My Personal Blog

We made it to day 18 of the 40 til 40 series of blog entries, about anything and everything relevant to the number 40 which leads to my 40th birthday on July 10. In my last entry I talked about 40 of my fellow Hampton Roads natives outside of Portsmouth.  This particular entry talks about Milton Shapp, the 40th governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. On June 25, 1912, Cleveland, Ohio gave the world the future 40th governor of Pennsylvania, Milton Shapp (born Milton Jarrold Shapiro).  His father Aaron Shapiro was a businessman and his mother, the former Eva Smelsey was an outspoken suffragette.  In 1933 Shapp graduated from what is now Case Western Reserve University with an electrical engineering degree, but he was unable to find work in his field due to the Great Depression.  Instead, he drove a coal truck.  In 1936 he relocated to Pennsylvania where took a job selling electric parts.  During this time he changed his name from Shapiro to Shapp to avo...

This is day 17 of the 40 til 40 series of blog entries leading to my 40th birthday on July 10.  40 til 40 is about anything and everything relevant to the number 40. Last time I talked about the 40 best golf shots I have ever hit.  This entry talks about 40 of my fellow natives of Hampton Roads (not including Portsmouth). Johnny Gilbert:  Newport News native and longtime announcer on Jeopardy! Joyce Bulifant:  Newport News native and actress; was semiregular on Match Game during the Gene Rayburn era. Michael Copon:  Chesapeake native and winner of But Can They Sing? Alonzo Mourning:  Chesapeake native and NBA star. Dwight “Mad Dog” White:  Hampton native and member of the 1970s Steel Curtain defense. Allen Iverson:  Hampton native and NBA star. Ella Fitzgerald:  Newport News native and jazz singer. Curtis Strange:  Norfolk native and 2x U.S. Open champion. Larry Sabato:  Norfolk native and political analyst. Kendra Todd:  Virgi...

We have made it to day 16 of the 40 til 40 series of blog entries about anything and everything relevant to the number 40 leading to my 40th birthday on July 10. Last time I spoke about the 40th National Hockey League All Star Game held in Edmonton in 1989.  Today I will speak about the 40 best golf shots I have ever hit. 40. September 5, 2000:  It was almost the end of golf team practice at Hickory VFW Golf Course in Hermitage.  I hit an 8 iron to the par 3 18th hole in front of teammates Eric Cullen and David Haynes.  My shot landed just two feet from the cup.  Not surprisingly, I tapped in for birdie. 39.  March 21, 2012:  I was playing my first round of the year at Tam O’Shanter in Hermitage on an unseasonably warm day.  On the par 4 17th hole, I hit a pitching wedge to within nine feet and made a birdie. 38.  May 13, 2018:  I was playing at the Links at Firestone Farms in Columbiana, Ohio as part of that year’s Ohio Swing.  On ...

We are now in day 15 of this 40 til 40 series of blog entries about anything and everything relevant to the number 40 leading up to my 40th birthday on July 10. In the last entry I spoke about our 40th United States president Ronald Reagan.  Today I’m going to speak about the 40th National Hockey League All Star Game that was held at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. During the offseason in 1988, Wayne Gretzky had married Hollywood actress Janet Jones in what was billed as “Canada’s Royal Wedding”.  Shortly after, Janet learned she was pregnant with their first daughter Paulina.  But on August 9, 1988, Edmonton Oilers general manager/head coach Glen Sather and owner Peter Pocklington announced that Wayne Gretzky had been traded with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, Los Angeles’ 1989, 1991 and 1993 first round draft picks and $15 million in cash.  Reaction to the trade caused dismay amo...