Sturgeon's Law: "90% of everything is crap." Theodore Sturgeon - 1958 Byrne Johnson has extracted this material from journals and letters written by his father, Don Johnson, a pioneer to Rainy Lake on the Minnesota - Ontario border. This volume covers the years from 1936 through 1957 as he moved from the position of caretaker at a private boys' camp to caretaker and boatman for a wealthy industrialist's summer estate. In 1945 he, along with his wife and children, created a small island resort. The following year he turned over the operation of the resort to his wife, Layna, and their children and became the captain of a two story houseboat moored to shore on the Canadian side of the lake where the Minnesota and Ontario Paper Co. entertained customers, executives and their guests. His winter work involved working with pulpwood truckers and scalers at the company storage yard. It also chronicles his experiences as U.S. Coast Guard lamplighter maintaining nearly 50 miles of aids to navigation on the American side of Rainy Lake. This is a rare look at a place of great beauty off of the beaten path, much of which has since become a part of Voyageurs National Park. It is presented in the words of an extremely literate and witty man who shares his joys as well as his disappointments and bouts with melancholy. A keen observer of nature and human nature, his words are scrupulously honest. For most of these years he wrote about 100 words a day in page-a-day journals where he commented on his day's activities, his family life and often with pithy comments on the book he was reading or the movie he had just seen.
More Than Heavy Rain brings together poems of intense observation culled from a life lived mostly outside. Set mostly around the poet’s home along the Watauga River in northeast Tennessee, the poems also reach out to such distant locations as Montana, Alaska, and post-war Germany. Some of them reconstruct the poet’s childhood in rural West Virginia. Some examine his family history, the events and relatives who helped determine the way he views the world. LIKE TURNING ON A SWITCH In a day and a night the leaves of all four Gingko trees in the courtyard fell, Fanned out in one direction by a south wind As if they had been deliberately laid. Even in half-light they glowed As if a door had been opened at mid-court Spilling brightness onto the grass. But there was no door, no room into which One might lead, no light to shine out, Just yellow leaves, four shadow-anchored Boats, straining to pull away with the tide.
America is facing its greatest challenges since its inception and the reason for this is that we no longer acknowledge our Creator or His righteous laws. In our arrogance, He has given us over to foolishness and our worst passions. To turn us back to Him, He has allowed us to experience political divisiveness, increasing poverty, the growing threat of natural disasters, while also allowing our enemies to gain strength while we become weaker. As a Native American whose ancestors lived on the edge of America for thousands of years, Rev. Dr. Johnson brings a unique, insightful message for this time. For anyone interested in how this nation became great and why it is now being threatened, this is a must read!
This book is an illustration taken from my own experience about how God is able to take someone (me) who comes from a broken family and is able through time and circumstance to restore me to wholeness and purpose. I am Native American who comes from the Makah Tribe located on the far northwest corner of the state of Washington. Growing up in that community at a time when the tribe was going through too rapid culture change acquainted me with the affects rapid change and how it can result in increased pressure to question core values that once served as a guide for life in relationship to family, tribe, creation and God. My family was made up of good people but due to traumas that affected them early in life and the stresses caused by government efforts to civilize Indians, the dreams of my mother and father were soon replaced by disappointment and pain. Alcoholism entered in, a painful divorce resulted and I became caught in the aftermath of t heir failed relationship, along with my siblings. Fortunately, the God who can fix anyone was able to gather the broken and missing pieces of my life and began a life long effort to fix me. It took a while though and an illustration resulting from an encounter with three unlikely messengers from the Northern Cheyenne in Lame Deer Montana began my discovery. I began to understand how God is able by His grace to repair anyone, no matter their circumstances. He can fix anyone.
A spellbinding biography of one of the most powerful and dignified men ever to come to DC—Senator Mike Mansfield. Mike Mansfield's career as the longest serving majority leader is finally given its due in this extraordinary biography. In many respects, Mansfield's dignity and decorum represent the high-water mark of the US Senate: he was respected as a leader who helped build consensus on tough issues and was renowned for his ability to work across the aisle and build strong coalitions. Amazingly, he would have breakfast every morning with a member of the opposing party. Mansfield was instrumental in pushing through some of the most influential legislation of the twentieth century. He was at the helm when the Senate passed landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the creation of Medicare, and the nuclear test ban treaty. Mansfield played a crucial role in shaping America's foreign policy, corresponding with JFK about his opposition to the growing presence of the US in Southeast Asia. As ambassador to Japan, his conversations with Cambodia and China paved the way for Nixon's historic trip to China in 1972.
Don Weber brings his fifty-plus years of experience in writing and the criminal law to the reader. This book is a must-read for true-crime enthusiasts, Ripperologists, and anyone interested in increasing their knowledge of crime and criminal trials. The bestselling author gives the reader the details of forensic science and the criminal law in simple, easily understood language. The author has tried hundreds of criminal jury cases, both as a prosecutor and a defense lawyer. He details the real-life use of DNA science, psychological profiling, bite-mark comparison, gunshot analysis, and many other aspects of forensic evidence. The book also explains most aspects of criminal law and procedure, such as the little understood Felony Murder Rule and the valuable but often overlooked use of the Grand Jury and the prior consistent statement rule. Along the way, real trials, and historic trials that never happened, are detailed. From the badly botched murder of the Czar and his family to the forensic evidence that saved Wyatt Earp from the gallows, historic crimes are described and autopsied. The fictional trial of Robert Kennedy for the murder of Marilyn Monroe and the trial and execution of Jack the Ripper are based on actual facts taken from the historic evidence. Readers who want to sharpen their skills concerning crime and evidence and increase their understanding of criminal trials must have this riveting and informative book in their library. Were Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday saved from the gallows by forensic evidence? Would Robert Kennedy have taken the witness stand in his trial for the murder of Marilyn Monroe? The trial and hanging of Aaron Kosminski for the Jack the Ripper murders.
Experience the extraordinary story of a nearly forgotten American superstar athlete. Texas girl Babe Didrikson never tried a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics. Then Babe attempted to conquer golf. One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. At the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all: go public and try to win again with the hope of inspiring the world. A rollicking saga, stretching across the first half of the 20th century, Wonder Girl is as fresh, heartfelt, and graceful as Babe herself.
FREEDOM BROKERS When notorious killers and drug lords break out of a maximum security penitentiary, it soon becomes clear that these weren't escapes; they were highly organized rescues. A covert organization is selling prison "insurance," promising to bust criminals out of jail for a hefty price. With the justice system in shambles, the President is on the verge of declaring martial law--until Mack Bolan steps in. Undercover as a rival insurance salesman, Bolan hires his own team of con men. Establishing himself as a major player in the ''criminal relocation'' business should bring him face-to-face with the operation's kingpin. He'll need more than his war skills to destroy this ruthless businessman. But when the Executioner sets up shop, he won't back down until he obliterates the competition.
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE CARTEL. When Tim Kearney, a small-time criminal, slits the throat of a Hell's Angel and draws a life sentence in a prison full of gang members, he knows he’s pretty much a dead man. That’s until the DEA makes Kearney an offer: impersonate the late, legendary dope smuggler Bobby Z so that the agency can trade him for one of their own, who was captured by a Mexican drug kingpin. Knowing his chances of survival are a little better than in prison, Kearney accepts, and he winds up in the middle of a desert at the notorious drug lord’s lavish compound. To his surprise he meets Bobby Z's old flame, Elizabeth, and her son. At first, it’s a short vacation by the pool, but when things turn bloody, the three of them begin the most desperate flight of their lives, with drug lords, bikers, Indians, and cops furiously chasing after them. Whether he pulls it off, whether he can keep the kid and the girl and his life, makes this compelling novel a hilarious, fast-paced thriller about a con caught in a devil’s bargain.
Explosive and controversial, this expos uncovers the exploitation of college, high school, and even junior high basketball players by the billion-dollar atheltic shoe companies competing for national endorsements. photo insert.
For those who believe in collective bargaining and who share the author's passion for baseball in a complicated world, Getting On Base captures the author's love of baseball , once shared with his father, a minor league second baseman playing in Peoria, Illinois. The labor lawyer/arbitrator and former teacher of constitutional law argues that what happens to minor leaguers is not fair. It's time for a new union to step up to the plate and challenge the MLBPA and major league owners.
Discover the enthralling world of Ralph J. Gleason, a pioneering music journalist who expanded the possibilities of the newspaper music column, sparked the San Francisco jazz and rock scenes, and co-founded Rolling Stone magazine. Gleason not only reported on but influenced the trajectory of popular music. He alone chronicled the unparalleled evolution of popular music from the 1930s into the 1970s, and while doing so, interviewed and befriended many trailblazers such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Bob Dylan, and the Beatles. A true iconoclast, he dismantled the barriers between popular and highbrow music, and barriers separating the musical genres. He played a crucial role in shaping postwar music criticism by covering all genres and analyzing music's social, political, and historical meanings. This book uncovers never-before-seen letters, anecdotes, family accounts, and exclusive interviews to reveal one of the most intriguing personalities of the 20th century.
Binga is the definitive full-length biography of Jesse Binga, the first black banker in Chicago. Born into a large family in Detroit, Binga arrived in Chicago in 1892 in his late twenties with virtually nothing. Through his wits and resourcefulness, he rose to wealth and influence as a real estate broker, and in 1908 he founded the Binga Bank, the first black-owned bank in the city. But his achievements were followed by an equally notable downfall. Binga recounts this gripping story about race, history, politics, and finance. The Black Belt, where Binga’s bank was located, was a segregated neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side—a burgeoning city within a city—and its growth can be traced through the arc of Binga’s career. He preached and embodied an American gospel of self-help and accrued wealth while expanding housing options and business opportunities for blacks. Devout Roman Catholics, he and his wife Eudora supported church activities and various cultural and artistic organizations; their annual Christmas party was the Black Belt’s social event of the year. But Binga’s success came at the price of a vicious backlash. After he moved his family into a white neighborhood in 1917, their house was bombed multiple times, his offices were attacked twice, and he became a lightning rod for the worst race riots in Chicago history, which took place in 1919. Binga persevered, but, starting with the stock market crash of October 1929, a string of reversals cost him his bank, his property, and his fortune. A quintessentially Chicago story, Binga tells the history of racial change in one of the most segregated cities in America and how an extraordinary man stood as a symbol of hope in a community isolated by racial animosity.
The portrayal of the events, people, and company that created a boomtown and a rare glimpse into the wheelings and dealings of cattle barons, oil tycoons, and politicos on a truly Texas scale.
A history of the settlement and development of the townships of Brushy Lake and Hickory Ridge and of the emergence of the town of Hickory ridge, all located within the state of Arkansas. The time span covered begins with the discovery of America and comes forth to about the year 2000. It includes such events as DeSoto's trek through the area, transfer of ownership via the Louisiana Purchase, regional exploration and surveying, territorial politics and gaining the status of statehood. Following the time of the Civil War, the narrative focuses more on the development of Cross County, the two townships of Brushy Lake and Hickory Ridge and, finally, on the town of hickory Ridge. A history of some of the region's schools, churches, and cemeteries is included as well as several maps, some as early as 1819, a full record of Cross County post offices, Peace Court Records from the early part of the 20th century, and many random photographs.
From the initial client interview through every step in building the case, this book provides hundreds of valuable ideas and tactics from the perspective of both plaintiffs' and defendants' counsel.
During the fourteen years Sydney Howard Gay edited the American Anti-Slavery Society's National Anti-Slavery Standard in New York City, he worked with some of the most important Underground agents in the eastern United States, including Thomas Garrett, William Still and James Miller McKim. Gay's closest associate was Louis Napoleon, a free black man who played a major role in the James Kirk and Lemmon cases. For more than two years, Gay kept a record of the fugitives he and Napoleon aided. These never before published records are annotated in this book. Revealing how Gay was drawn into the bitter division between Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison, the work exposes the private opinions that divided abolitionists. It describes the network of black and white men and women who were vital links in the extensive Underground Railroad, conclusively confirming a daily reality.
Each guide contains not only detailed information on the best transportation, accommodation, restaurant, and sightseeing options but also custom maps and fascinating sidebars--all the tools travelers need to make their own choices and create a travel strategy that is theirs alone.
More than any other psychology textbook, Don and Sandra Hockenbury’s Psychology relates the science of psychology to the lives of the wide range of students taking the introductory course. Now Psychology returns in a remarkable new edition that shows just how well-attuned the Hockenburys are to the needs of today’s students and instructors. Psychology began with a basic idea: combine scientific authority with a narrative that engages students and relates to their lives. From decades of experience teaching, the Hockenburys created a book filled with cutting-edge science and real-life stories that draw students of all kinds into the course.
Organized crime, the Mafia, or the Outfit as it is known in Chicago, is surrounded by a false glamour that elevates mobsters to the level of swashbuckling folk heroes whose ready violence and savage murders are too often excused in the public mind as acceptable because they only hurt each other. Similarly, illegal gambling, the bread-and-butter racket inevitably combined with loan-sharking and extortion, is widely tolerated because it is perceived to be a victimless crime. Donald H. Herion, a US Army veteran during the Korean War, who grew up in a neighborhood where there was a bookmaker on every corner, sometimes two or three, learned just how wrong all that was when he returned home from the Army and joined the Chicago Police Department. He wasn’t sure that he was doing the right thing at the time because he really never liked cops, but if he didn’t like it, he could always quit he thought. After six years learning the ropes in the patrol division collaring burglars and stick up men, chasing daredevil drivers, calming adversaries in domestic disputes, and riding herd on drunks and dope dealers, he was promoted to plainclothes as a vice cop investigating illegal gambling, narcotics, prostitution and gang bangers. He quickly learned that chasing bookmakers and busting up wire-rooms was a fight against organized crime. Illegal gambling was organized crime’s biggest money maker, the Golden Calf that financed most of its other illicit activities ranging from stock and bankruptcy swindles to the narcotics trade. Herion and his partner were transferred to the Vice Control Section of the Organized Crime Division at police headquarters at 1121 S. State Street. He now had jurisdiction to make raids anywhere in the City of Chicago instead of only in his district. He was promoted to detective, then sergeant, he rubbed shoulders with degenerate gamblers, bookmakers, prostitutes and stone-cold killers, while witnessing first-hand how gambling destroys lives. He broke up more than 4,000 gambling operations, arrested hundreds of mob controlled bookmakers and other racketeers. Herion also had the pleasure of busting up the mob’s biggest floating crap game eight times costing the crime syndicate millions of dollars. To accomplish this it was necessary for him to work on his own time as well as city time. The mob moved the game into the suburbs, which was out of his jurisdiction so Herion worked with Chicago Tribune crime reporter Bob Wiedrich to get the job done. The crap game took every precaution necessary to keep from being discovered. Lookouts with walkie-talkies roved the area where the game was held to warn the operators of the game of any police in the area. One suburb had a local police lieutenant and sergeant as lookouts, the lieutenant who became aware of there presence in the area stuck his gun in their face wanting to know who they were. Herion had used his own car to conduct a surveillance hoped that the lieutenant didn’t check his license number. When the reporter explained to the lieutenant that they were watching a crime syndicate crap game going on in a building down the street and would he like to accompany them on a raid, the lieutenant at this point made an excuse and left the area. This of course caused some heat, but the reporter had already had his story about the game which made headlines in the Chicago Tribune the next day. On another occasion the game began again and was next to a railroad track in another suburban building in Melrose Park, a suburb west of Chicago. There was only one road in and out, lookouts with walkie-talkies were posted everywhere in the area. Herion had his son Don print a sign on plasterboard 4’ by 6’ with large letters in red paint, CRAP GAME operated by Mob Boss JACKIE CERONE, with an arrow pointing to where the game was being held. Herion nailed the sign on a telephone pole on the road leading to the game. Wi
Widely acclaimed as the Vietnam War's most highly decorated soldier, Joe Ronnie Hooper in many ways serves as a symbol for that conflict. His troubled, tempestuous life paralleled the upheavals in American society during the 1960s and 1970s, and his desperate quest to prove his manhood was uncomfortably akin to the macho image projected by three successive presidents in their "tough" policy in Southeast Asia. Looking for a Hero extracts the real Joe Hooper from the welter of lies and myths that swirl around his story; in doing so, the book uncovers not only the complicated truth about an American hero but also the story of how Hooper's war was lost in Vietnam, not at home. Extensive interviews with friends, fellow soldiers, and family members reveal Hooper as a complex, gifted, and disturbed man. They also expose the flaws in his most famous and treasured accomplishment: earning the Medal of Honor. In the distortions, half-truths, and outright lies that mar Hooper's medal of honor file, authors Peter Maslowski and Don Winslow find a painful reflection of the army's inability to be honest with itself and the American public, with all the dire consequences that this dishonesty ultimately entailed. In the inextricably linked stories of Hooper and the Vietnam War, the nature of that deceit, and of America's defeat, becomes clear.
A history of Houston during the McCarthy era and the community’s response to the fear of communism. Winner of the Texas State Historical Association Coral Horton Tullis Memorial Prize for Best Book on Texas History, this authoritative study of red-baiting in Texas reveals that what began as a coalition against communism became a fierce power struggle between conservative and liberal politics. Praise for Red Scare “A valuable and sometimes engrossing cautionary tale.” —New York Times Book Review “Judicious, well written, and reliable, Red Scare ranks among the top dozen books in the field. . . . A splendid book that deserves the attention of everyone interested in the South and civil liberties.” —American Historical Review “This outstanding study of the McCarthy era in Houston is not only the definitive work on ‘Scoundrel Time’ in that city, but also present in microcosm a brilliant picture of the phenomenon that blighted the entire nation in the 1950s.” —Publishers Weekly “For those who still believe it didn’t happen here—or couldn’t happen again—Don Carleton’s Red Scare is required reading. . . . In fact, anyone who wants to understand modern Texas with all its wild contradictions should begin with Carleton’s massively detailed [book].” —Dallas Morning News “A permanently valuable addition to Texas history and to our understanding of the McCarthy period in the country.” —Texas Observer “Readers can fully experience the agony and terror of this unimaginably ugly period. . . . Red Scare will surely become a standard work on this important subject.” —Southwest Review “An important addition to the history of modern Houston, and . . . of Texas. It is also a fascinating and timely contribution to the subject of extremism in American life.” —Journal of Southern History
The world was shocked and frightened when President John F. Kennedy was gunned down by an assassin's bullet in 1963. What would happen to the government of the most powerful nation on Earth? When Kennedy's vice president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, took the presidential oath of office on Air Force One just hours after the assassination, the White House photographer was there. Cecil Stoughton's iconic photo showed the world that the smooth and orderly transfer of power called for in the U.S. Constitution had occurred. His photo helped ease the shock, tension, and fear in an anxious country.
In a sprawling chronicle of civilization through Irish eyes, Akenson takes us from St Patrick to Woodie Guthrie, from Constantine to John F. Kennedy, from India to the Australian outback. In two volumes of masterful storytelling he creates ironic, playful, and acerbic historical miniatures - a quixotic series of reconstructions woven into a helix in which the same historical figures reappear in radically different contexts as their narratives intersect with the larger picture.
[An] essential study of a previously unexplored chapter of the game’s history. An important addition to baseball collections...." Library Journal, Starred Review The gripping story of how one of the most infamous scandals in American history—the Black Sox scandal—continued for nearly a year following the fixed World Series of 1919 until the truth began to emerge. The Black Sox scandal has fascinated sports fans for over one hundred years. But while the focus has traditionally been on the fixed 1919 World Series, the reality is that it continued well into the following season—and members of the Chicago White Sox very likely continued to fix games. The result was a year of suspicion, intrigue, and continued betrayal. In Double Plays and Double Crosses: The Black Sox and Baseball in 1920, Don Zminda tells the story of an unforgettable team and an unforgettable year in baseball and American history. Zminda reveals in captivating detail how the Black Sox scandal unfolded in 1920, the level of involvement in game-fixing by notable players like Shoeless Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver, and the complicity of White Sox management in covering up details of the scandal. In addition, Zminda provides an in-depth investigation of games during the 1920 season that were likely fixed and the discovery during the year of other game-fixing scandals that rocked baseball. Throughout 1920, the White Sox continued to play—and usually win—despite mistrust among teammates. Double Plays and Double Crosses tells for the first time what happened during this season, when suspicion was rampant and the team was divided between “clean” players and those suspected of fixing the 1919 World Series.
John Steinbeck once famously wrote that "Texas is a state of mind." For those who know it well, however, the Lone Star State is more than one mind-set, more than a collection of clichés, more than a static stereotype. There are minds in Texas, Don Graham asserts, and some of the most important are the writers and filmmakers whose words and images have helped define the state to the nation, the world, and the people of Texas themselves. For many years, Graham has been critiquing Texas writers and films in the pages of Texas Monthly and other publications. In State of Minds, he brings together and updates essays he published between 1999 and 2009 to paint a unique, critical picture of Texas culture. In a strong personal voice—wry, humorous, and ironic—Graham offers his take on Texas literary giants ranging from J. Frank Dobie to Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy and on films such as The Alamo, The Last Picture Show, and Brokeback Mountain. He locates the works he discusses in relation to time and place, showing how they sprang (or not) from the soil of Texas and thereby helped to define Texas culture for generations of readers and viewers—including his own younger self growing up on a farm in Collin County. Never shying from controversy and never dull, Graham's essays in State of Minds demolish the notion that "Texas culture" is an oxymoron.
This is a companion book to Pastor John Corbly, his biography. It is about his neighbors in Greene Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania. The first recorded surveyed plat of Greene Township was made in 1796. This book includes all information available from official records about each person who bought the first tracts of land in that township during his, and later, his surviving wife, Nancy Ann Lynn Corbly's lifetime. Only factual, recorded information from Pennsylvania and Greene County archives, historical society data, family Bibles, and personal family histories has been used. A detailed index is provided for the genealogically-minded reader.This book is purchased at the lowest cost through Lulu.com.
Aaron Johnson, a Royal Air Force pilot as well as an English gentleman, was on a secret mission to Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation in 1964. He told his superior he never intended to stay. After meeting a young Asian girl, he fell in love with her, do anything for her, and decided to settle down in this country permanently. He thought he found eternal love. Years later, it turned out to be a disastrous marriage. Not only does he have to deal with his wife, but he also had to confront his two sons who had become notorious hustlers. Decades later, a mild mannered lawyer turned lobbyist, William Stewart, fell in love with Aaron’s daughter, Theresa. Time and time again, he tried to win her heart. Feeling sorrow and hopeless, he had an unexpected surprise that changed his life forever. Both Aaron and William were caught and gripped by the island’s cultural and environmental issues and overrode by greedy business interests which locked together their love story while being raged in THE LAND BELOW THE WIND.
Some people call it "earthquake weather," but during the Great Depression in a suburb just outside of Los Angeles, Joe Hodge knew them as "shaker days." In Joes world, such a day foreshadowed more than earthquakes; it meant personal catastrophe was also on the way-after all, Joes mother had died on a shaker day. Its the summer of 1933, and further tragedy, a trio of bullies, first love, and a revealed family secret are about to rock Joes world even more. Prepare to be transported to a time when life was hard, Hollywood was glamorous, and a boy discovered the truth. Shaker Days is a riveting tale that will warm your heart long after youve reached the end.
100 Things Maryland Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resources guide for true fans of the Terrapins. Whether you're a die-hard booster from the days of Lefty Driesell or a new supporter of Mark Turgeon, these are the 100 things all fans need to know and do in their lifetime. It contains every essential piece of Terrapins knowledge and trivia, as well as must-do activities, and ranks them all from 1 to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist as you progress on your way to fan superstardom.
Rod Serling's anthology series The Twilight Zone is recognized as one of the greatest television shows of all time. Always intelligent and thought-provoking, the show used the conventions of several genres to explore such universal qualities as violence, fear, prejudice, love, death, and individual identity. This comprehensive reference work gives a complete history of the show, from its beginning in 1959 to its final 1964 season, with critical commentaries, incisive analyses, and the most complete listing of casts and credits ever published. Biographical profiles of writers and contributors are included, followed by detailed appendices, bibliography and index.
They had the most dangerous job n the Air Force. Now Bury Us Upside Down reveals the never-before-told story of the Vietnam War’s top-secret jet-fighter outfit–an all-volunteer unit composed of truly extraordinary men who flew missions from which heroes are made. In today’s wars, computers, targeting pods, lasers, and precision-guided bombs help FAC (forward air controller) pilots identify and destroy targets from safe distances. But in the search for enemy traffic on the elusive Ho Chi Minh Trail, always risking enemy fire, capture, and death, pilots had to drop low enough to glimpse the telltale signs of movement such as suspicious dust on treetops or disappearing tire marks on a dirt road (indicating a hidden truck park). Written by an accomplished journalist and veteran, Bury Us Upside Down is the stunning story of these brave Americans, the men who flew in the covert Operation Commando Sabre–or “Misty”–the most innovative air operation of the war. In missions that lasted for hours, the pilots of Misty flew zigzag patterns searching for enemy troops, vehicles, and weapons, without benefit of night-vision goggles, infrared devices, or other now common sensors. What they gained in exhilarating autonomy also cost them: of 157 pilots, 34 were shot down, 3 captured, and 7 killed. Here is a firsthand account of courage and technical mastery under fire. Here, too, is a tale of forbearance and loss, including the experience of the family of a missing Misty flier–Howard K. Williams–as they learn, after twenty-three years, that his remains have been found. Now that bombs are smart and remote sensors are even smarter, the missions that the Mistys flew would now be considered no less than suicidal. Bury Us Upside Down reminds us that for some, such dangers simply came with the territory.
A comprehensive biography of a legendary lieutenant governor. During his five terms as lieutenant governor of Texas, Bill Hobby became one of the most powerful political figures in the state’s history. He was first elected lieutenant governor of Texas in 1972 and served until 1990. Thanks to his brilliance as a political tactician and his personal integrity, Hobby was able to set the Senate’s agenda and garner respect from legislators on both sides of the aisle. In Bill Hobby: A Life in Journalism and Public Service, Don Carleton and Erin Purdy document Hobby’s significant contributions to Texas as a journalist, politician, and philanthropist. Born into a prominent Texas family with a rich legacy of public service, he was the son of Houston newspaper publisher and former Texas governor William P. Hobby Sr., and Oveta Culp Hobby, who led the Women’s Army Corps during World War II and served in Eisenhower’s cabinet. After more than a decade as a journalist for the Houston Post, Hobby forged his own political path while also playing a prominent role in his family’s newspaper and television business. Hobby was never shy about using his power to serve the people of Texas. Even after he left office, he continued to make a difference as a strong advocate for public education, including a term as chancellor of the University of Houston.
Born on a farm near Anahuac, Texas, in 1875 and possessed of only a fourth-grade education, Ross Sterling was one of the most successful Texans of his generation. Driven by a relentless work ethic, he become a wealthy oilman, banker, newspaper publisher, and, from 1931 to 1933, one-term governor of Texas. Sterling was the principal founder of the Humble Oil and Refining Company, which eventually became the largest division of the ExxonMobil Corporation, as well as the owner of the Houston Post. Eager to "preserve a narrative record of his life and deeds," Ross Sterling hired Ed Kilman, an old friend and editorial page editor of the Houston Post, to write his biography. Though the book was nearly finished before Sterling's death in 1949, it never found a publisher due to Kilman's florid writing style and overly hagiographic portrayal of Sterling. In this volume, by contrast, editor Don Carleton uses the original oral history dictated by Ross Sterling to Ed Kilman to present the former governor's life story in his own words. Sterling vividly describes his formative years, early business ventures, and active role in developing the Texas oil industry. He also recalls his political career, from his appointment to the Texas Highway Commission to his term as governor, ending with his controversial defeat for reelection by "Ma" Ferguson. Sterling's reminiscences constitute an important primary source not only on the life of a Texan who deserves to be more widely remembered, but also on the history of Houston and the growth of the American oil industry.
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