Pictures from the Past - November 29, 2000
SierraCities.com Announces Appointment of Baccaro to Head Sales

Photo of Richard on his Harley

HOUSTON, TX -- Richard A. Baccaro has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President - Sales. Baccaro brings 15 years industry experience to the position. Prior to being acquired in 1998, Richard served as CEO of Independent Capital Corporation (ICC).

Richard will be responsible for the national sales network, concentrating on building, supporting, and enhancing the retail sales force. "I welcome the opportunity and look forward to the future with great enthusiasm," Baccaro said. The promotion takes effect immediately.

About SierraCities.com

SierraCities is an innovator of technology solutions for online business-to-business financing. The Company's technology platform supports real time funding of e-commerce transactions through one of the most comprehensive online business financing fulfillment solutions available. SierraCities’ credit technologies enable B2B e-commerce by empowering businesses to complete transactions more quickly, thereby gaining time and cost efficiencies. SierraCities’ infrastructure solution automates much of the process involved in customer acquisition, application, data retrieval, data warehousing, underwriting, documentation, servicing, collections, funding, auditing, and data mining. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.SierraCities.com
http://two.leasingnews.org/archives/November/11-29-00.htm

TODAY

Chief Sales and Marketing Officer
Ascentium Capital LLC

The Company’s growth continues in key industries including construction, healthcare, hospitality, technology and waste management. Due to this, recruitment efforts cover a national footprint. Ascentium Capital currently employs 105 sales representatives throughout the United States.

About Ascentium Capital
As a direct lender, Ascentium Capital LLC specializes in providing a broad range of financing, leasing and small business loans. The company’s offering benefits equipment manufacturers and distributors as well as direct to businesses nationwide. Ascentium Capital is backed by the strength of leading investment firm Warburg Pincus LLC. For more information, please visit https://ascentiumcapital.com/

 

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Equipment Leasing Account Executive What sets CoreTech apart from other equipment leasing companies is our team members and impeccable reputation. Are you unhappy with the ethics of your company and the promises made to you? Come to Newport Beach and join us. To learn more, please click here www.coretechleasing.com CoreTech specializes in medium to large size companies and firms Over 100 law firms trust CoreTech for their leasing needs, why wouldn't you?

Asset Manager Los Angeles, California Class 8 through Class 6 Trucks Manage repossession, valuation, refurbishing, remarketing trucks and equipment Exp. owner-operator trucking business a must To learn more, please click here www.maximcc.com "Helping Owner-Operators Break through Credit Challenges"

 

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Sales Makes it Happen 
by Scott Wheeler, CLFP

Broad Shoulders

Successful professionals know their success is a result of many people. We stand upon the shoulders of others so that we may see opportunity and capture success. They are those who support us that allow true professionals to shine and prosper. Exceptional personal performance is a result of leadership, knowledge, perseverance, and humility. We become successful because of our personal efforts, our ability and willingness to learn, and our willingness to serve others. This Holiday season let's not forget those that have come before us, who continue to support our efforts and who make us smile.

• Parents who encourage us to succeed
• A college professor who inspired us to learn
• The first boss who took us under his/her wing 
• A loving spouse who gives us confidence
• A mentor who instills integrity and direction
• A child who teaches us "WHY"
• A staff member who goes the extra mile
• A best friend who lends an ear and shoulder
• A customer who confirms the power of value over price
• Our professional teams that celebrate success
• A stranger who asks for our help.

We are truly blessed. Give thanks to those who have supported you by giving to those who need support. Provide your broad shoulders so that others may see the opportunity and capture their success. The greatest gift is the ability and willingness to "GIVE." 

Happy Holidays

A holiday gift for a colleague (or yourself)
https://www.createspace.com/5355516 

Scott A. Wheeler, CLFP
Wheeler Business Consulting
1314 Marquis Ct.
Fallston, Maryland 21047
Phone: 410 877 0428
Fax: 410 877 8161
Email: scott@wheelerbusinessconsulting.com
Web: www.wheelerbusinessconsulting.com

Sales Makes it Happen articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Legacy/index.html

The Subject of Sex in the Recruiting Interview
Recruiter Hal T. Horowitz Speaks Out

Sometime ago, I sent a candidate on an interview at a $3 billion bank. He was intelligent, personable and, most importantly, well qualified. Not unexpectedly, he got the job – but not without having had to do some serious damage control following his second-round interview which included two more, previously unscheduled interviews: a second with HR and the fourth with peers and the Chief Credit Officer again.

Fortunately, his first interview, with HR and then with the hiring manager, the Chief Credit Officer, went very well. Both he and the CCO told me after the interview that it had gone very well on all accounts, and they already wanted to schedule a meeting with the bank president. That interview took place the following week, but my candidate came away feeling something had been unsaid or unasked; he wasn’t as sure of himself as he had been following the earlier meeting. He was right.   
My candidate was ushered into the interview that morning by the president’s administrative assistant who asked if he would like some coffee or water before she left. He thanked her but declined. As she walked out of the office, however, he let his eyes linger on her for a moment (as the president told me) and then commented, “She’s a very attractive lady.” That was a red flag.  “We have some concerns about his character,” I was told.  “…just not sure he’d be a fit here. We can’t afford to have any problems.”

That was a little over ten years ago, and although he got the job, there was considerable convincing of the Chief Credit Officer that it was intended only as a compliment, an innocent comment, not even a flirtation, and, his background check verified that he was a friendly person, easy to get along with, and had never previously been accused of any sexual innuendo or harassment.

Fast forward to 2017. I’m not so sure he would still pass that test. If employers were gun-shy then, they’d have to think they would be facing a firing squad if that kind of flag went up today

Employees today, women and men, are coming forward and are speaking out about having been previously harassed. They are identifying companies that were thought to be good working environments but harbor, hide and even cover-up the inappropriate actions of many of their top executives, costing them millions in undisclosed settlements.

Recent headlines scream accusations, resulting in terminations or suspensions or the opportunities to resign. I’m inclined to believe we’ll see more and that doesn’t include politicians who cannot be fired quite so easily.

There is no room in the workplace for sexual misbehavior or innuendo.  Company executives are finally getting that, not only because it’s the right thing to do for employees in the work environment, it is now financially prudent to avoid the litigation and damages that have and will result.  And, though it may not be as visible as high-profile cases, it is no less prudent and proper for smaller and midsized firms as well.

Apart from asking a coworker out for a drink or ending up in a fully consensual relationship, the issue is the abuse of power. Sexual harassment and predatory behavior is wrong and any hint of it during the hiring process, even an offhand, innocent remark will most likely result in having to continue your job search. Harassment is not victimless. Like bullying or any other kind of abuse, inappropriate sexual conduct leaves scars, feelings of guilt, inadequacy and shame.  It negatively impacts work-life balance and job performance. Ultimately, it can destroy people’s careers.   

There is no acceptable response or explanation. Consider being on the hiring side of the interview when this issue arises. Will you risk your career by hiring someone involved in such an incident(s), knowing you will never get the truth but the sanitized version that was drafted to minimize it.  Now consider what you would do if you are the interviewee and you are trying to explain what occurred. 

Abusing power and disrespecting employees are no longer explained away as seeking forgiveness instead of asking permission. The scars don’t magically disappear when you say, “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.” 

Keep that in mind when you interview.

Hal T. Horowitz
Financial Pro Solutions
Executive recruitment serving financial professionals
Career coaching & professional résumé writing services & interview preparation
Phone: 818-347-FINA (347-3462)
Cell: 818-730-0645
Email: halh@finapros.com
Website: www.finapros.com
Twitter:  @finapros

Recruiter Hal T. Horwitz Speaks Out
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/recuiter_hh.htm

 

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Story Credit Lessors - Lenders List
"C" & "D" Lessees, Business Loans, Working Capital

These companies specialize in "C" and "D" credits, often new businesses, or businesses where the principal(s) have Beacon scores around 600 or have had previous difficulties; meaning to become comfortable with the credit and financial statements. That means you need to learn the "story" to make a positive decision, often requiring further security, shorter term, or additional guarantors. Many of these companies may also have programs for “A” and “B” rated companies, but their specialty is not being a “cookie cutter” and often require full financial statements and tax returns as well as a “story about the company, its history, goals, circumstances” to fully understand the full financial picture. Many of these companies also offer business loans and working capital loans, as well as doing "subprime leases." Also listed below the dollar amounts are companies that who are known for accepting "subprime leasing." All accept qualified third party originations and pay a commission. To qualify for this list, the company must be a funder (as qualified by Leasing News and on the “Funder List” and not a "Broker/Lessor” along with an acceptable Better Business Bureau Rating and no history of complaints at Leasing News, as well as notifying lessees in advance when the lease will end and what the residual will be, specifically not automating extra lease payments, as we as insisting their discounter follow the same policy. We reserve the right to not list a company who does not meet these qualifications. Funder List “A” http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm We encourage companies who are listed to contact us for any change or addition they would like to make. Adding further information as an "attachment" or clarification of what they have to offer would be helpful to readers is also very much encouraged. kitmenkin@leasingnews.org Alphabetical list - click on company name to view more details
American Leasefund, Inc.  Bankers Capital  Black Rock Capital Investment, LLC BSB Leasing, Inc Calfund, LLC Cobra Capital LLC Dakota Financial	Financial Pacific Leasing Forum Financial Services, Inc. Gonor Funding Maxim Commercial Capital, LLC  Mesa Leasing Northwest Leasing Company, Inc.	Pawnee Leasing Corporation Park Western Leasing  P&L Capital Corporation  Standard Professional Services, LLC Summit Leasing, Inc. TEAM Funding Solutions

Full List:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Story_Credit/Story_Credit.htm

Commercial Bankruptcies Down 22% for October
Reports American Bankruptcy Institute

Commercial bankruptcy filings totaled 2,989 in October, a 3-percent decrease from the 3,077 commercial filings last October, according to ABI.

Commercial Chapter 11 filings registered the steepest drop as the 316 filings in October were 22 percent lower than the commercial Chapter 11 filing total of 405 recorded last October.

Consumer bankruptcies increased in October as the 61,590 filings were 3 percent more than the 60,005 consumer filings registered a year earlier.

Officials calculated the average nationwide per capita bankruptcy filing rate for the first 10 calendar months of the year remained the same at 2.53 (total filings per 1,000 population) as the rate registered during the first nine months of the year.

The average daily filing total in October was 3,075, a 2.5-percent decrease from the 3,154 total daily filings registered in October of last year.

States with the highest per capita filing rates (total filings per 1,000 population) through the first 10 months of 2017 were:

1. Alabama (5.82)
2. Tennessee (5.63)
3. Georgia (4.74)
4. Mississippi (4.22)
5. Utah (4.10)

 

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Academy for Lease & Finance Professionals
Two Planned to date for 2018

The Certified Lease and Finance Professional Foundation offers a variety of study tools to help candidates prepare for the exam, including the CLFP Handbook, the CLFP Mentor Program and the Academy for Lease & Finance Professionals, a three-day event designed to fully prepare an individual to sit for the CLFP exam. Upon achieving the CLFP designation, recipients must meet ongoing requirements to maintain their elite status as a CLFP in Good Standing and retain the license to use the designation.

May 3, 2018
Irvine, California
Hosted by First Foundation Bank. 
Class Location: 18101 Von Karman
Irvine, California

May 17, 2018
Overland Park, Kansas
Hosted by Arvest Equipment Finance
Class Location:
Arvest Bank Training Room
7401 W. 135th Street
Overland Park, KS 66223

The cost to attend the class is $750 and the cost of the exam is $695.  When purchased together, the total is discounted to $1400. Current CLFPs are offered a discounted price of $395 and class attendance satisfies the Recertification requirement.

The ALFP is a three-day event designed to fully prepare an individual to sit for the CLFP exam assuming the attendee has read and studied The Certified Lease & Finance Professionals’ Handbook prior to attending.

On the first two days, all of the required sections of the CLFP exam are covered in-depth; in addition, the three most popular elective sections will also be covered (see below). Study materials are provided for the elective sections not covered which students may use to self-study. On the third day, the exam is offered, but not mandatory.

If you are interested in attending, please contact us: sandy@clfpfoundation.org or (206) 535-6281

 

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

Robert E. Clune, founder of Clune Equipment Leasing
in 1957, has passed away

Bob's son, Kevin F. Clune, who is current chairman, announces loss in the November newsletter:

“The Clune & Company extended family mourns the loss of our founder Robert Emmett Clune, who passed away on October 24 at the age of 91. He was an inspiration in both his personal and professional life; we are most grateful for Bob's vision, leadership, and fortitude.

“His guiding principles have formed the foundation of the Clune Culture over the past six decades. May you rest in peace, dear friend and mentor.”

---

From Typewriters to Drones in 60 years.
How a lease finance company evolved and survived.

When Bob Clune started Clune Equipment Leasing in 1957 to finance IBM Typewriters for his customers, he could not have envisioned the array of equipment that his company would finance 60 years later. The portfolio now includes cutting edge IT networks & systems, multi-function printers/copiers, medical diagnostic equipment, agricultural products, and yes, drones that are used by surveyors…but no typewriters.

Bob’s son, Kevin F. Clune, has been Chairman of Clune & Company LC (www.clune.net) since the elder Clune’s retirement in 1991.  Based in the Kansas City metropolitan area, it may be the oldest leasing business in America that has been under continuous family ownership.   

As an independent lessor, Clune has expanded from serving a regional area to now working directly with both equipment vendors and leasing customers across the country.  The 60 year old company has maintained their unique business model in which they oversee credit decisions “in house” and maintain and service their own portfolio. Customers can always contact Clune with any questions about the terms of their lease contracts and will get a quick response and a straight answer.  

Some banks, equipment manufacturers, and even equipment vendors have established their own lease finance divisions.  However, their extra fees and end of lease contract terms may differ dramatically from the typical Clune Lease.  Clune & Company has differentiated itself from competitors with their flexible and straightforward lease finance products, without any “gotchas”, and business practices that ensure long term relationships. They can credit their many loyal customers to their adaptability and resilience over the past 60 years. Congratulations on this remarkable milestone. 

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

Terrier from Puerto Rico
Baltimore, Maryland Adopt-a-Dog

Lucy
ID# 128225
Female
5 years, 1 month
Spayed
Vaccinations up to date
Worming up to date
Health Very good

"Hi I'm Lucy! And I'm a dog flown over from a shelter in Puerto Rico after the hurricane. That was a crazy situation, moving shelter to shelter, and the first few days with my foster family was hard--I was spent and tired, but still loving with the humans that welcomed me. But after a good few weeks with some much needed stability, I'm thinking Baltimore city may be the home for me! I'm playful and happy, and grateful for anything you throw my way. I love the humans. I love the doggos. And I love the squirrels (I ain't nothing but a hound dog~). I'm not sure what happened in my past life--but all I know is now! And I'm loving the now. I love your pets and all belly rubs, and I'd do great in a home with another dog companion. I'm not sure why I've been moved and my situation hasn't always been stable--so I'm ready to finally rest, and love my new family for many more years to come. xx Lucy (in the sky with diamonds) If you are interested in meeting me please contact our foster team to set up an appointment at foster@mdspca.org."

Adoption Fee: $125.00
Plus, there is a required $25 Pet ID Package. This includes a microchip, collar, and personalized ID tag. The retail value of the microchip service alone is $35-60. A Baltimore City pet license, required for all Baltimore City adopters is $10.

Pet Application:
http://www.mdspca.org/images/uploads/forms/Pet-Adoption-Application-052014.pdf

Visit our Adoption Center during our open hours:
(Please note TO MEET a pet you must arrive 15 minutes prior to closing.)

Monday: 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.
​Tuesday: 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 12 to 5 p.m.
Thursday: 12 to 5 p.m.
Friday: 12 to 5 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Baltimore Animal Care & Rescue
3300 Falls Road
Baltimore, MD 21211
info2.barcs@gmail.com
410-396-4695

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

 

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Memorial Service for Duane Russell, Woodland Park, CO
Saturday, December 2, 2017

"We will be having a memorial service for our Dad - Duane Russell - on Saturday, 2 December at the Woodland Park Senior Center @ 1:00pm. The address is 321 North Pine St, Woodland Park, CO. This will be a time to remember Dad and celebrate his life. There will be a time for folks to share their memories and experiences. We look forward to seeing many of you, and please share this with anyone you think would like to join us."

Geoff & Sue Russell
geoff_russell@sil.org

Duane Russell, 83, Passes Away in South Carolina
  An Old Timer Who Was Very Active in His Day
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Nov2017/11_20.htm#russell

News Briefs----

Former Bank of Oswego CEO, CFO convicted of conspiracy
 Heine, Former Citizen of the Year, Rest of his life in Jail
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2017/11/bank_of_oswego_trial_verdict.html

Fed Chair Nominee Powell Sees Continuity if Confirmed
 "placid affair, only a third of the seats in hearing room occupied"
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/us/politics/jerome-powell-federal-reserve-nominee-testimony.html

CFPB Set To Sue Santander Over Auto Protection Product
 overcharged its car loan customers--Auto Lending $38.5 Billion
https://www.pymnts.com/news/security-and-risk/2017/cfpb-santander-gap-insurance/

Banker of the Year: KeyCorp's Beth Mooney
  American Banker Magazine
https://www.americanbanker.com/news/2017-banker-of-the-year-keycorps-beth-mooney

U.S. home prices leapt in September by the most in 3 years
  lifted by a record-low supply of houses for sale
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/28/us-home-prices-leapt-in-september-by-the-most-in-3-years/

Campbell’s Barracuda Networks going private
   in $1.6 billion deal
http://www.siliconbeat.com/2017/11/27/campbells-barracuda-networks-going-private-in-1-6-billion-deal/?doing_wp_cron=1511909503.3284609317779541015625

Bitcoin hit yet another all-time high
– but its long-term future is less certain
http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-hit-yet-another-all-time-high-but-its-long-term-future-is-less-certain-2017-11

Tesla Turns Power Back On: Children's Hospital in Puerto Rico
  using solar energy and batteries
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/25/560045944/tesla-turns-power-back-on-at-childrens-hospital-in-puerto-rico

 

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You May Have Missed---

Top 15 Bank Video Ads of 2017
https://bankinnovation.net/2017/11/top-15-bank-video-ads-of-2017/
https://bankinnovation.net/2017/11/top-15-bank-video-ads-of-2017-page-2/
https://bankinnovation.net/2017/11/top-15-bank-video-ads-of-2017-page-3/

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Robert William Service -

                Carry On

It's easy to fight when everything's right,
    And you're mad with the thrill and the glory;
It's easy to cheer when victory's near,
    And wallow in fields that are gory.
It's a different song when everything's wrong,
    When you're feeling infernally mortal;
When it's ten against one, and hope there is none,
    Buck up, little soldier, and chortle:

Carry on! Carry on!
There isn't much punch in your blow.
You're glaring and staring and hitting out blind;
You're muddy and bloody, but never you mind.
Carry on! Carry on!
You haven't the ghost of a show.
It's looking like death, but while you've a breath,
Carry on, my son! Carry on!

And so in the strife of the battle of life
    It's easy to fight when you're winning;
It's easy to slave, and starve and be brave,
    When the dawn of success is beginning.
But the man who can meet despair and defeat
    With a cheer, there's the man of God's choosing;
The man who can fight to Heaven's own height
    Is the man who can fight when he's losing.

Carry on! Carry on!
Things never were looming so black.
But show that you haven't a cowardly streak,
And though you're unlucky you never are weak.
Carry on! Carry on!
Brace up for another attack.
It's looking like hell, but -- you never can tell:
Carry on, old man! Carry on!

There are some who drift out in the deserts of doubt,
    And some who in brutishness wallow;
There are others, I know, who in piety go
    Because of a Heaven to follow.
But to labour with zest, and to give of your best,
    For the sweetness and joy of the giving;
To help folks along with a hand and a song;
    Why, there's the real sunshine of living.

Carry on! Carry on!
Fight the good fight and true;
Believe in your mission, greet life with a cheer;
There's big work to do, and that's why you are here.
Carry on! Carry on!
Let the world be the better for you;
And at last when you die, let this be your cry:
Carry on, my soul! Carry on!

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Eli Manning Is Benched by Giants in Favor of Geno Smith
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/sports/eli-manning-benched-giants.html

Olympic Doping Diaries: Chemist’s Notes Bolster Case Against Russia
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/sports/olympics/russia-doping.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Darren McFadden decides to retire from NFL
   after being waived by Dallas Cowboys
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/11/28/darren-mcfadden-decides-retire-nfl-after-being-cut-dallas-cowboys/902764001/

A’s score an “F” at Laney College with ballpark plan
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/A-s-score-an-F-at-Laney-College-with-ballpark-12382076.php

Jimmy Garoppolo to Start over C.J. Beathard in Week 13 vs. Bears
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2741724-jimmy-garoppolo-to-start-over-cj-beathard-in-week-13-vs-bears

Little Caesars Arena Becomes First NHL And NBA Arena
 To Receive Homeland Security SAFETY Act Certification
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/little-caesars-arena-becomes-first-nhl-and-nba-arena-to-receive-homeland-security-safety-act-certification-300563138.html

 

 

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California Nuts Briefs---

Cracks found in new Oroville Dam spillway,
   but officials say don’t worry
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article186945568.html#emlnl=Alerts_Newsletter

A month after going missing, Squishy the cat is found
     80 miles away in SF
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Cat-missing-from-Lathrop-discovered-a-month-12387299.php

San Francisco homeowners want city to give back
   their street bought by San Jose investor

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/28/san-francisco-homeowners-want-city-to-give-back-their-street/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=gmsv&utm_medium=email

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“Gimme that Wine”

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

California Supreme Court rules for farmworkers,
   and upholds binding mediation
http://beta.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-farmworker-court-20171127-story.html#nt=oft12aH-1li3

The Top 100 Vineyard Owners in Napa Valley (#7 & #8)
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=192634

Proposed H-2C Law Has Flaws
http://www.growingproduce.com/vegetables/proposed-h-2c-law-has-flaws/

A conversation between Bourdain and Francis Ford Coppola
https://explorepartsunknown.com/southern-italy/a-conversation-between-bourdain-and-francis-ford-coppola/

Wine Country Still Hurting After Fires
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2017/11/wine-country-still-hurting-after-fires

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

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

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

This Day in History

    1644 - The Massachusetts General Court issued a call for local pastors to learn the dialects of neighboring Indian tribes as an aid toward converting them to the Christian faith.
    1729 - Birthday of Charles Thomson (d. 1824) in Ireland.  America’s first official record keeper. Chosen secretary of the First Continental Congress Sept 5, 1774, Thomson recorded proceedings for 15 years and delivered his journals together with tens of thousands of records to the federal government in 1789. It was Thomson who notified George Washington of his election as president.
http://www.charlesthomson.com/
    1760 - Major Roger Rogers takes possession of Detroit on behalf of Britain.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1186.html
    1776 - General George Washington starts re-grouping his troops, fighting the heavy winter, planning a major surprise into Hessian-held New Jersey.
    1777 - Lieutenant Jose Joaquin Moraga, with 14 settlers and their families, arrived in the Santa Clara Valley to found El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe San Jose.  The first secular community in California was established on the Guadalupe River. Called a pueblo, it had 66 inhabitants whose dissolute lives scandalized the padres at nearby Mission Santa Clara. The priests built a road lined by shady willows from the mission to San Jose to encourage church attendance, but the colonists stayed away as the Padres made them work for the mission, imposed cruelty when they did not, and other punishments for not speaking Spanish, dressing “appropriately,” saying prayers or following missionaries’ way of “salvation.”
http://www.donaldlaird.com/landmarks/counties/400-499/433.html
    1780 - In Connecticut, Lemuel Haynes, 27, was licensed to preach in the Congregational Church, becoming the first black minister to be certified by a predominantly white denomination. Five years later, in 1785, Haynes was ordained pastor of a church in Torrington, CT, also making him the first black minister to pastor a white church. He fell in love with a young white woman in his Connecticut congregation; she proposed to him, and they were married in 1783, producing ten children. Middlebury College gave Haynes an honorary degree (another unprecedented event) at its second commencement in 1804. He filled pulpits in Bennington, Manchester, and Granville, New York, before his death at the age of eighty.
http://www.virtualvermont.com/history/lhaynes.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p29.html
    1799 - American utopianist writer, philosopher, teacher Amos Bronson Alcott (d. 1888) born, Wolcott, Connecticut. A profound influence over Ralph Waldo Emerson, who in turn was instrumental in the development of Alcott’s daughter Louisa May.  As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and avoided traditional punishment. He hoped to perfect the human spirit and, to that end, advocated a vegan diet before the term was coined.  He was also an abolitionist and an advocate for women's rights.
http://www.alcott.net/
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/alcott/
    1811 - Birthday of Wendell Phillips (d. 1884), Boston, MA. American women’s suffrage, anti-slavery, prison reform leader.
    1816 - The first savings bank conceived by charter: the Bank for Savings in the City of New York. It did not open until March 26, 1819. The deposits on the first day, received from 80 depositors, amounted to $2,807. The statement for the first six months showed a loss of $27 suffered as a result of the bank’s accepting counterfeit money and a short change loss of $23.92.
    1825 – The first Italian opera in the US, “The Barber of Seville,” opened in NYC.
    1832 - Louisa May Alcott birthday (d. 1888), American author, born at Philadelphia, PA.  Known for her novel “Little Women,” the classic story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, she also wrote “Work,” an autobiographical novel exposing the exploitation of women workers and the evils of industrialization in 1873. After the failure of her father's utopian community Fruitlands, she took care of the welfare of the family. While Louisa May was growing up, her family was near starvation many times and friends and neighbors took them food and clothing. In 1848, her mother, Abba Alcott at age 49, was hired by a group of philanthropic Boston women to be their city missionary to distribute food and clothing to the poor and needy (her family included). 
Her salary provided almost the only income for her four children and her philosopher husband Branson, who did a lot of thinking and talking that has gotten him into a lot of "noted men" history books, but did no work to feed himself or his family. Branson once wrote in his voluminous correspondence,
"What with my wife's and (daughter) Anna's earnings, my own tithe and charities from a few friends, we survive as a family, and fall but little into debt.” An ardent abolitionist, she volunteered in the American Civil War as a nurse and served in 1862-1863 at the Union Hospital in Georgetown, D.C. During this time, she contracted typhoid from which she never completely recovered. Her father was born the same day, see 1799 above.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov29.html
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/lmalcott.htm
    1850 - The San Francisco Grand Jury condemned gambling in this city as "a crying evil," and urged that something must be done about prize fighting as well as numerous houses of ill-repute.
    1863 - The Battle of Fort Sanders, Knoxville, Tenn. ends with a Confederate withdrawal.
    1864 - Ignoring orders to kill only warriors, a U.S. Army troop massacres 103 sleeping Cheyenne — including Black Kettle, a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre — in the so-called "Battle of the Washita," Oklahoma Territory.
http://www.lastoftheindependents.com/BlackKettle.html
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/four/sandcrk.htm
    1872 - The Battle of Lost River, the first hostilities between the U.S. Government and Captain Jack's band of Modoc Indians. The government moves in early in the morning while the Modocs sleep, and demands a surrender. Instead, as could have been predicted, the distrustful Modocs react with gunfire. One Modoc, known as The Watchman, is killed and one U.S. soldier by the name of Harris is also killed. Several on both sides are wounded. In the immediate aftermath, the Modocs also kill 17 settlers. Some curiosity seekers had tagged along to watch the battle and fled with guns firing at the first sign of hostilities. One of these killed a civilian and her infant with a panic-induced shotgun blast.
    1876 - Birthday of Nellie Taylor Ross (d. 1977), St. Joseph, MO.  She became the first female governor in the US when she was chosen to serve out the last month and two days of her husband’s term as governor of Wyoming after he died in office. She was elected in her own right in the Nov 4, 1924, election but lost the 1927 race. Ross was appointed vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1926 and named director of the US Mint by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. She served in that capacity for 20 years.
    1877 - Thomas Edison demonstrates the hand-cranked phonograph
    2887 - Child prodigy pianist, Josef Hofmann, at 11 years of age, made his American debut at a concert held in the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. His recording remain, although in later life he said the early fame was more than he could handle, turning to alcohol, which greatly affected his career and personal life.
http://www.geocities.com/greatpianists/hofmann.html
    1890 - Army played Navy for the first time in football, and Navy won, 24-0. Red Emrich scored four touchdowns (worth four points each) and kicked two field goals (worth two points each), and Moulton Johnson added the other touchdown to account for all the scoring.  The game came about primarily because of the efforts of Dennis Mahan Michie. Born at West Point to a prominent faculty member who had been brevetted brigadier general for Civil War service, Michie learned how to play football at Lawrenceville Prep.  The football stadium at West Point is named for him.
    1883 - Printer/publisher William Joseph "Dard" Hunter (d. 1966) was born in Steubenville, Ohio. His writings on the history and technique of papermaking include the autobiography, “My Life with Paper.”
    1895 - The first gasoline-powered automobile race in the U.S., the Chicago to Evanston Thanksgiving Day Race, was won by the brothers Charles E. and J. Frank Duryea; 6 cars, 55 miles, winner averages a blazing 7 MPH.
    1895 - Birthday of William “Busby” Berkeley (d. 1976), born Los Angeles, CA. After serving in World War I as an entertainment officer, he changed his name to Busby Berkeley and began a career as an actor. He turned to directing in 1921, and his lavish Broadway and Hollywood creations, including “Forty-Second Street,” “Gold Diggers of 1933,” “Footlight Parade,” “Stage Struck,” “Babes in Arms,” “Strike up the Band, “Girl Crazy,” and “Take Me out to the Ball Game.” He retired in 1962 and returned to Broadway in 1970 to supervise a revival of “No, No, Nanette.”
    1896 - Temperatures fell to 51 below zero at Havre, MT
    1903 - An Inquiry into the U.S. Postal Service demonstrates the government has lost millions in fraud.
    1904 - President Theodore Roosevelt wrote a letter to a distant cousin named Franklin, saying he approved of Franklin’s intended marriage to the President’s niece, Eleanor.
    1908 - Birthday of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (d. 1972), New Haven, Conn. Well-known and popular black Congressman, representing Harlem, NY, receiving the mantle from his very popular and influential father, Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. Caught in activity unbecoming a Congressman, considered a dynamic personality and leader, his attraction to the opposite sex and use of government money for trips to the Bahamas became his undoing, as he was barred to sit in Congress after fulfilling eleven terms in 1967.  He was re-elected, and then rejected by voters in his district when he ran in the next term on new charges of corruption. Cremated and ashes scattered over South Bimini in the Bahamas, where he spent most of his time when he was supposed to be representing his constituents in Congress..
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=P000477
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/02/16/Floridian/Adam_Clayton_Powell_J.shtml
http://www.blackseek.com/bh/2001/10_AdamPowell.htm
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/text/acpowell.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/researchtools/articlearchives/honormlk/gloryday.htm
    1915 - Composer/arranger/pianist Billy Strayhorn (d. 1967) birthday, Dayton, Ohio.
http://www.schirmer.com/composers/strayhorn/bio.html
http://www.billystrayhorn.com/biography.htm
http://town.hall.org/Archives/radio/Kennedy/Taylor/bt_stray.html
http://www2.biglobe.ne.jp/~songbook/ellington-strayhorn/index.html
    1907 - The first stadium operated by a city was the Golden Gate Park Stadium, San Francisco, CA, completed this day. It was oval in shape and covered a 30-acre field. It had two entrances, one on the north and one of the south side, through tunnels 30 feet wide and 10 feet high. A three-quarter mile trotting track 60 feet wide encircled the stadium. Bicycle races were held on November 29, 1906, before completion.
    1926 - Duke Ellington’s Kentucky Club Orchestra records “East St. Louis Toodle-O,” Vocalion 1064
    1929 - After finishing his first flight over the North Pole on this date in 1926, Lieutenant Commander Richard E. Byrd flew over the South Pole today, exactly three years later, becoming the first American to achieve this feat. 
    1932 - In New York City, Cole Porter's musical, "The Gay Divorcee," opened. It featured the classic, "Night and Day."
    1934 - The Detroit Lions played their first Thanksgiving Day game, the start of an NFL tradition, and lost to the Chicago Bears, 19—16. CBS Radio does its first-ever national broadcast of an NFL game before a crowd of 26,000.
    1940 – Flugelhornist, trumpeter and composer Chuck Mangione was born in Rochester, NY.  He achieved international success in 1977 with his jazz-pop single "Feels So Good." The single reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June of that year after spending a week atop the Billboard easy listening chart in May.   The recording was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1979, losing to Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are." Mangione has released more than 30 albums since 1960.
    1941 - Dennis Doherty (d. 2007), vocalist with the Mamas & Papas, is born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
    1943 - HASEMOTO, MIKIO, Medal of Honor
Private Mikio Hasemoto distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 29 November 1943, in the vicinity of Cerasuolo, Italy. A force of approximately 40 enemy soldiers, armed with machine guns, machine pistols, rifles, and grenades, attacked the left flank of his platoon. Two enemy soldiers with machine guns advanced forward, firing their weapons. Private Hasemoto, an automatic rifleman, challenged these two machine gunners. After firing four magazines at the approaching enemy, his weapon was shot and damaged. Unhesitatingly, he ran 10 yards to the rear, secured another automatic rifle and continued to fire until his weapon jammed. At this point, Private Hasemoto and his squad leader had killed approximately 20 enemy soldiers. Again, Private Hasemoto ran through a barrage of enemy machine gun fire to pick up an M-1 rifle. Continuing their fire, Private Hasemoto and his squad leader killed 10 more enemy soldiers. With only three enemy soldiers left, he and his squad leader charged courageously forward, killing one, wounding one, and capturing another. The following day, Private Hasemoto continued to repel enemy attacks until he was killed by enemy fire. Private Hasemoto’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army. 
    1943 - HAYASHI, SHIZUYA, Medal of Honor
Private Shizuya Hayashi distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 29 November 1943, near Cerasuolo, Italy. During a flank assault on high ground held by the enemy, Private Hayashi rose alone in the face of grenade, rifle, and machine gun fire. Firing his automatic rifle from the hip, he charged and overtook an enemy machine gun position, killing seven men in the nest and two more as they fled. After his platoon advanced 200 yards from this point, an enemy antiaircraft gun opened fire on the men. Private Hayashi returned fire at the hostile position, killing nine of the enemy, taking four prisoners, and forcing the remainder of the force to withdraw from the hill. Private Hayashi’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army. 
    1944 - MILLER, ANDREW, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company G, 377th Infantry, 95th Infantry Division. Place and date: From Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany, 16-29 November 1944. Entered service at: Two Rivers, Wis. Birth: Manitowoc, Wis. G.O. No.: 74, 1 September 1945. Citation: For performing a series of heroic deeds from 1629 November 1944, during his company's relentless drive from Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany. As he led a rifle squad on 16 November at Woippy, a crossfire from enemy machineguns pinned down his unit. Ordering his men to remain under cover, he went forward alone, entered a building housing 1 of the guns and forced S Germans to surrender at bayonet point. He then took the second gun single-handedly by hurling grenades into the enemy position, killing 2, wounding 3 more, and taking 2 additional prisoners. At the outskirts of Metz the next day, when his platoon, confused by heavy explosions and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, retired, he fearlessly remained behind armed with an automatic rifle and exchanged bursts with a German machinegun until he silenced the enemy weapon. His quick action in covering his comrades gave the platoon time to regroup and carry on the fight. On 19 November S/Sgt. Miller led an attack on large enemy barracks. Covered by his squad, he crawled to a barracks window, climbed in and captured 6 riflemen occupying the room. His men, and then the entire company, followed through the window, scoured the building, and took 75 prisoners. S/Sgt. Miller volunteered, with 3 comrades, to capture Gestapo officers who were preventing the surrender of German troops in another building. He ran a gauntlet of machinegun fire and was lifted through a window. Inside, he found himself covered by a machine pistol, but he persuaded the 4 Gestapo agents confronting him to surrender. Early the next morning, when strong hostile forces punished his company with heavy fire, S/Sgt. Miller assumed the task of destroying a well-placed machinegun. He was knocked down by a rifle grenade as he climbed an open stairway in a house, but pressed on with a bazooka to find an advantageous spot from which to launch his rocket. He discovered that he could fire only from the roof, a position where he would draw tremendous enemy fire. Facing the risk, he moved into the open, coolly took aim and scored a direct hit on the hostile emplacement, wreaking such havoc that the enemy troops became completely demoralized and began surrendering by the score. The following day, in Metz, he captured 12 more prisoners and silenced an enemy machinegun after volunteering for a hazardous mission in advance of his company's position. On 29 November, as Company G climbed a hill overlooking Kerprich Hemmersdorf, enemy fire pinned the unit to the ground. S/Sgt. Miller, on his own initiative, pressed ahead with his squad past the company's leading element to meet the surprise resistance. His men stood up and advanced deliberately, firing as they went. Inspired by S/Sgt. Miller's leadership, the platoon followed, and then another platoon arose and grimly closed with the Germans. The enemy action was smothered, but at the cost of S/Sgt. Miller's life. His tenacious devotion to the attack, his gallant choice to expose himself to enemy action rather than endanger his men, his limitless bravery, assured the success of Company G. 
    1944 - Johns Hopkins hospital performs first open heart surgery.
    1947 - Despite strong Arab opposition, the United Nations votes for the partition of Palestine and the creation of an independent Jewish state.
    1948 - “Kukla, Fran and Ollie” premiered on TV. This popular children’s show featured puppets created and handled by Burr Tillstrom and was equally popular with adults. Fran Allison was the only human on the show. Tillstrom’s lively and eclectic cast of characters, called the “Kuklapolitans,” included the bald, high-voiced Kukla, the big-toothed Oliver J. Dragon (OIIie), Fletcher Rabbit, Cecil Bill, Beulah the Witch, Colonel Crackie, Madame Ooglepuss and Dolores Dragon. Most shows were performed without scripts.
    1950 - MYERS, REGINALD R., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Marine Corps, 3d Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, (Rein.). Place and date: Near Hagaru-ri, Korea, 29 November 1950. Entered service at: Boise, Idaho. Born: 26 November 1919, Boise, Idaho. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as executive officer of the 3d Battalion, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Assuming command of a composite unit of Army and Marine service and headquarters elements totaling approximately 250 men, during a critical stage in the vital defense of the strategically important military base at Hagaru-ri, Maj. Myers immediately initiated a determined and aggressive counterattack against a well-entrenched and cleverly concealed enemy force numbering an estimated 4,000. Severely handicapped by a lack of trained personnel and experienced leaders in his valiant efforts to regain maximum ground prior to daylight, he persisted in constantly exposing himself to intense, accurate, and sustained hostile fire in order to direct and supervise the employment of his men and to encourage and spur them on in pressing the attack. Inexorably moving forward up the steep, snow-covered slope with his depleted group in the face of apparently insurmountable odds, he concurrently directed artillery and mortar fire with superb skill and although losing 170 of his men during 14 hours of raging combat in subzero temperatures, continued to reorganize his unit and spearhead the attack which resulted in 600 enemy killed and 500 wounded. By his exceptional and valorous leadership throughout, Maj. Myers contributed directly to the success of his unit in restoring the perimeter. His resolute spirit of self-sacrifice and unfaltering devotion to duty enhance and sustain the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. 
    1950 - SITTER, CARL L., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps, Company G, 3d Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Hagaru-ri, Korea, 29 and 30 November 1950. Entered service at: Pueblo, Colo. Born: 2 December 1921, Syracuse, Mo. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of Company G, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Ordered to break through enemy-infested territory to reinforce his battalion the morning of 29 November, Capt. Sitter continuously exposed himself to enemy fire as he led his company forward and, despite 25 percent casualties suffered m the furious action, succeeded in driving through to his objective. Assuming the responsibility of attempting to seize and occupy a strategic area occupied by a hostile force of regiment strength deeply entrenched on a snow-covered hill commanding the entire valley southeast of the town, as well as the line of march of friendly troops withdrawing to the south, he reorganized his depleted units the following morning and boldly led them up the steep, frozen hillside under blistering fire, encouraging and redeploying his troops as casualties occurred and directing forward platoons as they continued the drive to the top of the ridge. During the night when a vastly outnumbering enemy launched a sudden, vicious counterattack, setting the hill ablaze with mortar, machine gun, and automatic-weapons fire and taking a heavy toll in troops, Capt. Sitter visited each foxhole and gun position, coolly deploying and integrating reinforcing units consisting of service personnel unfamiliar with infantry tactics into a coordinated combat team and instilling in every man the will and determination to hold his position at all costs. With the enemy penetrating his lines in repeated counterattacks which often required hand-to-hand combat, and, on one occasion infiltrating to the command post with hand grenades, he fought gallantly with his men in repulsing and killing the fanatic attackers in each encounter. Painfully wounded in the face, arms, and chest by bursting grenades, he staunchly refused to be evacuated and continued to fight on until a successful defense of the area was assured with a loss to the enemy of more than 50 percent dead, wounded, and captured. His valiant leadership, superb tactics, and great personal valor throughout 36 hours of bitter combat reflect the highest credit upon Capt. Sitter and the U.S. Naval Service.
    1952 - President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower flew to Korea, fulfilling his campaign promise, and inspected the UN forces there. On a three-day tour, he visited front-line positions. The tour was kept secret until he had returned from the zone of danger.
    1952 - Top Hits
“You Belong to Me” - Jo Stafford
“Glow Worm” - The Mills Brothers
“Lady of Spain” - Eddie Fisher
“Jambalaya” (“On the Bayou”) - Hank Williams
    1953 - The first transcontinental nonstop two-way airplane service by American Airlines, using Douglas DC-7, between International Airport, Los Angeles, Ca., and Idlewild International Airport, New York City, a distance of 2,540 miles. The eastbound flight was scheduled for 7 hours 15 minutes and the westbound flight for 7 hours 35 minutes. It would not be until 1959 for the first four-engine American Airlines Boeing 707 to take 112 passengers and eight-member crew, 4 hours, 3 minutes, 3 seconds to make the flight. The plane was piloted by Captain Charles Macatee of Huntington, NY. The fare was $158.83 one way plus tax and $301.90 round trip plus tax. On December 28, 1961, American Airlines was the first to carry 100 million passengers.
    1957 – NYC Mayor Robert Wagner, smarting from the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants to California, forms a four-member committee to find a replacement.
    1957 - Birthday of Janet Napolitano – Governor of Arizona, elected 2002—born Albuquerque, New Mexico.
    1959 - The Grammy Awards were shown on network television for the first time. (It was actually the second year of the Grammy Awards.) "Mack the Knife" won Record of the Year and Bobby Darin, who belted it out, was Best New Artist of the Year. Frank Sinatra won Album of the Year for "Come Dance with Me." Jimmy Driftwood penned the Song of the Year: "The Battle of New Orleans," which also won Country and Western Performance of the Year honors for Johnny Horton. The Best Folk Performance of the Year went to The Kingston Trio for their "...at Large" recording. The Best Performance by a Top 40 Artist was Nat King Cole’s "Midnight Flyer" and the Grammy for Best Comedy Performance, Musical, went to Homer & Jethro for their immortal "The Battle of Kookamonga."
    1960 - Top Hits
“Are You Lonesome To-night?” - Elvis Presley
“Last Date” - Floyd Cramer
“A Thousand Stars” - Kathy Young with The Innocents
“Wings of a Dove” - Ferlin Husky
    1962 - Major League Baseball made the decision to return to playing only one All-Star Game a year as of 1963. Since 1959, there had been two games each year. 
    1963 - Beatles released "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Within three days, the record will have sold one million copies, making it their second million seller.
    1963 - United States President Lyndon Johnson named a commission, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, to investigate the assassination of President John Kennedy.
    1964 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Ringo," Lorne Greene. Greene, star of the NBC show "Bonanza," is only the second Canadian to have a No. 1 hit in the United States.
    1968 - Top Hits
“Hey Jude” - The Beatles
“Love Child” - Diana Ross & The Supremes
“Abraham, Martin and John” - Dion
“Stand By Your Man” - Tammy Wynette
    1968 - Jon Knight of New Kids on the Block is born. He is the oldest member of the pop group from Boston. His brother Jordan is also in the group.
    1968 - Advance orders exceed 700,000 and The Who release their first concept record, "The Who Sell Out."
    1969 - Beatles' "Come Together," single goes #1
    1969 - Dense fog along the New Jersey Turnpike resulted in a deadly chain reaction during the morning rush hour. A propane tanker jackknifed and was struck by other tractor trailers and cars. 6 were killed in the fiery mess
    1969 - PRUDEN, ROBERT J., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 75th Infantry, Americal Division. Place and date: Quang Ngai Province, Republic of Vietnam, 29 November 1969. Entered service at: Minneapolis, Minn. Born: 9 September 1949, St. Paul, Minn. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Pruden, Company G, distinguished himself while serving as a reconnaissance team leader during an ambush mission. The 6-man team was inserted by helicopter into enemy controlled territory to establish an ambush position and to obtain information concerning enemy movements. As the team moved into the preplanned area, S/Sgt. Pruden deployed his men into 2 groups on the opposite sides of a well-used trail. As the groups were establishing their defensive positions, 1 member of the team was trapped in the open by the heavy fire from an enemy squad. Realizing that the ambush position had been compromised, S/Sgt. Pruden directed his team to open fire on the enemy force. Immediately, the team came under heavy fire from a second enemy element. S/Sgt. Pruden, with full knowledge of the extreme danger involved, left his concealed position and, firing as he ran, advanced toward the enemy to draw the hostile fire. He was seriously wounded twice but continued his attack until he fell for a third time, in front of the enemy positions. S/Sgt. Pruden's actions resulted in several enemy casualties and withdrawal of the remaining enemy force. Although grievously wounded, he directed his men into defensive positions and called for evacuation helicopters, which safely withdrew the members of the team. S/Sgt. Pruden's outstanding courage, selfless concern for the welfare of his men, and intrepidity in action at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army
    1969 - Elvis Presley's LP "From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis" reaches the Billboard album chart, where it will stay for the next 24 weeks, climbing as high as #12. 
    1969 – Baseball’s greatest closer, Mariano Rivera, was born in Panama.  He played 19 seasons in the Majors for the New York Yankees from 1995 to 2013, serving as their closer for 17 seasons. A thirteen-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, he is MLB's career leader in saves (652) and games finished (952). Rivera won five American League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Awards and he finished in the top three in voting for the AL Cy Young Award four times. A dominant postseason performer, he was named the 1999 World Series MVP and the 2003 AL Championship Series MVP, and he holds several postseason records, including lowest ERA (0.70) and most saves (42). He pitched in 1,115 regular season games, which is fourth-most in MLB history, the most in AL history, and the most by a right-handed pitcher.  Rivera holds or shares several records for the most seasons of reaching various save milestones, including seasons with at least: 20 saves (sixteen); 25 saves (fifteen consecutive, sixteen non-consecutive); 30 saves (nine consecutive, fifteen non-consecutive); 35 saves (twelve); 40 saves (nine); and 50 saves (two). Rivera's career ERA (2.21) and WHIP (1.00) are the lowest of any MLB pitcher in the live-ball (minimum 1,000 innings pitched), making him one of the top pitchers since 1920 at preventing hitters from reaching base and scoring. He recorded an ERA under 2.00 in 11 seasons, tying him with Hall of Famer Walter Johnson for the most such seasons (minimum 60 innings pitched each).
    1971 – The Cincinnati Reds traded 1B Lee May, 2B Tommy Helms, and OF Jimmy Stewart to the Astros for 2B Joe Morgan, OF Cesar Geronimo, and P Jack Billingham. The trade, criticized in the Cincinnati press, is one of the best in Reds history, and puts the wheels on the Big Red Machine, as future Hall of Famer Morgan will win two MVP Awards with the team. Billingham became a reliable starter and Geronimo anchored CF for years.
    1972 - "Why Don't You Believe Me" by Joni James topped the charts and stayed there for 6 weeks.
    1972 - "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations starts climbing to the top. A version of the song by the Undisputed Truth was released four months before the Temptations single but only reaches No. 63 on Billboard's Hot 100.
    1972 – Atari released “Pong,” the first commercially successful video game.  As of 2015, video games generated sales of $74 billion annually worldwide, and were the third-largest segment in the U.S. entertainment market, behind broadcast and cable TV.
    1975 - Red River, NM records 34 inches of snow in 24 hours to set the state snowfall record.
    1975 - Kilauea Volcano erupts in Hawaii.
    1975 - Silver Convention had the United States' #1 pop tune, with "Fly, Robin, Fly."
    1976 - The Yankees sign free-agent Reggie Jackson to five-year, $3.5 million contract. During Mr. October's tenure, the Bronx Bombers will win four divisions, three pennants and two World Series.
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/-Posters_i359981_.htm
    1976 - Top Hits
“Tonight’s the Night” (“Gonna Be Alright”) - Rod Stewart
“The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald” - Gordon Lightfoot
“The Rubberband Man” - Spinners
“Good Woman Blues” - Mel Tillis
    1977 - Kansas, riding the crest of popularity forged by the 1976 hit "Carry on Wayward Son," enjoys their biggest album to date, "Point of Know Return," which goes platinum.
    1978 - Neil Young's 13th solo album, "Comes a Time," goes gold.
    1979 - Michael Jackson receives a gold record for "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough," the first of four Top Ten hits from his album, "Off the Wall." Both "Don't Stop..." and "Rock With You" will hit Number One on the soul and pop charts. Also, the album will be a Number One pop and soul LP.
    1981 - Film actress Natalie Wood drowned off the California coast. Wood, her husband Robert Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken, were aboard the Wagners' yacht, Splendour. Sometime during the night, Wood fell overboard, unbeknownst to those on board. Her body was found after a seven-hour search, 200 yards from a small, motorized dinghy in a rocky cove off Catalina Island. Her death was believed to be alcohol-related, and foul play was ruled out. The beautiful Oscar-nominated actress was 43 at the time of her death. Wood's list of film credits included “Miracle on 34th Street,” “Rebel Without a Cause,” “West Side Story,” “Splendour in the Grass,” “Love with the Proper Stranger,” “Inside Daisy Clover,” “Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice,” and, her last film, which was still in production at the time of her death, “Brainstorm.” 
    1983 - It was a new record when the Dow Jones industrial average closed at 1287.20. 
    1984 - Top Hits
“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” - Wham!
“I Feel for You” - Chaka Khan
“Out of Touch” - Daryl Hall & John Oates
“You Could’ve Heard a Heart Break” - Johnny Lee
    1985 - The temperature at Bismarck, ND plunged to 30 below zero to set a November record.
    1986 - Debuting at #1 on the album charts was the blockbuster five-record set, "Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live/1975-85." Prior to this, no five-record set had hit the top 25, and no five-record set had ever gone platinum. The price for the set was $25.
    1986 - "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi topped the charts and stayed there for a week.
    1987 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Heaven Is a Place on Earth," Belinda Carlisle. The song is the first No. 1 hit for the former lead singer of the Go-Go's and comes from her second solo album.
    1989 - Strong Santa Ana winds diminished over southern California, but record cold was reported in some of the California valleys, with readings of 27 degrees at Redding and 31 degrees at Bakersfield. Gale force winds, gusting to 44 mph at Milwaukee, WI, produced snow squalls in the Great Lakes Region. Sault Ste Marie, MI finished the month of November with a record 46.8 inches of snow. 
    1991 - An F4 tornado tracked 10 miles from Nixa to Springfield, MO killing 2, injuring 64 and doing over $15 million in damages
    1997 - Eddie Robinson ended his 56-year college football coaching career with a loss as Southern Univer­sity beat his Grambling Tigers, 30—7, in the Bayou Clas­sic. Robinson, who started coaching in 1941, compiled a record of 408—165—15. His teams won or shared 17 South­western Athletic Conference titles and eight black college national championships. Grambling’s record in Robin­son s last year was 3—8.
    2000 - Florida Recount Reveals Nader Defeated. A third recount by Florida election officials has "definitively determined" that Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was defeated. "There was a very significant 25,603-vote discrepancy between the first two counts, with Nader losing by respective margins of 2,812,339 & 2,837,942, so we decided to conduct hand recount," Florida Attorney General Jim Smith recounted.  "We now know that Nader lost by precisely 2,821,278 votes."  Nations goes nuts about Florida vote and its effect on the presidential election.
    2012 - New findings from MESSENGER, NASA's space probe, indicate almost definitively, that the north pole of Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, has water ice buried beneath the surface.