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|When Great Things Happen
| Part
2: Higgins Industries
By Capt. Ken Kreisler — June 2001
At the height of production, Higgins Industries operated eight plants in New Orleans, employing some 20,000 workers toiling round-the-clock. They produced a staggering 700 boats per month, with a total output to the Allies of 20,094 vessels. Banners hung from the ceilings of the cavernous facilities, proclaiming "The Guy Who Relaxes Is Helping the Axis!" and "Loose Lips Sink Ships." The ever-present Higgins oversaw the entire operation.
To appreciate the scope of Higgins' accomplishment, consider this: In September 1943 the total number of ships in the U.S. Navy was 14,072. Of that, 12,964 were Higgins LCVPs, 8,865 of which were built by Higgins Industries. It was aboard one of those boats that Scanlon and 35 comrades landed on Utah Beach.
"The first thing I thought about when that ramp went down was to get the hell out of there," Scanlon recalls. "Bullets were flying every which way, and guys were falling. Some were dead; others were not but would be. I had to cut this guy's arm off with a scissors--just some sinew holding it on. He asked me to get a ring off his finger. I shoved it into his pocket."
Scanlon is 81 years old now, wears a perfectly trimmed snow-white beard, and sports a pair of hearing aids, courtesy of a German 88 that took off the roof of a farmhouse he'd taken refuge in during the fight for Ste. Mere Eglise. Holder of the Bronze Star, he stands ramrod-straight. It had rained earlier, and the clouds now hang gray and heavy with the promise of more to come. "It's a little different today," he recalls. "Back then the water was every which way. Everybody was sick but me." A shaft of sunlight appears through a break in the clouds, hitting the dark Atlantic. Off in the distance there's a muffled rumble of thunder. "I guess that's what the big guns sounded like," I offer. "No, nothing like that," Scanlon mutters. As he drifts into reverie, I reflect on how I got here.
My idea for retracing the invasion route with a Higgins-landing veteran started in the spring of 1999. More than a year later, the journey took me to Southampton, England, a major staging area for the invasion, where Scanlon and I boarded the private charter yacht Bounty, herself a veteran of the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation.
We passed the Isle of Wight's rolling green hills and massive chalky-white cliffs and into the open, calm Atlantic, sitting on Bounty's bow in quiet thought as her captain nosed her into the gentle swell. At 8 knots, it would take us most of the day to cross. We made landfall at Cherbourg and the next day visited the various war museums in Caen before arriving at the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach.
Scanlon points out the steep cliffs that afforded the German gun emplacements total control of the death zone that Allied forces attempted to breach that morning. To grasp the magnitude of the slaughter, I wander among the many grave markers in the nearby cemetery--thousands of them, brothers in arms now resting side by side. After pointing out several of his comrades, Scanlon falls silent as he walks among the dead. I look around and see men older than Scanlon visiting the cemetery, men whose eyes had also seen the terrible things that occurred that day.
The next morning we visit Utah Beach. "This is where I saw my first German soldier," Scanlon says. "He was dead. By the time we fought our way up to here, the bodies were everywhere. Ours and theirs."
We're at the first dunes leading to the road. Spartina grass bends in the freshening breeze, and I notice worn wooden boards driven deep into the strand, connected by rusted and broken barbed wire stretching up and over the sandy hills. The sun disappears, and it begins to rain in earnest.
The time has come for me to leave, but Scanlon will stay in France for a few extra days to see friends. We stop and face each other, and for a moment I do not know what to say. He grabs my hand firmly with both of his. "It was an honor to meet you Ken," he says. "No, Tom," I struggle for the words. "The honor is mine." He smiles. Still holding onto my hand, he says, "Hey, you take care now." "Sure, Tom. You, too." As I approach my car, I turn and see him walking ramrod-straight across the parking lot in the rain.
Previous page > Great Things, Part 1 > Page 1, 2
This article originally appeared in the May 2003 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.


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A suspect package being investigated by police in Otley has been declared a false alarm.
A long section of Billams Hill, from its junction with Weston Lane down to where it meets Farnley Lane, was closed to traffic this afternoon while officers attended the incident on Newall Mount.
Homes on the street were also evacuated before the package concerned was found to pose no threat

subset: commoncrawl


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Accountant Andy Coombes is on track to raise more than £1,500 for our Give Us A Chance Appeal when he takes part in the London Marathon on Sunday.
Mr Coombes, 41, who works for David Owen Accountants, did a 22-mile run in training ten days ago and was pleased with how it went.
He said: "I would like to thank everyone who has sponsored me. I think it is amazing the Gazette has raised more than £10,000 so quickly but I know the fundraising has to go on as the shortfall every year is much more than that."
Slimmers in Devizes are also doing their bit to help the centre by being sponsored for every pound they lose at Slimming World clubs in the town.
They will face their weigh-in this week but leader Kim Heath is delighted with the results so far.
She said: "The weight loss has been very good and we are very pleased to be helping the opportunity centre, which is close to the hearts of lots of our members."
Sponsor Mr Coombes via virginmoneygiving.com/AndrewCoombesLondon2014


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You can now head on over to www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html and grab the latest debug version(s) of the Adobe Flash Player (currently 10,0,32,18). Or, as always, you can find the release versions of Flash Player from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/.
Curious as to what is new in 10.0.32.18? Check out the "Overview of the Flash Player 10.0.32 Security Update" article on the Flash Player Developer Center.


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|Divine Design
Despite having struggled with naval architecture, Andrew Winch creates yacht concepts that spring to life line by line from the drawing table.
By Elizabeth Ginns Britten — February 2005
I grew up wanting to study boats, but didn't think I could because I was never any good at math," designer Andrew Winch says. "I'm dyslexic, and not numeric."
It's a strange thing to hear, since this self-described "mathematically challenged" man has gone on to become a widely respected design mastermind known for creating unique yacht interiors. But don't mistake him for an interior designer. "That's a misconception," he says, conceding that even his family and friends sometimes think the same. His creations incorporate many engineering and architectural styling elements, both internally and externally. "Really, I design yachts—the whole concept of them inside and out," he explains.
The man who would eventually become known as one of the most creative and innovative designers and stylists in the industry fell in love with boats and the water as a young boy growing up on the southern coast of England. He began racing sailboats at age ten, built a 23-foot keelboat as a teenager with his father, spent time cruising the English coast and France, and spent a year after college working as a crewmember aboard a 53-foot sailboat. Even today, his love of the water continues to drive him. "I love seeing water. I adore it. It's very rhythmic. My office is situated right on the Thames [River]. I, just, absolutely adore it. There's some kind of line or umbilical cord between the water and the people that love the water," he gushes. It's a deep-rooted connection, like love or lust or hunger.
And yet, working in the marine industry wasn't even in his original life plan. Winch graduated from Saint Martin's School of Art in London with a degree in sculpture. But his father thought studying design would be "safer," so he went back to school to study interior and 3D design at London's Kingston College of Art. This—particularly the training in seeing three-dimensionally—laid the groundwork for his career. He discovered that what he really wanted to do was design boats, and it was there he realized he could.
Because of his lackluster math skills, Winch struggled with engineering and naval architecture, but he could envision the images and draw from his mind's eye. He says, "You have to be able to see three-dimensionally to be successful in this field. That's what I went to college to do. I see things three-dimensionally and draw them, and then they take shape." Although it can take up to five years to complete a single project, Winch says he can draw a rendering of what the project will look like after just ten minutes of speaking with a client.
His talent for grasping three-dimensional design landed him his first job after graduation, as an apprentice designer for Jon Bannenberg. One of the most respected interior designers and exterior stylists still to this day, Bannenberg completed more than 200 yacht projects over his four-decade-long career (he died in 2002). Winch says the experience was "absolutely instrumental in learning the freedom of yacht design" and taught him the value of going beyond traditional styles. "If someone told him it was ugly midway through the project, he'd say, 'Wait till I'm finished.' Often, it would end up being a classic yacht of great beauty," Winch explains.
Next page > Part 2: All told, Winch has completed nearly 50 projects, won more than a dozen design awards, and worked alongside some of the top-name builders in the industry. > Page 1, 2
This article originally appeared in the February 2005 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.


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Fine Arts : Photography
The Photography concentration within the Fine Arts program allows students to develop their voice and technical skills in photography while exploring how that medium can be incorporated into a broader studio practice. This studio practice might also include installation, painting, printmaking – the possibilities are the student's to explore and define.
Working closely with faculty, students develop agility in problem solving and fluidity in thinking and making across disciplines. The curriculum deepens their cultural and intellectual understanding of the world around them and prepares them to navigate the complexities of being an artist in today's world.
An intense and immersive studio experience is coupled with inspiration from world-class art museums in the city and exposure to a wide range of visiting artists and critics.


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The Miller College of Business offers a broad range of majors in business, including the nationally ranked entrepreneurship and finance programs. The college's programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business(AACSB), and the college was the first state-supported institution in Indiana to hold separate AACSB accreditation for the accounting program.
The college was recently ranked among the top 10 percent of business schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. It is home to the H.H. Gregg Center for Professional Selling, which was recently certified by the Professional Society for Sales and Marketing Training for its high educational standards.
If you are considering a major in business, you should pursue a strong college preparatory curriculum in high school, including four years of both English and math. High school business courses are not required for admission into business programs.
Before specializing in a specific major, you will begin your studies at Ball State with a group of courses common to all business majors, including math, accounting, economics, information systems, and management courses. This allows you to gain a broad perspective of business, offers greater flexibility, and gives you time to select the major that is the best fit for your interests and goals. During your junior year, you will select your area of specialization and take courses specific to your major.
The Miller College of Business offers programs in:
Business Administration
Business and Marketing Education
Human Resource Management
Information Systems
International Business
Operations Management
Risk Management and Insurance
Related Links
Miller College of Business


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Pets at Home's IPO prospectus opens a window into the lucrative world of Britain's cats and dogs. The company, which went public on Wednesday, has a 12 per cent share of the £5.4bn pet care market and there are some fascinating nuggets in its 261-page document. Here are six of the best.
1. What recession? Britain's pets haven't been tightening their collars.
Living standards in the UK have fallen to their lowest in a decade (a fact not unrelated to Poundland's successful IPO on Wednesday) but the country's pets appear to be better off than ever. Read more


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Columbus A Republican lawmaker from the Akron area introduced legislation Jan. 30 aimed making schools safer.
Rep. Kristina Roegner, from Hudson, said House Bill 8 is a placeholder, meaning its contents will be developed during coming committee deliberations.
But the bill could include firearms-related provisions as lawmakers grapple with their legislative response to the recent school shooting in Connecticut that left more than two dozen people, mostly youngsters, dead.
Certainly, its a priority for the House, not only in this state but I imagine across the nation, to make sure that our children are safe, Roegner said. So thats what this legislation will do.
In Ohio, only on-duty officers, hired security guards and those given permission by school boards are allowed to carry. Roegner recounted a recent conversation with a couple of police chiefs who suggested allowing off-duty officers carry firearms on school grounds.
The idea that these gentlemen brought to me was what about off-duty police officers? she said. They have the same training, theyre the same people, they want to protect the public, they know how to use their weapons. Why do they have to take their weapon off when they go into school and theyre off duty? Thats just one example of something that might be in the bill.
Also Jan. 30, the Senate announced the creation of a new joint committee on school safety to consider comparable issues. Sen. Frank LaRose, a Republican from the Akron area, is serving as co-chairman.
Our only agenda is to make sure our children are as safe as they can be and that we deter those who have violent intentions, Senate President Keith Faber, a Republican from Celina, said in a released statement. This committee will engage safety experts and the public in a thoughtful discussion to find reasonable solutions to the problem of violence in public spaces.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has said he is open to allowing trained school staff to carry firearms, and his office is offering training to teachers and school officials on how to respond to shooting incidents.
Roegners legislation was introduced Jan. 30, the same day of hearings in Washington, D.C., on gun issues. Among those testifying was former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head a year ago and suffered brain damage as a result.
Gun control advocates are pushing for prohibitions on certain types of weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Many firearms advocates, however, are calling for increased efforts to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill or those with violent tendencies rather than outright weapons bans.
We need to have a national conversation about our culture of violence and also about identifying, diagnosing and treating those with mental challenges that would perpetrate these kinds of crimes, said Republican Congressman Bill Johnson, whose district stretches along the Ohio River in the eastern part of the state. I dont agree with those using their first amendment right to attack law-abiding citizens Second Amendment rights.
He added, Were looking toward mental health issues, were looking toward other opportunities to make our schools secure.
Marc Kovac is the Dix Capital Bureau Chief. Email him at firstname.lastname@example.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.


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All Boots Ship Free (more...)
- Handcrafted in the USA
- Full-grain leather
- 8" shaft height
- Electrical hazard rated
- Protective toe classification: Steel toe
- Fiberglass shank
- Dri-Lex lining
- Round toe
- J-Max double comfort system with J-Flex
- Justin Jel removable orthotic insert
- J-Max polyurethane with elastomer heel and forepart pads
- Rubber outsole
Get to work in these Justin Men's Lace-Up Work Boots. Your feet will be ready to work with the J-Max Double Comfort System insole, J-Flex and removable Justin Jel orthotic insert, and J-Max polyurethane heel and forepart pads. Together these features provide comfort, support, and stability that lasts all throughout the long work hours. Handcrafted in the USA, Justin Boots provide quality craftsmanship and materials for grade A boots. With the steel protective toe classification, these boots will protect feet from falling and rolling objects. With comfort and protection, these boots can't go wrong.
Style(s): 443, 445
Justin Workboots maintains a commitment to domestic manufacturing with collections like J-MAX that is proudly handcrafted in the U.S. J-MAX is high-tech, top-of-the-line footwear for the worker who relies on boots for performance and comfort no matter the day's job. An American brand supporting American heroes, Justin Workboots has donated over $50,000 to Camp Patriot over the past three years, an organization hosting outdoor adventures for disabled veterans.
Within J-MAX, Stampede, Hybred, Work-Tek, Double Comfort, Worker II and other boot categories, Justin Workboots offers comfort and safety solutions for brutal weather and severe working conditions, including: composite safety toes that meet or exceed ASTM F2413-11 standards for impact, compression, and Electrical Hazard at a fraction of the weight; MetGuard with Poron XRD impact-absorbing technology that meets or exceeds ASTM F2413 standards for impact protection; Achilles Relief System to eliminate weak spots in foot comfort by using stretchable material, high-density foam, and moisture-wicking anti-microbial lining; and well-insulated and waterproof exterior combinations.


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Our Values
Our Shared Commitment: Caring with Pride
Our ultimate objective is to be trusted to deliver safe, effective healthcare to our community.
Our values, drivers and motivators
- Caring about what we do
- Respecting and valuing each other
- Listening in order to improve
- Always doing what we can to be helpful
Supporting each other by
- Working in partnership and responding to local needs
- Respecting differences and building on similarities
- Empowering people to be involved in decisions about how we provide care
- Encouraging others to behave respectfully in line with our values
For more information take a look at Our Shared Commitment.
Our work is guided by a set of values, drivers and motivators. These are not just words. They are a critical element of our organisational strategy.