Friday,
September 17,2004 Headlines--- Classified
Ads---Doc. Mngr. / Finance / Legal Illinois
AG Subpoenas 9 Leasing Companies
"Wall
Street's Positive Tone is Sweet Music" "Survey
Says Leasing Salary Budgets Declined in 2004" "What
Asset Managers are Saying" Weekly
Bulletin Board Complaint Report Electro
Rent Higher Revenue and Net Income Pac
Bell, here I come--I've got tickets for the game, too http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/games/2004-09-16-giants-brewers_x.htm ######## surrounding the article denotes it is a press
release ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Classified
Ads---Documentation Manager / Finance / Legal Documentation
Manager: New York, NY. 10+ years in equipment
leasing/secured lending. Skilled in management & training, documentation,
policy and procedure development & implementation, portfolio reporting.
Strong work ethic. Email: dln1031@nyc.rr.com Finance: Chicago,
IL Experienced in big
ticket origination, syndication, valuation and workout. Twenty five
years, MBA, CPA, Email: pal108381@comcast.net Transaction Summary
Website: www.tlgattorneycpa.com Finance: Austin,
TX. 20+ years all facets
of lease/finance. Collection and credit management. Equipment &
rolling stock structuring. $150k credit authority, $100 million portfolio
management. Email: texmartin@juno.com Finance: Lyndhurst,
NJ CFO w/20+ years leasing/financing. Respected by lenders/rating agencies full & fair financial reporting. Outstanding record restructuring debt. Adept at investor relations and mentoring people. Email: joemcdev@aol.com Finance: San
Jose, CA. 15+ years sourcing
debt, managing cash and receivables and other treasury functions. Strong
background in credit, contract Email: raycis@comcast.net Legal: Los
Angeles, CA Experienced in-house corporate and financial services attorney seeks position as managing or transactional counsel. Willing to relocate. Email: sandidq@msn.com full list of all job wanted ads at: http://64.125.68.90/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Illinois
AG Subpoenas 9 Leasing Companies re: Norvergence Leases The Illinois attorney
general's office issued eight subpoenas Wednesday as part of a probe
into an alleged scam that left hundreds of Illinois businesses without
phone service but on the hook to pay for worthless equipment. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0409160267sep16,1,2553307.story ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Wall
Street's Positive Tone is Sweet Music" ELT News Members of Equipment
Leasing Association's Capital Markets Committee met with ratings agencies
on Tuesday, September 14, getting a distinctly positive reception. In
presentations to Moody's and S&P, ELA focused on: An overview of industry
performance. Private equity
and other current funding strategies for non-public companies. Current
trends in M&A activity and company valuations. Public equity and
debt markets for commercial finance companies. Current volume and practices
in CP conduit and securitization activity. [For the complete
meeting agenda and a copy of ELA's Powerpoint presentation, go to http://www.elaonline.com/FundingSource/index.cfm#ratings]
ELA presented a story
of flat to declining industry volume but stronger portfolio quality
and profitability, which are important to investors. Most of the decline
in volume is associated with declines in Large Ticket activity and business
done by independents. For the rest of this
story, go to http://www.elaonline.com/news/MembersOnly/news_report.cfm?id=5192
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Survey
Says Leasing Salary Budgets Declined in 2004" ELTnews The Equipment Leasing
Associations 2004 Leasing Industry Compensation Survey reported that
2004 salary budgets, as a percent of total payroll, declined in all
employee categories. Executive and Middle Management salary budgets
for the year declined 3.3% and 3.5%, respectively, when compared to
2003 salary budgets. Exempt- and Non-exempt employee pay budgets declined
as well. The ELA 2004 Leasing
Industry Compensation Survey was administered by SemlerBrossy Consulting
Group. The Survey report, released in August, summarized leasing industry
pay practices as collected from 40 of the ELAs leading members.
Included in the report is comprehensive pay data (salary, short- and
long-term incentives) for 33 unique leasing positions along with extensive
information on pay administration and incentive design for leasing organizations.
To order a copy of the Survey, go to http://www.elaonline.com/Store/ProductDetail.cfm?product_code=RINDCOMP04
. For more information about the project, contact Bill Choi at ELA, (703)516-8380 or bchoi@elamail.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What
Asset Managers are Saying" ELT news The Equipment Leasing
Association Equipment Management Committee conducted its summer meeting
September 2 at ELA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. In addition
to planning the February 13-15, 2005 ELA Equipment Management Conference
& Exhibition in Tucson, the committee made plans to conduct an asset
management benchmarking survey and decided to produce a Maintenance
& Return Provisions Guide, which will be available at the conference.
Among the sound bites
recorded at the committee meeting were the following: Busy funding backlogs
and buying portfolios Remarketing and
residual income is higher than expected in various equipment market
segments Truck/trailer marketplace
is very strong right now; pent-up demand; should be strong next couple
of quarters Service provider
business is picking up Business slow up
until July/August: stronger now Pricing power has
returned to the market; strong residual realizations for any asset
made of steel Seeing a lot of
Sarbanes-Oxley issues Spreads are improving;
earnings very strong; but volume is not great Were meeting our
volume and gain targets (particularly in our small-ticket business);
finding it hard to sign up new vendor programs; fee business in large
ticket deals very strong Residual value
insurance business strong; transportation industry healthy and getting
healthier
Weekly
Bulletin Board Complaint Report
Kit,
normally I support your point of view and value your service. However, regarding the issue of Phoenix Alliance not returing a deposit to a customer, I am surprised and deeply disappointed in
the role that you are assuming here. You
are not a regulatory agency, either government or private. Yours is
also not a membership organization where dues paying members have signed
a code of ethics and agreed to open their business affairs to the scrutiny
of others and to appoint you as an arbitrator or ombudsman in affairs
like this. To
my knowledge, you are also not operating as a law firm retained
by the supposedly aggrieved party. This
is very disappointing. Steve
Nardi Ramsgate
Leasing Since
establishing a web site over four years ago, Leasing News has
printed both alerts and Bulletin Board Complaints in
the newsletter and then posting on the internet .During this time we
have been of assistance in over 600 complaints, most settled with the
return of advance rentals. We
also have Letters of Engagements available to spell out
costs, commitment, and what may be retained or returned: http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/ The
news media tradition of acting as an ombudsman goes back to
the 19th century. Today
radio, television stations, and the internet have
its hot line to not only air complaints, but to warn others, and
also to obtain specific help. Our
Mission Statement from our web site reaches high: The Mission of The World newspaper An institution
which should always fight for progress and reform; never tolerate injustice
or corruption; always fight demagogues of all parties; never belong
to any party; always oppose privileged classes and public plunder; never
lack sympathy with the poor; always remain devoted to the public welfare;
never be satisfied with merely printing the news; always be drastically
independent; never be afraid to attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy
or predatory poverty. October 30,1911 Frank J. Cobb, editor, The World His statement is a quote from the publisher Joseph Pulitzer's retirement speech on April 10,1907. These
Weekly Reports have been from time to time, and the original
purpose was to give readers an idea of what was happening, and
often, leverage to help get an issue settled.
There appears to
be three groups: ones that live off advance rentals, those who
return the money despite the circumstances, and the third, the
old guard, who believe they are entitled to the money for the
time they put into it, even though they cant get the lease approved,
or the lessee did not divulge the reason why they cant
get the lease approved. There
are also other circumstances, such as: #1
Broker from Florida A
super broker in the Northeast sent the broker from Florida a check for
a medium four figure as commission, but the check bounced. The super
broker has told the broker he is going to make the check good, and
has been saying that for three months. A
copy of the NSF check and other communication was submitted. The
Superbroker told Leasing News the reason he did not have the money
was because an attorney garnished his bank account. He said
he had three commissions coming in from three deals, and as soon
as they came in, he would make the check good. The
Florida broker said he has been saying that for two months. Leasing
News told the superbroker that if a cashiers check was
not sent by Federal Express within two weeks, we would publish
the complaint. If sent, the
broker said he would withdrawn the
complaint. #2 Vendor was a Leasing Broker A
growing trend of brokers not only going through legitimate dealer
lease lines that are more liberal than going direct has
changed into leasing brokers actually become equipment dealers. This
involves a 938F Caterpillar. The
seller went to a Colorado equipment
appraiser, who recommended a leasing broker. To
obtain a commission in the transaction, the appraiser bought the
equipment and then sold it for a higher price to the Leasing Broker,
who pretended to an equipment dealer, who sold the
equipment to a legitimate dealership who utilized their bank
to lease the equipment to the original seller of the equipment
( it was a form of a sale/lease back. Now,
here is where it fell apart. The
broker kept $8,500, paying only
partial for the Caterpillar to the appraiser.
The broker was
then allegedly involved in a car accident and did not have
the funds to pay the $8,500. The
appraiser went to the legitimate dealership, who said they passed the
title on to the bank. The bank
then claimed they had free title to
the equipment, and any dispute would be between the original owner
and the dealer. The original
owner received his money, as did
the legitimate dealer, so they had no gripe nor did they want
to get involved in the transaction. The
appraiser wants his money back from the broker who was posing
as a dealer to get the equipment financed. #3 Florida Super Broker I was referred to
you by Bob Baker of Wildwood FS Group.
He strongly recommended I get in touch with you regarding ******. They are currently
holding almost $100,000 of my money and I am spearheading an effort
to go after them. I have talked to
many people and done a lot of research. I would like to
talk to you and see if you can help us with a story to get possible
injured parties to contact us for a class action CRIMINAL suit. (name with held) #4 Leasing Company Concern I have 12 examples
but I will give you just one for your thoughts. ******** represented
themselves to us as a "Lease Consultant" and not a broker.
We were very concerned because if they were a broke they would have
to deal with *********, they swore they were simply a consultant and
simply charged the customer a small fee for their services. Along comes a deal
to us called ******** for $60,000 who happens to also be a ******bank
customer. We did our documents and sent them to the customer for signing.
They signed our documents and we called them for the verbal. It was
an equipment finance agreement with no buyout on the end. The customer
asked us about the residual, we replied, there is no residual, the customer
asked why they had to write a check to ********* for their pre-paid
residual? We called *******r to discuss and they stated the customer
was just confused and that was simply their consulting fee. When we
called the customer again, they said they had something to fax us so
they did. It was called a letter of intent which shows an 8% pre-paid
residual charge. The letter also states that ********* is the lessor
which they are not. The letter also states that the customer may pay
the lease off in 12 months with 0 interest. This a 60 month non-cancelable
lease. It's is all lies! We called this customer and ******* is putting
a stop payment on the four thousand dollar check today, get the picture? ( name with held
) #5 Two Complaints Against Same Leasing Company These are two complaints
against the same leasing company located in Orange
County, California. One is for
$300,000: ********* has dragged
its heels on our due diligence, and is failing to respond to phone calls
regarding initiating the borrowing process. We paid a $5,000 due diligence
fee to get this process going, and we are now concerned that this lease
will not be executed and that we are going to lose our $5,000. This non-performance
is particularly disappointing as we are under strict pressure by our
venture capital investors (including ****************) to maintain certain
targets. We are in the midst
of seeking additional VC financing.
The funds anticipated through this lease were incorporated in
our plans, and our inability to execute this lease and meet our targets
could possibly compromise this fundraising effort. The second stems
from a submission in April, 2004 and signing of a lease contract on
July 19,2004, and then a second leasing contract, signed in August
with a check of almost $20,000. There
is correspondence where the leasing company did not receive the documents,
and then did, and a note signed August 18th asking the status of the funding. Classified
Ads---Help Wanted CFO / Leasing Sales Leader
Controller / Vendor Sales Specialist/ Entry Level Accountant
[Top] Sales
---------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Press Release
######################## Electro Rent Corporation Reports Higher Revenue and Net
Income for Fiscal 2005 First Quarter Versus Prior Year VAN NUYS, Calif.----Electro
Rent Corporation (NASDAQ:ELRC) today announced higher revenue and net
income for the first quarter of fiscal 2005 compared to the same period
of the prior year. "Net income continued to improve, extending
the upward trend that began a year ago. The quarter also marked the
first positive revenue comparison in several years. Our first quarter
performance provides significant evidence that opportunities for Electro
Rent that were only on the horizon last year are now taking root in
the marketplace," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel
Greenberg. First Quarter Results For the three months ended August 31, 2004, revenue increased 13%
to $25.6 million from $22.7 million for the first quarter of fiscal
2004. Net income increased to $5.6 million, or $0.22 per diluted share,
which included $1.8 million (pre-tax) related to funds received from
a class action lawsuit. This compares to net income for the same period
last year of $2.1 million, or $0.09 per diluted share.
Operations Review "We are seeing strength across the entire spectrum of our
test and measurement business, especially in wireless communications,
aerospace/defense and manufacturing. Rental and lease demand and rates
in our data products business also improved modestly in the first quarter,"
Greenberg said. Greenberg noted that SG&A expenses declined by $439,000, or
5.6%, during the first quarter despite the increase in revenue. "The
many steps we took during the difficult past few years to reduce our
costs and increase our operating efficiencies, as well as to enhance
customer service and prepare for new market opportunities, have come
together to serve us in good stead. We believe that we can now significantly
increase our volume this year while holding the line on expenses,"
he said. "With the improvement in the business climate creating new
opportunities for us to profitably deploy our assets, new equipment
purchases have increased in recent months and we currently are investing
rather than accumulating cash," Greenberg noted. Purchases of new
equipment for this year's first quarter increased to $21.8 million,
compared to $10.3 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2004, while
cash and marketable securities declined to $76.1 million from $82.2
million at May 31, 2004. The book value of Electro Rent's equipment
pool rose to $107.0 million at August 31, 2004 compared to $96.3 million
at May 31, 2004 and $86.3 million at August 31, 2003. Electro Rent has no debt, and shareholders' equity at August 31,
2004 was $174.3 million. About Electro Rent Electro Rent Corporation (www.ElectroRent.com)
is one of the largest nationwide organizations devoted to the short-term
rental and leasing of personal computers, servers and general purpose
electronic test equipment. CONTACT: Company
Contact: Electro Rent Corporation Daniel Greenberg, 818-786-2525 or
Investor Contact: Berkman Associates Neil Berkman, 310-277-5162 info@BerkmanAssociates.com ### Press Release
##################### News
Briefs Mortgage Rates Decline http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/17/business/17rate.html?pagewanted=all Consumer prices climb;
jobless claims up http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2004/09/16 /consumer_prices_climb_jobless_claims_up/ Riggs Probe Includes
Recordings http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27359-2004Sep16.html Fitch: Ivan May Become
Second Costliest Hurricane For U.S. P&C Insurers http://www.fitchratings.com/corporate/events/press_releases_ Domestic auto market
share under 60% http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2004-09-15-carmarket_x.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sports
Briefs--- Bonds still at 699
as Giants return from successful trip http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9683950.htm
Lefty, Tiger will
look to get U.S. off to quick start http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/ryder/2004-09-16-pairings_x.htm Owners ice players http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2004-09-15- NHL Work Stoppage
Would Weaken Hockey-Related Credits http://www.fitchratings.com/corporate/events/press_releases_ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gimme
that Wine Wine price forecast
will have corks popping in Bordeaux http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1087622004 Made to order Two outfits let you be the CEO of your own private winery -- whether or not you
want to get your hands dirty http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/09/16/ Western Iowa Grape
Growers Association plans two events http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12928209&BRD= 1977&PAG=461&dept_id=187985&rfi=6 Mysteries of the
Adriatic Revealed---Eric Asimov http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/15/dining/15WINE.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This
Day in American History 1630-
City of Boston forms Across the Charles River, William Blackstone, a former
clergyman, was living an isolated existence as a trapper on the Shawmut
Peninsula - the original land mass of Boston. Word came to him from
Indian friends of the difficulties his fellow countrymen were having.
He sent a message to John Winthrop advising him that the Trimountain
hills on his side of the river were far more suitable for settlement.
Winthrop, who had been at college with Blackstone (as unbelievable as
that sounds), went to see him and it was this meeting in 1630 that really
marked the foundation of the city of Boston. Within the next few weeks
several small wooden houses were built by the migrants and at the suggestion
of Thomas Dudley it was decided that the new settlement be called Boston
after its English namesake. Remember, the Puritans did not want a break
with England, just to create an example of what could be if England
followed their example. Hence, they'd fashion their Boston in their
own image, so to speak. Over the next few years many more Lincolnshire
migrants arrived. Indeed, a memorial stone in St.Botolph's Church commemorates
the five Boston men who became Governors of Massachusetts, those being
Thomas Dudley, Richard Bellingham, Francis Bernard, John Leverett and
Simon Bradstreet. 1656-Massachusetts
enacted severe laws against Quakers. (At the time, government and religion
were intricately interwoven; the line between blasphemy and treason
was virtually nonexistent; and non-sacramental Quakerism gave the impression
that the denomination was anti-government.) 1730-Birthday
of Baron Frederich Von Steuben, Prussian-born general who volunteered
to serve in the American Revolution. His strategy and help in training troops
dramatically change the tide of the Revolutionary War. He died at Remsen,
NY, Nov 28, 1794. 1776-
Presidio of San Francisco forms as a Spanish fort http://www.nps.gov/prsf/prsfphot/spanyrs.htm http://www.zpub.com/sf/history/sfh2.html 1778-
The US signed a treaty with the Delaware Nation, the first treaty with
Native American tribes, agreed upon at Fort Pitt ( not Pittsburgh ). 1787-
delegations from 12 states (Rhode Island did not send a delegate) at
the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia, PA, voted unanimously
to approve the proposed document and adopt the US Constitution.. Thirty-nine
of the 42 delegates present signed it and the Convention adjourned,
after drafting a letter of transmittal to the Congress. One of the main
proponents was Article 6, Section 3: 'No religious tests shall ever be required as a qualification
to any office or public trust under the United States.' The proposed constitution stipulated that it
would take effect when ratified by nine states. This day is a legal
holiday in Florida. It was stated
that it would become binding on all 13 colonies when ratified by nine
states. This took place on June 21, 1788, when the
legislature of New Hampshire approved ratification by a 57-47 vote. The Constitution was declared to be in effect
on March 4, 1789 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/sep17.html 1861-American
Missionary Association school establish in Fortress Monroe, VA aiming to bring about
full and equal privileges of citizenship to the black population of
the United States during the latter half of the 19th century, leading
into the 20th century. The Association did so under the doctrine that
to deny these rights would serve to subvert the teachings of Jesus,
thus those who attempted to deny these rights performed sins against
God and man. Formed as a means of protest against other missionaries
during the mid-19th century, the AMA promoted political activity and
encouraged a strong anti-slavery sentiment among its missions. http://www.northbysouth.org/1998/edu/charleston/ama.htm http://www.tulane.edu/~amistad/officersAMA.htm http://search2.eb.com/blackhistory/micro/19/50.html http://www.lib.umd.edu/MICROFORMS/american_missionary_assn.html 1862-
this date has been called Americas bloodiest day in recognition
of the high casualties suffered in the Civil War battle between General
Robert E. Lees Confederate forces and General George McClellans
Union army. Estimates vary, but more than 25,000 Union and Confederate
soldiers were killed or wounded in this battle on the banks of the Potomac
River at Maryland. This had started as a plan to take Harpers
Ferry, move into the North, perhaps capture Washington, DC, or at worse,
a propaganda victory for those who were against continuing the war against the Confederates.
The plan was discovered on September 12, and General McClellan
moved quickly and decisively to change the course of history. ( lower half of:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/sep17.html ) http://www.nps.gov/anti/battle.htm http://www.nps.gov/anti/casualty.htm 1868-Hampton
Institute founded at Hampton, Va.; coeducational; founded 1868, chartered
1870 as a normal and agricultural school; known as Hampton Institute
1930-84. Founded by Samuel Chapman Armstrong, it was among the first
black colleges and also pioneered in Native American education. Hampton's
library is noted for its Peabody Collection on African-American history
and culture. http://www.duke.edu/~sah4/susie http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/POCA/POC_hamp.html.html http://www.slider.com/enc/23000/Hampton_Institute.htm http://docsouth.unc.edu/washeducation/illustr13.html http://www.rootsweb.com/~nativeam/hampton/hampton.htm 1868-Early
in the morning, a large band of Cheyenne and Sioux stage a surprise
attack on Major George A. Forsyth and a volunteer force of 50 frontiersmen
in Colorado. Retreating to a small sandbar in the Arikaree River that
thereafter became known as Beecher's Island, Forsyth and his men succeeded
in repulsing three massed Indian charges. Thanks to the rapid fire capability
of their seven-shot Spencer rifles, Forsyth's volunteers were able to
kill or wound many of the Indian attackers, including the war chief
Roman Nose. But as evening came and the fighting temporarily halted,
Forsyth found he had 22 men either dead or wounded, and he estimated
the survivors were surrounded by a force of 600 Indians. The whites
faced certain annihilation unless they could somehow bring help. Two
men- Jack Stilwell and Pierre Trudeau-volunteered to attempt a daring
escape through the Indian lines and silently melted into the night. The battle raged
for five more days. Forsyth's effective fighting force was reduced to
ten men before the Indians finally withdrew, perhaps reasoning that
they had inflicted enough damage. Miles from help and lacking wagons
and horses, Forsyth knew that many of his wounded would soon be dead
if they didn't get help. Fortunately, on September 25, the 10th Cavalry-one
of the Army's two African-American units nicknamed the "Buffalo
Soldiers"- came riding to their rescue with a field ambulance and
medical supplies. Miraculously, Stilwell and Trudeau had managed to
make it through the Sioux and Cheyenne and bring help. Thanks to their
bravery and the timely arrival of the Buffalo Soldiers, the lives of
many men were saved. http://www.buffalosoldiers.net/ http://www.imh.org/imh/buf/buftoc.html 1872-Phillip
W. Pratt of Abington, MA was granted a patent for a sprinkler system.
The system operated by means of a valve to which cords and fuses melted,
the valve opened, releasing a stream of water. In 1874, Henry S. Parmelee of New Haven refined
the sprinkler head with perforations, containing a valve that was held
closed against water pressure by a heavy spring made of low fusing material. 1895-Birthday
of drummer and bandleader William McKinney, Cynthiana, KY 1883
Poet William Carlos Williams born Rutherford, New Jersey. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/s_z/williams/bio.htm http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=120 1902-Birthday
of trombone player Louis Big-Eye Nelson, New Orleans, LA. http://www.jazzsteps.com/browse/artist.asp?p_id=P___ http://shop.store.yahoo.com/jukejoint/bcd-173.html http://www.jazzcrusade.com/JCCD/JC3026.html http://www.jazzcrusade.com/JCCD/JC3059.html 1920-
the American Professional Football Association was formed in Canton,
OH. 1923-
birthday Hiram King Hank Williams, country and western singer,
born at Georgia, AL. He achieved his first major hit with Lovesick
Blues, which brought him a contract with the Grand Ole Opry. His
string of hits included Cold, Cold Heart, Honky Tonk
Blues, Jambalaya, Your Cheatin Heart,
Take These Chains From My HearV and Ill Never
Get Out of This World Alive, which was released prior to his death
Jan 1,1953, at Oak Hill, VA. 1923
Pianist Ralph Sharon Birthday
http://www.yamaha.com/musiced/allaccess/summer2K1/36sharon.htm 1925-Brithday
of organ player Jack Brother McDuff, Champaign, IL 1927-Birthday
of sax player Sam Butera, New Orleans, LA 1927-Birthday
of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and place-kicker George Frederick
Blanda, born Youngwood, PA. 1928
-- Hurricane hits Lake Okeechobee, Florida drowning 1,800-2500. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/ 1931
- RCA Victor began demonstrating a very early version of the long-playing
(LP), 33-1/3 RPM phonograph record. It would be another 17 years before
RCA rival Columbia would begin mass production of the LP. 1934-
birthday of Maureen little Mo Catherine Connolly Bringer,
tennis player born at Sand Diego, CA.
She became the second-youngest woman to win the US National championship
at Forest Hills, NY. She repeated in 1952 and won the Wimbledon, too. In 1953, she became the first woman to win
the Grand Slam, taking the US, French, Australian and Wimbledon championships.
After winning a second and straight French title and a third
straight Wimbledon, she suffered a crushed leg in a horseback riding
accident and never competed again. Died at Dallas, TX, June 21, 1969 at age 35
from cancer. 1935
-- Hippie bus driver, psychedelician, author Ken Kesey birthday. At a Veterans Administration
hospital in Menlo Park, California, Kesey was paid volunteer experimental
subject, taking mind-altering drugs & reporting their effects. His
experiences as an aide at a psychiatric hospital & LSD sessions
served as background for One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest, which was set
in a mental hospital. The book reveals the dehumanizing effects of the
social conformity of the 1950s, & gained huge critical & commercial
success. Kesey formed the 'Merrie Pranksters', bought an old school
bus, & toured America & Mexico with his friends. Their weird
exploits were later chronicled in Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid
Acid Test (1973). http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Authors/about_ken_kesey.html http://www.lib.virginia.edu/speccol/exhibits/sixties/kesey.html 1937-Birthday
of baseball legend Orlando Cepeda. http://www.latinosportslegends.com/cepeda.htm 1937-Artie
Shaw Band records Nightmare. 1945-Birthday
of basketball coach and player Philip D. Phil Jackson, Deer
Lodge, MT. 1946-
Woody Hermans First Herd records Sidewalks of Cuba 1951---Top
Hits Because of You -
Tony Bennett The Loveliest Night
of the Year - Mario Lanza Sweet Violets - Dinah
Shore Always Late (With
Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell 1952
- Frank Sinatra sang at his final session with Mitch Miller and Columbia
Records. 1953
- Ernie Banks became the first black baseball player to wear a Chicago
Cubs uniform. Banks was also quick to say, Lets play two!
Banks was the Cubs outstanding shortstop from 1954 to 1960. In
1961 he was moved to left field, then to first base, where he spent
the rest of his career. In 1969, Ernie Banks was voted the Cubs
best player ever by Chicago fans. Mr. Cub retired in 1971.
1954
- Rocky Marciano retained possession of the world heavyweight boxing
title. He knocked out Ezzard Charles in the eighth round of their championship
bout. 1955
- "The Perry Como Show" moved to Saturday nights on NBC-TV.
Soon, U.S.A. audiences would Sing along with me ... Im on
my way to the stars... with the incomparable Mr. C. Comos
hour-long variety show replaced his three-times-per-week, 15-minute
show, which had been on the air since 1948. The new version of "The
Perry Como Show" soon became Saturdays highest-rated TV program,
beating CBS competitor Jackie Gleason. http://www.classicthemes.com/50sTVThemes/themePages/ 1957-
Sugarfoot premiered on TV. My father wrote many of these episodes. It was
one of three ABC westerns produced by Warner Brothers in the late 50's.
The show alternated with Cheyenne and Bronco. Will Hutchins starred
as Tom (Sugarfoot) Brewster, an Easterner with designs on becoming a
lawyer in the Wild West. All three shows later aired under the Cheyenne
appellation in 1960. http://home.att.net/~dadmug/sugarfoot.html v1959---Top Hits Sleep Walk - Santo
& Johnny Im Gonna Get Married
- Lloyd Price (Til) I Kissed You
- The Everly Brothers The Three Bells -
The Browns 1961
- A new team debuted in the National Football League: the Minnesota
Vikings. The Vikings defeated the Chicago Bears by a score of 37-13
in the teams first game. 1961-
"Car 54 Where are You?" premiers on TV http://mywebpages.comcast.net/csmiths/index.html http://mywebpages.comcast.net/csmiths/showfacts.html 1963-
The Fugitive premiers. A nail-biting adventure series on
ABC. Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) was wrongly convicted and sentenced
to death for his wifes murder, but escaped from his captors in
a train wreck. This popular program aired for four years detailing Kimbles
search for the one-armed man (Bill Raisch) who had killed his wife,
Helen (Diane Brewster). In the meantime, Kimble himself was being pursued
by Lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse). The final episode aired Aug
29,1967, and featured Kimble extracting a confession from the one-armed
man as they struggled from the heights of a water tower in a deserted
amusement park. That single episode was the highest-rated show ever
broadcast until 1976. The TV series generated a hit movie in 1993 with
Harrison Ford as Kimble and Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones as Gerard. http://www.unchance.net/Fugitive/ 1964-
Bewitched premiered on TV. This sitcom centered around blonde-haired
witch Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery). Although she promises
not to use her witchcraft in her daily life, Samantha finds herself
twitching her nose in many situations. Her husband, Darrin Stephens,
was played by Dick York and Dick Sargent, and her daughter, Tabitha
Stephens, was played by Erin and Diane Murphy. My stupid daughter named
by first girl grandchild: Tabitha, after the baby TV witch.
The last episode aired July 1,1972. Other cast members included Agnes
Moorhead, David White, Alice Ghosttey, Bernard Fox and Paul Lynde. http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0057733/ 1965
Hogans Heroes premiered on television. It was a comedy,
took place in a World War II Nazi POW camp. For six years the prisoners,
under the lead of Colonel Robert Hogan (played by former KNX, Los Angeles,
radio air personality, Bob Crane), managed to outwit the incompetent
and inept Nazi Colonel Wilhelm Klink (played very competently by Werner
Klemperer [2-time Emmy-Award winner for his role]) and Nazi Sgt. Shultz
(played quite deftly by John Banner) I know nothING..
http://www.hogansheroesfanclub.com/ http://www.tvtome.com/HogansHeroes/ 1966-
Mission: Impossible premiered. This action-adventure espionage
series was produced by Bruce Geller, appearing on CBS for seven years.
The premise of the show was simple: each week the IMF (Impossible Missions
Force) leader would receive instructions on a super-secret mission to
be carried out by the crew. Steven Hill played the first IMF leader,
Dan Briggs. He was replaced by Peter Graves who played Jim Phelps. The
crew included: Martin Landau as Rollin Hand, master of disguise, Barbara
Bain, real-life wife of Landau, as Cinnamon Carter, Greg Morris as Barney
Collier, technical expert, Peter Lupus as Willy Armitage, tough guy,
Leonard Nimoy as Hands replacement, Paris, Lesley Ann Warren as
Dana Lambert, Sam Elliott as Doug, Lynda Day George as Lisa Casey and
Barbara Anderson as Mimi Davis. The show was remade for ABC in 1988;
it lasted two seasons. The latest incarnation of Mission: Impossible
was on the silver screen in 1996, starring Tom Cruise. http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-577 http://www.geocities.com/rickstvshows/missionimp66.html 1966-The
Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" peaks at #2 on the chart, while
The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice" peaks at #8 and The
Hollies' "Bus Stop" peaks at #5. 1967---Top
Hits Ode to Billie Joe
- Bobbie Gentry Reflections - Diana
Ross & The Supremes Come Back When You
Grow Up - Bobby Vee My Elusive Dreams
- David Houston 1967-
The Doors perform "Light My Fire" and "People are Strange"
on the "Ed Sullivan Show." Prior to the show, Sullivan asked
Jim Morrison to change or omit the line "Girl, we couldn't get
much higher" in "Light My Fire." Morrison sang it anyway. 1970-
the first African-American to win the Miss America Pageant was Cheryle
Adrenne Brown of Jamaica, Queens, New York City, a sophomore at Luther
College in Decorah, IA, who represented Iowa in the contest in Atlantic
City. 1972-
M*A*S*H premieres. This popular CBS series was based on
the 1970 Robert Altman movie and a book by Richard Hooker. Set during
the Korean War, the show aired for 11 years (lasting longer than the
war). It followed the lives of doctors and nurses on the war front with
both humor and pathos. The cast included: Alan Alda as Captain Benjamin
Franklin Hawkeye Pierce, Wayne Rogers as Captain John ~Trapper
John McIntyre, McLean Stevenson as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake,
Loretta Swit as Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan, Larry
Linville as Major Frank Burns, Gary Burghoff as Corporal Walter Radar
O'Reilly, William Christopher as Father Francis Mulcahy, Jamie Farr
as Corporal Max Klinger, Harry Morgan as Colonel Sherman Potter and
Mike Farrell as Captain B.J. Hunnicut. The show won numerous awards
during its run. Its final episode, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen
was the highest-rated program of all time, topping the Who Shot
J.R.? revelation on Dallas. See also: ~M*A*S*H: The
Final Episode: Anniversary (Feb 28). The show generated two spin-offs:
Trapper John, MD and After M*A*S*H. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068098/ http://www.faqs.org/faqs/tv/mash/guide/ 1975---Top
Hits Rhinestone Cowboy
- Glen Campbell At Seventeen - Janis
Ian Fame - David Bowie Feelins - Conway
Twitty & Loretta Lynne 1980-
Bette Midler's "Divine Madness," a film of a 1979 concert
in Pasadena, CA, premieres in Los Angeles. 1983
- Vanessa Williams, Miss New York, was crowned Miss America. Williams
was the first black woman in the 62-year history of the Miss America
Pageant to win the coveted title. Williams relinquished her crown during
her reign when nude pictures of her were published in "Penthouse"
magazine. She went on to enjoy popularity as a singer ("Dreamin",
"Save the Best for Last") and an actress ("Candyman",
"Another You", "Under the Gun"). 1983
- Slugger Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox broke Hank Aarons
major-league record for games played. Yaz played in his
3,299th game. 1983---Top
Hits Maniac - Michael
Sembello Tell Her About It
- Billy Joel The Safety Dance
- Men Without Hats Night Games - Charley
Pride 1984
- The largest group of immigrants to become naturalized citizens of
the U.S., 9,706 people, was sworn in by Vice-President George Bush in Miami, FL. 1984
- Oil heir Gordon P. Getty, with a fortune of $4.1 billion dollars,
was named the richest person in the U.S. There were a dozen billionaires
in the U.S. at the time. 1986-
Head of the Class. This ABC sitcom was the antithesis of
Welcome Back, Kotter. It ran for five years, depicting the
travails and triumphs of brainy students in the Individual Honors Program
(IHP) of New Yorks Fillmore High School. One episode in 1988 was
the first American prime-time program filmed entirely in the Soviet
Union. Howard Hesseman starred as part-time actor and substitute teacher
Charlie Moore (a man more adept at teaching lifes lessons than
history). The cast also featured William G. Schilling as Principal Samuels,
Jeannetta Arnette as Assistant Principal Bernadette Meara, Leslie Bega
as Maria, Dan Frischman as Arvid, Robin Givens as Darlene, Khrystyne
Haje as Simone, Jory Husain as Jawarharlal, Tony ODell as Alan,
Brian Robbins as Eric, Kimberly Russell as Sarah, Dan Schneider as Dennis,
Tannis Vallely as Janice, Rain Pryor as T.J., Michael DeLorenzo as Alex~
Lara Piper as Viki, Devoreaux White as Aristotle and Jonathan
Ke Quan as Jasper. After Hesseman left the show in 1990, Scottish comedian
Billy Connolly took over the class. The series ended with the graduation
of all the characters, June 25,1991. http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-1346 http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0090444/ 1991-
Home Improvement premiered. This comedy centered around
the Taylors. Tim Taylor, played by Tim Allen, was a TV host on the popular
fix-it show Tool Time. Jill, played by Patricia Richardson,
was a housewife and mother going back to school to get a degree in psychology.
The couples three sons were played by Zachery Ty Bryan, Jonathan
Taylor Thomas and Taran Noah Smith. Other cast members included Richard
Kern, Earl Hindman, Debbe Dunning and Pamela Anderson. The last episode
aired May 25,1999. http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-635 1986
- The New York Mets clinched their first divisional title since 1973
by defeating the Chicago Cubs 4-2. The Mets later won the World Series
as well. 1991---Top
Hits The Promise of a
New Day - Paula Abdul I Adore Mi Amor -
Color Me Badd Motownphilly - Boys
II Men Leap of Faith - Lionel
Cartwright 1993-
Los Angeles police began an investigation into child abuse allegations
against Michael Jackson. The investigation began after the son of a
Beverly Hills dentist told his therapist that Jackson sexually abused
him. Jackson's security consultant claimed the allegations followed
a failed attempt to blackmail the singer for 20 million dollars. Although
no criminal charges were laid, lawyers for the 13 year-old filed a civil
suit a month later claiming damages for sexual battery, seduction and
other allegations. The suit was settled out of court in January 1994.
Reports said Jackson paid anywhere from $5 to $24-million.
During the initial uproar over the investigation, Jackson cancelled
or postponed several dates on his "Dangerous" world tour,
citing illness or exhaustion. He
later called off the rest of the tour, saying he would undergo treatment
for an addiction to pain killers. Jackson said he began taking the drugs
after his scalp was burned while filming a Pepsi commercial several
years earlier, and the stress over the sex abuse allegations made the
addiction worse. He subsequently married several women, and I believe
claimed to have fathered two children. 1993-
Texas Ranger superstar Nolan Ryan strikes out Angel catcher Greg Myers
for his 5,714th and final career strikeout. 1994
- "II", by Boyz II Men, debuted at number one on the "Billboard"
U.S. album chart. Cuts on the LP: "Thank You", "All Around
the World", "U Know", "Vibin", "I
Sit Away", "Jezzebel", "Khalil [Interlude]",
"Trying Times", "Ill Make Love to You", "On
Bended Knee", "50 Candles", "Water Runs Dry",
"Yesterday". "II" was #I for IV weeks. 1997-
the old Canadian National train station in Liverpool, Nova Scotia was
reopened as the Hank Snow Country Music Centre. Ill health prevented
the 83-year-old Snow from attending the ceremony in his hometown. He
had moved to Nashville in the 1950s. Snow donated two vintage cars and
one of his famous rhinestone suits to the centre. 1988
- Early in the morning a tornado hit Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio,
TX, injuring three persons and causing twenty-eight million dollars
damage. A second tornado on the northwest side of San Antonio caused
six million dollars damage, and a third tornado in Bexar County killed
one person and injured another. Thunderstorms associated with Hurricane
Gilbert spawned a total of forty-seven tornadoes in a two day period,
with forty of those tornadoes in central and south central Texas. 1989
- Hurricane Hugo hit the Virgin Islands, producing wind gusts to 97
mph at Saint Croix. Hurricane Hugo passed directly over the island of
Saint Croix causing complete devastation and essentially cutting off
the island from communications. A storm surge of five to seven feet
occurred at Saint Croix. The only rain gauge left operating, at Caneel
Bay, indicated 9.40 inches in 24 hours. Hurricane Hugo claimed the lives
of three persons at Saint Croix, and caused more than 500 million dollars
damage. A ship, Nightcap, in the harbor of Culebra, measured wind gusts
as high as 170 mph. A cold front brought high winds to the Great Basin
and the Rocky Mountain Region, and thunderstorms along the cold front
produced wind gusts to 66 mph at Yellowstone Park WY. Baseball
Poem The
Crowd At The Ball Game by William Carlos Williams - The
crowd at the ball game is
moved uniformly by
a spirit of uselessness which
delights them all
the exciting detail of
the chase and
the escape, the error the
flash of genius all
to no end save beauty the
eternal So
in detail they, the crowd, are
beautiful for
this to
be warned against saluted
and defied It
is alive, venomous it
smiles grimly its
words cut The
flashy female with her mother,
gets it The
Jew gets it straight it is
deadly, terrifying It
is the Inquisition, the Revolution
It
is beauty itself that
lives day
by day in them idly
This
is the
power of their faces It
is summer, it is the solstice the
crowd is cheering,
the crowd is laughing in
detail permanently,
seriously without
thought
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