Funder Listing "A"
Request Made to Be Updated

This list was created in early 2000 and when a business changes, merges, or goes out of business, it is deleted.

When a company is updated, Leasing News features it in the News Edition, and makes the changes to the list.

Leasing News relies primarily on the companies themselves to keep the list current of who to contact, email, telephone numbers, and other information provided on the list, including:

A -Accepts Broker Business | B -Requires Broker be Licensed | C -Sub-Broker Program | D -"Private label Program" | E - Also "in house" salesmen

There is no advertising fee or charge for a listing. They are “free.” Leasing News makes no endorsement of any of the companies listed, except they have to qualify to be on this specific list.

To qualify for this list, the company must be a "funder" and not a "Broker/Lessor" or "Super Broker/Lessor." The company may sell off its portfolio from time to time, but the definition is for a company or financial institution where 50% or more of its business is from actually "funding" transactions themselves, where they are on "recourse."

Every non-public company's banker and/or investor(s) are contacted to verify this.

Leasing News reserves the right to not list a company who does not meet these qualifications, as well as does not promote Evergreen clauses and has no current complaints, listed in Leasing News.

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 are very much encouraged.

(To apply to be listed, or to update your listing, please fill in our Funder Form and you may e-mail to: kitmenkin@leasingnews.org.)

Alphabetical list - click on company name to view more details
360 Equipment Finance	First American Bank Leasing	National City Comm Capital
Advantage Funding	First Bank of Highland Park	Navitas Lease Corp
Agstar Financial Services	First Citizen Bank & Trust	NewLane Finance
AIG Commercial	First Continental Leasing	NexTier Leasing
AIG Comm. Equip. Fin., Inc.	First Credit Corporation	Norlease, Inc.
All Points Capital	First Federal Leasing	North Mill Equipment Finance
Allegiant Partners Inc.		OnePlace Capital
Amsouth Leasing Corporation	First Financial Corporate Services	Orix--Capital Markets
Applied Financial	First Foundation Bank	Orix Financial Services, Inc.
Arrow Capital	First Hawaiian Leasing	Orix USA Corp.-Comm Finance
Atel Capital Group, Inc.	FirstLease	Pacific Mercantile Bank
Atlas Copco Customer Finance USA, Inc.	First Midwest Equipment Finance Co.	Pacific Mercantile Bank
Balboa Capital Corporation	First National Equipment Financing	Padco Financial Services
Banc Leasing	First Western Equipment Finance	Pawnee Leasing Corporation
BancorpSouth Equipment Finance	Forsythe Technology Leasing	People's Capital and Leasing Corp.
Bank of America	Forum Financial Services, Inc.	PNC Equipment Finance, LLC
Bank of Hawaii	Frost Bank	Providence Equipment Finance
Bank of Ozarks Leasing	GATX Corporation	Puget Sound Leasing
BankFinancial FSB	Global Financial & Leasing Services, LLC	Pullman Bank & Trust
Bankers Capital	GreatAmerica Financial Services	Quality Leasing Co., Inc
Barrett Capital Corporation	Harris Leasing Company	RBS Asset Finance
Baycap, Inc.	Hewlett-Packard Fin Srvcs	Regions Leasing
Baystone Finance Group	Highline Capital	Republic Financial Corp.
Baystone Government Finance/ KS StateBank	Home Savings Bank	Regions Financial Leasing, Inc.
Baytree Leasing Company, LLC	Icon Capital	Resource Leasing Company
BB&T Leasing	International Financial Services Corporation	Reyna Capital
BNY Capital Funding	International Lease Finance	Rockwell Finance Group
Blue Bridge Financial, LLC	Jules and Associates	Royal Bank America Leasing
Boston Financial & Equity	Leasing Technologies Int'l, Inc.	RLC Funding
BSB Leasing, Inc	LFC Capital	Sentry Financial Corporation
BTMU Capital	Liberty Leasing	SL Financial Services
C Leasing Company	M&I Equipment Finance	SLIM Capital, LLC
California First Leasing	M&T Commercial Equipment Leasing	Sovereign Bank
Calfund	Mag Capital	Specialty Leasing Group, Inc.
Capital Markets Group U. S. Bank Equipment Finance	Madison Capital	Stearns Bank
Cashmere Valley Bank	Marlin Capital Solutions	Sterling Bank Leasing
CBI Leasing	Maxim Commercial Capital	Suntrust Leasing
Celtic Bank Leasing & Equipment Finance Group	MB Financial Bank	Susquehanna Patriot Commercial Leasing
CFC Investment Company	MBNA	Targeted Lease Capital, LLC
C.H. Brown Company	Microfinancial/Leasecomm	TCF Equipment Finance
Chase Equipment Leasing		TEAM Funding Solutions
CHG-Meridian		Textron Financial Corporation
CIT Group		Timepayment Corp
CitiCapital		Tokyo Leasing U.S.A.
Coamerica Leasing Corp.		Town & Country Leasing
Comdisco		Tri County Bank
Commerce Commercial Leasing		Trans Lease
Continental Bank		Unicyn Financiel
Corporate Leasing Associates		US Bancorp Business Leasing
CSI Leasing		Vision Financial Group, Inc.
Dakota Financial		Varilease Technology Group
De Lage Landen US		Varion Capital Corp
Dedicated Leasing		Verizon Capital Group
Dext Capital		VGM Financial Services
Diablo Capital		Wachovia Leasing
Diamond Leasing		Wells Fargo Bank
Emigrant Business Credit		Wells Fargo Equipment Finance
Exchange Bank Leasing		Wells Fargo Practice Finance
Farm Credit Leasing Services		Willis Lease
Fifth Third Leasing Company		Zions Credit Corporation
Financial Federal		Hillcrest Bank Leasing
Financial Pacific Leasing
Financial Pacific Leasing Commercial

Full List:
https://leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm

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Help Wanted Ads

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Panel Interview Tips

Career Crossroads--By Emily Fitzpatrick/RII

Q: I have a “group” interview scheduled in a few weeks, any tips?
A: Group interviewing (also known as panel interviewing) can be intimidating, take the time to prepare and practice. 

There are many reasons why an employer will utilize this type of interviewing process aka “hiring by consensus”. One of the many reasons is to see how the Candidate acts under stress; again, doing your homework will be the key in keeping your cool.

Preparation

• Research the company, the more you know the better prepared you will be to answer and ask questions
• Know who you will be interviewing with (names, titles) research the interviewers’ current roles, backgrounds,  and career history
• Bring enough copies of your resume and extras to hand to each panel member
• Review typical interview questions (see other articles written about this topic), e.g. situational and behavioral questions and develop questions to ask the group and individuals

Connecting

• The aim is to connect with both the group as a whole and with each panelist; one way to accomplish this is to respond to a panelists’ question by making good eye contact with the rest of the group
   
• Gear your questions towards as many of the interviewers as possible. For example, "Ellen, as the Credit Manager, will you have the authority to approve or decline deals?" and “Tim, as the Head of Credit, what transactions have to be reviewed by the Credit Committee in order to be approved?” know who you are meeting with in advance to prepare questions accordingly.

• Pay attention to the group dynamics, e.g. does everyone get along … Is their interaction positive?

• Make sure the synergy between them is one you are comfortable with before accepting any job offer

Follow Up
Of course, you will follow up with each panelist (review other articles referring to follow up letters—see previous columns)

Again, preparation and practice will be crucial to acing this type of interview!

Emily Fitzpatrick
Sr. Recruiter
Recruiters International, Inc.
Phone:  954-885-9241
Cell:  954-612-0567
emily@riirecruit.com
Invite me to connect on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/pub/emily-fitzpatrick/4/671/76
Also follow us on Twitter #RIIINFO

Career Crossroads Previous Columns
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/crossroad.html

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Top Ten Leasing News Read by Readers
May 16 to May 20

(1) New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
    and Related Industries
https://leasingnews.org/archives/May2022/05_18.htm#hires

(2) New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
    and Related Industries
https://leasingnews.org/archives/May2022/05_20.htm#hires

(3) No Longer taking Broker/Discounting Business
    plus Leasing Companies Out of Business
https://leasingnews.org/archives/May2022/05_16.htm#no

(4) Survival Tip:  If you get lost in the woods...
    Placard Advice
https://leasingnews.org/archives/May2022/05_16.htm#survival

(5) Would You Sit right Here?
    Question
https://leasingnews.org/archives/May2022/05_20.htm#would

(6) American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers
   2022 Annual Conference Report
    By Nuria Blais, American Lease Insurance
https://leasingnews.org/archives/May2022/05_18.htm#aacfb

(7) This Illinois company was just sold for $3 billion, but  
  hundreds of employees are getting a cut. Some will get $800,000.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-illinois-garage-door-company-sale-windfall-workers-20220516-aebonwsudvajzc7rhuo6rld5vm-story.html

(8) Net Income 1st Quarter US $1.7 Million to
  2021 1st Quarter US $6.3 Million
    Reports Chesswood, Parent of Several Leasing & Loan Companies
https://leasingnews.org/archives/May2022/05_16.htm#net

(9) More Subprime Borrowers Are Missing Loan Payments
    Borrowers with limited or troubled credit histories are defaulting
https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-subprime-borrowers-are-missing-loan-payments-11652952602?st=30k4vz5sad49inm&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

(10) States No Longer the Issue to Status of Attorney
  Finding the Best Attorney for the Case Today
    By Ken Greene, Leasing News Legal Editor
https://leasingnews.org/archives/May2022/05_18.htm#states

 

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Stock Market Reaction Shows that Decisions of Fear
Are Wrong for Investments
By Dr. Dan Geller

Newly developed scientifically predictable investment model shows that the recent market volatility is a result of instinctive response to fear rather than analytical response to economic indicators. The instinctive-response mode  makes investors “cut and run.” Conversely, the analytical-response mode, a.k.a. system 2, originates in the cortex and makes analytical decisions based on the economy.

The scientifically predictable model shows that the U.S. economy is strong and vibrant. Retail sales climbed 0.9% in April after an upwardly revised gain of 1.4% in March. This is a key economic indicator because consumer consumption makes up about 70% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Additionally, the economy added 428,000 jobs in April, for an average monthly gain of 523,000 over the past three months. The unemployment rate, at 3.6%, is near pre-pandemic level.

The instinctive-financial behavior today is the same as the behavior of our ancestors who faced uncertainty of survival from the elements and predatory animals. Although our fears today are more financially oriented, our instinctive response still originates from this part of the brain but is not suitable for investment decisions. The scientific study on the impact of money anxiety on financial decisions has been peer reviewed and published in the Journal of Applied Business and Economics.

When investors are exposed to negative news, economic, political or social, their level of money anxiety increases, which automatically generates instinctive response as part of their survival mechanism. Unfortunately, the instinctive response means “cut and run,” so they sell their stock and get out of the market. The same response our ancestors had when they saw lighting in the sky – they grabbed their food and wood and run into the cave.

The Scientifically Predictable Investing Model was designed to neutralize instinctive decisions by promoting the science of financial decisions. The model provides investors with a scientific projection of the featured equities, suggesting that investors follow the scientific projection rather than their instinctive response to sell when panicking. The Scientifically Predictable Investment Model provides peace of mind during volatile markets such as the one experienced in the last two weeks.

About Analyticom LLC
Analyticom LLC is a behavioral economics and finance firm focusing on developing predictive models for financial behavior. The company is a pioneer in developing a scientifically predictable model for the equity market based on the level of money anxiety. The Scientifically Predictable model projects the rate and return of ETF based on a predictor that is featured in the study “Dynamics of Yield Gravity and the Money Anxiety Index” and has been peer reviewed and published in the Journal of Applied Business and Economics.
Contact:

Dr. Dan Geller
Behavioral Economist
for Financial Services
Analyticom LLC
drgeller@analyticom.com
www.analyticom.com
415-891-3093

 

Online Equipment Auction List
Thriving in the "New Normal"

auctioneerexpress.com	Tractor, Mower, Dump Truck, Mower, Cutter, 13 Tire Roller
www.auctiontime.com	“Free listing of items, which also connects to other site. Powered by MachineryTrader.com, TractorHouse.com, and TruckPaper.com, AuctionTime.com brings together buyers and sellers to move equipment at auction values. Bidders pay no buyers fees whatsoever.,,“Unlike conventional auctions, bidders can discuss specifics about the auction pieces with the actual seller, or go see the actual machine themselves. Auctions come to an end each Wednesday with live bidding open every Monday at 5 pm CST and proxy bidding open 7 days prior to auction end time.”
HeavyEQ.govdeals.com	Heavy Equipment, Truck and Machinery Industry Online Gov't Surplus Auctions - Over 1,000 Government Clients
inplaceauction.com	Caters to lessors, lenders, and bankruptcy trustees, conducting both virtual and live auctions of all types of assets including:  Agricultural, Medical, Industrial, Transportation, Trucks, Construction, Real Estate, etc.  Appraisals - on site and desktop.
ironplanet.com	Cranes, Trailers, Equipment Trucks
motleys.com	Construction Equipment & Trucks
municibid.com	Municibid is an online government auctions website designed specifically for the sale of surplus and forfeited/seized goods directly by the government publicsurplus.com
salvex.com	Salvaged equipment for both re-seller and end user.
tractorhouse.com	Mostly farm equipment
usgovbid.com	Government Online Auctions - Servicing Government Agencies for over a Decade

List of many auction sites for consumer and vehicle:
http://www.100auctionsites.com/

Online auction Top Ten Most Popular Sites
(Primarily for consumers or consumer merchandise)
http://online-auction-sites.toptenreviews.com/

Auction Zip
--primarily consumer
(find auctions anywhere)
http://www.auctionzip.com

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

ELFA Announces Charles W. Cross Will Receive
2022 David H. Fenig Distinguished Service in Advocacy Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) has selected Charles W. Cross, Senior Lead Counsel at Wells Fargo, to receive its 2022 David H. Fenig Distinguished Service in Advocacy Award. The award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the association’s advocacy efforts to promote sound public policies for the equipment finance industry. Cross will be formally recognized at ELFA’s Capitol Connections event on Wednesday, May 25.

ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta said, “We are pleased to recognize Chuck Cross for all he has done to advance ELFA's advocacy agenda. As the leading advocate for the equipment finance industry, ELFA plays a critical role in making sure our industry’s voice is heard by elected officials. We would not be successful without the leadership and commitment of members like Chuck.”

Charles W. Cross said, “I am honored to be the recipient of this award and accept it in large part as a proxy for all of the folks in ELFA that have given this industry their time, knowledge and experience on so many legal and regulatory issues at all levels of government over the years.

 “It has been a pleasure working with the ELFA staff (and most recently Scott Riehl) and my colleagues at companies and law firms across the country to formulate and present industry viewpoints for the benefit of all of our members. It is a privilege to work with government officials to accurately identify and define issues, provide useful information and context, and, when necessary, assist in formulating reasonable, responsive and well-crafted laws and regulations.”

Cross is recognized for his extraordinary contributions to the association’s state advocacy program. He has assisted the industry in promoting its policy objectives in a number of ways, most notably through providing analysis and guidance to ELFA, its membership and specific issue workgroups. In addition, his willingness to assist ELFA state negotiations has been invaluable to the association’s success on the critical issue of state financial disclosure requirements. Cross has led the industry’s efforts promoting the important interests of ELFA members through the regulatory process. In doing so, he has led the drafting of more than 11 sets of ELFA regulatory comments between California and New York over the last three years.

Cross has been engaged with ELFA for more than three decades. He attended his first ELFA Legal Forum in 1985, has served two 3-year terms on the ELFA Legal Committee and has been active in a number of association committees and subcommittees, including his current membership on the State Legislative & Regulatory Subcommittee of the Legal Committee, which provides advice and support to ELFA State Government Relations staff in evaluating and responding to state legislative and regulatory issues relating to the equipment finance industry. 

In addition, Cross has been as an information resource for ELFA members regarding a range of issues impacting the equipment finance industry, making numerous presentations at ELFA Legal Forums and other industry events. He also has contributed articles to industry publications and was a Contributing Editor and author of “Equipment Leasing” in Banking and Lending Institutional Forms, published by LexisNexis A.S. Pratt, including forms and commentary for small ticket, major market, aircraft and municipal leases.

Cross is currently Senior Lead Counsel at Wells Fargo, where he has been employed for the past 11 years. He has worked exclusively in the equipment finance industry for over 30 years in senior counsel or general counsel positions at bank-related and independent equipment finance companies including Fleet Capital Corporation, BTM Capital Corporation and Key Global Finance.

About the Award
The David H. Fenig Distinguished Service in Advocacy Award is named for ELFA’s former Vice President of Federal Government Relations, David H. Fenig, who served as an accomplished and tireless advocate on behalf of the equipment leasing and finance industry from 2004-2011.

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 580 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. ELFA has been equipping business for success for more than 60 years. For more information, please visit www.elfaonline.org.

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

 

German Shepherd Mix
Irvine, California  Adopt-a-Dog

Axel

ID #A129420
Male
3 Years, 5 months old
Black and Tan
Adoption Fee: $135

Shelter Staff made the following comments about this animal:

Axel is looking for an active household with members over the age of 16+. He would do best in a home that is committed to participating in training to help build the structure and routine Axel needs to succeed. He will need a strong handler who knows how to set rules and boundaries and commits to training through positive reinforcement. Lots of mental and physical exercises will help tailor this handsome boy into the perfect companion for a home who'd like him to be the center of their universe.

For more information about this animal, call:
Irvine Animal Care Center at (949) 724-7740

Adoption Hours
Adoptions by appointment are available during these hours:

Weekdays: Noon–3 p.m.
Weekends: 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays and Holidays

Visitors are welcome to view animals outside of the adoption hours:
Weekdays: 3–6 p.m.
Weekends: 1–4 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays and Holidays

Included with Adoption
Neuter
General veterinary exam
Vaccinations appropriate to age
Flea treatment
Basic de-worming
Microchip with lifetime registration
Sample bag of Science Diet (dog or cat) or bag of hay (rabbit)
Free vet check at participating veterinarian. Search the member list here:
https://www.scvma.org/find-a-local-veterinarian/.

Irvine Animal Care Center
6443 Oak Canyon, Irvine, CA 92618
949) 724-7740

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Companies that notify lessee in advance of lease expiration
Updated

These companies do not use language to confuse or deceive, resulting in an automatic continuation of the lease for an additional twelve months of payments. They do not invoke the twelve months on a $1.00 purchase option or an Equipment Finance Agreement.

In its editorial of June 30, 2011, Leasing News recommended that the equipment lessor send a certified letter with return receipt. A program such as DocuSign is added as another new recommendation.

http://leasingnews.org/archives/Jun2011/6_30.htm#editorial

Balboa Capital Corp.  BancLease Acceptance Corporation Bankers Capital Equipment Finance BSB Leasing Calfund Capital Technology & Leasing, LLC Dakota Financial, LLC eLease Financial Pacific Leasing First Midwest Equipment Finance Forum Financial Services, Inc. Gonor Funding GreatAmerica Financial

Innovative Lease Services, Inc. Lease $mart Madison Capital Manufacturer's Lease Plans, Inc (Microfinancial)/TimePayment Navitas Lease Corp. NewLane Finance North Mill Equpment Finance  P&L Capital Corporation Pacifica Capital Padco Financial Services Pawnee Leasing Corporation Southern California Leasing, In Specialty Funding, Albuquerque, New Mexico TEAM Funding Solutions

 

Full List:
https://leasingnews.org/Pages/lease_expiration.html 

News Briefs---

Apple, Microsoft And Google Are Killing Passwords…
    And Other Small Business Tech News This Week
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2022/05/22/apple-microsoft-and-google-are-killing-passwordsand-other-small-business-tech-news-this-week/?sh=3a3b34452604

Walmart and Amazon aren't seeing a labor shortage —
    they've had too many workers, and now it's taking a financial toll
https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-amazon-overstaffed-q1-profit-impact-2022-5

Small Businesses Lose Confidence in U.S. Economy
    Entrepreneurs’ outlook drops to all-time low levels
https://www.wsj.com/articles/small-businesses-lose-confidence-in-u-s-economy-11653211803?st=prp5ma2t4fweonq&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

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You May Have Missed---

Big Tech Is Getting Clobbered on Wall Street
It’s a Good Time for Them
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/technology/facebook-amazon-apple-markets.html

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Sports Briefs---

Tiger Woods withdraws from PGA Championship after
     posting in career-worst round at the event
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/21/golf/tiger-woods-third-round-2022-pga-championship-spt-intl/index.html

Six takeaways as Celtics drop ugly,
injury-riddled Game 3 vs. Heat
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2022/05/22/celtics-heat-game-3-takeaways-highlights-analysis/

Kurtenbach: Steve Kerr has been the Warriors’
X-factor this postseason
https://www.meremily@riirecruit.comcurynews.com/2022/05/21/kurtenbach-steve-kerr-has-been-the-warriors-x-factor-this-postseason/

Dodgers lose in heartbreaker, falling to Phillies
on walk-off error in the 10th
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/liveblog/dodgers-vs-philadelphia-phillies-score-live-updates-start-time-mlb-news

At the French Open, It’s Djokovic, Swiatek
and Plenty of Uncertainty
https://www.wsj.com/articles/french-open-tennis-djokovic-nadal-swiatek-11653224658?mod=hp_listc_pos1

Rams working on a top of the market deal for Aaron Donald
https://www.theredzone.org/Blog-Description/EntryId/23049/Rams-working-on-a-top-of-the-market-deal-for-Aaron-Donald

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California Nuts Briefs---

California Wants to Be the Nation's Abortion Haven
https://www.kqed.org/news/11914440/california-wants-to-be-the-nations-abortion-haven

San Francisco faces $1.3 billion shortfall in quest
to meet state housing goals
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/San-Francisco-faces-1-3-billion-shortfall-in-17185707

Disneyland spending is up 40% per guest,
and some people think it’s worth the extra money
https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/Disneyland-guest-spending-is-up-17187287.php

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"Gimme that wine"

US wine exports up almost 11% last year
     as COVID-19 effects lessened
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/industrynews/us-wine-exports-up-almost-11-last-year-as-covid-19-effects-lessened/

Slow Wine USA 2022' Just Out
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/slow-wine-usa-2022-just-out/#:~:text=%E2%80%98Slow%20Wine%20USA%202022%E2%80%99%20just%20out

How We Rated Some of America’s
Top Selling Grocery Store Wines
https://www.winemag.com/2022/05/20/grocery-store-wine-ratings/

Where to Find Exceptional California Pinot Noir
https://www.wsj.com/articles/where-to-find-exceptional-california-pinot-noir-11652991782?mod=djemonwine_t

“Gimme that Wine”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8

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

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

This Day in History

     1774 - The Chestertown Tea Party was a protest against British excise duties which, according to local legend, was a response to the British Tea Act. Chestertown tradition holds that, following the example of the more famous Boston Tea Party, colonial patriots boarded the brigantine Geddes in broad daylight and threw its cargo of tea into the Chester River in Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The event is celebrated each Memorial Day weekend with a festival and historic reenactment called the Chestertown Tea Party Festival.    
    1785 - Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia, PA, writes his friend, George Whately, “I have only to move my eyes up and down as I want to see distinctly far or near” as he describes his invention that day of a bifocal eyeglass. He was annoyed at having to carry two pairs of glasses. He took a frame and equipped it with lenses that consisted of two parts with a different focusing power. Inasmuch as ordinary spectacles in the colonies cost as much as $100 each, a huge sum of money in those days, his invention did not receive ready popular response, as only the wealthy could afford glasses.
    1788 - By a vote of 149 to 73, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the Constitution. The colony originally named in honor of Charles I of England, became one of the United States on this day. The eighth state also has the dubious honor of being the first state to secede at the start of the Civil War in 1861. Its capital city is Columbia. The state bird is Carolina wren. The yellow jessamine (jasmine) is the state flower. It is also called the Palmetto State, after the palm tree that decorates the land.
    1803 - In the Tripolitan War (1801-1805), Commodore Edward Preble was commissioned as commander of a U.S. Navy squadron to be sent against Tripoli.
http://www.usspreble.org/commodor.html
http://www.preble.navy.mil/
http://www.navysite.de/dd/ddg88.htm
    1810 - Birthday of Margaret Fuller (d. 1850), journalist and author, born at Cambridge, MA.  She began reading Virgil at age six. Her conversational powers won her the admiration of students at Harvard University and she was befriended by Ralph Waldo Emerson. She shared editorial duties with Emerson on the Transcendentalist quarterly “The Dial,” and was hired by Horace Greely as literary critic for the New York Tribune. Her book “Women in the Nineteenth Century,” the first feminist statement by an American writer, brought her international acclaim. In 1846, as a foreign correspondent for the Tribune, she became caught up in the Italian revolutionary movement and secretly married a young Roman nobleman, the Marquee Giovanni Angelo Ossoli. On July 19, 1950, en route to the US, Fuller and her husband died when their ship was wrecked off Fire Island near New York, NY.
    1824 – Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside (d. 1881) was born in Liberty, IN.  A railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, he served as Governor and a Senator. As a Union Army general, he conducted successful campaigns in North Carolina and east Tennessee, as well as countering the raids of Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan, but suffered disastrous defeats at Fredericksburg and the Battle of the Crater. His distinctive style of facial hair became known as sideburns, derived from his last name. He was also the first president of the National Rifle Association.
    1832 - "I would rather die upon yonder gallows than live in slavery." Jamaican national hero Samuel Sharpe was hung. He was the instigator of the 1831 Slave Rebellion which began on the Kensington Estate in Saint James and was largely instrumental in bringing about the abolition of slavery.
http://www.jamaicaway.com/Heroes/SharpePage.html
    1846 - Arabella Mansfield, born Belle Auerlia Babb (d. 1911) near Burlington, IA, was the first woman admitted to the legal profession in the US. In 1869, while teaching at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mansfield was certified as an attorney and admitted to the Iowa bar. According to the examiners, “she gave the very best rebuke possible to the imputation that ladies cannot qualify for the practice of law.”  Mansfield never did practice law, however, continuing her career as an educator. She joined the faculty of DePauw University, at Greencastle, IN, where she became dean of the schools of art and music. One of the first woman college professors and administrators in the US, Mansfield was also instrumental in the founding of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Society in 1870.
    1864 - The campaign between Union commander Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, continues southward to the North Anna River around Hanover Junction. In early May, Grant crossed the Rapidan River with the Army of the Potomac and then clashed with Lee's forces in the Wilderness on May 5 and 6 before racing to Spotsylvania Court House for an epic 12-day battle. Grant's continuous pressure on Lee would ultimately win the war, but he was racking up casualties at a rate that was difficult for the Northern public to stomach. Grant believed that Lee could not maintain his position at Spotsylvania because two other Union armies under the command of Franz Sigel and Benjamin Butler were attempting to cut off the Confederate supply line in the Shenandoah Valley and the Rebel stronghold south of Richmond. But both were failing miserably. By 19 May, Grant had had enough of Spotsylvania. He pulled his troops to try another run around Lee to Richmond. Correctly predicting Grant's move, just as he had done two weeks before when Grant left the Wilderness for Spotsylvania, Lee raced the Yankees 30 km south and beat Grant's troops to the North Anna River. The rail center here was crucial to his supplies. At the North Anna, Grant found Lee's position to be even stronger than at Spotsylvania. The river had high banks, and Lee's side was higher than the Union side in several places. Still, Grant made an attempt to dislodge the Rebels. He made two assaults, but neither came close to breaking the Confederate lines. He would try again the next day before moving south to Cold Harbor.
    1865 - Celebration of the end of the Civil War.  For the first time since the assassination of President Lincoln, the American flag was flown at full staff.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may23.html
    1875 – Alfred P. Sloan (d. 1966) was born in New Haven, CT.  He was president, then chairman of GM from 1923-56.  He shaped the General Motors Corporation into one of the world's largest manufacturing enterprises and has been acclaimed as one of the great captains of industry of his age.  Recognized for his modern managerial skills, he also is noted for the pioneering automotive advances that he oversaw. These included four-wheel brakes, ethyl gasoline, crankcase ventilation and knee-action front springs.       
    1883 – Actor Douglas Fairbanks (d. 1939) was born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman in Denver, CO.  He was best known for his roles in silent films such as “The Thief of Baghdad,” “Robin Hood” and “The Mark of Zorro,” but spent the early part of his career making comedies.  Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists. Fairbanks was also a founding member of The Motion Picture Academy and hosted the first Oscars Ceremony in 1929. With his marriage to Mary Pickford in 1920, the couple became Hollywood royalty and Fairbanks was referred to as "The King of Hollywood," a nickname later passed on to actor Clark Gable.  Though widely considered as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood during the 1910s and 1920s, Fairbanks' career rapidly declined with the advent of the "talkies." His final film was “The Private Life of Don Juan” (1934).
    1895 - The main branch of what would become the New York Public Library opened to the public.  New York’s then-governor Samuel J. Tilden was the driving force that resulted in the combining for the private Astor and Lenox libraries with a $2 million endowment and 15,000 volumes from the Tilden Trust to become the city’s library.
(lower half of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may23.html)
    1900 - Sergeant William H. Carney of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry became the first African-American to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was cited for his efforts, although wounded twice, during the Battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina, June 18, 1863. His commendation is very worthwhile reading: http://www.newbedford.k12.ma.us/elementary/whc.htm
    1903 - Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson of Burlington, VT, a physician, with Sewell K. Crocker of Seattle, WA, as his mechanic, began the first non-professional transcontinental car trip. The same driver also drove the mileage in a 20 horsepower $2,500 Winton, manufactured by the Winton Motor Carriage Company of Cleveland, OH. Jackson and Crocker left San Francisco on May 23 and arrived in New York City on July 26. The average daily run was 25 miles. The trip lasted 63 days, of which 44 were spent traveling and 19 awaiting supplies, as there were very few gasoline stations, Howard Johnson’s or even Seven-11’s along the way.
    1906 - In Oakland‚ the San Francisco Seals played the first Pacific Coast League game in the Bay Area since the earthquake‚ beating Fresno‚ 4-3. The team played their home games at Recreation Park at Harrison and 8th Streets until it was destroyed in the quake. The Seals finished the 1906 season playing home games at Freeman's Park in Oakland. A new ballpark was ready for the Seals by the start of next season.  This version of Recreation Park and Ewing Park in 1914, served as the home field for the PCL San Francisco Seals and the Mission Reds before the latter moved to LA in 1938 to become the Hollywood Stars.  Seals Stadium was built in 1931 to which the Seals and Reds moved.  It was also the home of the San Francisco Giants when they first relocated to the city from New York.
    1908 - John Bardeen (d. 1991) was born Madison, WI.  With William Shockley and Walter Bratton, he invented the transistor, which set the stage for all modern microelectronics. Bardeen was also the only person ever to win the Nobel Prize for Physics twice. Bardeen worked as a physicist for the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he joined Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he worked on the electronic conducting properties of semiconductors. In 1947, his team invented the transistor, which won the group a Nobel Prize in 1956. Semiconductors replaced vacuum tubes in electronic equipment, making electronics progressively smaller, faster, and more durable. Bardeen became a professor of physics at the University of Illinois in Urbana. In 1972, he won a second Nobel Prize, with Leon Cooper and John Schrieffer, for their work on the theory of superconductivity.
http://www.nobel.se/physics/laureates/1972/bardeen-bio.html
    1910 - Bandleader and clarinetist Artie Shaw (d. 2004) birthday, born Arthur Arshawsky in New York City. Shaw formed his first orchestra in 1936, and two years later had a double-sided million-seller with "Begin the Beguine" and "Indian Love Call." One of the most popular artists of the swing era, Shaw is estimated to have sold more than 43-million copies of such records as "Frenesi," "Summit Ridge Drive" and "Dancing in the Dark." Artie Shaw was married eight times - two of his wives were Lana Turner and Ava Gardner. Shaw later became an author and a theatrical producer, and in the 1980's again began fronting a big band.
http://www.parabrisas.com/d_shawa.html
http://www.artieshaw.com/
    1910 - Birthday of singer/guitarist/drummer Scatman Crothers (d. 1986), born Benjamin Sherman Crothers, Terre Haute, IN.
    1920 - Helen O'Connell (d. 1993) birthday, Lima, OH.  Vocalist with Jimmy Dorsey's band from 1939 to 1943. Her duets with Bob Eberly, backed by the Dorsey band, on such songs as "Amapola," "Tangerine" and "Green Eyes" sold millions of records. O'Connell and Eberly also appeared on a 1953 TV show with bandleader Ray Anthony, and for a while during the 1960's, O'Connell was the hostess on NBC's "Today" show.
http://www.parabrisas.com/d_oconnellh.html
    1922 - "Abie’s Irish Rose" opened at the Fulton Theatre in New York City. The play continued for 2,327 performances and numerous revivals as well. It is estimated that some 50,000,000 people have seen the play performed somewhere in the world.
    1928 - Singer Rosemary Clooney (d. 2002) was born in Maysville, Kentucky.  When Clooney was in her junior year in high school, she and her younger sister Betty began performing on Cincinnati radio station WLW. Bandleader Tony Pastor heard them, and soon the sisters were singing, in person and on record, with the Pastor orchestra. Betty tired of the road, and soon after Rosemary began a solo career. She signed with Columbia Records, and, in 1951, had her first number-one hit, "Come On-A My House," a song chosen for her by producer Mitch Miller. Her other hits included "Hey There," "Tenderly" and "This Ole House." Clooney married actor Jose Ferrer in 1953. The marriage was a stormy one that eventually ended in divorce. Her domestic problems and a resulting weight problem took her out of circulation for some years. Her career revived in 1977, when her “White Christmas” co-star, Bing Crosby, asked her to appear with him at a show marking his 50th anniversary in show business. She continued performing until her death.
http://www.rosemaryclooney.com/
    1932 - Birthday of guitarist/flutist Les Spann (d. 1989), Pine Bluff, AR.    
    1934 - Robert Moog (d. 2005) birthday, New York City.  Inventor of the music synthesizer which bears his name.     
http://www.obsolete.com/120_years/machines/moog/
http://remixmag.com/ar/remix_robert_moog/
    1934 - Clyde Champion Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot to death by Texas and Louisiana state police officers as they attempted to escape apprehension in a stolen 1934 Ford V-8 near Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Bonnie and Clyde met in Texas in 1930 when the nineteen-year-old Bonnie was tending bar. At the time, Bonnie was married to an imprisoned murderer. Soon after the two met, Clyde was arrested for burglary and sent to prison. Bonnie smuggled a pistol into the prison, and Clyde broke out. Over the course of their crime spree together, Bonnie and Clyde were believed to have committed thirteen murders and several robberies and burglaries. For over two years, the couple evaded local police officers in rural counties of Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. Not until the FBI, then called the Bureau of Investigation, became involved in the case did law-enforcement officials gain ground on Bonnie and Clyde. In the spring of 1934, following tireless investigations, federal agents traced the gang to a remote county in Southwest Louisiana. A certain Methvin family was said to have been aiding and abetting the Bonnie and Clyde gang for over a year. It was learned that Bonnie and Clyde, along with some of the Methvins, had staged a party at Black Lake, Louisiana, on the night of May 21. Two days later, just before dawn, a posse of police officers from Texas and Louisiana, including Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, laid in ambush for Bonnie and Clyde along the highway near Sailes, Louisiana. In the early morning, Bonnie and Clyde appeared in their automobile. The officers reported that the coupe attempted to flee, but more likely, owing to the fact that Bonnie and Clyde had killed five policemen, the posse opened fire without warning. For two minutes, deputies showered the car with bullets. Both Bonnie and Clyde were killed in the barrage. Their bullet-riddled 1934 Ford later became a valuable collectible. Bonnie and Clyde gained a place in popular mythology as dustbowl Robin Hoods. The 1967 film “Bonnie and Clyde,” starring Warren Beatty as Clyde and Faye Dunaway as Bonnie, portrayed a charming and irreverent pair who took their game too far. Examination of the couple's past, as well as an examination of their victims, shows that Bonnie and Clyde were more likely carefree killers. Their popularity owed to the mistrust of the authorities of the Dustbowl during the Depression era, and to the couple's uncanny ability to elude the police for over two years.
    1940 - Frank Sinatra, singing with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, records "I'll Never Smile Again," the first of several No. 1 hits he recorded while performing with Dorsey. The singer had joined the orchestra earlier that year.
    1941 - Buddy Baer was disqualified at the beginning of the seventh round as Joe Louis defended his heavyweight boxing title for the 17th time. Baer’s manager refused to leave the ring when the round was ready to begin. He later became a well-known actor along with his brother, Max.
http://french.imdb.com/Name?Baer,+Buddy
http://www.antekprizering.com/baerbuddysig.html
    1944 – The University of Chicago called it quits to sports when it announced plans to withdraw from the Big 10 Conference of the NCAA and all other athletic competition.
    1944 - *DUTKO, JOHN W., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Ponte Rotto, Italy, 23 May 1944. Entered service at: Riverside, N.J. Birth: Dilltown, Pa. G.O. No.: 80, 5 October 1944. citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, on 23 May 1944, near Ponte Rotto, Italy. Pfc. Dutko left the cover of an abandoned enemy trench at the height of an artillery concentration in a single-handed attack upon 3 machineguns and an 88mm. mobile gun. Despite the intense fire of these 4 weapons which were aimed directly at him, Pfc. Dutko ran 10.0 yards through the impact area, paused momentarily in a shell crater, and then continued his l-man assault. Although machinegun bullets kicked up the dirt at his heels, and 88mm. shells exploded within 30 yards of him, Pfc. Dutko nevertheless made his way to a point within 30 yards of the first enemy machinegun and killed both gunners with a hand grenade. Although the second machinegun wounded him, knocking him to the ground, Pfc. Dutko regained his feet and advanced on the 88mm. gun, firing his Browning automatic rifle from the hip. When he came within 10 yards of this weapon he killed its 5-man crew with 1 long burst of fire. Wheeling on the machinegun which had wounded him, Pfc. Dutko killed the gunner and his assistant. The third German machinegun fired on Pfc. Dutko from a position 20 yards distant wounding him a second time as he proceeded toward the enemy weapon in a half run. He killed both members of its crew with a single burst from his Browning automatic rifle, continued toward the gun and died, his body falling across the dead German crew.
    1945 - SJOGREN, JOHN C., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 160th Infantry, 40th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near San Jose Hacienda, Negros, Philippine Islands, 23 May 1945. Entered service at: Rockford, Mich. Birth: Rockford, Mich. G.O. No.: 97, 1 November 1945. Citation: He led an attack against a high precipitous ridge defended by a company of enemy riflemen, who were entrenched in spider holes and supported by well-sealed pillboxes housing automatic weapons with interlocking bands of fire. The terrain was such that only 1 squad could advance at one time; and from a knoll atop a ridge a pillbox covered the only approach with automatic fire. Against this enemy stronghold, S/Sgt. Sjogren led the first squad to open the assault. Deploying his men, he moved forward and was hurling grenades when he saw that his next in command, at the opposite flank, was gravely wounded. Without hesitation he crossed 20 yards of exposed terrain in the face of enemy fire and exploding dynamite charges, moved the man to cover and administered first aid. He then worked his way forward and, advancing directly into the enemy fire, killed 8 Japanese in spider holes guarding the approach to the pillbox. Crawling to within a few feet of the pillbox while his men concentrated their bullets on the fire port, he began dropping grenades through the narrow firing slit. The enemy immediately threw 2 or 3 of these unexploded grenades out, and fragments from one wounded him in the hand and back. However, by hurling grenades through the embrasure faster then the enemy could return them, he succeeded in destroying the occupants. Despite his wounds, he directed his squad to follow him in a systematic attack on the remaining positions, which he eliminated in like manner, taking tremendous risks, overcoming bitter resistance, and never hesitating in his relentless advance. To silence one of the pillboxes, he wrenched a light machinegun out through the embrasure as it was firing before blowing up the occupants with hand grenades. During this action, S/Sgt. Sjogren, by his heroic bravery, aggressiveness, and skill as a soldier, single-handedly killed 43 enemy soldiers and destroyed 9 pillboxes, thereby paving the way for his company's successful advance.
    1945 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit:  “Sentimental Journey,'' Les Brown Orchestra/Doris Day.
    1951 - Top Hits
“Mockingbird Hill” - Patti Page
“On Top of Old Smokey” - The Weavers (vocal: Terry Gilkyson)
“Too Young” - Nat King Cole
“Kentucky Waltz” - Eddy Arnold
    1951 - Jill E. Barad birthday, NYC. She became president of chief operating officer of Mattel, Inc. in 1992. She joined Mattel in 1981 as a product manager and became marketing director of the Barbie line in 1982. Under her guidance, Barbie sales moved from $485 million in 1988 to more than $1 BILLION in 1994. Her marketing strategy included Hot Wheels as well as tie-ins with Disney, McDonald's, etc. She made Mattel the largest toy manufacturing company in the world. She also bore two children while making her way to the top, not letting pregnancy slow her down. In fact, one of her major promotions came when she was five months pregnant. Today, there are more Barbie dolls in existence than there are people in the U.S.
http://www.surferess.com/CEO/html/jill_barad.html
http://aol.businessweek.com/1998/21/b3579001.htm
    1953 - Bill Haley and His Comets saw their first release for Essex Records, "Crazy Man, Crazy," enter the Cashbox Best Sellers chart at #19. The success will be short lived however, as the record would fall out of the Top 50 two weeks later.
    1959 - Top Hits
“The Happy Organ” - Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez
“A Teenager in Love” - Dion & The Belmonts
“Dream Lover” - Bobby Darin
“The Battle of New Orleans” - Johnny Horton
    1960 - The Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" hit number one in the US for the first of a five week stay. The duo had also accomplished this feat 1958 when "All I Have to do is Dream" spent over a month at the top position.
    1962 - The National Basketball Association agreed to plans to transfer the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, CA. The team became the San Francisco Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors).
    1962 - Joe Pepitone of the New York Yankees set a Major League Baseball record by hitting two home runs in one inning. The rare feat lifted the Yankees past the Kansas City Athletics by a score of 13-7.
    1963 - Paul Revere and the Raiders sign with Columbia Records where they will have 14 Billboard Top 40 singles between 1965 and 1971.
    1964 - Capitol releases The Beach Boys' "I Get Around" b/w "Don't Worry Baby." "I Get Around" goes on to become the group's first #1 hit, topping the chart for 2 weeks.
    1964 - Millie Small's "My Boy Lollipop," already a hit in the U.K., enters the Hot 100 in the U.S. It stays on the charts for 12 weeks climbing up to Number Two.
    1965 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit:  “Help Me Rhonda,'' The Beach Boys.
    1966 - The Beatles' "Paperback Writer" b/w "Rain" single is released. The A-side was a tune written by Paul McCartney and featured John and George on backing vocals. The B-side was a Lennon song.
    1967 - Top Hits
“Groovin’” - The Young Rascals
“Respect” - Aretha Franklin
“I Got Rhythm” - The Happenings
“Sam’s Place” - Buck Owens
    1972 - Heavy U.S. air attacks that began with an order by President Richard Nixon on May 8 are widened to include more industrial and non-military sites. In 190 strikes, the United States lost one plane but shot down four. The new strikes were part of the ongoing Operation Linebacker, an effort launched in response to the massive North Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam on March 30. The purpose of the raids was to interdict supplies from outside sources and the movement of equipment and supplies to the North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam. The strikes concentrated on rail lines around Hanoi and Haiphong, bridges, pipelines, power plants, troops and troop training facilities, and rail lines to China.
    1973 - Clive Davis, president of Columbia Records, was fired by boss Arthur Taylor. Davis wrote a book about his experiences, and later formed Arista Records.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688028721/fast-bkasin-20/
002-0667839-4443242
    1975 - Top Hits
“Shining Star” - Earth, Wind & Fire
“Before the Next Teardrop Falls” - Freddy Fender
“Jackie Blue” - Ozark Mountain Daredevils
“I’m Not Lisa” - Jessi Colter
    1977 - San Francisco bans electric instruments from all free outdoor concerts, leaving Jefferson Starship to cancel their planned free concert in Golden Gate Park. Years later, Bernie Taupin would write "We Built This City" for the band about this event.
    1979 - The New England Whalers of the National Hockey League changed their name to the Hartford Whalers. The team was an original member of the World Hockey Association and won the first WHA championship, the Avco World Cup, in the 1972-73 season. When the WHA folded following the 1978-79 season, the Whalers were one of four WHA teams taken into the National Hockey League.  In 1997, the Whalers franchise relocated to Charlotte, NC, where it became the Carolina Hurricanes.
    1979 - Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" goes platinum. The album's title track, a #2 hit last month, is the rallying call for baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, who will go on to win the 1979 World Series in October. Perhaps best remembered in the US version of “The Bird Cage.”
    1983 - Top Hits
“Let’s Dance” - David Bowie
“Flashdance...What a Feeling” - Irene Cara
“Little Red Corvette” - Prince
“Common Man” - John Conlee
    1991 - Top Hits
“I Like the Way” (“The Kissing Game”) - Hi-Five
“Touch Me” (“All Night Long”) - Cathy Dennis
“Here We Go” - C + C Music Factory Presents Freedom Williams and Zelma Davis
“If I Know Me” - George Strait
    1994 - Prodigy Services announces a deal with Media General Cable to provide Prodigy access via cable television wires to 200,000 subscribers in Fairfax County, Virginia. Prodigy expected the cable hookup to provide faster speed and enable flashier graphics. At the time, most Prodigy users logged on to the system via 9600-baud modems. Over the next four years, modem speed would increase dramatically, but interest in cable modems would grow as companies like AtHome worked with local cable providers to offer higher-speed bandwidth.
    1994 - Four men convicted in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center are each sentenced to 240 years in prison.
    2000 - Joining Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, Seattle's Rickey Henderson draws his 2,000th career walk.
    2002 - Buddy Guy is among the multiple winners at the W.C. Handy Awards, mounted by the Blues Foundation in Memphis. Guy wins for contemporary male artist of the year and blues instrumentalist of the year (guitar); his "Sweet Tea" is named contemporary blues album of the year.
    2006 - Brad Paisley wins three of the evening's top awards at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards. His "Time Well Wasted" (Arista Nashville) is named album of the year, and he also wins the video and vocal event prizes for "When I Get Where I'm Going," a hit collaboration with Dolly Parton.
    2007 - The US Library of Congress hands out the first Gershwin Award to Paul Simon for being a "performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwin’s."
    2011 - Tornado warnings were issued for Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.  The Joplin, MO death toll rose to 126 people with 1,150 injured by the May 22 tornado.