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

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Kennedy Konnections

1.  During a 1966 campaign appearance in Oneonta, Greg Fieg not only got to shake the hand of former U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, who was running for senator, but also:
A.  got his autograph
B.  rode on the trunk of his car w/ him
C.  joined a group of hecklers urging him to return to Massachusetts
D.  Greg wasn't at the rally

2.  In 1970 the opera star Maria Callas was being interviewed by David Frost in the NYC theatre district.  Greg Fieg and his friend Billy Wells sat in the audience and heard Callas say that, after nine years of living with him, she had been had been summarily ordered off Ari Onassis' yacht to make room for his new bride, Jacquelyn Kennedy.  Asked by Frost about this she replied:
A.  she would file a palimony suit and take Ari for every franc he had
B.  scratch out the eyes of her new rival
C.  remain Ari's best friend and confidante, and he hers
D.  Greg wasn't at the interview

3.  Before Black Friday, which marked the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929, Joseph P. Kennedy, who cashed in before the crash and became a millionaire, moved his family to
A.  Hyannisport, Mass.
B.  Chappaquiddick, Mass.
C.  Nantucket, Mass.
D.  Bronxville, N.Y.

4.  Teddy Kennedy was rescued from being pulled into a throng of wildly out of control admirers by New York congressman Sam Stratton, who grabbed him around the waist and kept him from losing his footing.  Sam Stratton was known best, before his almost 30-year career as a congressman and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, as:
A.  captain of the USS Enterprise
B.  test pilot of the Air Force X-15 rocket airplane
C.  Sagebrush Sam, a cowboy character who introduced cartoons to viewers on WSYR-TV
D.  the songster who introduced the hit single "Mr. Lonely"

5.  While visiting Oneonta on a campaign stop, Robert Kennedy slept in a house the size of a lake steamer at the corner of Watkins Ave. and Grove.  This house later became the possession of Judge Albert Baldo, who is best known by the Fieg family as:
A.  the man who performed the marriage ceremony of Greg Fieg and his first wife, Jackie
B.  the man who convicted Fieg family friend Joe Wright of making an illegal left-hand turn
C.  the man who helped bring to life the housing development known as Balford Park
D.  A and C

6.  Judge Albert Baldo had a brother, Patsy "Pat" Baldo, who was a master shoemaker.  He was not bashful about remarking that Albert bore a striking resemblance to one of the Kennedys, that being:
 A. John F. Kennedy
B.  Robert F. Kennedy
C.  Edward M. Kennedy
D.  Edgar Kennedy 

7.  Dutch Schultz and Jack "Legs" Diamond made their fortunes by running illegal liquor during the Prohibition as did:
A.  General Douglas MacArthur
b.  Governor Al Smith
C.  Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy
D.  New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia

8.  During a number of trips to St. Louis, Steven Fieg and his father were able to see and meet future Hall-of-Famer Stan Musial, the St. Louis Cardinals slugger.  In 1962 Musial was invited to the presidential box at the all-star game in Chicago where he met JFK and:
A.  Bloodthirsty mobster Jack "Legs" Diamond
B.  Bloodthirsty mobster  Dutch Schultz
C.  Bloodthirsty mobster Sam Giancana
D.  None of the above

9.  Sam Giancana, who was thought to be influential in bringing in the 1960 Chicago vote for JFK, died on June 19, 1974 by:
A.  overdosing on sedatives and bourbon
B.  jumping off the Chrysler Building
C.  dying peacefully in his sleep
C.  being assassinated by a mob hitman

The Phantastic Fiegs Quiz

1.  In 2010, Lisa Fieg was strolling past the St. Regis Hotel near Central Park and she bumped into yet another celebrity face to face.  This individual was:
A.  Pop singer Bruno Mars   
B.  "Star Trek" actor Leonard Nimoy
C.  Jazz musician Sun Ra
D.  Former Beatle Ringo Starr

2.  The number seven train of the New York city Subway system stops at the corner of Lisa's block, a few short feet from her door.  She takes the train west to work every day.  If she were to take the train east, it would go directly to Shea Stadium which was, in addition to the venue of the N.Y. Mets baseball team, also host to:
A.  Rock and roll legend Elvis Presley
B.  Opera legend Enrico Caruso
C.  Legendary soprano Maria Callas
D.  The Beatles

3.  The Beatles, in their early years were known as:
A.  The Quarrymen
B.  The Flintstones
C.  The Rockhounds
D.  The Drywall Hangers

4.  If Lisa takes the seven train east to see the Mets she will pass through:
A.  an Irish neighborhood
B.  a Spanish neighborhood
C.  a Chinese neighborhood
D.  all of the above, in succession

5.  While out on the hustings,  congressman Sam Stratton one day tore his pants on a nail.  He retreated to his mother's house in Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and removed his pants while she fetched a needle and thread.  Before her return a number of guests appeared unexpectedly and he:
A.  wrapped a shawl from the back of the couch around his waist
B.  shrieked and ran out of the room
C.  sat down and crossed his legs, smiling pleasantly
D.  ordered the visitors out of the house because he was indisposed.

6.  When Jean Davie first met her future husband, Philip Fieg, in the living room at 10 N. Sixth St. he was wearing:
A.  only his boxer shorts
B.  a bear costume, as he was on his way to a Halloween party
C.  a mortar board and gown on his graduation day
D.  his mother's frilly apron, as he was washisng dishes in the kitchen

7.  Philip's brother, Frank Fieg, had a life-long best friend, Joe Wright.  While returning from the Majors Inn in Gilbertsville in a 1934 Ford Cabriolet V-8, Joe was ticketed for speeding 75 in a 50 mph zone.  Sitting beside him in the passenger seat was
A.  future mayor Roger Hughes, drunk
B.  future judge Albert Baldo, drunk
C.  Gilberstville town constable Carloga Klemm, drunk
D.  Maxine Fieg, sober

8.  The Majors Inn was best known as a hideout for
A.  Dutch Schultz
B.  Al Capone
C.  Jack "Legs" Diamond
D.  George Raft

9.  Jack Diamond died 12/18/31 when he
A.  died peacefully in his sleep
B.  overdosed on barbituates and bourbon                  
C.  was suspected to have been shot by Dutch Schultz 
D.  jumped off the Chrysler Building


Monday, November 3, 2014

Not So Great

Your editor got carried away in the previous post and after further review on the slo-mo cam, finds that many of the great-grandchildren cited there are just grands.  I think everything has been corrected but please alert me if there are still some relationships out of whack.

Can You Feature That? Word Paintings from October 2014

OH GREAT!
(Ed. note:  Rats!  I meant to post this Friday.  Please turn on the Way Back Machine and return to Halloween!)

Caleb Fieg, great-grandson of the FFN's editor emeritus Lothar "Bud" Fieg, "begged for and ate carrots for breakfast" the other day.  Good bunny!

Cindy Haney Fieg, in preparation for the Halloween festivities, took it one step too far.  She fell on an uneven sidewalk breaking a front tooth and suffering a lip the size of Denver.  Masks aren't that expensive, ma'am....

Andrew Shedlock, grandson of Florence Fieg Bookhout, is preparing to compete in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2.  Andrew's bib number is 40471 and proud mummy Annie Bookhout informs us that she has downloaded a free TCS NY Marathon app to her cell phone to follow his progress.  Annie likens watching the marathon from a distance to viewing the Super Bowl "where it is warm and dry."  Run, Andrew, run!

Andrew's wife Denise Egan Shedlock mentions that she has a couple of friends raising funds for ALS during the running of the marathon.  Visit events.carolinashealthcarefoundation.org to make a donation.  Annie adds that "Andy's grandfather Bookhout became a prisoner in his body due to ALS. His verbal strength was ripped away from him. To watch someone with ALS try to communicate because their brain is still sharp is horrible torture for the patient and those that love him/her. Thanks for alerting all of us."

Emilie Kestner, granddaughter of FFN founder Philip Fieg, is president of the Psychology Club at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Tex.  She also stays busy planning events for her service-oriented sorority Phi Theta Gamma, mentoring a freshman psych major and taking notes in class for students with disabilities.  Emilie wished everyone "Happy Day of the Cat" on Oct. 28.  She will graduate in May.

Eddie Fieg, grandson of Uncle Bud's brother Frank, will escape the bonds of his twenties in less than a month.  It's not that bad on the other side....

Uncle Frank's great-grandson, Cade Orion Dangca, graduated from basic training at Ft. Jackson, the U.S. Army base in South Carolina.  His mom and dad, Anna and Alan Dangca, and sisters Eva, Rosa and Marta, were on hand to watch as Cade and his classmates marched across the field.  They shared some lovely photos on Facebook.

Cade spent several months with cousin (and your humble editor) Judy Kestner in South Texas earlier this year.  He worked with Judy's husband Joe in the oilfield and proved to be a valuable asset to Joe's business.  We miss you, Cade, and are so proud of you!

Brenna Rose Ferguson, one of Uncle Bud's granddaughters, visited Charleston, S.C. this month.  Most interesting thing learned?  It's "Chaaaaaston."

What a great aunt!  Nancy Fieg, who is also a granddaughter of Uncle Frank, absolutely L-O-V-E-S her nieces and nephews.  The birthday greetings and other photos she posts on Facebook just radiate affection.

Speaking of nephews, Emilie Fieg Harvey, still another Frank Fieg granddaughter, gave birth on October 22 at 10:25 a.m. to the newest Fieg cousin, Thomas Edward Harvey.  Mother (looking smashing the next day BTW) and baby are healthy and Tommy's sisters Hannah and Paige, brother  Mikey and dad Matt are ga-ga over him.  Congrats, Harvey family! 

As if she didn't have enough on her mind, Emilie entered a Preggers in the Pumpkin Patch contest.  (Really, all that was required was a photo of the baby belly next to a wagon of punkins, and asking friends to vote for her.  Not too strenuous, I guess!)

Cindy Harris, wife of Uncle Bud's son Doug Fieg, co-escorted her lovely daughter Megan down the aisle into the arms of  her new husband.  The ceremony took place at the Montecito Sequoia Lodge in King's Canyon National Park in California.  The bridesmaids wore emerald green, a tip o' the hat to the gorgeous outdoor surroundings.