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American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers
2022 Annual Conference Report
By Nuria Blais, American Lease Insurance

As a first timer to the AACFB Conference (of which there were over 150!) I was blown away by the amount of time and knowledge freely shared between commonly competing sources. The broker numbers were high at this conference and Monica Harper, Executive Director, shared with me that it, in her opinion, has much to do with the recent climate and the desires of individuals who previously worked for organizations to explore new and independent territories.

It was also amazing to see 70 Exhibitors present, working the floor, and having many visitors to their booth.

The energy of this group was vibrant and this certainly was in part due to the nature of the past two years. Excitement about this in-person conference was palpable and I look forward to watching this conference grow past its pre pandemic numbers.

This year’s American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (AACFB) Annual Conference was held May 11-13 at the Sheraton Charlotte Hotel in sunny Charlotte, North Carolina. Bouncing back from a pandemic lull, and nearing its pre pandemic numbers, the final attendance count came in at 331, only slightly under the Las Vegas 2019 conference which boasted the highest attendance in recent history-353. Charlotte’s 325 count was made up of 39 associates and guests representing 18 companies, 168 funders representing 61 companies and 124 brokers representing 90 companies.

Opening Day activities included an optional golf outing at Skybrook Golf Club as well as a Women in Leasing Luncheon at Church and Union where over 60 women came together to share their stories-new and old-about their times in this industry.

The afternoon of day one was filled with presentations from National Equipment Leasing Inc., North Mill Equipment Finance LLC, FileInvite, Amur Equipment Finance and Quality Leasing Co. AACFB also hosted a valuable session for first time attendees where emphasis was placed on available committee opportunities. The AACFB has eight active committees and is search of member support to fill roles within those.

Concluding the afternoon was the Speed Networking Reception (fondly referred to by many as “speed dating”) during which funding sources set up around the perimeter of the space and other attendees are given ample time for a brief but informational conversation to learn more about a potential funding fit. This reception was high paced and well attended, and the conversations appeared to be rich as when the horn sounded many had to peel themselves away to the next funder.

The evening reception, hosted by C.H. Brown Co., LLC, took place at the rooftop lounge, showcasing the beautiful sunset and skyline. Eighties cover band, Kids in America, rocked the show and made for a fun atmosphere to close the day.

Thursday’s afternoon line up of sessions was vast and included Business Forecasts-Riding the Tides, Increasing Efficiencies with E-Notary, Technology-Making Your Processes Flow, Marketing Success Blueprint, Credit and Underwriting Insights and Sales and Fraud Roundtables. The free night on Thursday was a great time to catch a concert, ball game or show. Several people attended the renowned Hamilton production and many simply took advantage of the many local restaurants. Personally, a couple oysters and my first Po’ Boy at Sea Level opposite the Pittsburgh Penguins Game on TV was my perfect evening!

Friday opened with some networking time in the exhibition hall followed by a few concurrent sessions including Disclosure Law, HR Pitfalls and When Deals Go Bad.

Global Financial hosted the luncheon and auction, where several awards took center stage including passing of the gavel from AACFB President Carrie Radloff, CLFP, to AACFB President Elect Laura Estrada. Forum Moderator Gary Greene, CLFP, of Lease$mart and AACFB Executive Director Monica Harper were each awarded the AACFB President’s Award, which goes to individuals chosen by the president who went above and beyond to support the association during their term. AACFB bucks were used (and had been collected throughout the conference) to bid on prizes ranging from discounted memberships to future conference credit, cash drawings and tech items like Bose Bluetooth speakers and headphones. The auction was quite the hit and put pep in everyone’s step as they prepared for the travel home.

Nuria Blais
Business Development Manager
American Lease Insurance
Dedicated Dial 413-369-2182
nuria@aliac.net

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States No Longer the Issue to Status of Attorney
Finding the Best Attorney for the Case Today
By Ken Greene, Leasing News Legal Editor

Let’s face it – everyone, at one time or another, needs a lawyer. It could be anything - a dispute, a transaction, or maybe you need business advice on state laws, especially licensing and commercial law requirements.

It is very smart business to attend conferences and meet attorneys who attend. It is also important learn first-hand from members what attorney they are using and who they recommend.

There has been much discussion throughout the country, including the American Bar Association (“ABA”) about the propriety of attorneys working in states in which they are not licensed. The trend is to enhance that ability, but much of it was due to the exigencies arising from COVID. This is an area of inevitable change and we will update you as things progress.

There are certain things a lawyer can do even if he or she is licensed in only one state. In 95% of cases, the lawyer’s location does not matter. This is not the 1800’s where people were limited in where they could work. Times have changed, and the internet is one of the main reasons. A lawyer in one state can draft a contract between a client and a third party in another state. But some things have not changed. A personal injury suit has to be brought in the state where the defendant lives or where the accident occurred. Or if the dispute involves a contract, jurisdiction and venue clauses may dictate where a lawsuit can be brought.

So, there will be occasions in which you simply need local counsel. Under the right circumstances, your lawyer could apply for pro hac vice admission. Just make sure you aren’t better off with an attorney who (1) knows the lay of the land (i.e. the judges, court staff, etc.) and (2) knows the laws relevant to your case, but also has a good sense of how the judges will treat certain cases.
When it is time to retain counsel, here are some things you should consider in making your selection:

How do you find the right law firm? Word of mouth from people you trust is best. If that doesn’t work, try reaching out to finance and leasing associations for their list of attorneys. As a last resort, try Google.
Find someone with a solid grasp of your business. If you need an equipment finance attorney, don’t hire your nephew who just graduated law school and is seeking a career in criminal law.
Schedule an interview, face-to-face, if possible, Zoom if not.

Don’t forget to ask in advance if there is a charge for
the initial consult.

Be 100% honest as you disclose the situation to prospective counsel. Remember your communications are privileged, even if you decide to retain someone else. If you don’t tell the whole story accurately, it will come back to haunt you later. Promise.
If you are at a point of being comfortable and like what you have learned, time to discuss fees up front, i.e.
What are their billing rates?
Do they have minimum billing entries i.e. 1/10 or ¼ hours? That can get expensive fast.
Do they have flat or contingency fees?
Who will do most of the work?
Who will take the matter to trial?
Will you have more than one attorney working the case?
Does the firm bill for conferences between attorneys, or one attorney reviewing another’s work?
Do you need a retainer? Is it applicable against the first invoice, or must it be held in trust until trial?
Ask for an overall fee estimate. This can be difficult, but you will get some idea of what to expect.
Find out whether the firm carries errors and omissions coverage.
Ask when they can start work, and what their game plan is.
Determine whether you need a firm with an “intimidation factor.” The big firms are expensive, but on occasion can end a dispute quickly if the other side knows it is outclassed, outnumbered and could easily be buried in paper by a much larger firm.

It's not an easy process, but, assuming you have the time, it is worth it to be sure you’ve picked the right hired gun. You wouldn’t have an unqualified doctor operate on you. The same goes true for lawyers . . . make sure you have a good one!

Please remember my first piece of advice. It very good business to go to the conferences and meet attorneys who attend or learn from members what attorney they are using and who they recommend.

Ken Greene
Law Office of Kenneth Charles Greene
5743 Corsa Avenue Suite 208
Westlake Village, California 91362
Tel: 818.575.9095
Fax: 805.435.7464
ken@kengreenelaw.com
Alternate: kengreenelaw@outlook.com

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Lisa Corby was hired as Vice President of Credit and Syndication, Blue Street Capital, Huntington Beach, California. She is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Previously, she was Senior Funder, Partners Capital Group (January, 2022 - May, 2022). She joined CSI Leasing March, 2014, as Credit Analyst, promoted, March, 2014, Finance Manager.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-corby-18598618/

Jori Dean was hired as Business Development Manager, Carbon Capital Corporation, Calgary, Alberta Canada. Previously, he was Senior Account Executive, CWB National Leasing (August, 2016 - April, 2022).https://www.linkedin.com/in/jori-dean-96415247/

Michael Fuoti was hired as Business Development, Equipment and Lender Finance, Apple Bank, Iselin, New Jersey. Previously, he was Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Equipment and Lender Finance, Investors Bank (February, 2010 - April, 2022); Business Development Manager, Capital Equipment Finance, Everbank (November, 2015 - February, 2019).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfuoti/

Raovu Gupta was hired as Managing Director, Global Technology and PTS Practice, ZRG Partners, New Rochelle, New Jersey. He is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravi-gupta-48247a1/

Debra Langvardt was hired as Senior Account Executive, Equipment Leasing Grupp of America, LLC, Los Angeles, California.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/debralangvardt/

Mathew Padden, CLFP, was hired as Manager, ENGS Commercial Finance Company, Itasca, Illinois. He is located in the greater Chicago area. Certification: CLFP Foundation, Certified Lease and Finance Professional (2011).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-padden-clfp-b7363320/

Phil Priolo was hired as Senior Vice President SLR Equipment Finance, Wilton, Connecticut. He is located in St. Augustine, Florida. Previously, he was East Coast Regional Manager, De Lage Landen (April, 2006 - May, 2022).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-priolo-93409288/

Sandra Rowland was hired as Senior Vice President, Credit Leader, Equipment Finance, Apple Bank, Iselin, New Jersey. She is located In Elmsford, New York. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sondra-rowland-4562519/

Dan Rubenstein was hired as Director, Global Cross Section Group, Fitch Ratings, Manhattan, New York. He is located in Fairfield, Connecticut. Previously, he was Director, Head of Portfolio Manger, Global Jet Capital, joining the firm February, 2018,
as Portfolio Manager.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-rubenstein-19734713/

Dave Tyler was promoted to Vice President, Lead Equipment Finance Portfolio Manager, Wells Fargo, Overland Park, Kansas. He joined the firm as Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager, Middle Market, October, 2021.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-tyler-5b17a930/

Ken Walters was hired as Managing Director, Group Head Equipment Finance, Apple Bank, Iselin, New Jersey. Previously, he was Managing Director, Group Leader Equipment Finance, Investors Bank (February, 2018 - May, 2022).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-walters-a6402b23/

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This Day in History

     1631 - The General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony decreed that 'no man shall be admitted to the body politic but such as are members of some of the churches within the limits' of the colony.’ Separation of church and state was an unthinkable concept in early American colonialism. In contrast to what is taught in schools, most were not escaping for religious freedoms, but were missionaries with strong prejudices against other religious groups except for their own. Separately, John Winthrop was elected the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
    1652 - Rhode Island enacted a slavery emancipation law: “No blacken mankind or white... (maybe) forced by covenant bond or otherwise to serve any man or his assignees longer than ten years, or until they come to be 24 years of age, if they be taken in under 15, from the time of their coming within the Liberties of the Colonies, and at the end of termed of ten years... (are to be set) free, as is the manner with the English servants. And that man that will not let them goe free, or shall sell them elsewhere, to that end that they may be enslaved to others for a long time, he or they shall forfeit to the Colonie forty pounds.”
    1766 - The Church of the United Brethren in Christ was organized in Lancaster, PA, under the leadership of Martin Boehm, 41, and Philip William Otterbein, 39. (It became a branch of the Evangelical United Brethren in 1946.)
    1798 - The first Secretary of the U.S. Navy was appointed, Benjamin Stoddert. Stoddert was born in Maryland, in 1744, the son of Captain Thomas Stoddert. He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania and then worked as a merchant. He served as a captain in the Pennsylvania cavalry and later as secretary to the Continental Board of War during the Revolution. During the war, he was severely injured and was subsequently released from active military service. After Washington was elected President, he asked Stoddert to purchase key parcels of land in the area that would become the nation's capital, before the formal decision to establish the federal city on the banks of the Potomac. In May 1798, President Adams appointed Stoddert to oversee the newly established Department of the Navy. As the first Secretary of the Navy, Stoddert soon found himself dealing with an undeclared naval war with France, which would come to be known as the Quasi-War. Stoddert realized that the infant Navy possessed too few warships to protect a far-flung merchant marine by using convoys or by patrolling the North American coast. Rather, he concluded that the best way to defeat the French campaign against American shipping was by offensive operations in the Caribbean, where most of the French cruisers were based. Thus, at the very outset of the conflict, the Department of the Navy adopted a policy of going to the source of the enemy's strength. American successes during the conflict resulted from a combination of Stoddert's administrative skill in deploying his limited forces and the initiative of his seagoing officers. Under Stoddert's leadership, the reestablished Navy acquitted itself well and achieved its goal of stopping the depredations of French ships against American commerce. Stoddert concerned himself not only with the Navy's daily administration and operations, but also with the service's future strength. He established the first six navy yards and advocated building twelve 74 gunships.
http://www.mariner.org/usnavy/05/05d.htm
    1822 – One of America’s first photographers, Matthew Brady (d. 1896), was born in Warren County, NY. He studied under inventor Samuel F.B. Morse, who pioneered the daguerreotype technique in America. Brady opened his own studio in New York in 1844, and photographed Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams, among other celebrities. When the Civil War started, his use of a mobile studio and darkroom enabled vivid battlefield photographs that brought home the reality of war to the public. Thousands of war scenes were captured, as well as portraits of generals and politicians on both sides of the conflict, though most of these were taken by his assistants, rather than by Brady himself.
    1827 - Josiah Warren (1798–1874) opens his first Time Store in Cincinnati, Ohio — the first commercial cooperative. He was an American reformer and anarchist. An early follower of Robert Owen, he soon rejected Owen's political socialism, advocating instead anarchy based on “the sovereignty of the individual.” Warren founded several “equity” or "time" stores, with the idea of exchanging goods for an equivalent amount of labor and on the principle that cost should be the limit of price. He also established three utopian colonies: the most successful was Modern Times (1851–c.1860), Long Island, N.Y. (now Brentwood). The most important of his publications was “True Civilization” (1863, 5th ed. 1875).
http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/warren.html
See "The Lemonade Ocean & Modern Times" by Hakim Bey.
http://www.evolutionzone.com/kulturezone/bey/
lemonade.ocean.and.modern.times.html
http://www.blancmange.net/tmh/articles/manifesto.shtml
http://www.blackcrayon.com/people/warren/
    1830 - Edwin Budding of England signed an agreement for the manufacture of his invention, the lawn mower.
    1836 - Cynthia Ann Parker (1825-71), a blue-eyed blonde Caucasian woman, was captured by the Comanche at age nine. When U.S. soldiers found her four years later in a Comanche camp where she was living under the name "Prelock," she refused to return. She said she was happy living as a Comanche. In 1860, she and her infant daughter were captured in a U.S. army raid and were forcibly detained. She was sent to Parker's father. The infant died soon after capture and Prelock died in 1871, according to legend, by starving herself to death longing to go back to the Comanche way of life.   Her eldest son, Quanah, became chief of the Kwahadi tribe which held out against the white man. Some called him the most ferocious Indian who ever lived. In 1875, he suddenly brought his people in and settled near the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma and saw to it that Comanche children went to school and were educated.
    1849 - Sailing ship "Grey Eagle" arrived in San Francisco with 34 passengers from the East in 113 days, a record at that time.
    1852 - Massachusetts rules all school-age children must attend school
    1860 - Republican Party nominates Abraham Lincoln for president over William H. Seward who would become his Secretary of State.
On November 6, 1860, Lincoln defeated his opponents with only 40% of the popular vote, becoming the first Republican to win the presidency. The announcement of his victory signaled the secession of the Southern states which, since the beginning of the year, had been publicly threatening secession if the Republicans gained the White House. By the time of Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, seven states had seceded and the Confederate States of America had been formally established with Jefferson Davis as its elected president. One month later, the American Civil War began when Confederate forces under General P. G. T. Beauregard opened fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
    1861 - Battle of Sewall's Point, VA is the first Union offensive against the South.
    1863 - A new sport became available to Americans with the introduction of roller skating by James L. Plimpton. Plimpton invented the four-wheel skate, which worked on rubber pads, thus permitting skaters to change direction by shifting their weight to one side or the other without lift the wheels of the skate off the ground. Roller skating became fashionable in New York City and soon spread to other cities. In Newport, RI, the Roller Skating Association leased the Atlantic House and turned its dining room and plaza into a skating rink. In Chicago, the Casino could accommodate 3000 spectators and 1000 skaters. In San Francisco, a rink advertised 5000 pairs of skates available for rent.
    1863 - Union General Ulysses S. Grant surrounds Vicksburg, the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, in one of the most brilliant campaigns of the war. On May 16, Grant fought the Confederates under John C. Pemberton at Champion's Hill and defeated them decisively. He then attacked again at the Big Black River the next day, and Pemberton fled into Vicksburg with Grant following close behind. The trap was now complete and Pemberton was stuck in Vicksburg, although his forces would hold out until July 4. In the three weeks since Grant crossed the Mississippi in the campaign to capture Vicksburg, Grant's men marched 180 miles and won five battles. They took nearly 100 Confederate artillery pieces and nearly 6,000 prisoners, all with relatively light losses.
    1864 - The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia, reaches its peak at the Bloody Angle. This was the second major battle in Grant’s 1864 Overland campaign. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged from Lee’s army and moved to the southeast, attempting to lure Lee into battle under more favorable conditions. Elements of Lee's army beat the Union army to the critical crossroads of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia and began entrenching. Fighting occurred on and off from May 8 through May 21, 1864, as Grant tried various schemes to break the Confederate line. In the end, the battle was tactically inconclusive, but with almost 32,000 casualties on both sides, it was the costliest battle of the campaign.
    1872 - Bertrand Russell (d. 1970) was born in Trelleck, Wales. Philosopher, mathematician and social critic, one of the most widely read philosophers of this century. Awarded Nobel Prize for Literature, 1950. Outspoken pacifist, imprisoned during World War I. Abandoned pacifism during World War II, but was a leading figure in the antinuclear movement. Imprisoned in 1961 for taking part in a demonstration in Whitehall. A pioneer of logical positivism. I took a course from him at UCLA and have read most of his books.
http://www.mcmaster.ca/russdocs/russell.htm
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/brussell.htm
http://www.sci.fi/~phinnweb/links/philosophy.html
    1883 - An F4 tornado tracked 20 miles through Kenosha and Racine Counties in Wisconsin. 8 people were killed and 85 were injured. The tornado made a spectacular exit as a multiple vortex waterspout over Lake Michigan and was described as: "whirling columns of air seemed like great wreaths of smoke, bearing with them spiral columns of water...a half dozen could be seen at a time, then all would disappear and new ones would reform."
    1896 – In Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled separate-but-equal facilities constitutional on intrastate railroads. For fifty years, the Plessy v. Ferguson decision upheld the principle of racial segregation. Across the country, laws mandated separate accommodations on busses and trains, and in hotels, theaters, and schools. The premise was separate, but “equal.” When I first went to New Orleans in 1958, the facilities were not equal, but certainly separate. As I traveled in other parts of the South, Blacks would walk on one side of the main street and whites on the other. Restaurants and rest rooms were “white only.” Even the French Quarter was quite segregated with “white only” jazz clubs and, further down, you would find “black” or “Cajun,” which was even “rougher.” Drinks were much cheaper, the food simple, but delicious. We were musicians, so we never experienced any difficulty as often the two of us would be the only whites in the club. We had our own mouthpieces, as it was the tradition then, as I believe now, if you play someone else’s instrument, you used your own mouthpiece. I had both a clarinet and alto sax; Warren had his trumpet mouthpiece which he carried with him all time, especially when we have gone to places where he would be invited to play.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may18.html
    1897 – New York Giant 1B Bill Joyce set the MLB record of 4 triples in 1 game.    1900 - Birthday of author Laura Z. Hobson (d. 1986) in New York City. She wrote revolutionary novels about social injustices. "Gentleman's Agreement" dealt with anti-Semitism, "Tenth Month," on unwed motherhood, "Consenting Adult," on homosexuality.
    1901 - Birthday of Jeanette Macdonald (d. 1965) in Philadelphia. She was a very popular U.S. singer-actor best known today for her singing over the ruins of “San Francisco” (1936), duets with Canadian Mounties, and teaming with Nelson Eddy from 1936-42. She was also an accomplished Broadway and film actor and a fine comedic player. She was one of the top money grossers of her era.
    1902 - An F4 tornado struck the town of Goliad, Texas, killing 114 people. No U.S. tornado disaster of similar magnitude has ever occurred further south than this event.
    1902 - Birthday of Meredith Wilson (d. 1984), composer and lyricist (“The Music Man”), in Mason City, IA.
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist/willson.html
    1910 – The Earth passed through the tail of Halley’s Comet.
    1911 - Blues Shouter Joseph Vernon “Big Joe” Turner (d. 1985) was born Kansas, City, MO. He was one of the forefathers of rock 'n' roll. His 1950's recordings of such songs as "Shake, Rattle and Roll," "Honey Hush" and "Flip, Flop and Fly" are rock 'n' roll classics. But Turner had been singing for more than 20 years when these songs were recorded. In the 1930's, he teamed with boogie-woogie pianist Pete Johnson. Their appearance at John Hammond's famed "Spirituals to Swing" concert in 1938 helped spark the boogie-woogie craze of the time. In 1951, Turner began recording rhythm-and-blues for Atlantic Records. Many of his songs were rock 'n roll hits when recorded by white artists. Bill Haley turned "Shake, Rattle and Roll" into a million-seller in 1954 and Pat Boone had a pop hit with Turner's "Chains of Love" in 1956. In the '60s, Big Joe Turner turned to jazz singing, continuing to perform and record until his death on November 24th, 1985.
    1912 - Perry Como’s (d. 2001) birthday in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, born Pierino Ronald Como. A self-described admirer of Bing Crosby, Como copied Crosby's singing style and relaxed approach. He was a barber whose first record, "Goodbye Sue," was a hit in 1943. And so was "And I Love You So," recorded more than 30 years later. His other successes have included "Till the End of Time," "Temptation" and "It's Impossible." On television, Perry Como was the host of "The Chesterfield Supper Club," "The Perry Como Show" and "The Kraft Music Hall." He was perhaps the most popular singer on television in the 1950's.
    1917 - Selective Service Act was passed by Congress allowing conscription for military duty. All males aged 21 to 30 were required to register for military service. At the request of the War Department, Congress amended the law in August 1918 to expand the age range to include all men 18 to 45, and to bar further volunteering. By the end of World War I, some 2 million men volunteered for various branches of the armed services, and some 2.8 million had been drafted. This meant that more than half of the almost 4.8 million Americans who served in the armed forces were drafted. Due to the effort to incite a patriotic attitude, the World War I draft had a high success rate, with fewer than 350,000 men “dodging the draft.”
    1917 – The First units of the American Expeditionary Force, commanded by General John J. Pershing, were ordered to France.
    1922 - Trombonist Kai Winding (d. 1983) was born Aarhus, Denmark. His best-known recording is “More,” the theme from the movie “Mondo Cane.”
    1927 - Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard was opened, the first of the Fox chain of movie theaters. The lavish 2,200 seat theater cost $1 million to build. Its first film was shown on this date, Cecil B. DeMille's “King of Kings,” at the high price of $2.00 per seat. It was later renamed Mann's Chinese Theater.
    1927 - Bath, Michigan School Disaster. Andrew Kehoe, seeking revenge against the community for taxes imposed on his farm to pay for a new school, set off a TNT bomb in the school, killing 43 people, including 39 grade-school children. After the explosion, Kehoe killed his wife, then drove his truck back, loaded with dynamite & nails, to the school, and set it off, killing himself and the school superintendent.
    1928 – Actor Pernell Roberts (d. 2010) was born in Waycross, GA. Roberts played Ben Cartwright's urbane eldest son Adam in the Western television series “Bonanza,” NBC’s longest-running western series ever (14 years) and television’s second-longest behind “Gunsmoke.” Unlike his brothers, Adam was a university educated architectural engineer. Roberts, having largely been "a stage actor, accustomed as he was to a rigorous diet of the classics" and to freely move about from part to part, found the "transition to a television series," playing the same character, "without costume changes," a difficult one. It was perhaps not surprising that, despite enormous success and in one of television’s worst career moves, he bolted from "Bonanza" after the 1964–65 season, criticizing the show's simple-minded content and lack of minority actors. It particularly distressed him that his character, a man in his 30's, had to defer continually to the wishes of his widowed father and he reportedly disliked the series itself, calling it — "junk" television and accusing NBC of "perpetuating banality and contributing to the dehumanization of the industry."
    1931 - Bix Biederbecke joins Casa Loma Band for a date at Metropolitan Hotel, Boston.
    1933 - President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Tennessee Valley Authority Act. TVA is a federally-owned corporation created by congressional charter to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region deeply affected by the Great Depression. The enterprise was a result of the efforts of Senator George Norris of Nebraska. TVA was envisioned not only as a provider, but also as a regional economic development agency that would use federal experts and electricity to rapidly modernize the region's economy and society. TVA's service area covers most of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small slices of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. It was the first large regional planning agency of the federal government and remains the largest.
    1933 – The first Major League All-Star Game was announced for July 6 at Comiskey Park, to be played as part of the Chicago World's Fair.
    1934 – The Academy Award was first called Oscar in print, by Sidney Skolsky.
    1934 - Congress approved the Lindbergh Act, making kidnapping a capital offense
    1934 – “Dobie Gillis,” actor Dwayne Hickman, who played the starring role in this TV series of the 1950s, was born in LA.
    1937 – Baltimore Orioles’ Hall of Fame 3B, Brooks Robinson, was born in Little Rock, AR. He is considered one of the greatest defensive third basemen in Major League history, winning 16 consecutive Gold Glove awards during his 23-year career, tied with pitcher Jim Kaat for the second-most all-time for any player at any position. Robinson was elected to the Hall in 1983. “Brooksie” played in four World Series, winning two and was an 18-time All-Star. With Frank Robinson and Jim Palmer, he led the Orioles in the 1960-70s.
    1942 - Birthday of Rodney Dillard in E. St. Louis, IL. He is one of the electric bluegrass group, the Dillards. Formed in 1962, the Dillards left their home state for Hollywood where they played a hillbilly band on TV's "Andy Griffith Show." Their albums contained songs by folk and rock composers such as Bob Dylan, and their use of electric instruments helped pave the way for such country-rock groups as the Byrds and the Eagles.
    1942 – New York City ended night baseball games for the duration of the war.
    1944 - The Allies captured Monte Cassino (you may remember the movie). There had been five Allied attempts to take the German position at The Benedictine Abbey at Monte Cassino. Site of the Roman town of Cassinum, its abbey, the first house of the Benedictine Order, was established around 529. Although the abbey had been reduced to rubble, it served as a bunker for the Germans and they could relay all activity in the area to airplanes and execute giant cannon attacks. In the spring of 1944, Marshal Alphonese Pierre Juin devised an operation that crossed the mountainous regions behind the fortress-like structure, using Moroccan troops of the French Expeditionary Force. Specially trained for mountain operations, they climbed 4,850 feet to locate a pass. On May 15, 1944, they attacked the Germans from behind. On May 18, Polish troops attached to this force and took Monte Cassino. British commanders of the Indian troops on the ground suggested that Germans were occupying the monastery and it was considered a key observational post by all those who were fighting in the field. However, during the bombing no Germans were present in the abbey. Subsequent investigations found that the only people killed in the monastery by the bombing were 230 Italian civilians seeking refuge there. Following the bombing the ruins of the monastery were occupied by German paratroopers, because the ruins provided excellent defensive cover. Fortunately, the artifacts, artwork and other historical items had been removed prior to the bombing. The Abbey was rebuilt in the early 1950s and Pope Paul VI consecrated the rebuilt Basilica on 24 October 1964.
    1945 - On Okinawa, the US 6th Marine Division, part of US 3rd Amphibious Corps, captures most of the Sugar Loaf Hill, as well as parts of the Half Moon and the Horseshoe positions that overlook it, after several days of bitter fighting. The US 1st Marine Division continues to battle for the Wana River valley and Wana Ridge but fails to eliminate Japanese resistance, even with flame-throwers and tanks in support. Meanwhile, the US 77th and 96th Divisions, parts of US 24th Corps, attack Japanese positions on Flat Peak without success.
    1945 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time," Les Brown Orchestra/Doris Day.
    1946 - Top Hits
“All Through the Day” - Perry Como
“The Gypsy” - The Ink Spots
“Shoo Fly Pie” - The Stan Kenton Orchestra (vocal: June Christy)
“New Spanish Two Step” - Bob Wills
    1947 – The Philadelphia A’s catcher Buddy Rosar caught his 147th game without an error, Major League record at the time that has since been broken several times.
    1950 – Phillies 3B Tommy Glaviano made errors on 3 consecutive grounders
    1951 – The United Nations moved into its headquarters in NYC.
    1952 - US / Canada: Which Side Are You on? Paul Robeson, in dramatic defiance of government’s ban on his leaving US soil, standing on a flatbed truck parked one foot inside the US border at the Peace Arch, in Blaine, Washington, speaks and sings to a crowd of 40,000 Canadians & Americans gathered on both sides of the border.
(My father Lawrence Menkin was a recipient of the Paul Robeson Award for producing and writing “Harlem Detective” in the early 1950’s for WOR-TV)
http://www.bayarearobeson.org/Chronology_7.htm
    1952 - Country singer George Strait was born in Pearsall, Texas. Strait's traditional country sound, influenced by Bob Wills, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Hank Williams, began to find favor at the beginning of the 1980's. His rise to popularity was due at least in part to a reaction against the slicker "urban cowboy" sound. Strait is now one of the biggest country stars, with such number-one hits as "Love without End, Amen," "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind," "All My Ex's Live in Texas" and "I've Come to Expect It from You." His 1985 "Greatest Hits" album spent more than five years on the charts.
    1953 - Air Force Lieutenant Colonel George I. Ruddell, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, became the 31st ace of the war after making his fifth MiG kill in an F-86 Sabre called "MiG Mad Mavis."
    1953 - The first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound, Jacqueline Cochran, piloted an F-86 Sabrejet over California at an average speed of 652.337 MPH.
    1953 - Robbie Bachman, drummer for Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was born in Winnipeg. The Canadian rock band, which also included Robbie's brothers Randy and Tim on guitars, was internationally popular in the 1970's with such hits as "Blue Collar," "Let It Ride," "Takin' Care of Business" and "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," a 1974 million-seller. At its peak, BTO won many polls and honors in the US, as well as seven Juno Awards.
    1954 - Top Hits
“Wanted” - Perry Como
“Little Things Mean a Lot” - Kitty Kallen
“If You Love Me (Really Love Me)” - Kay Starr
“I Really Don’t Want to Know” - Eddy Arnold
    1955 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White," Perez Prado.
    1955 – Just short of a foot of rain fell at Lake Maloya, New Mexico, the state record.
    1956 – On the way to the Triple Crown and MVP, Mickey Mantle hit HRs from both sides of plate for record 3rd time. He did so a total of 10 times in his career, a record when he retired that has been surpassed since by several hitters.
    1957 - The Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles played a 1-1 tie, a game called precisely at 10:20pm so that the White Sox could catch a train out of Baltimore. The Orioles’ Dick Williams hit a home run on the game’s last pitch to tie the game and avoid defeat. The game was replayed from the beginning at a later date and Baltimore won.
    1959 - Wilbert Harrison's recording of Leiber and Stoller's "Kansas City" rose to the top of the Billboard singles chart. Cover versions by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, Rocky Olson, Rockin' Ronald & The Rebels, and Little Richard all appeared in March of 1959, but the Harrison version was by far the most popular. Further success for Harrison would have to wait until 1970 when "Let's Work Together" made it to number 32 in the US.
    1960 - Salt Lake City, Utah received an inch of snow. It marked their latest measurable snowfall of record.
    1960 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: "Cathy's Clown," The Everly Brothers.
    1962 - Top Hits
“Soldier Boy” - The Shirelles
“Stranger on the Shore”- Mr. Acker Bilk
“She Cried” - Jay & The Americans
“She Thinks I Still Care” - George Jones
    1963 - At the first annual Monterey Folk Festival, Bob Dylan joins Joan Baez onstage to duet on his antiwar song "With God on Our Side."
    1963 - Jackie DeShannon makes her television debut, singing "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby" and "Just in Time" on CBS' Jackie Gleason Show.
    1963 - The Beatles begin their third tour of 1963 at the Adelphi Cinema in Buckinghamshire, England, opening for Roy Orbison; within a few days, thanks to growing "Beatlemania," they will be headlining.
    1963 - Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" enters Billboard's Top 40, where it will reach #1.
   1963 - After hitting #22 the previous year with "Twistin' Matilda," Jimmy Soul reached #1 on the Billboard chart with "If You Wanna Be Happy." It would prove to be his final entry as the follow-up "Treat 'Em Tough" flopped completely, after which Jimmy entered the US Army.
    1964 – The Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to deprive naturalized citizens of citizenship if they returned to their home country for more than 3 years
    1965 - Outer Space: Gene Roddenberry suggests 16 names -- including Kirk -- for Star Trek Captain. It will never fly, say some. And small hand-held devices that you can talk into as if you are on a telephone anywhere, who would believe it? In the “Next Generation,” they were on the shirt that you could turn on with a touch or vocal command or attach to your ear. Unheard of at the time; common today.
    1966 - PH Phactor Jug Band opened at 40 Cedar Alley near Polk and Geary in San Francisco. Does anyone else remember Cedar Alley?
    1966 - *STEWART, JIMMY G., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 18 May 1966. Entered service at: Ashland, Ky. Born: 25 December 1942, West Columbia, W. Va. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Early in the morning a reinforced North Vietnamese company attacked Company B, which was manning a defensive perimeter in Vietnam. The surprise onslaught wounded 5 members of a 6-man squad caught in the direct path of the enemy's thrust. S/Sgt. Stewart became a lone defender of vital terrain--virtually 1 man against a hostile platoon. Refusing to take advantage of a lull in the firing which would have permitted him to withdraw, S/Sgt. Stewart elected to hold his ground to protect his fallen comrades and prevent an enemy penetration of the company perimeter. As the full force of the platoon-sized man attack struck his lone position, he fought like a man possessed; emptying magazine after magazine at the determined, on-charging enemy. The enemy drove almost to his position and hurled grenades, but S/Sgt. Stewart decimated them by retrieving and throwing the grenades back. Exhausting his ammunition, he crawled under intense fire to his wounded team members and collected ammunition that they were unable to use. Far past the normal point of exhaustion, he held his position for 4 harrowing hours and through 3 assaults, annihilating the enemy as they approached and before they could get a foothold. As a result of his defense, the company position held until the arrival of a reinforcing platoon which counterattacked the enemy, now occupying foxholes to the left of S/Sgt. Stewart's position. After the counterattack, his body was found in a shallow enemy hole where he had advanced in order to add his fire to that of the counterattacking platoon. Eight enemy dead were found around his immediate position, with evidence that 15 others had been dragged away. The wounded that he gave his life to protect, were recovered and evacuated. S/Sgt. Stewart's indomitable courage, in the face of overwhelming odds, stands as a tribute to himself and an inspiration to all men of his unit. His actions were in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and the Armed Forces of his country.
    1967 - GRANDSTAFF, BRUCE ALAN, Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Platoon Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry. Place and date: Pleiku Province, Republic of Vietnam, 18 May 1967. Entered service at: Spokane, Wash. Born: 2 June 1934, Spokane, Wash. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. P/Sgt. Grandstaff distinguished himself while leading the Weapons Platoon, Company B, on a reconnaissance mission near the Cambodian border. His platoon was advancing through intermittent enemy contact when it was struck by heavy small arms and automatic weapons fire from 3 sides. As he established a defensive perimeter, P/Sgt. Grandstaff noted that several of his men had been struck down. He raced 30 meters through the intense fire to aid them but could only save 1. Denied freedom to maneuver his unit by the intensity of the enemy onslaught, he adjusted artillery to within 45 meters of his position. When helicopter gunships arrived, he crawled outside the defensive position to mark the location with smoke grenades. Realizing his first marker was probably ineffective, he crawled to another location and threw his last smoke grenade but the smoke did not penetrate the jungle foliage. Seriously wounded in the leg during this effort he returned to his radio and, refusing medical aid, adjusted the artillery even closer as the enemy advanced on his position. Recognizing the need for additional firepower, he again braved the enemy fusillade, crawled to the edge of his position and fired several magazines of tracer ammunition through the jungle canopy. He succeeded in designating the location to the gunships but this action again drew the enemy fire and he was wounded in the other leg. Now enduring intense pain and bleeding profusely, he crawled to within 10 meters of an enemy machine gun which had caused many casualties among his men. He destroyed the position with hand grenades but received additional wounds. Rallying his remaining men to withstand the enemy assaults, he realized his position was being overrun and asked for artillery directly on his location. He fought until mortally wounded by an enemy rocket. Although every man in the platoon was a casualty, survivors attest to the indomitable spirit and exceptional courage of this outstanding combat leader who inspired his men to fight courageously against overwhelming odds and cost the enemy heavy casualties. P/Sgt. Grandstaff's selfless gallantry, above and beyond the call of duty, is in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflects great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
    1967 - Tennessee Governor Ellington approved the repeal of the Butler Act or "Monkey Law," upheld in the 1925 Scopes Trial
    1968 - A tornado outbreak occurred across Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, and Arkansas. Charles City, Iowa was devastated by a tornado rated F5 with 13 people killed and 30 million dollars damage done. An F4 tornado tracked through Jackson, Craighead, and Mississippi Counties in Arkansas, killing 35 people and injuring 361. 164 homes in Jonesboro were destroyed.
    1968 - Electric Flag played the Late Show at the famed San Francisco Carousel Ballroom.
(To listen) http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/electric-flag-concert/49934-2140.html
    1968 - Al Kaline hit his 307th HR, surpassing Hank Greenberg for the Detroit Tiger team HR record.
    1968 - Frank Howard tied the AL record with a HR in his 6th consecutive game; his 10 home runs are the most in 6 games.
    1969 – Apollo 10 began their orbit to circle the moon ten times.
    1969 – The Klamath tribe wins $4.1 million for loss of Oregon lands during fraudulent government surveys in 1880s.
    1969 – Birthday of pop singer Martika, whose real name is Marta Marrera, Whittier, CA. Her “Toy Soldiers” was a number-one record in 1989.
    1969 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Get Back,” The Beatles.
    1970 – Actress, writer, comedian, producer Tina Fey was born Elizabeth Stamatina Fey in Upper Darby, PA. Fey has received eight Emmys, two Golden Globes, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for her autobiographical book “Bossypants,” which topped The New York Times Best Seller List for five weeks. In 2008, the Associated Press gave Fey the AP Entertainer of the Year award for her satirical portrayal of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”
    1970 – Top Hits
“American Woman/No Sugar Tonight” – The Guess Who
“Vehicle” – The Ides of March
“Cecilia” – Simon & Garfunkel
“My Love” – Sonny James
    1974 – “The Streak” started a 3-week run at number one on the “Billboard” pop music chart. The novelty tune by Ray Stevens was about people running nekkid where they shouldn’t be nekkid, like, in public. It was the second number one hit for the comedian who made numerous appearances on Andy Williams’ TV show in the late 1960s, as well as his own show in the summer of 1970. His first number one hit, just prior to “The Streak,” was “Everything is Beautiful.” Both songs won gold records, as did his comedic “Gitarzan,” a top ten hit in 1969. Stevens has been the top novelty recording artist of the past three decades.
    1978 – Top Hits
“If I Can’t Have You” – Yvonne Elliman
“The Closer I Get to You” – Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway
“With a Little Luck” – Wings
“It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right” – Dolly Parton
    1978 – “The Buddy Holly Story,” a film starring Gary Busey as Holly, has its world premiere in Dallas. The movie will be a critical and commercial success.
    1980 – 9,677-foot Mt. St. Helens, quiet for 93 years, blew its top. The volcanic blast was five hundred times more powerful than the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima. Steam and ash erupted more than eleven miles into the sky and darkened skies in a 160-mile radius. Forest fires erupted around the volcano and burned out of control. The eruption, and those that followed, left some sixty dead and caused damage amounting to nearly three billion dollars.
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Gif/Pictograms/may18_sequence.gif
    1982 - Unification Church founder Reverend Sun Myung Moon convicted of tax evasion.
    1983 - Dr. Sally Ride, 32-year-old with a Ph.D. in physics and pilot's license, becomes the first U.S. woman astronaut in space as a mission specialist aboard space shuttle Challenger, 20 years and two days after the first Russian woman went into space. It would be another 15 years before an American woman became a co-pilot of a U.S. space vessel. It took until 1995 - 32 years later - for American Lt. Col. Eileen Collins to touch the controls of an American spacecraft as co-pilot on a space mission. In 1998, she was named a space mission pilot and is scheduled to lift off her spacecraft in late 1999.
    1985 - Patricia Kimbrell, the first woman admitted to the ranks of the United States Jaycees, was installed as president of the Dallas chapter.
    1985 - The Scottish Rock band Simple Minds make their breakthrough in North America when "Don't You (Forget About Me)” tops the Billboard singles chart. The song was written specifically for the film “The Breakfast Club” and was only the second tune recorded by the group that they did not write.
    1986 - A remake of "Stagecoach," starring Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and John Schneider aired on network television. The production apparently was far from smooth, with Nelson walking off the set at one point. The stars all criticized the movie in a "TV Guide" article, with one aide to Cash describing it as being filmed with "a Concorde cast and a crop-duster crew."
    1986 - Top Hits
“Greatest Love of All” - Whitney Houston
“Why Can’t This Be Love” - Van Halen
“What Have You Done for Me Lately” - Janet Jackson
“Ain’t Misbehavin’” - Hank Williams, Jr.
    1987 - Thunderstorms in Kansas, developing along a cold front, spawned tornadoes at Emporia and Toledo, produced wind gusts to 65 mph at Fort Scott, and produced golf ball size hail in the Kansas City area. Unseasonably hot weather prevailed ahead of the cold front. Pomona, NJ reported a record high of 93 degrees, and Altus, OK, hit 100 degrees.
    1988 - A's Dave Stewart breaks a Major League record committing his twelfth balk of the season.
    1990 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the central U.S. spawning sixteen tornadoes, including a dozen in Nebraska. Thunderstorms also produced hail four inches in diameter at Perryton, TX, wind gusts to 84 mph at Ellis, KS, and high winds which caused nearly two million dollars damage at Sutherland, NE. Thunderstorms deluged Sioux City, IA with up to eight inches of rain, resulting in a record flood crest on Perry Creek and at least 4.5 million dollars damage.
    1991 - Gertrude Belle Elion, co-recipient of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Medicine, became the first woman inducted as a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Elion’s researched to the development of leukemia-fighting drugs and immunosuppressant Imuran, which is used in kidney transplants.
    1994 - Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were married in a private ceremony at a judge's home in the Dominican Republic. First word of the marriage came two months later from the judge himself in an interview published in a Dominican newspaper. The Jackson camp denied the story for several weeks. The marriage came after Jackson reached an out-of-court settlement with a teenager who accused the singer of seducing him. Jackson denied the allegations. Presley filed for divorce in January, 1996.
    1995 - Severe thunderstorms spawned 86 tornadoes over the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, resulting in 4 deaths and 161 injuries. 5 of the tornadoes were rated F4.
    1997 - Tiger Woods wins Byron Nelson Golf Classic
    1998 - The CBS season finale of TV sitcom “Murphy Brown” aired, with the title character, played by Emmy-winner Candice Bergen, giving birth to an illegitimate son. Vice President Dan Quayle publicly lambasted the comedy, saying that the program "glorified" single-parenthood, and that it made a mockery of families with fathers. He went on to comment that "Murphy Brown" lacked the judgment to be a proper role model for young women, and that her actions were immoral. Despite the national unpopularity of his criticisms, Quayle did not back down from his stand against the popular show, providing fodder for many stand-up comics.
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,3019,00.html
    1999 - The Backstreet Boys release their highly anticipated third album, "Millennium." The album goes on to become the best-selling album of the year.
    2000 - Mark McGwire passes Mickey Mantle into eighth place on the all-time home run career list with 539, although The Mick did not have any “help.” 'Big Mac' goes deep three times as the Cardinals beat the Phillies, 7-2.
    2004 - At the age of 40, southpaw Randy Johnson becomes the oldest pitcher to ever throw a perfect game as the Diamondbacks beat the Braves, 2-0. The ‘Big Unit’ joins Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Hideo Nomo and Nolan Ryan as the only hurlers to throw no-hitters in both leagues and creates the longest time span between no-no’s, having first accomplishing the feat against the Tigers in June of 1990.
    2005 - A second photo from the Hubble Space telescope confirmed that Pluto has two additional moons.
    2015 - President Barack Obama banned the use of certain military equipment by police in the wake of recent deaths of unarmed black men by police officers; the move is meant to help communities see police as protectors rather than as an 'occupied force.'

Stanley Cup Champions
1971 - Montreal Canadiens

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