Bell Records as a consultant.
    1976 - Aerosmith receives a gold LP for "Rocks." The album will eventually go to #3 on the album chart.
    1977 – Ricky Williams’ birthday, born Errick Lynne Wiiliams, Jr., in San Diego. University of Texas Heisman Trophy-winning and former NFL running back. Williams played 12 seasons in the NFL and one in the CFL. Williams was selected in the first round as the fifth pick of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Head Coach Mike Ditka traded all of the Saints’ remaining 1999 draft picks (the second- round pick had already been traded to the Rams to get Eddie Kennison) to the Washington Redskins
to get Williams, as well as first- and third-round picks the following year. This was the first time one player was the only draft pick of an NFL team.
    1979 - An all-straight jury convicts former San Francisco city supervisor Dan White of the lightest charge possible in the assassination of S.F. city supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. White's defense argued that White was depressed because of overconsumption of junk food, the so-called "Twinkie defense." Thousands march on city hall in response, provoking the White Night Riots, overturned police cars, and looting.
    1980 - The temperature at Williston, ND reached 102 degrees to set a record for May, and the next day the mercury hit 106 degrees.
    1981 - Top Hits
“Bette Davis Eyes” - Kim Carnes
“Just the Two of Us” - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
“Being with You” - Smokey Robinson
“I Loved 'Em Every One” - T.G. Sheppard
    1985 - Marvin Gaye's last album was released. "Dream of a Lifetime," featured songs that critics considered too offensive, such as the controversial, pop version of "The Lord's Prayer." Three of the songs from the album were completed after Gaye's death. Marvin Gaye was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bio.asp?oid=3020&cf=3020
http://www.marvin.org.uk/
http://www.cnn.com/US/9711/20/septuplets.frustaci/
    1985- Septuplets were born in Orange CA, to Patti Frustaci, a 30-year-old schoolteacher. It was the largest multiple birth in the history of the United States. One child was stillborn and three more died within a month. Two boys and one girl survived. At the age of 2, the surviving infants
     1985-- Richard, Patricia and Stephen -- were found to have cerebral palsy. A year later, more bad news. The children also were diagnosed as mentally retarded. Sam and Patti Frustaci -- who already had a healthy son named Joseph but wanted more children -- sued the fertility clinic and the physician that treated the wife with Pergonal, the same drug used by Bobbi McCaughey Frustaci and her husband, who later filed a malpractice suit against her doctors and the infertility clinic where she had been treated. They won a $2.7 million settlement on behalf of the surviving septuplets, now 33 years old. The suit was settled in 1990 for a one-time payment of $450,000 and a monthly care payment for each of the three surviving septuplets, who needed extensive physical therapy and medical treatment. The Frustacis’ son, Joseph, said that the family still received the payments. Sam and Patti divorced in the mid-1990’s and Patti died in Feb, 2018 at age 63.
    1986 - With a few gaps, millions of Americans held hands from Battery Park in New York City to Long Beach, CA, a distance of 4,150 as a fund-raising event sponsored by a consortium of charities and corporations.
    1987 - Severe thunderstorms, developing along a sharp cold front crossing the central U.S., produced 60 mph winds and golf ball size hail at Sedalia, MO, and drenched Hagerstown, IN, with six inches of rain in one hour. Temperatures soared into the 90s ahead of the cold front. Paducah, KY, hit 94 degrees for the second day in a row. Light snow blanketed Montana, with three inches reported at Butte
    1989 - Thunderstorms moving southeastward across the Central Plains Region into Oklahoma and Arkansas produced severe weather through the day and night. Thunderstorms spawned just four tornadoes, but there were 243 reports of large hail and damaging winds. Baseball size hail was reported at Augusta, KS, and thunderstorm winds gusted to 98 mph at Johnson, KS.
    1989 - Top Hits
“Forever Your Girl” - Paula Abdul
“Real Love” - Jody Watley
“Soldier of Love” - Donny Osmond
“If I Had You” – Alabama
    1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather across the southeastern U.S. for the second day in a row. Severe thunderstorms spawned five tornadoes, including one which injured a person at Richmond, KY. There were eighty-seven reports of large hail or damaging winds, with hail three inches in diameter reported at Austin, TX. Thunderstorms produced up to five inches of rain in Macon County, GA, and heavy rains left nearly eight feet of water over roads near Stepstone, KY.
    1992 - Johnny Carson, ending his 26-year tenure as host of NBC-TV's Tonight Show, appeared on his next-to-last show. The lone guest is Bette Midler, who famously sings a rewritten version of "You Made Me Love You" (as "You Made Me Watch You") and a moving version of "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)."
    1995 - The Recording Industry Association of America reported that Bruce Springsteen's 1984 album, "Born in the USA," had sold more than 15 million copies. That tied it with Boston's self-titled album as the number-three all-time best-selling album. Only Michael Jackson's "Thriller" - at 24 million - and Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" - at 17 million - had sold more. By 2012, the album had sold in excess of 30 million and has been cited by critics as one of the greatest albums of all time.
    1998 – A 15-year-old student opened fire inside Thurston High School in Springfield, OR, killing two students and wounding 23, a day after killing his parents.
    2000 - Major League Baseball has its first six grand-slam day less than one year after establishing the mark with 5. Angel Garret Anderson, Giant J.T. Snow, Phillie Brian Hunter, A's Jason Giambi and Dodgers Adrian Beltre and Shawn Green all contributed to the record. The NL also set a record with four of the six base-loaded homers.
    2005 - Before their interleague game with the Athletics, the Giants pay homage to Juan Marichal by dedicating a nine-foot bronze statue outside SBC (now AT&T) Park. The ‘Dominican Dandy,' a San Francisco hurler from 1960-1973 now in the Hall of Fame, joins Willie Mays and Willie McCovey as the third player to be so honored.
    2005 - When Dae-Sung Koo bats against Randy Johnson, Mike Piazza confides to David Wright in the dugout, "If he gets a hit, I'll donate a million dollars to charity." The Korean reliever batting lefty off the Yankee fire-balling southpaw, who was afraid to stand in the batter's box in a previous game, promptly hits a 91-mph fastball to the wall in center for a double, causing the Mets catcher to remark he’ll be making a significant donation to a charity over the next 20 years.
    2015 – The tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka, opened at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.
    2014 – eBay announced that its databases were accessed by hackers in February and March despite no reports of illicit activity arising from the cyberattack. The company asked all users to change their passwords. The breach made it possible for the hackers to access the customer’s information like their name, address, password, contact no. etc., of 233 million users. eBay has also claimed that the database which was maintaining PayPal data is safe and was out of reach of attackers as the data was encrypted. Altogether, according to them, all the confidential information and other financial data was not available in the attacked database.
2015 – Oil spill cleanup continued at Refugio State Beach in California after a pipeline burst on May 19. Approximately 21,000 gallons of oil were released into the ocean and 105,000 gallons on land.
2017 – Barnum & Bailey Circus performed for the final time, at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island after 146 years.

Stanley Cup Champions:
1979 - Montreal Canadiens
1981 - New York Islanders

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