Saturday, June 30, 2012

HAPPY CANADA DAY!



Business Statistics to Ponder

Here are two statistics to ponder:

1.  The Average American Worker admits to wasting 2 hours of work time on the Internet each day.
- Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Page-a-Day Calendar, June 26, 2012.

2.  In 2005, the average CEO earned more in 1 workday than the average worker earned all year.
-Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Page-a-Day Calendar, June 28, 2012.


If the average American Worker admits wasting 2 hours on the Internet what about the workers that didn't admit to anything?  And if that is the average, consider the thousands of American workers who did not have access to the Internet while they were on the clock, such as Postal Workers and retail sales clerks.  Average-wise, that would give the ones that did more than 2 hours on the Internet daily.

Then imagine if you could get all the workers to take a loyaty oath saying they would not get on the Internet, accept for official business, imagine how much production would go up;  At least 25%.

Another statistic is that the average worker's pay has been decreasing the same time the average CEO's pay has been increasing.  So, overall this means if the average worker gives up his Internet habit he can raise his CEO's pay about 25% and maybe the leap in profits the CEO can buy that 2nd jet, yatch, or island he has always wanted. 

And the worker can have the satisfaction of honestly giving his all to his job without cheating - he is  getting a satisfaction money can't buy and the CEO is getting a satisfaction money can buy, so everybody is happy!


Friday, June 29, 2012

Johnnie LeCroy Lassiter the Historian



this video was taken October 27, 2010.  The lady in the pink or reddish plaid is Johnnie LeCroy Lassiter.  She died Monday and the funeral is today.

This video was made when my mother-in-law, the lady in the gray, donated from her "archives" newpaper clippings, books, newsletters, and others items of interest to the East Cobb Methodsit Church/Campground Methodist Church's museum which is housed in the little school house on the church's campgrounds property.  My mother-in-law went to school there as a girl.  The younger lady is Johnnie's daughter-in-law Cheryl Smith Lassiter.  If you are an OM  may know of Sheryl's father or brothers, they owned Smith Brothers Service Station on Fairground and Clay Streets.  You also may have known Johnnie's husband, he was Doctor Lassiter, owner of Lassiter Drug Store on the corner of Fairground and Roswell Streets.  And her father was Judge LeCroy, probate judge.

It was said that when Judge LeCroy died a lot of local oral history  also died.  And I think the same is for Johnnie:  A lot of oral history was lost this past Monday.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Today In History, June 28:

1894:  Labor Day was establlished as a Federal Holiday.   However the way the trend is going in present time, it looks like the Holiday will be changed to "Executive Day".

1951: "Amos & Andy" premeired on CBS-TV.  Did I tell you my 3rd cousin, several times removed, Niles Trammell, as an excutive with NBC Radio before there was TV signed up "Amos & Andy" Radio Show?  Of course I did.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

MHS, Old, Marietta Junior HS, New

If you are an OM you should recognize this complex.  Give up? Hint: Recognize St. James Cemetery on the right, across the street?.... er - Winn Street that is.  This is the Old Marietta High School or the New Marietta Junior High School - or do they call it Marietta Middle School?  It doesn't matter, when it was a high school is where our memories are:

About center of the picture there is a parking lot strip between the main building and a green field, which in our time was a baseball field, was where I had a fight.  It was 1957.  A tall new kid with the last name Crane checked into our English Class (Mrs Skelton) and I jokingly called him Ichabod Craine.  Crane took offense to that, and being that it was his first day he had to prove himself, so he challenged me to a fight at lunch.  The guy was a head taller than I and hyper and nervous.  I didn't think I had a chance.  He flew into me with his arms slinging like windmill blades - he had no fighting knowledge.  I dodged his wild swings and and occassionally when he got close enough and left himself opened I would pop him one in the face.  He came out with bloody nose and a brused face.  Downtown Marietta at the Strand Theater WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? starring Tony Randall and Jayne Mansfield was playing and previouosly was the movie SOMEBODY UP THRE LIKES ME starring Paul Neuman - it was the life story of boxer champeon Rocky Graziano.  Because of winning and because of the two movies I walked away from the fight with the new nickname ROCK HUNTER.

Across Polk Street is Brumby Gym.  Now it has a covered pedistrian bridge to and from the main building.  One time after phys ed we were standing in front of Brumby Gym.  Coach Lundy approached me and asked me to hand over my Poo Poo Cushion.  I did.  My Aunt Opal bought it for me near where she worked in Atlanta.  All that period Larry Bradford and I played with the Poo Poo Cushion.  The Poo Poo Cushion, when being squeezed  or air out of it lets out fart sounds.  With concentration we were making the Poo Poo Cushion make all kinds of farting noises.  The more we experimented the funnier it became.  Coach Lundy was not so much mad about the Poo Poo Cushion, it was just solid evidence.  What he let me know he was really mad about was he thought I exploded a firecracker in the gym's basement a few days earlier.  When the firecraker exploded he ran in the locker room and saw me in the showers.  He stormed away.  He told me he knew I did it and I knew the he knew I did it, and he knew that I knew he knew I did it.  This probably went on.

The next period the assisant principal Lloyd Cox over the PA system requested that Larry Bradford, me, and somebody else, I forgot who, to report to the assistant principal's office.  We went into his office.  He had us line up and suddenly pulled the Poo Poo Cushion out from behind him and squeezed it making a blast of a fart sound.  All three of us giggled.  Mr. Cox asked us did we think that was funny.  We helplessly giggiling nodded we did.  He gave us a lecture and told us to stay in his office until he excused us.  He left to attend to more school business.  Mrs. Hogan, the truant officer, had the adjoining office.  We went into her office and chatted with her a while.  She didn't mind and I think she enjoyed the company.  The bell to go home sounded.  Should we go or wait?  We decided to go, but before we did, we opened his desk drawer, pulled out the Poo Poo Cushion, blew it up, and put it in Lloyd Cox's chair.  He never spoke to us about that again.

There is more - but not today.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Only 6 Months Until Christmas

And I'm keeping a list!!

More About the Antlers on the Wall


These are the same antlers I had  last week on this blog.  My late brother-in-law Tommy Prance (1935-1988) killed it in 1977 and it made the records books.  We got it up on the wall and wanted to show it again, being up high, big and bold.  Tommy shot two moose that day.  The record of this one is in the book RECORDS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIG GAME, 8th EDITION, 1981.  It said the animal was shot in 1977; Rank 236; Score 198 2/8; Greatest Spread 60-3/8; Number of Normal Points R 11, L, 12; and Location Killed Besa River, B.C.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! PANIC's THE PHANTOM


Remember THE PHANTOM?   A mysterious person isn't he?  That is all you need to know is that he liked to dabble in mysterious things.  This is from the pages of PANIC # 6 in the early 1950s.  The art is by Will Elder.  I think Will Elder was mostly known for his artwork in MAD.  He also did a story in every PANIC which was also owned by EC Publishing.





Friday, June 22, 2012

Kennesaw Cigar Company


Back in my preteen years sometimes walking from school we would take a shortcut to bypass downtown by walking from Wright Street down Trammell Street to Powder Springs Street.  Not quiet directly across the street from the hosiery mill was the KENNESAW CIGAR COMPANY.
The same houses that were there are there now.  They are little houses in a row.  One of the houses had a little shed on the side of the house.  A sign, about poster size, read KENNESAW CIGAR COMPANY.  On the front porch of the house sat what I am sure  was the board of directors of the cigar company watching people on the sidewalk walk by.  The board of directors was the CEO and the treasurer.  Also the workers were all on the porch.  If you counted all the people sitting there you would count two people – and elderly man and his wife.
We waved at him from time to time when we saw them looking at us and sometimes they were looking at something else and didn’t notice us.
One day one of us asked the man, “Do you really make cigars in there?”  He said he sure did.  He asked us did we want to look around.  We said we did and he said, “Comon’ then.”
The CEO left his vice president and treasurer, aka wife, on the porch and pulled out his key and we followed him as he unlock the door and went inside.  It was dark with the exception of long window on the back side.  You could just about stand in the middle of the room and almost run every operation by pivoting and stretching your arms.  Hanging were two or three huge leafs which I think were tobacco leaves.  He demonstrated with a black metal machine how to roll a cigar.  As a souvenir he gave us each a KENNESAW MOUNTAIN cigar box.
How many times has a CEO of a tobacco company given you a personal tour? 
(note – the above is a recycled adventure)

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Fort Payne, Alabama - Old Post Card

This is an old post card of Fort Payne, Alabama.  While doing family research I come across Fort Payne, and nearby Sand Mountain, Alabama, fairly often.  It is almost like this area was a gathering place for unrelated people who their off-spring would be someday be related to me in one surname line or another.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

HAPPY 1st DAY OF SUMMER!!


Do you know today is the first of Summer?   Today the solstice comes to the perfect tilt of the Earth that also creates the longest day of the year.  By "Longest Day" I do not mean the day is longer than 24 hours.  I meant there is a longer span of dayight.  However the Summer Solstice does not come to the perfect tilt with the right degrees until the evening, after most of the daylight time has been spent.  Does that mean today is the longest daylight day or tomorrow?   Oh me, I'm confused.

Moose Antlers and My Late Brother-in-law


My late brother-in-law, Tommy Prance (1935 – 1988), killed the two moose that wore these sets of antlers, in British Columbia, in 1977. One was such a record breaker it made it in the book RECORDS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIG GAMES, 8th Edition, 1981.



The antlers were on loan to a middle school in Cartersville, Georgia, for the kid’s education and amusement. The new principal, a very nice lady, asked if they could return them. I think there was a storage problem.

We picked them up yesterday.




Tommy's Widow Thelma

Tommy worked hard, played hard, and hunted hard.  His house had stuffed wild animals, gater skins, deer heads, and all sorts of taxidermy trophies.    He seemed to always be in good hyper spirits, I enjoyed every moment I was around him.
 
Tommy with one of his CATches that ended up in his daughter’s home – or its hide did anyway.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Today In History's Births June 19:



1897 Moe Howard comedian (3 Stooges)

____________________________________________

1914, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs' partner.



Monday, June 18, 2012

Atlanta Street, 1st Block, Looking South

This picture was made several years ago, before the progress of the tattoo parlor with a neon sign was added.

It is easy to see that the picture was taken on a Sunday morning.  It was taken just after I crossed the street.  Before I crossed the street I was standing about where the knee high flower pot was when suddenly a young man ran around the corner and pressed his body against a closed door.  I was dumbstruck, which isn't hard for me to be.  Then a Marietta Police cruiser driving slowly came from the other side of the building that the young man had just ran around.  Then I figured out what the game was and it time for me to move on to someplace else.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! Little Lulu

As growing up I felt the need to hide when I bought a Lulu comic book or was reading one with my text book covering it.  Why?  Peer pressure.




Friday, June 15, 2012

On This Date in History, June 15:



1864 Robert E Lee's home area (Arlington, VA) became a military cemetery.




1969 "Hee Haw" with Roy Clark & Buck Owens premiered on CBS TV

Thursday, June 14, 2012

HAPPY FLAG DAY!

At the foot of Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, Georgia, 2011.

L-Rod Petty, War II Hero



On June the 10th the Dalton Daily Citizen did a story about my mother's brother, Roy Petty (1921-2000).  His real name was William Leroy Petty but he had several nicknames that followed him to his dying days:  "Roy" (family), "L-Rod" (war buddies), and "Bill" (everybody else).  I knew this story was coming soon - I expected it to be timely on June the 6th when Roy made such a fighting impression, but it was not printed until 4 days later.

Click on the link below:

http://daltondailycitizen.com/local/x1828359543/Stories-of-former-Cohutta-man-s-heroics-as-a-Ranger-live-on-in-books-memories

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

PRETTY PETTY WOMEN

My mother’s maiden name was Petty. I am continuously doing family research on Petty, just as I do with the Hunter family name.

My cousin emailed me the other day and told me that there was a Petty relative, dead now, that I may be interested in. Why? Because this Petty made women drawings scantily clad?

George Brown Petty (1894-1975) was born in Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana but moved to Chicago with his family at a young age. He made a career and a name for himself drawing nearly naked sexy women. His biggest customer was Esquire Magazine. In 1950 a movie was made about him called “THE PETTY GIRL” starring Robert Cummings playing his part.

I am still doing research, trying to figure out his lineage to our common ancestor.  Who said family research is boring?