Old proverb: "To speak the names of the departed is to make them live again."

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Which Celebrities Have Rubbed Shoulders With the Fiegs?

1.  STAR OF THE 1951 FILM "QUO VADIS," Robert Taylor was a major motion picture star who went on to appear in various television series and eventually became the narrator of "Death Valley Days." In the late 1960s, Taylor came to Oneonta for the purpose of:

A. searching the Catskill region for a second home where he could spend the summer months while being close to New York City and the Broadway Theater District.

B. consideration of creating a theater program endowment at Oneonta State to advance the performing arts in motion pictures and television.

C. meeting with Oneonta area cartoonist Don Sherwood, who resided at the Woodchuck Knoll/Emmons Manor complex built in part by Lothar and Frank Fieg.  Taylor's objective was to promote a television pilot in which Taylor would play Dan Flagg, Sherwood's nationally syndicated cartoon strip character.

D. finding directions after making a wrong turn at Woodstock.

ANSWER: When Greg Fieg shook hands with Robert Taylor at a promotional appearance at Bresee's Oneonta Department Store in 1966, he found the once-dashing Hollywood leading man still charismatic with his almost iridescent ice-blue eyes.  Sadly Taylor, at 56 a chronic smoker, also appeared worn and haggard and would be dead of lung cancer within little more than a year.  Cartoon character Dan Flagg, whom Taylor was to portray on TV, also died a premature death, as the political climate during the Viet Nam War era made a patriotic U.S. Marine unpalatable in the public mind. Even in his best year, Dan Flagg earned little more than $30,000 for his creator.  The answer is C.
 
 
2.  JUDY FIEG KESTNER WAS AT A business meeting in the early 1990s at the iconic Joe Cotten's BBQ Restaurant in Robstown, TX when a waiter put his head around the corner and whispered excitedly that a celebrity was having lunch in another dining room.  That man was none other than:

A. Jerry Jeff Walker, the famed country and western recording artist and Oneonta native.

B. Willie Nelson, the immortal country and western entertainer and songwriter from Austin.

C. Nolan "Big Tex" Ryan, the former major league baseball fireballer who is enshrined at Cooperstown and who owns the Corpus Christi Hooks minor league baseball team.

D. former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega in the custody of federal agents, on the way to his trial in Miami for drug trafficking, racketeering and money laundering.

ANSWER:   Joe Cotten's restaurant was a favorite haunt for everyone from local politicians to nationally-known celebrities.  Oftentimes a helicopter would land in the grassy highway median outside and someone famous would emerge ready to enjoy a "plate" of beef, pork or sausage.  Food was served on heavy butcher paper with complimentary cheese and crackers to begin and a peppermint stick presented with the bill.  Jerry Jeff Walker, born Ronald Clyde Crosby in Oneonta, NY, moved to Austin, TX in the 1970s, joining the "country outlaw" scene with artists such as Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings and Townes Van Zandt. I don't know if Jerry Jeff ever ate there but Willie Nelson frequently did, and on this day he graciously signed autographs for the party of giddy bidnesswomen.  The answer, obviously, is B.

3.  GREG FIEG VISITED THE ACADEMY STREET residence of Broadway and Hollywood star Bill Pullman, best remembered for his role as the president in the blockbuster hit "Independence Day," and during the evening's conversation found Pullman to be complaining about:

A.  the food at the dining hall at SUNY Oneonta.

B.  the largely overcast weather in the city of Oneonta.
 
C.  the inability to shop for finer men's clothing such as can be found in New York City.

D.  a young woman with whom he attended college classes and whom he found to be odious because of her flatulence.
 
ANSWER:  Bill Pullman, whose screen credits include "Sleepless in Seattle," "A League of Their Own" and "The Accidental Tourist," was the son of a doctor from Hornell, NY and knew Greg from his days at Delhi Tech when Greg was editor of the local paper in the village.  They later attended SUNY Oneonta where both earned their baccalaureate degrees.  Though his father was an M.D., Bill found flatulence to be not the symptom of a food allergy but an awfully bad habit.  D is the answer to this question.

 
4.  WHILE ESCORTING HIS WIFE, Joanne Woodward, to their seats in a Broadway theatre, Paul Newman turned, looked Lisa Fieg up and down and rudely glared at her because:

A. Lisa had been openly staring at the celebrity couple and Newman responded in kind.

B.  oblivious to the presence of this celebrity, Lisa was loudly crunching her popcorn.

B.  Lisa was wearing a t-shirt and jeans instead of evening wear.

C.  Lisa had a large blob of ketchup on her blouse from the hamburger she had eaten for supper.

LISA FIEG HAS COMPILED a list of more than 50 celebrities she has met since moving to New York City several decades ago. The list includes Warren Beatty, Ringo Starr, Woody Allen, Mike Wallace and William Hurt (with whom she walked the length of a city block while the star of "Kiss of the Spider Woman" chatted about his background and career), but none is more famous than Paul Newman. Though she has always attempted to ingratiate herself with these people, she failed miserably with Mr. Newman, a man who resented intrusions on his privacy even while he was in public.  The answer, sadly, is A.


5.  WHILE STILL A BOY, James L. Seward - today next in line to ascend to the Republican Majority Leader's seat in the New York State Senate in Albany - stopped by Frye's camp on Otsego Lake to visit the Romans, Bookhouts, Fiegs, McGonigals and various other assorted cousins, cronies and hangers on, and whiled away the evening by:

A. patrolling the lawn with a flashlight to catch nightcrawlers for bait on the following morning's fishing trip.


B. scanning the starry skies with binoculars in the hope of spotting UFOs.

C. tracking an inexplicably large set of humanoid tracks that emerged from the.woods and disappeared into the reeds at the edge of the lake, leaving campers wondering about the possibility of Big Foot passing through the area.

D. huddling with Tony Roman, John Roman's grandfather, around Tony's shortwave radio to listen to the 1964 Republican National Convention at the Cow Palace in San Francisco where conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona was nominated.

ANSWER:  Seward was born in Oneonta, received his B.A. from Hartwick College and was a Fieg family friend in his youth. His parents lived near Cooperstown Junction where they ran an egg farm and delivered eggs to the Frank Fiegs once a week.  Even before he started junior high, Seward's political philosophy was formed, and so the highlight of this visit was finding a kindred Republican soul in Tony Roman, as described in option D.


6.  RETIRED REPORTER GREG FIEG IS PERHAPS the one cousin who has appeared on TV more than any other owing to the fact that:

A.  while feverishly taking notes in the front row at various press conferences when he was a newspaper reporter in Texas, Greg was often found by TV news crews to be a convenient prop for isolated atmospheric images or group "cover shots."

B. whenever he sees a TV news crew shooting live on location, Greg quickly jumps into the background, gesticulates, waves frantically and makes goofy faces.

C. in the 1990s revival of the Mickey Mouse Club television show, Greg was selected over Jackie Coogan,  Joe E. Ross and Al Lewis to play the part of Roy, the fat, bald, old guy who dons mouse ears and rather suspiciously spends an inordinate amount of time hanging around with children in their little clubhouse.

D. about 30 years ago Greg joined a consortium that bought a VIP box behind home plate at Fenway Park in Boston and, during broadcasts of Red Sox games, he often can be seen in the stands closely watching from his seat.

ANSWER: While covering an appearance by President Reagan for the San Antonio Express-News in 1982, Greg found himself seated between Leslie Stahl, reporter for "60 Minutes," and ABC White House correspondent Sam Donaldson. Leslie and Sam carried on a lighthearted and animated banter across Greg's lap without paying much attention to him, apparently regarding him as little more than a prop, his wonted role at many such events.  Letter A is the answer here.



7.  IN AN ERA WHEN MANY ONEONTANS received only three television signals (those from Utica, Syracuse and Binghamton) John Bartholomew Tucker was recognizable around town as the evening weather reporter for what was then known as WNBF Channel 12. Tucker's laid back, folksy style and slow country cadence eventually propelled him to prominence as a nationally recognized off-screen announcer in such great demand that:

A. CBS television host Ed Sullivan booked him for a three-minute spot in which Tucker recited quotations from the opening pages of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.

B. he went on a whirlwind tour with his one man show, "Will Rogers Tonight," which culminated when he portrayed the late Oklahoma humorist at a command performance for Queen Elizabeth at the Albert Hall in London.

C. he was hired to narrate a series of single, one-minute commercials when he was hired by Greensboro-based advertising executive Philip Fieg for the Switzland based chemical manufacturer Ciba-Geigy Corp., receiving $40,000 for each ad.

D.  he found himself continually fielding marriage proposals from women who were beguiled by his voice but who had never met him in person.

ANSWER:  Though not an A-list celebrity, John Bartholomew Tucker's name was a familiar one to many Americans.  His off-screen voice was warm and inspired confidence, and it was an exciting day when Philip Fieg announced to his family that he would be working closely with Mr. Tucker on an ad campaign for an agricultural chemical sold by Philip's employer, the Ciba-Geigy Corp. as outlined in letter C.


8.  ROGER MONACO WORKED FOR over thirty years behind the scenes in several different capacities at many a successful Broadway show.  One of his favorite "up close and personal" celebrity encounters occurred:

A.  when James Cagney came to see "42nd Street" where Roger was working.  After the show Roger shook his hand and, along with a co-worker, helped him walk to his car at the end of a long alley. As the driver opened the door, Cagney turned to Roger and said, in his famous New York accent, "Thank you son."

B.  when, upon hearing several women talking and laughing, he turned and saw Meg Ryan, Demi Moore and Jessica Lange enter the theater during a run of "Hamlet."  Roger introduced himself as the prop man and Jessica Lange said, "Very nice props, Roger!"  They asked if he would take them to the dressing room of the show's star, Ralph Fiennes, and Roger said, "I'll take you to see Ralph, but why don't you three sit down and we'll have a chat for five minutes?"  and they did! 

C.  when Roger was outside on a fire escape taking a break from a show and Peter Falk came out and they sat and had a cigarette together and talked.


D.  when Roger called his acting coach and one of his best friends, William "Bill" Hickey, after Bill's Oscar-nominated role in "Prizzi's Honor" which also starred Jack Nicholson.  Roger asked what it was like to work with Nicholson and Bill replied, "He was very nice." 

ANSWER:  Roger Monaco is not only a nice guy but is also a terrific magician and during the time he worked on Broadway he amazed those he met with his meticulous and elaborate illusions.  He took Joe Kestner under his wing to teach him some basic magic tricks that Joe uses to this day, especially when he plays Santa at Christmastime.  As you can imagine, Roger has amassed a great bank of memories of the stars he met on Broadway, and, in fact, every one of the answers above is one of his precious reminiscences.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Kyle McGonigal Serves as Blyleven Aide

Kyle McGonigal, reporting for annual security duty at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, served as special aide to the family of inductee Burt "Be Home" Blyleven, the former Minnesota Twins curveball specialist.

Kyle was stationed at the tent for Hall of Fame inductees, members and their families and he even pitched in for a "diaper change" and put in time as official Porta Potty escort.  Kyle's status allowed him to work in the shade while his mother Mary McGonigal baked in the sun!
 
Weatherwise, it was among the worst induction weekends ever, as the scorching heat induced the McGonigals to stand around in neck deep water (which, Mary pointed out, was "not even cold water").
It was the hottest day on record in Oneonta at 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Back there the Corkerys just sat around the house and vegged,  as Kevin was not asked to play drums at the inductees' reception this year.  Just as well!

Sue and Ed Williams Celebrate Summer

Ed and Susan Fieg Williams arrived for their annual pilgirmage to the Air Venture airshow near Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wisc. recently, just in time to see a P-51, the vaunted World War II fighter plane, touch down.


The P-51 - which Susan's father, Bud Fieg, flew during the war - is among many 20th century "warbirds" flying or being exhibited during the program. The airshow continues through July 31.

Ed is a retired electrician who is building a flyable aircraft in his basement and has a particular interest in ultra-light aircraft, as he owns and flies one.

Ed and Susan also will soon celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and are contemplating a return to one of their favorite vacation spots, Bedford Springs in the high western mountains of Pennsylvania, a resort built virtually on the side of a cliff (almost).  It is one of Ed Fieg and Barb Harris' favorite places, too.

One of the fairways there, a short par three, is so steep that you can't see the surface of the green or the flag high above you from the tee box, and you almost hit a wedge to get up there (Swing hard!).

Friday, July 22, 2011

Guess Who Answers Revealed

Our "Guess Who" survey has closed.  Here are the answers:

1.  Who is the Fieg in-law who captains a 43-foot sailing yacht in the waters of the Caribbean, the Bahamas and the U.S. east coast every summer?
53.8% correctly answered Bob Ramagosa.

2. This family member participated in an exhaustive but futile search for a downed flyer hidden under the dense canopy of the Central American jungle.
61.5% correctly answered Philip Fieg.

3. During a 7,000 mile cross-country motorcyle trip to Central America, this family member was halted along a jungle highway by Spanish-speaking Army regulars and warned to remove his camouflage hat or else run the risk of being shot and killed as a revolutionary.
Don Roman was correctly identified by 38.5% of respondents.

4. While traveling by automobile across the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, this family member was advised that, to avoid trouble in the event of being stopped by authorities, she should claim to be an employee of Gulf & Western oil company (which she was not).
Yes, it was Diana Monaco, as guessed by 46.2% of you.

5. This family member is a familiar face in the locker room of the Buffalo Bills and is a personal acquaintance, on a first-name basis, with Terrell "T.O." Owens, among other NFL players.
Hard to get this wrong:  Kyle McGonigal is the correct answer, with 61.5% getting the gold star.

6. This sailor is often seen boating the labrynthine waterways of the Florida Everglades.
Though 23.1% thought it was my baby sister, Phyllis, the rest of you correctly selected Mary Wolcott.

7. In her youth, she was a skilled and capable water skier, and doesn't look bad in a bathing suit, either.
Of course Aunt Maxine, Marsha and Anne all look great in a bathing suit!  How 30.8% of you could choose one and not all is a puzzle.  Maybe it is time for them to appear at a reunion so we can see for ourselves......!

8. This family member placed third in a gruelling, three sport annual triathlon at Cooperstown, N,Y, running, biking and swimming.
OK, wise guys.  Neither Steven, Greg nor Joe is a good candidate for a triathlon competition.  Very funny.....

9. He has played piano professionally in major Las Vegas nightclubs.
Our family is very musical, but 84.6% were correct in selecting Russell Fieg.

10. This Fieg family member is a high-ranking police official in Florida.
Once again, easy:  92.3% selected Andrew Shedlock correctly.

Thanks to all who participated!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Joke Corner

Badda-bing!


The golfer yelled, "You must be the worst caddie in the world!"
The caddie replied, "Oh no, sir, that would be too much of a coincidence...."

The old geezer asked the gym attendant, "Which of these machines should I use to attract that lovely young thing working out over there?"
The attendant looked him up and down and said, "Try the ATM machine in the lobby...."

After hearing he had six months to live the patient asked, "What can I do to prolong my life?"
His doctor said, "Marry a woman with lots of kids, move to Oklahoma and buy a 1992 Dodge pick-up truck."
"How will that prolong my life??"
"It won't, but those six months will seem like an eternity."

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Oops! I Did It Again...

A few corrections to recent posts:

"She Did WHAT??"
Florence Fieg's bed was empty on the morning of April 13, 1934.  As Steven Fieg pointed out, she would have been only 7 years old in 1924, the original date in the post.  Thanks, Steve!

"The Nickname Game"
Doris Fieg Holm points out that she grew up in Montclair, NJ; her four half-siblings were the ones who grew up in Milford, PA. 

Also, Aunt Maxine was named in HONOR of her Uncle Max (Doris' dad), not in his memory.  As Doris says, "(he) was very much alive when she was born...."

Thanks for keeping me honest, y'all!

- Judy

She Did WHAT??

You think you know the women of the Fieg family, do you?  We'll just see about that...

1.  THOUGH ONLY A LITTLE GIRL, she and her brothers spotted a forest fire from the top of a high bluff, alerted the fire department before it could spread and in so doing helped save a large stand of timber and several homes and public buildings.

a) Marsha Whiteside Adams
b) Liz Bookhout Boggs
c) Jean Davie Fieg
d) Maxine Fieg Whiteside

I have some water -- where's the fire??
ANSWER:  Unlike the Fiegs who were pillars of the East End, Jean, Raymon and Norman Davie grew up in the West End where Chestnut Steet passes under the commanding view of the Table Rock.  A fire there, if left to develop, would not only have led to the loss of thousands of dollars of timber but also would have threatened the adjoining Hartwick College campus.  Jean and her brothers were on hand to save the day.
 
 
2.  ON THE MORNING OF April 13, 1924, Mrs. Lothar Fieg Sr. went to the bedroom of her daughter, Flo, and found the bed empty because

a) thrilled with the prospect of the end of prohibition, Flo had imbibed too freely the night before and had spent the night in the home of a friend.
b) Flo had eloped with young Richard J. Bookhout the night before.
c) Flo had had a bout of sleep-walking and was found outside snoring in a hammock.
d) victim of an April Fool's day joke, Flo was prowling the woods with a burlap bag hunting snipe.
Cooking food for the reception???
 
ANSWER:  During the height of the Great Depression, Flo's father was so strapped for materials at times that one wall of a house he built had a mis-matched assortment of window frames because that was all that was available.  Can it be that Flo wanted to save her father the expense of a wedding, or did they simply run off in the heat of passion?  Whatever the answer, they did elope on that night.
 
 
3.  THIS FAMILY MEMBER HAS a first cousin once removed whose father was a participant and ring leader in an unsuccessful plot to assassinate notorious dictator Rafael Trujillo and was shot to death by a military goon squad on a distant Carribbean island.

a) Phyllis Fieg
b) Sarah Fieg Corkery
c) Carol Ramagosa
d) Anne Roman
 
ANSWER:  Even after he stepped down from the presidency, Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo continued his ruthless reign until he was assassinated on a street corner in 1961 in Santo Domingo (then called Ciudad Trujillo).  Sarah Fieg Corkery, great-granddaughter of freedom-fighter Eduardo Pizano, speaks barely a word of Spanish (though she studied it in school) and has yet to meet her Dominican cousins.
 
 
4.  THIS FAMILY MEMBER'S STRIKING, natural beauty prompted a television cameraman and director to single her out from the crowd of thousands in an isolated camera closeup during a live broadcast of a major league baseball game.

a) Diane Jester Bookhout
b) Lisa Puglisi
c) Lisa Fieg
d) Maxine Fieg Whiteside
 
ANSWER:  Though they are both no longer in use, old Yankee Stadium and old Shea Stadium were convenient venues of entertainment for all New Yorkers and Lisa Fieg and her neighbor, Louis DiIulio, always managed to find time to attend a few games each year.  When Lisa found out she was on TV, she wondered why.  Why, look in the mirror, girlfriend!

 
5. JEAN FIEG WAS A COMPLIANT and acquiescent spouse during her 39- year marriage to Philip Fieg, but found herself objecting when he

a) decided to get his pilot's license renewed and take to the skies over Ithaca, NY
b) decided to buy a sailboat and cast off far out in the Finger Lakes.
c) drifted away from her and mingled with other people at a party
d) decided to open his own photography shop and give up his newspaper career
 
ANSWER:  Interestingly enough, Philip Fieg did, indeed, open a photography studio, did, in fact, fly a plane over Ithaca, NY and did, most assuredly, sail the waters of Lake Skaneateles, one of the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York.  Jean, who enjoyed flying, sailing and photography along with her husband, also enjoyed having him right by her side during an evening out with others.
 
 
6.  THIS FAMILY MEMBER'S cabin cruiser plies the waters of the Great Lakes

a) Carol Ramagosa
b) Kathi Whiteside
c) Mary Wolcott
d) Sue Williams
 
ANSWER:  Even though Jeff and Kathi Whiteside live in Appleton, WI on the shores of beautiful Lake Winnebago (about 300 square miles in area) which dwarfs Otsego Lake (about 4 square miles in area), they moor their boat on the much bigger and more challenging waters of Lake Michigan (22,400 square miles of surface area).

Kyle McGonigal Recognized by Hall of Fame QB

Kyle McGonigal and his mother, Mary, recently participated in a fundraising effort on behalf of Hunter's Hope, the charitable foundation begun by Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Jim Kelly in remembrance of his late son.

Hunter Kelly, who was born with Krabbe leukodystrophy, died at age 8 in 2005.  His father, who took the Buffalo Bills to the Super Bowl four times, began the fundraising effort in the hope of finding a cure for his son's affliction and to raise awareness of the disease.

At the fundraiser, Kelly recognized Kyle, as Kyle formerly has worked as locker room assistant for the Bills.  Kelly asked for Kyle's address and sent him an autographed jersey.

Kyle is in Cooperstown for the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony working security with his mom.  His dad, Bob, is also along for the trip.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Nickname Game

There is no mind-numbing tune to go with this game but you may find that your brain is otherwise enriched by the answers to these questions.  Good luck!

1BEFORE DR. ROBERT WHITESIDE BECAME an oral surgeon in Sioux City, Iowa, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps where he earned the nickname:

A.  Smiley
B.  Toothy
C.  Whitey
D.  Pearly

ANSWER: Bob Whiteside served at a number of stateside locations during World War II, including Indianapolis and perhaps most importantly Roswell, N.M., where he was on hand for the debriefing and medical clearance of the air crews that returned stateside after dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. They called him Whitey.
 

2. LOTHAR 'BUD' FIEG JR. was known to his friends, associates and subordinates who worked with him in the mine at Mississippi Lime in Ste. Genevieve, MO, as:

A.  Digger
B.  Red
C.  Mole
D.  Freckles

ANSWER: Though Bud rose to superintendent during his more than three-decade career and was in charge of more than 300 men, none was too intimidated by his rank to address him by the nickname by which he was affectionately known, Red, a moniker he earned not only because of his approachability but his hair color.



3IN THE AMERICAN CULTURENICKNAMES are common,  as evidenced, for example, when Richard Bookhout Jr. becomes Richie, James McGonigal becomes J.J., Joseph Kestner becomes Joe and so on.  Mary Bookhout Wolcott's husband is known as Jack, but how does his first name appear on his driver's license and birth certificate?

A.  Jacques
B.  Jackson
C.  John
D.  Jack

ANSWER: Jack Wolcott, who works as a plasma bank executive, would not change his name for blood nor money. That's because his mother, Cecil Day, now in her 90s, and her late husband, Howard Wolcott, at their son's birth made sure he would never be called anything different from the way everyone addresses him to this day. His name is Jack, and that's that.



4DORIS FIEG HOLM, last surviving daughter of the late Max Fieg was given a special nickname by her mother Louise, when Doris was a little girl growing up in Milford, PA.  Doris Fieg Holm was known to her mother as:


A. Duckie
B. Duchess
C. Dutchie
D. Lucky

ANSWER: In the 1920s, '30s and '40s a number of pet names and words were in vogue for people and things that were thought to be lovely and delightful, such as Peachy, Deary and so forth. and though this particular word has all but vanished from the popular vernacular, Doris to this day is still Duckie, absolutely Duckie.



5ALL THE CHILDREN RAISED AT the Fieg family homestead at 10 North Sixth St. in Oneonta were given diminutive, often staccato nicknames, such as Em for Emilie,  Phid for Philip, Bud for Lothar etc.  What were the nicknames of the two babies of the family, Maxine and Dorothy?


A.  Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee
B.  Zee and Dot
C.  Mac and Doc
D.  Morey and Dorey

ANSWER: Nearly all of the children were named with uncles and aunts in mind (Victor Philip, for instance, carries the names of an uncle on his mother's side, an uncle on his father's side, his paternal grandfather and ad infinitum). Maxine has never much liked her name, as it was chosen for her in memory of her Uncle Max. Perhaps she was more comfortable being called Mac, which her siblings called her for much of her adult life. Dorothy, however, seems just as happy to have outgrown the name Doc.



6.  THE LATE EMILIE FIEG McGONIGAL'S SON ROBERT today is known to friends and family as Bob, but when younger he was called Bobby.  Still, he had another name when he was a toddler, a name many of the children in the neighborhood called him.  It was:

A. Sweetie
B. Teedee
C. Tweetie
D. Butch

ANSWER: Bob's mother began by calling him Sweetie, but the word morphed into Teedee as she talked to him in baby talk. The neighborhood kids, and Bob's cousins, picked up on it, and soon Bobby was Teedee where ever he went. It's not advisable to call him Teedee anymore, however, and no, you can't follow him on Twitter.



8.  LIKE HER SIBLINGSFLORENCE FIEG BOOKHOUT was given a nickname, Flo, when growing up.  After she married, however, her husband Dick gave her another pet name.   The name was:

A. Lambie
B. Fleecie
C. Flossie
D. Flipper

ANSWER: Florence Fieg Bookhout's grandson, John Boggs, owns the brass nameplate from Florence and Dick's boat, which they kept on Otsego Lake near Cooperstown and which was christened the "Flossie B." for the pet name he gave his wife.



9.  ANNIE BOOKHOUT'S HUSBAND, BOB MORGAN, has built a beautiful ranch house for his father and mother next door to Annie and Bob's in Brooktondale,  N.Y.   His father, Jim Morgan, 95, roomed at St. Lawrence Univ. in Canton, NY with another student who has also celebrated a 95th birthday.  Many Fieg family members will recognize this person as:

A.  Jack Wolcott's mother Cecil Day
B.  Lothar "Bud" Fieg's bicycle shop partner Clifford "Roger" Silliman
C.  Dorothy Fieg Roman's brother-in-law Don Roman
D.  Kirk Douglas


ANSWER: Cecil Day, Roger Silliman and Don Roman are still going strong into their 90s, but though all hail from upstate New York, it is a native of Amsterdam in New York's Mohawk Valley whom Jim Morgan knew at St. Lawrence.  His name then was Issur Danielovich Demsky but today most of us know him as Kirk Douglas, the dean of Hollywood actors.  Though Kirk has suffered a stroke which has affected his speech somewhat, his mind is still good and he occassionally appears in public.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Brian and Emily Fieg Create Training Courses

After a visit from Greg Fieg a little while ago (I'll not tell you how little a while) Brian Fieg, son of Doug and Cindy Fieg, sent an e-mail to your editor.  It is copied (lightly edited) below:

(Greg and I) had a great time getting to know each other that day. I'm only getting back to you today because we just got home from our cruise to Cozumel, Mexico!

It was actually a business retreat with the company we work for: The Training Factor. Both (my wife) Emily and I do all kinds of stuff for them, but we mainly put together training courses (text/photos/videos, etc) for the apartment industry. So our company sells our online course catalog to management companies for their employees (leasing agents, maintenance people, management, etc.) to take online training courses. We've been working together with them for about 3 years now.

Occasionally I do freelance photography and videos (like weddings).


Emily and I moved into our house at the end of October, 2010. We really love it and there is plenty of room to grow, so we plan on staying here as long as God has us here. It has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and is in a small neighborhood close to I-75. It's about 4 miles from where we work, so that's a plus too! The only pets we have right now is a black cat named Addy, who entertains us a lot!

Hope that's the kind of info you wanted! Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to learn about us. Thanks!

Brian Fieg
404-405-7272 - cell
404-939-2569 -

Can You Feature That? Word Paintings from June 2011

Keenan Murphy and a fish singing "Take Me To the River".... Brian Fieg picking his sister, Laura, up at the Atlanta airport upon her return from teaching in Africa.... Eleanor Fieg scratching the poison ivy on her right arm (with a smile on her face of course!) and doing pilates in her living room.... Phyllis Fieg on a ladder staining the house in Greensboro, NC she shares with her mom, Jean Davie Fieg.... Andrew Shedlock Skyping from Florida with his mom, Anne Bookhout, so she can see her grandbabies, Madeline and Ryan....