75 Years of Sitcoms-- Part 2: The Beaver, Andy and Mary

**  LEAVE IT TO BEAVER  

(1957-1963)   CBS

The quintessential wholesome family comedy.  Jerry Mathers the "Beaver" charmed producers when he wore his Cub Scout uniform to his audition.

**   THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW

(1960-1968)  CBS

Among the guest stars on it were Jack Nicholson (twice) and Barbara Eden.

**  THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW

(1970-1977)   CBS

A single woman enjoying her independence and a job.  I still like that scene where Lou Grant says to her on her interview for the job, "You know what?  You've got spunk."  Then Mary smiled and thought she'd scored points when Lou continues, "I HATE spunk."  Talk about a crestfallen Mary.

--CootSpunk

75 Years of Sitcoms-- Part 1: Mary Kate, Lucy and Honeymooners

From the June 26, 2022 Parade Magazine by Mara Reinstein.

"Mary Kate and Johnny is considered to be the very first television sitcom, premiering in 1947 on the DuMont Television Network.  It started as a 15-minute situation comedy and bumped up to 30 minutes eventually.

Wikipedia says the name of it was "Mary Kay and Johnny" and that it premiered on November 18, 1947.

Here are some other sitcom classics:

I LOVE LUCY:  (CBS 1951-1957)   

Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, played by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.  Lucy could make anything funny, like the episode of her stomping grapes.  Two other of my favorites are Vitameatavegamin and the candy factory.  And, of course, "Lucy, I'm, home," "Honey, I'm home" and"You got some 'splanin' to do."

THE HONEYMOONERS   (CBS   1955-1956)

And, in front of a live audience.  Jackie Gleason originally said Audrey Meadows was too yound and pretty to play the wife.  She went home, removed her makeup and put on a house dress and she got the job.  And, of course, Art Carney and "Hello, Ball" and those poloponies.

--CootHaHa

Coaches of the Chicago Bears-- Part 5: Fox, Nagy and Eberflus

**  JOHN FOX  (2015-2017)

Record 14-34

Bears in last place of division for most of his tenure.

**  MATT NAGY  (2018-2021)

34-31

12-4 first year, then 8-8, 8-8 and 6-11.

**  MATT EBERFLUS  (2022-?

The 17th head coach of Da Bears.

That's four coaches since 2012.  Appears Da Bears are also having coach problems as well as quarterback ones.  

We shall see.

--CootBears

Coaches of the Chicago Bears-- Part 4: Jauron, Smith and Trestman

**  DICK JAURON (1999-2003)

Record:  35-45

Highlight was his 2001 season where the Bears went 13-3.  Other than that, not so good.

**  LOVIE SMITH  (2004-2012)

Record:  81-63

He was fired after going 10-6 in 2012.  That was a whole lot better than most coaches after Ditka.  He was also the only Bear coach other than Ditka to get the team to the Super Bowl.

**  MARC TRESTMAN  (2013-2014)

Record:  13-19

Fired for missing playoffs in both his seasons.

If course, a huge problem with the Bear teams is that we just can't find a quarterback.

--CootSad

Coaches of the Chicago Bears-- Part 3: Armstrong, Ditka and Wannstedt

**  NEILL ARMSTRONG (1978-1981):  

Record:  30-34

Came to Bears with defensive assistant Buddy Ryan and, of course, that defense that came later.

MIKE DITKA  (1982-1992)

Record:  106-62

What can you say, but Da Coach.

**  DAVE WANNSTEDT  (1993-1998)

Record:  40-56

His 1-11 ecord against the Packers didn't help either.

Da Bears, Da Coach.  --CootBear

Coaches of the Chicago Bears-- Part 2: Driscoll, Dooley, Gibron and Pardee

**  PADDY DRISCOLL (1956-1957)

Record:  14-9-1

**  JIM DOOLEY   (1968-1971)

Record:  20-36

First Bears coach to be actually fired.

**  ABE GIBRON  (1972-1974)

Record:  11-30-1  

Statistically the worst coach.  After being fired,he became the coach of the Chicago Wind of the WFL.

**  JACK PARDEE  (1975-1977)

Record:  (20-22)

He left to become coach of Washington Redskins.

--Cooter

DAR Celebrating Phebe Ashley Weed Today-- Part 2

The Battle of Hubbardton, led by Lt. General John Burgoyne, promised to destroy the village of Poultney.  While the men were busy defending the village, Beulah Wheeler Howe, Phebe's grandmother, and 12 other women, led all that could not fight to Fort Bennington -- over 50 miles away through wilderness to safety.

This extrordinary bravery of the of these thirteen women is still celebrated today woth a parade and festival in their honor called East Poultney Days.

Phebe's family relocated to New York where she married Amasa Mead, who had fought in the War of 1812, and had her first family.  A Kishwaukee Trail member is descended from her fifth child, Catherine Phebe Mead, born December 20, 1821.

Phebe's husband  died and she married John Weed.  They had three more children and she ran a very busy and happy household.

Phebe moved to be near her daughter, Catherine Phoebe Mead, sho married Frederick Morgan Webb.  They were residents of Marengo, Illinois, in the early 1850s.

--Cooter

DAR Celebrating the Life of Real Daughter Phebe Weed Today in Marengo, Illinois

On Sunday, August 14 at 1:30 PM, the Kishwaukee Trail Chapter NSDAR (Illinois) will have a ceremony at Old Marengo Cemetery in Marengo, Illinois.  They will mark the grave of Phebe Ashley Mead Weed, daughter of an American Revolutionary Patriot.

Phebe Ashley was born on Poultney, Vermont, the sixth child of 13 children.  Her uncle Thomas Ashley, Ethan Allen and Nehemiah Howe helped settle the small farming community where she grew up.

Phebe's father, William Ashley, served in the American Revolution and fought for our country's freedom in the Vermont militia.

Young Phebe grew up knowing that her grandmother, Beulah Wheeler Howe, was also a freedom fighter known for being among thirteen women who saved the children and citizens of Poultney from a British invasion.

--Brock-Perry

Anne-Louis Toussard of the American Revolution

Last month and this month, I wrote quite a lot on this man in my Not So Forgotten: War of 1812 blog.  I had never heard of him before and came across an article about a letter he had written describing the big hurricane that hit New Orleans in 1812, while he was the French consul there.

It turns out he was a major force in early American history, especially during the American Revolution, but also later in the young country's history.  He was one of the French who saved the fledgling country.  I probably should have written about him more in this blog.

Just a short summary of some of what he did:

A French artillerist who served  in the American Continental Army under Lafayette and was given a commission.    He wrote an artillery book which became the training basis of the American Army as well as the one who pushed for a school to train officers (that became West Point).

You can go click on the My Blogs section to the right of this to read more about him, especially if you're really into the American Revolution.

This man should be as well known as Lafayette, but sure isn't.

--Cooter

Coaches of the Chicago Bears-- Part 1: Halas, Halas, Halas

From the Chicago Tribune "How past coaches have fared, and when they left."

As the Bears were approaching the end of another disappointing season in 2021, it was expected thatb head coach Matt Nagy would be gone.  He was.

Here are the past coaches, years coached and records:

**  GEORGE HALAS (1920-1929), (1933-1942), (1946-1955), (1958-1967)

Record (318-148-31)

**  RALPH JONES  (1930-1932)

Record (24-10-7)

The next two were assistant coaches who co-coached the Bears while Halas was gone to World War II.

**  LUKE JOHNSON (1942-1945) 

Record (23-11-2)

**  HUNK ANDERSON (1942-1945)

Record (23-11-2)

Why We Call It Halas' Team.  --Cooter

William J. Snow-- Part 5: Retirement and Family

After retiring, he resided in Washington, D.C., and Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania.  In 1940, he published  a memoir "Signposts of Experienece."  He died in Washington on February 27, 1947, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section South, Site 3953.

Snow was the recipient of the  U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal for his World War I service. and the British  Order of Bath (Companion) and the French Legion of Honor (Commander).

On 1892, Snow married  Isabel  O'Hear Locke (1872-1944) of  Atlanta, Georgia and had a son named William A. Snow (1894-1940), who was also a graduate of West Point.  The son was a veteran of World War I who attained the rank of lieutenant colonel and an engineer.  I have already written, he constructed what is today called Snow's Cut near Wilmington, North Carolina, which connects the Cape Fear River to sounds along the Intercoastal Waterway.

William J. Snow was survived by two grandchildren, Margaret (1922-2011) and William J. Snow II (1923-2011)  Margaret Payne Snow Coburn's first husband, John Harrell Hill (1911-1980) who served during WW II in the Pacific Theater and her second one, Melville  Brown Coburn (1912-1992) who was an Army major general and graduated from West Point as well.

William J. Snow II  also was a West Point graduate in  and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

A West Point Family.  --Cooter

William J. Snow-- Part 4: Post World War I

Back in last month, I was writing about Army General William J. Snow, the father of Lt. Col. William A. Snow, who engineered Snow's Cut in North Carolina near Wlmington.  Always, reaching the Snow's Cut Bridge on US Highway 421, meant you were entering Carolina Beach, my favorite all-time beach.

Major General Snow was a major figure in the U.S. Army's artrillery in the first part of the 20th century.  Much like Anne-Louis Toussard was for the Continental Army and early 1800s U.S. Army (I've been writing about him in my Cooter's History Thing blog last month.

AFTER WORLD WAR I

After World War I, Wiliam Snow continued to serve as Chief of U.S. Artillery.  This position was codified by law in 1920.  He served until retiring in 1927.  

During this time, he oversaw the artillery branch's postwar reorganization, including the beginning of testing and experimentation to determine how to transition from horse drawn equipment to mechanized and modernized processes for directing and  controlling  indirect fire to improve speed and accuracy.

--Cooter

This Month in the American Revolution: Battles of Hanging Rock, Bennington, Camden, Long Island and Parker's Ferry

From the American Battlefield Trust 2022 calendar.

AUGUST 6, 1790

**  Battle of Hanging Rock, South Carolina

AUGUST 16, 1777

**  Battle of Bennington, New York

AUGUST 16, 1780

**  Battle of Camden, South Carolina

AUGUST 27, 1776

**  Battle of Long Island, New York

AUGUST, 30 1781

**  Battle of Parker's Ferry, South Carolina.

--Brock-Perry