Posted: 20 Mar 2010 05:36 AM PDT

The Port Huron Area School District Wall of Fame honors graduates who have achieved great things.

Assistant Superintendent H. Ronald Wollen said the tribute is worth a look. But, finding it might be the hard part.

In fact, you might even need a map -- enter the administration building, go down the stairs to the back corner of the basement and into the board room, where the display hangs on the wall behind dozens of chairs.

Wollen, soon to become the district's superintendent, and others think the showcase should be a little more visible. So, they plan to make two duplicates of the tribute -- which contains 18 photos and biographies -- and put them on display permanently at the performing arts centers at Port Huron and Port Huron Northern high schools. Plans call for the displays to be ready by summer.

"These people are the shakers and makers. It is ... prestigious ... " to get a place on the wall, Wollen said. "But in the board room, people don't get to see them. We have some exceptional people, and we want people to know what kind of district we have."

The wall was started in 1990, and the last name was added in 2004. The only criteria is that people who are honored must have graduated from the school district.

"The cream usually rises to the top. We don't seek it out," Wollen said. "It's people who achieve major accomplishments."

School officials discuss possibilities when they believe someone deserves recognition. That's the case now with Helen Floyd -- Port Huron's first black principal and teacher. Her photograph and biography will be added when the changes are made this summer.

A dedication ceremony is planned for June 27 at Port Huron High School.

Wollen said Jerilynn Brown, president of the Port Huron branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, nominated Floyd.

Floyd was hired in 1948 as a fifth-grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary School. She became the school's principal in 1965 and remained in that position until she retired in 1986. The Port Huron resident died in 2007. She was 83.

"She impacted many lives in a positive way," Wollen said.

Floyd was recognized by the district in 2008 when she was added to the James R. Leonard Center Memorial Wall at Cleveland Elementary School. A wing of the school also was named for her in 2001.

"She dedicated her life to education and the community. We are extremely proud," said Floyd's son, Malcolm Floyd of Port Huron. "And having the ceremony at the new site makes it more exciting than it already is."

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That's life: Duo pays tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes at Town ... - News-Herald

Posted: 20 Mar 2010 06:26 AM PDT

By Andrea Blum

Click to enlarge

Jazz musician Billy Stritch (left) and author Tom Santopietro offer a musical and historical retrospective of entertainment legend Frank Sinatra's life during the final installment of the 2009-2010 Downriver Town Hall lecture series in Southgate. Photo by E.L. Conley

Through words and song, the life and career of musical icon Frank Sinatra made for a swingin' finale to this season's Downriver Town Hall series.

Musician Billy Stritch and author Tom Santopietro combined to offer a musical and historical perspective of Ol' Blue Eyes that left the crowd tapping its feet.

A glimpse of Sinatra's musical side was provided by Stritch — a jazz pianist and vocalist, composer and arranger who serves as Liza Minnelli's music director.

An attorney turned director, stage agent and author, Santopietro's latest book, "Sinatra in Hollywood," chronicles the singer-actor's film career and is interspersed with Sinatra's own thoughts on his film work.

Santopietro also has written biographies of celebrities Doris Day and Barbra Streisand.

Frank Sinatra began and ended his acting career playing himself, according to the author.

After getting his musical start with bandleader Harry James, Sinatra found work as a boy singer in forgettable films in which he'd appear on screen to sing a song and then disappear from the film.

"His early films were crazy in terms of plot, but there was something so naive and heartfelt about them," he said. "He finally got his big break playing himself."

Sinatra's 1943 film, "Higher and Higher," featured him at his crooning best and, according to Santopietro, so infatuated a young Rosemary Clooney that she saw the picture 17 times.

But MGM musicals were where Ol' Blue Eyes would make his biggest mark.

"MGM was where you went if you were a musical talent then," Santopietro said.

Getting the keys jingling, Stritch began the musical tribute with a rendition of "New York, New York" from one of Sinatra's early big screen successes, "On the Town."

"Gene Kelly tutored Frank on acting and dancing for films," the author said. "If you look back, Sinatra became a pretty good dancer."

As in most of his films with Kelly, Sinatra played the naïve, innocent young man to Kelly's "man about town" persona, he added.

Sinatra's rendition of the Oscar-nominated song, "I Fall in Love Too Easily," in the movie "Anchors Aweigh" would be the start of his collaboration with songwriters Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne.

"They really knew how to write great ballads for Frank," Santopietro said.

Stritch then performed the melancholy ballad for the appreciative crowd.

After enjoying big screen success, Sinatra's movie career stalled when he met and fell in love with siren Ava Gardner.

"That was the one and only time he said he didn't pay attention to his career because he was so obsessed with Ava," he said.

He made a comeback in a big way, however, with the plum role of Angelo Maggio in the classic "From Here to Eternity," a role he fought for desperately.

"He became obsessed with playing the role … finally got it and won the Academy Award," he said. "That's when he became the Sinatra we all know."

Recalling the days of smoky cabarets and cigarette girls, Stritch's rendition of "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" was a jaunty ode to the late performer's work alongside Doris Day in 1954's "Young at Heart."

During the 1950s, the entertainer was at his peak both musically and as a movie star.

"He really was (Marlon) Brando's only rival for big roles on the screen," Santopietro said, adding that Sinatra originally wanted Brando's role in "On the Waterfront."

The two worked together just once — in the 1955 musical "Guys and Dolls" — and did not get along.

As a method actor, Brando perfected his craft with many rehearsals; whereas Sinatra, as an instinctive actor, was usually at his best on the first take.

"Brando's rehearsals made Sinatra so crazy that he went to director Joseph Mankiewicz and said, "Look, coach, don't put me in the game until 'Mumbles' over there is through."

Sinatra would go on to earn another Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a drug addict in 1955's "The Man with the Golden Arm."

"That's the film he felt he should've won the Oscar for," he said.

Stritch, who met Sinatra several times through working for Minnelli, said it was easy to see why the starry eyed young man from New Jersey went on to become a huge star.

"When he looked at you with those blue eyes, you were looked at," he said. "He had such charisma."

In the 1960s, Sinatra switched to roles mainly playing cops and detectives.

"His acting career faded out in the '70s," Santopietro said. "Like everyone else, he aged out of roles."

Overall, the Chairman of the Board's career spanned more than 60 movies and six decades.

Sinatra's last screen appearance was as himself in a TV movie about his life directed by his daughter, Tina.

Santopietro joked that although Sinatra's daughter flew him to the location on a private plane, he had to take the crew bus to the set along with everyone else — and he was OK with that.

"I started out my career on the bus with Harry James, so I might as well end it on the bus," Sinatra remarked.

The next season of Town Hall will feature "Julie and Julia" author Julie Powell on Oct. 14, ABC-TV news correspondent Anne Thompson on Nov. 11; singer Klea Blackhurst on Jan. 13; historian Colonel Matthew Bogdanos on Feb. 10 and educator and humorist Gina Barreca on March 10.

Tickets for the five-lecture series and luncheons are $52.50 and available by calling the Town Hall voice mail information line at 1-734-783-9224.

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St. Benignus - Catholic Online

Posted: 19 Mar 2010 11:53 PM PDT

Feastday: March 20
725

Benedictine abbot. The superior of Fontenelle, in France, Benignus was exiled by political factions, returning to Flay, where he was elected abbot. When Charles Martel gained control of France, Benignus returned to Fontenelle, remaining the abbot of Flay.

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Salt Lake City hosts four genealogy meetings - San Mateo Daily Journal

Posted: 20 Mar 2010 03:56 AM PDT

SALT LAKE CITY — Even after almost 30 years of research, Jan Alpert still gets goose bumps when she discovers a new branch on her family tree.

"The biggest surprise is how much you can find out," said Alpert, who was bit by the genealogy bug in 1981 after helping her father pursue his own interest in family history. "When you know what your ancestors went through, you have a greater appreciation for why you are the person you are."

Now the chair of the National Genealogical Society, Alpert's pursuit has led her on dozens of trips across the U.S. to locate records and pieces of her family's story.

"There are millions of people like me out there doing it," she said.

Beginning April 26, thousands of family history buffs are expected to descend on Salt Lake City to hone their skills — or begin their journeys — during a unique week featuring four conferences focused on genealogical research and technology.

Anchored by the 2010 National Genealogical Society's Annual Conference, the week also includes the Brigham Young University's annual Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy, BYU's Family History Technology Workshop and the FamilySearch Developer's Conference for software developers.

Because the four events take place at the same time, Alpert, a retiree with homes in Michigan and South Carolina, said she believes it "will be the largest genealogical event ever."

Dozens of workshops will be held daily to provide beginners and experts alike with tips on everything from basic research and organizational skills to locating resources, deciphering records, understanding DNA testing and writing and editing family narratives. Special technology workshops are also planned to aid in understanding and using various genealogy-specific databases and programs.

The week also includes several special events, including a genealogy "kids camp" for youth in grades four through 12 and a Celebration of Family History concert featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and author David McCullough. McCullough's books include biographies of Harry Truman and John Adams.

Recent annual NGS events have drawn about 2,000 people, but Alpert said early registration for the Salt Lake City conference is "exceeding expectations."

The response could be due in part to Salt Lake City's unique resource: The Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has been collecting data since 1894.

The library is a well-known destination for genealogists. Considered the largest genealogy collection in the world, its database contains well over a billion names drawn from thousands of original records, including births, deaths, marriages, census data and patron contributions.

The library also has more than 300,000 volumes of data, including published family histories, county and city directories and transcripts or abstracts of other documents with genealogical significance, said David Rencher, the facility's chief genealogical officer. The records are from the United States, Canada, the British Isles, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. A staff of 80 professionals and 600 volunteers are on hand to help individuals with their research.

"You can bring your box of stuff and you can lay it out and say 'Help! What do I do next?"' said Rencher. "And that's the hard part."

About 700,000 curious lovers of family history from around the world visit the library each year, said Paul Nauta, manager of public affairs.

"They just have this yearning to identify their ancestors because it's part of who they are," Nauta said.

Another factor driving interest in the conference may be several new television programs — including PBS' "Faces of America" and NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" — that show celebrities discovering their family trees with the help of trained genealogists. Most of the programs have used the services of the Family History Library, Rencher said.

"These shows are wonderful because they are hitting an emotional nerve and that's what's getting people excited about family history," Alpert said.

If You Go:

GENEALOGY WEEK: Four events are scheduled April 26 to May 1 at the Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 West Temple, Salt Lake City.

• BYU Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy, April 26-27, http://ce.byu.edu/cw/cwgeneal/.

• BYU Family History Technology Workshop, April 28, http://fht.byu.edu/

• FamilySearch Developer's Conference, April 27, http://www.familysearchdevnet.org/DC/index.html.

• National Genealogical Society Annual Conference, April 28 to May 1, http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/.

WORKSHOPS AND EXHIBITS:

Workshops cover all aspects of genealogy research and technology. Exhibit hall includes hundreds of vendors and product demonstrations, April 26 to May 1.

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Mormon Tabernacle Choir with author David McCullough. A concert and multimedia tribute to family history, April 29, 7 p.m., LDS Conference Center, 60 West North Temple, Salt Lake City. Free tickets online beginning March 23 at http://www.LDS.org/events.

FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY:

33 North West Temple, Salt Lake City. Open Monday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Sundays. Some extended hours during conference week to 11 p.m. Free, open to the public, no appointments necessary.

REGISTRATION:

Fees vary for each conference and range from $25 for students to $245. Some day rates available. Details on conference Web sites.

SALT LAKE CITY TOURISM:

Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, (801) 534-4900 or http://www.visitsaltlake.com/visit/.

Biographies

Saturday, March 20, 2010

“District's Wall of Fame gets more recognition - Port Huron Times-Herald” plus 3 more

“District's Wall of Fame gets more recognition - Port Huron Times-Herald” plus 3 more

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