Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. Regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities, he is the NFL leader in quarterback rushing yards and was the league's first quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Vick played college football at Virginia Tech, where he received first-team All-American honors and was selected first overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL Draft. During his six years with the Falcons, he was named to three Pro Bowls and finished second in NFL Most Valuable Player voting in 2004 while leading the team on two playoff runs, one division title, and an NFC Championship Game appearance.

Vick's NFL career came to a halt in 2007 after he pleaded guilty for his involvement in a dog fighting ring and spent 21 months in federal prison. His arrest and subsequent conviction garnered Vick notoriety with the general public, which lasted throughout the rest of his career. He was released by the Falcons shortly before leaving prison.

After serving his sentence, Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2009 season. As a member of the Eagles for five years, he enjoyed his greatest statistical season in 2010, earning him Comeback Player of the Year and a fourth Pro Bowl selection. In his final two seasons, Vick played one year each for the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, primarily as a backup. He officially retired in 2017 after spending the entirety of the 2016 season as a free agent.

Early life
Vick was born in Newport News, Virginia as the second of four children to Brenda Vick and Michael Boddie, then unmarried teenagers. His mother worked two jobs, obtained public financial assistance and had help from her parents, while his father worked long hours in the shipyards as a sandblaster and spray-painter. They were married when Michael was about five years old, but the children elected to continue to use their "Vick" surname. The family lived in the Ridley Circle Homes, a public housing project in a financially depressed and crime-ridden neighborhood located in the East End section of the port city. Local residents interviewed in a 2007 newspaper article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch noted that "not much [had] changed" nearly a decade after Vick left. One resident said that there was drug dealing, drive-by shootings, and other killings in the neighborhood, and suggested that sports were a way out and a dream for many. In a 2001 interview, Vick told the Newport News Daily Press that when he was 10 or 11, "I would go fishing even if the fish weren't biting, just to get away from the violence and stress of daily life in the projects."

Boddie's employment required a great deal of travel, but he taught football skills to his two sons at an early age. Vick was only three years old when his father, nicknamed "Bullet" for his speed during his own playing days, began teaching him the fundamentals. Michael subsequently taught the game to his younger brother, Marcus Vick.

As he grew up, Vick went by the nickname "Ookie", and learned about football from Aaron Brooks, a second cousin who was four years older. Vick and Brooks spent a lot of time at the local Boys and Girls Club.
"Sports kept me off the streets," Vick told Sporting News magazine in an interview published April 9, 2001. "It kept me from getting into what was going on, the bad stuff. Lots of guys I knew have had bad problems."

High school career
Vick first came to prominence while at Homer L. Ferguson High School in Newport News. As a freshman, he impressed many with his athletic ability; he threw for over 400 yards in a game that year. Ferguson High School was closed in 1996 as part of a Newport News Public Schools building modernization program. Vick, as a sophomore, and coach Tommy Reamon both moved to Warwick High School.

Vick was a three-year starter for the Warwick Raiders. Under Reamon's coaching, he passed for 4,846 yards with 43 touchdowns. He added 1,048 yards and 18 scores on the ground. As a senior, he passed for 1,668 yards, accounting for 10 passing and as many rushing touchdowns. During one game, he ran for six touchdowns and threw for three touchdowns.

Reamon, who had helped guide Brooks from Newport News to the University of Virginia, helped Vick with his SATs and helped him and his family choose between Syracuse University and Virginia Tech. Reamon favored Virginia Tech, where he felt better guidance was available under Frank Beamer, who promised to redshirt him and provide the freshman needed time to develop. Reamon sold Michael on the school's proximity to family and friends, and Vick chose to attend Virginia Tech. As he left the Newport News public housing projects in 1998 with a college football scholarship in hand, Vick was seen in the Newport News community as a success story.

College career

1999 season
In his first collegiate game, as a redshirt freshman, against James Madison in 1999, Vick scored three rushing touchdowns in just over one quarter of play. He made a spectacular flip to score his last touchdown but landed awkwardly on his ankle, forcing him to miss the remainder of the game and all of the following game. During the season, Vick led a last-minute game-winning drive against West Virginia in the annual Black Diamond Trophy game. He led the Hokies to an 11–0 undefeated season and to the Bowl Championship Series national title game in the Nokia Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech lost 46–29, Vick brought the team back from a 21-point deficit to take a brief lead. During the season, Vick appeared on the cover of an ESPN The Magazine issue.

Vick led the NCAA in passing efficiency in 1999, a record for a freshman (180.4) and the third-highest all-time mark. Vick won both an ESPY Award as the nation's top college player and the first-ever Archie Griffin Award as college football's most valuable player. He won the Big East Offensive Player of the Year. He was invited to the 1999 Heisman Trophy presentation and finished third in the voting behind Ron Dayne and Joe Hamilton. Vick's third-place finish matched the highest finish ever by a freshman up to that point, first set by Herschel Walker in 1980.

2000 season
One highlight of Vick's 2000 season was his career high rushing total of 210 yards against Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Against West Virginia University in the Black Diamond Trophy game, Vick accounted for 288 total yards of offense and two touchdowns in a 48–20 win. The following week, Vick led the Hokies back from a 14–0 deficit to beat Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, where the Hokies had not won since 1986. Vick put the game away with a 55-yard run with 1:34 left.

In the following game, against Pittsburgh, Vick was injured and had to miss the rest of the game. He also missed the game against Central Florida, and was unable to start against the Miami Hurricanes, who handed Virginia Tech their only loss of the season. Vick's final game while playing for Virginia Tech was against the Clemson Tigers in the Toyota Gator Bowl; Virginia Tech won and Vick was named the game's MVP. His football accomplishments in two seasons led to his induction in to the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

Vick finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting for the 2000 season. Vick left Virginia Tech after his redshirt sophomore season. Aware that the rest of his family was still living in their three-bedroom apartment in the Ridley Circle Homes, Vick stated that he was going to buy his mother "a home and a car." ESPN later reported that Vick used some of his NFL and endorsement earnings to buy his mother a brand-new house in an upscale section of Suffolk, Virginia.

College statistics

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

At his Pro Day workout, Vick ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds; his time has been clocked as low as 4.25, the fastest-ever for an NFL quarterback. Vick was selected first in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first African-American quarterback to be taken with the top pick. The San Diego Chargers had the number-one selection, but traded it to the Atlanta Falcons the day before the draft for the Falcons' first- and third-round picks in 2001. Vick was selected in the 30th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies, despite not playing baseball since the eighth grade.

He signed a six-year $62 million contract.

2001 season
Vick made his NFL debut against the San Francisco 49ers on September 9, 2001, and saw limited action. He completed his first NFL pass to wide receiver Tony Martin in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers on September 23 and scored his first NFL touchdown on a two-yard rush in the fourth quarter to help the Falcons to a 24–16 victory. Vick made his first start against the Dallas Cowboys on November 11 and threw his first touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler in a 20–13 victory. He accounted for 234 of Atlanta's 255 yards in the season finale against the St. Louis Rams on January 6, 2002. In two starts and eight total games played that season, Vick completed 50 of 113 passes for 785 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He rushed 31 times for 289 yards (9.3 avg.) and one touchdown.

2002 season
Vick made 15 starts in 2002, missing one game against the New York Giants on October 13 with a sprained shoulder.  He completed 231 of 421 passes for 2,936 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had 113 carries for 777 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. Vick set numerous single-game career highs during the season, including in passes completed, pass attempts, and passing yards. Vick also set a then-NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game with 173 against the Minnesota Vikings on December 1, broken by Colin Kaepernick (181) in 2013. He tied for third in team history for the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in a season. He had a streak of 177 passes without an interception as the Falcons finished with a 9–6–1 win-loss-tie record and reached the playoffs. On January 4, 2003, Vick led the Falcons to an upset victory over the heavily favored Green Bay Packers 27–7 in the Wild Card Round. The Falcons lost 20–6 to the Donovan McNabb-led Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football Conference Divisional Round the following week. Vick was named to his first Pro Bowl after the season.

2003 season
Vick suffered a fractured right fibula during a preseason game before the 2003 season against the Baltimore Ravens. He missed the first 11 games of the regular season, making his debut in week 13. Vick substituted for quarterback Doug Johnson during the third quarter in a game against the Houston Texans on November 30, completing 8 of 11 passes for 60 yards and rushing for 16 yards on three carries. He started his first game of the season against the Carolina Panthers on December 7 and amassed the third-highest rushing total by a quarterback in NFL history with 141 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown. The Falcons won the game 21–14. Vick ended the season with a 21–14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 28 in which he completed 12 of 22 passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

2004 season
Vick returned to form in 2004, passing for 2,313 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also added 902 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Falcons finished with an 11–5 record. On October 31, 2004, in a game against the Denver Broncos, he became the first quarterback to throw for more than 250 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game. Vick set an NFL postseason record for a quarterback with 119 rushing yards in the first round of the 2004 NFL playoffs; Atlanta beat the St. Louis Rams 47–17 in the Divisional Round, but lost the following week 27–10 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Vick, whose single-season rushing total was the third-highest for a quarterback in NFL history, was named to his second Pro Bowl after leading Atlanta to their third division title at the end of the season. He signed a nine-year $130 million extension on December 23. Vick finished second in the NFL MVP voting earning one first place vote, preventing Peyton Manning to be a unanimous choice.

2005 season
Vick made his third Pro Bowl after the 2005 season, during which he passed for 2,412 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 597 rushing yards and six touchdowns. The Falcons, however, finished with an 8–8 record and missed the playoffs.

2006 season
In 2006, Vick became the first quarterback to ever rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. He also set a record by rushing for 8.4 yards per carry. Vick and teammate Warrick Dunn became the first quarterback-running back duo to each surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. Despite Vick's record-setting season, the Falcons finished with a 7–9 record and again missed the playoffs.

Suspension
In August 2007, hours after Vick pleaded guilty to federal charges in the Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation, the NFL suspended him indefinitely without pay for violating its player conduct policy. In a letter to Vick, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the quarterback had admitted to conduct that was "not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible." While Vick was technically a first-time offender under the league's personal conduct policy, Goodell handed down a harsher suspension because Vick admitted he provided most of the money for the gambling side of the dog fighting operation. Goodell left open the possibility of reinstating Vick depending on how he cooperated with federal and state authorities. Goodell had barred Vick from reporting to training camp while the league conducted its own investigation into the matter. At his July 26 arraignment, the terms of his bail barred him from leaving Virginia before the November trial– effectively ending any realistic chance of Vick playing a down in 2007.

On August 27, Falcons owner Arthur Blank said at a press conference that the Falcons would seek to recover a portion of Vick's signing bonus. He said the team had no immediate plans to cut Vick, citing salary-cap issues. It initially appeared that Goodell had cleared the way for the Falcons to release Vick, since he ruled that Vick's involvement in gambling activity breached his contract. On August 29, the Falcons sent a letter to Vick demanding that he reimburse them for $20 million of his $37 million bonus. The case was sent to arbitration, and on October 10, an arbitrator ruled that Vick had to reimburse the Falcons for $19.97 million. The arbitrator agreed with the Falcons' contention that Vick knew he was engaging in illegal activity when he signed his new contract in 2004, and that he had used the bonus money to pay for the operation.

In February 2009, the Falcons revealed that they were considering trading Vick to another NFL team. Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff said NFL rules allowed teams to trade the contractual rights to suspended players. The Falcons released Vick in early June, however, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Philadelphia Eagles

After his release from prison, Vick was mentored by former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy. The prospect of his return to professional football was the subject of much conjecture as his suspension and incarceration continued. In 2007, ESPN's John Clayton said few general managers were in a strong enough position to consider taking a chance on Vick, and even then most NFL owners would be concerned about a fan and media backlash. There was also no chance of Vick resurrecting his career in the Canadian Football League, he said. Following a furor in 2007 over Ricky Williams playing there while serving a suspension, the CFL banned players currently suspended by the NFL. In any case, Clayton said it would be nearly impossible for a convicted felon to get a Canadian work visa. He did think, however, that Vick would be "unstoppable" if he decided to play in the Arena Football League.

2009 season
Vick signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on August 13, 2009. The contract was worth $1.6 million, with no money guaranteed. It contained a team option for the 2010 season worth $5 million. Vick was allowed to participate in all team practices and meetings as well as the Eagles' last two preseason games. He was eligible to play in the third week of the regular season. Starting quarterback Donovan McNabb told reporters he gave coach Andy Reid the idea to sign Vick.

Vick was activated to the 53-man roster in mid-September and played sparingly for the rest of the season as McNabb's backup. In week 13 against the Atlanta Falcons, Vick both threw and ran for a touchdown, his first scores since December 2006. Vick was voted by teammates as the winner of the Ed Block Courage Award in December. The award honors players who "exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage". "It means a great deal to me," Vick said at the time. "I was voted unanimously by my teammates. They know what I've been through. I've been through a lot. It's been great to come back and have an opportunity to play and be with a great group of guys. I'm just ecstatic about that and I enjoy every day." The Eagles finished the season with an 11–5 record, making the playoffs. In the team's NFC Wild Card Round game against the Dallas Cowboys on January 9, 2010, Vick threw the longest touchdown pass of his career to rookie Jeremy Maclin for a 76-yard touchdown. The Eagles lost the game 34–14.

2010 season
Reid named Donovan McNabb the Eagles' starter for the 2010 season, but McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins and Kevin Kolb was named the starter. While relegated to a second-string role, Vick said he knew he could still play at a high level. Asked if he wanted the Eagles to pick up the second year of his contract, he said, "I hope so...I feel like I'm probably better than I ever was in my career, as far as the mental aspect of the game." The Eagles exercised his option for 2010 in March and Vick received a $1.5 million roster bonus.

Reid named Vick the Eagles' starting quarterback on September 21 after Kolb suffered a concussion, and Vick performed well in his stead. In his second game as an Eagles starter versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vick led the Eagles to a 28–3 win, throwing for 291 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another touchdown. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. Vick suffered a rib cartilage injury in a week 4 game against Washington, and was replaced by Kolb. Vick had passed for 49 yards with three carries for 17 yards in the game prior to the injury.

In a Week 10 Monday Night Football matchup against the Washington on November 14, Vick passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 80 yards and another two touchdowns. Vick threw an 88-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson on the first play from scrimmage in the game, and went on to help lead the Eagles to a 59–28 victory. Vick was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week following his performance, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame asked for his game jersey to display after he became the first player to pass for three touchdowns and rush for two touchdowns in the first half of a game. In a game later in the season against the New York Giants, Vick led a fourth-quarter rally to erase a 21-point deficit. He accounted for three touchdowns to tie the game with under two minutes left. DeSean Jackson returned the Giants' last punt of the game for a touchdown to win the game for the Eagles as time expired. Vick earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against the Giants. Vick finished the season with 3,018 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and six interceptions with a passer rating of 100.2. He had 100 carries for 676 yards and nine touchdowns. Philadelphia finished with a 10–6 record in 2010 and made the playoffs, but lost to the Green Bay Packers 21–16 in the Wild Card Round.

Vick made his fourth Pro Bowl after the season and was named the Eagles' starting quarterback. The Associated Press and Sporting News named him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He also won the Bert Bell Award on March 4, 2011. Vick finished second in the NFL Offensive Player of the Year with 11 first place votes and NFL MVP both awarded to Tom Brady who won MVP unanimously. In early 2011, the Eagles placed their franchise tag on Vick. He signed the one-year tender on March 2. On August 29, however, Vick and the Eagles announced they had agreed on a 6-year, $100 million contract with almost $40 million in guaranteed money.

2011 season
In Week 4, against the San Francisco 49ers, Vick had 416 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and one interception to go along with eight carries for 75 rushing yards. The final game of the season was a 34–10 victory on January 1, 2012, at home against Washington. Vick completed 24 of 39 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns. In the 2011 season, Vick appeared in and started 13 games. He finished with 3,303 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, and 14 interceptions to go along with 76 carries for 589 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Led by Vick, Philadelphia finished the 2011 season with an 8–8 record. The team began with a 4–8 record before winning four games in a row to finish the season.

2012 season
Vick came into week one of the 2012 season as the starter, despite a solid showing from rookie Nick Foles in the preseason. Vick led the Eagles to a 17–16 victory in week one against the Cleveland Browns despite throwing four interceptions. The Eagles won the following game against the Baltimore Ravens, but lost 27–6 in the third week of the season to the Arizona Cardinals. Facing former teammate Kevin Kolb, Vick completed only 17 of 37 passes with no touchdowns and two lost fumbles. The Eagles went on to beat the New York Giants, but then lost three straight games. After the third loss against the Atlanta Falcons on October 28, calls for coach Andy Reid to replace Vick with Foles intensified. Reid refused to make the move.

The Eagles lost another game against the New Orleans Saints, and Vick remained the starting quarterback for a week 10 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Vick was injured in that game, which the Eagles lost, and was replaced by Foles. On December 3, after Vick had already been sidelined for three weeks, Reid officially named Foles the starter for the remainder of the season. After a Foles injury in week 16, Vick was named the starter for the season finale against the Giants in New York. Vick went 19 of 35 for 197 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, and also ran five times for 25 yards. The Eagles, however, lost the game 42–7, to end the season with a 1–5 division record and 4–12 overall record.

2013 season
On February 11, 2013, the Eagles and Vick agreed on a one-year restructured contract worth up to $10 million. New head coach Chip Kelly announced that Vick, Foles, and rookie Matt Barkley would compete for the starting job. After a stellar preseason, Vick was able to reclaim his starting job from Foles, who was named Vick's backup.

Vick started out well, winning his first game against Washington and throwing his first career 400-yard game in a close loss to the San Diego Chargers, with four passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and no interceptions in the two-game stretch. After that, Vick suffered losses against the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, where he threw for one touchdown and three interceptions in that stretch (all three were thrown against Kansas City). In a game against the New York Giants, Vick was 6 of 14 for 105 yards, when he suffered a hamstring injury. Nick Foles played stellar in his place, going 8–2 as starter, while throwing 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions with a 119.0 passer rating. Vick saw his only playing time in a 15–7 loss to the Giants, where he was 6 of 9 for 30 yards and an interception, but he again suffered an injury, this time to his quadriceps, and was replaced by rookie Matt Barkley, who played even worse. Foles returned the following week, and Vick spent the rest of the season as the backup, making only one more appearance in a blowout win over the Chicago Bears.

New York Jets
Vick signed a one-year $5 million contract with the New York Jets on March 21, 2014, the same day the Jets released Mark Sanchez. The Eagles signed Sanchez one week later.

Vick chose to wear #8 as a tribute to Steve Young, although several days later he decided to change it to No. 1, as #7 was already taken by Geno Smith. Vick became the first quarterback in franchise history to wear the number. During Week 5 against the San Diego Chargers, Vick came in relief of a struggling Geno Smith following halftime and finished the game with 47 passing yards as the Jets were shut out by the Chargers, 31–0. After seven consecutive losses, Rex Ryan named Vick the starter over Smith for the Week 9 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Vick became the first quarterback to reach 6,000 rushing yards during Week 10 in a 20–13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was one of three games that Vick started for the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers
On August 25, 2015, Vick signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers worth $970,000.

His signing by the Steelers caused a social media backlash by many Steeler fans, with some saying that they would never support the team again. Fans who supported or were indifferent about the signing called such fans fair weather fans, and also cited that the Steelers have several players with questionable pasts, most notably Roethlisberger and James Harrison. The Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania made a subtle jab at the team on Twitter by saying that they were now more proud to support the Pittsburgh Penguins and subsequently moved an upcoming fundraiser event from Heinz Field to Consol Energy Center. Steelers president Art Rooney II defended the Vick signing on KDKA-TV, saying that they felt that Vick had proven himself since being released from prison. The Steelers had considered signing Vick in 2009—both Vick and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin are from the same part of Virginia and know each other well personally—but decided against it due to potential backlash since Vick at the time hadn't proven himself following his release from prison.

In Week 3, Vick was brought into action against the St. Louis Rams after Roethlisberger sustained a knee injury that sidelined him for 4–6 weeks. In five weeks, Vick went 40 for 66 with two touchdowns and one interception, also rushing for 99 yards on 20 attempts. Vick suffered a hamstring injury in a win against the Arizona Cardinals and was replaced by Landry Jones. Vick would miss six games, and Roethlisberger eventually returned to his starting role. Vick would be inactive the remainder of the season, leading some sports commentators to speculate that Vick's playing career may be over.

Retirement
In 2016, Vick announced he would play one more season in the NFL. However, after not signing with a team all season, he officially announced his retirement from professional football on February 3, 2017. On June 12, 2017, Vick retired as an Atlanta Falcon.

Post-NFL career
On June 28, 2017, Vick began participating in the newly formed American Flag Football League, serving as captain of Team Vick. The following year, he captained the Roadrunners, who ultimately lost to Chad Johnson's team in the AFFL semifinal 26–13.

During their 2017 training camp, Vick joined his former coach Andy Reid as a coaching intern with the Kansas City Chiefs after stating his previous interest in coaching. After the Chiefs concluded their 2017 training camp, he become an NFL analyst on Fox NFL Kickoff on FS1.

On April 25, 2018, Vick was hired as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football. Vick said, regarding becoming a coach, "I didn't think I ever wanted to coach but talking about the game at Fox, I get excited like I'm out there playing again. But, it's still not touching individuals. When the opportunity came about, I felt like I could really make a difference and give back to the game. …Once I found out it was in Atlanta, I thought it was a home run." Shortly before the season began, head coach Kevin Coyle announced Vick would no longer serve as offensive coordinator, but would still remain with the team as a consultant.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Early controversies
Between his selection by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL Draft and early 2007, Vick was allegedly involved in several incidents:
 In early 2004, two men were arrested in Virginia for distributing marijuana. The truck they were driving was registered to Vick. Falcons coach Dan Reeves said he lectured Vick at that time on the importance of reputation, choosing the right friends, and staying out of trouble for the good of his team.
 On October 10, 2004, Vick and other members of his entourage, including employee Quanis Phillips, were at Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport on their way to board an AirTran flight. While they were passing through a security checkpoint, a security camera caught Phillips and Todd Harris picking up an expensive-appearing watch which belonged to Alvin Spencer, a security screener. After watching the theft on a videotape, Spencer filed a police report. He claimed that Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, known as the Falcons' "fixer", interfered with the investigation. Although Vick's representatives declined to make him available for an Atlanta police inquiry, Spencer got the watch back six days later.
 In March 2005, Sonya Elliott filed a civil lawsuit against Vick alleging she contracted genital herpes from him in the autumn of 2002 and that he failed to inform her that he had the disease. Elliot further alleged that Vick had visited clinics under the alias "Ron Mexico" to get treatments and thus knew of his condition. On April 24, 2006, Vick's attorney, Lawrence Woodward, revealed that the lawsuit had been settled out of court under undisclosed terms. Many fans bought custom jerseys from NFL.com with Vick's #7 and the name "MEXICO" on the back. The NFL later banned customizing jerseys with the name Mexico.
 After a loss to the New Orleans Saints on November 26, 2006, in the Georgia Dome, Vick made an obscene gesture at fans in an apparent reaction to booing, holding up both hands with the middle finger extended. He was fined $10,000 by the NFL and agreed to donate another $10,000 to charity.
 Vick surrendered a water bottle that had a hidden compartment to security personnel at Miami International Airport on January 17, 2007. "The compartment was hidden by the bottle's label so that it appeared to be a full bottle of water when held upright," police said. Test results indicated there were no illegal substances in the water bottle and Vick was cleared of any wrongdoing. Vick announced that the water bottle was a jewelry stash box, and that the substance in question had been jewelry.
 On April 24, 2007, Vick was scheduled to lobby on Capitol Hill, hoping to persuade lawmakers to increase funding for after-school programs. Vick missed a connecting flight in Atlanta on Monday to Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. He failed to show up for another seat booked for him later that evening. On Tuesday morning, he did not attend his scheduled appearance at a congressional breakfast where he was to be honored for his foundation's work with after-school projects in Georgia and Virginia. Vick's mother, Brenda, accepted the award from the Afterschool Alliance.
 In 2007, Vick's father, Michael Boddie, made statements about possible dogfighting activities in 2001. Boddie told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that around 2001, Vick was staging dogfights in the garage of the family's home in Newport News and kept fighting dogs in the family's backyard, including injured ones that the father nursed back to health. Boddie said his son had been urged to not engage in the activity, but continued. "This is Mike's thing," he said. "And he knows it." Within days, Vick's mother, Brenda Vick Boddie, told the Newport News Daily Press that "There was no dogfighting. There were no cages."

Dog fighting

A search warrant executed on April 25, 2007, as part of a drug investigation of Vick's cousin Davon Boddie led to discovery of evidence of unlawful dog fighting activities at a property owned by Vick in rural Surry County in southeastern Virginia, with extensive facilities for the activity. Media attention quickly grew as state officials investigated, soon joined by federal authorities. As separate state and federal investigations progressed, more details emerged about an interstate dog-fighting ring that involved drugs and gambling. Gruesome details of abuse, torture, and execution of under-performing dogs galvanized animal rights activists and expressions of public outrage. Vick and several others were indicted on federal and Virginia state felony charges related to the operation.

Federal prosecution and conviction

In July 2007, Vick and three other men were indicted on federal felony charges of operating an unlawful interstate dog fighting venture known as "Bad Newz Kennels". Vick was accused of financing the operation, directly participating in dog fights and executions, and personally handling thousands of dollars in related gambling activities. Federal prosecutors indicated they intended to proceed under the provisions of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.

By August 20, Vick and the other three co-defendants agreed to separate plea bargains for the federal charges. They were expected to each receive federal prison sentences of between one and five years. Four days later, Vick filed plea documents with the federal court. He pleaded guilty to "Conspiracy to Travel in Interstate Commerce in Aid of Unlawful Activities and to Sponsor a Dog in an Animal Fighting Venture". Vick admitted to providing most of the financing for the operation, and to participating directly in several dog fights in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He admitted to sharing in the proceeds from these dog fights. He further admitted that he knew his colleagues killed several dogs who did not perform well. Vick also admitted to taking part in the killings of 6–8 dogs, by hanging, beating, and drowning. The "victimization and killing of pit bulls" was considered an aggravating circumstance, allowing prosecutors to exceed the federal sentencing guidelines for the charge. Vick denied placing any side bets on the dogfights. On August 27, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted Vick's guilty plea, but reminded Vick that he (Hudson) was under no obligation to accept the prosecution's recommendation of a reduced sentence.

While free on bail, Vick tested positive for marijuana in a random drug test. This was a violation of the conditions of his release while awaiting sentencing in federal court. Vick's positive urine sample was submitted on September 13, 2007, according to a document filed by a federal probation officer on September 26. As a result, Hudson ordered Vick confined to his Hampton, Virginia home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with electronic monitoring until his court hearing date in December. He was ordered to submit to random drug testing.

In November, Vick turned himself in early to begin accruing time-served credit against his likely federal prison sentence. He was held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia awaiting sentencing on the federal convictions. On December 10, Vick appeared in U.S. District Court in Richmond for sentencing. Judge Hudson said he was "convinced that it was not a momentary lack of judgment" on Vick's part, and that Vick was a "full partner" in the dog fighting ring, and he was sentenced to serve 23 months in federal prison. Hudson noted that despite Vick's claim to have accepted responsibility for his actions, his failure to cooperate fully with federal officials, coupled with a failed drug test and a failed polygraph, showed that he had not taken full responsibility for "promoting, funding and facilitating this cruel and inhumane sporting activity". Vick was assigned to United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth, a federal prison facility in Leavenworth, Kansas, to serve his sentence.

At the request of federal authorities before sentencing, Vick agreed to deposit nearly $1 million in an escrow account with attorneys to reimburse others for the costs of caring for the confiscated dogs, most of which were being offered for adoption on a selective basis under supervision of a court-appointed specialist. Experts said some of the animals would require special care for the rest of their lives. During the administration of his bankruptcy case, the U.S. Department of Labor complained that these funds were paid at least partially with unlawfully withdrawn monies that Vick held in trust for himself and eight other employees of MV7, a celebrity marketing company he owned.

State prosecution and sentencing
Separate Virginia charges against all four defendants in the dog-fighting case were brought following indictments by the Surry County grand jury when it met on September 25, 2007. The principal evidence considered was sworn statements of the defendants during their plea agreement process before the federal court. Vick was charged with two class-6 felonies, which each carried a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

Citing the high costs and transportation logistics of proceeding while Vick was still in federal prison, state prosecutor Gerald Poindexter decided to postpone Vick's trial in Surry County Circuit Court until after Vick's release from federal custody. Vick's attorneys sought to resolve the state charges sooner. On October 14, 2008, Vick's attorney Lawrence Woodward filed a motion to enter a plea via two-way electronic video with the Surry County Courts. Vick planned to plead guilty to state charges in an effort to get early release from federal prison and enter a halfway house. The request for a trial without Vick physically present was denied, but Poindexter agreed to hold the state trial while Vick was still in federal custody if Vick bore the costs of his transportation to Virginia and related expenses.

Vick was transported to Virginia in November 2008 to face the state charges. He appeared before the Surry County Circuit Court on November 25 at a session held in neighboring Sussex County because the Surry court building was undergoing renovation. He submitted a guilty plea to a single Virginia felony charge for dog fighting, receiving a 3-year prison sentence suspended on condition of good behavior, and a $2,500 fine. In return for the plea agreement, the other charge was dropped. Michael Dwayne Vick, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) ID# 33765-183, was released on July 20, 2009.

Political activity
In 2011, Vick lobbied for H.R. 2492, the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which would establish federal misdemeanor penalties for spectators of illegal animal fighting and make it a felony for adults to bring children to fights. The law passed in 2012.

Financial troubles
At the end of 2006, Sports Illustrated magazine estimated Vick's annual income between his NFL salary and endorsements at $25.4 million, ranking him just below NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a listing of highest earning athletes. Vick's finances suffered, however, from poor management, bad investments and lawsuits. Certified Financial Planner Michael Smith advised Vick from 2003 to 2005, but resigned after Vick took bad advice from friends, made ill-conceived investments, overspent, and otherwise undermined the wealth-building plan that Smith had created. Smith's plan was for Vick to have a net wealth of $100 million by 2010; by that date Vick was actually an estimated $20 million in debt.

In 2006, a $45 million lawsuit was pending in a dispute with Vick's original sports agents. Several lucrative endorsement deals soured.

After the dog fighting indictments were announced in July 2007, financial claims against Vick escalated. His financial affairs strained, Vick was unable to meet scheduled payments and other obligations. Within several months, he had been named in numerous lawsuits by banks and creditors for defaulting on loans, some of them related to business investments. The dog fighting property near Smithfield, Virginia had been liquidated earlier, and in November 2007, Vick attempted to sell another of his homes.

In June 2008, when Vick's brother, Marcus, was arrested and jailed in Norfolk after a police chase, he listed his residence as a $1.39 million home owned by Vick in an exclusive riverfront community in Suffolk, Virginia. Construction of a new riverfront home took place on land Vick owned in another exclusive section of Suffolk. His attorneys later estimated that he was spending $30,000 a month to support seven friends and relatives, including his mother and brother, three children, and their mothers.

Bankruptcy
On July 7, 2008, Vick sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newport News after failing to "work out consensual resolutions with each of his creditors," according to court papers. The initial filing, which was incomplete, listed assets of less than $50 million and debts of between $10 million and $50 million. The seven largest creditors without collateral backing their claims were owed a total of $12.8 million. The three biggest unsecured creditors were Joel Enterprises Inc., owed $4.5 million for breach of contract; Atlanta Falcons, owed $3.75 million for a pro-rated signing bonus; and Royal Bank of Canada, owed $2.5 million in loans.

Major financial obligations
Joel Enterprises of Richmond was listed as one of Vick's larger creditors. Sports agents Andrew Joel and Dave Lowman claimed Vick signed a contract with their firm in 2001, nine days before he announced he was leaving Virginia Tech early and declaring himself eligible for the NFL Draft. With his mother as a witness, Vick signed a five-year marketing agreement that anticipated a wide range of endorsement activities using Vick's name, likeness, voice, and reputation. Joel's cut was 25% of all deals, excluding Vick's NFL contract, according to the agreement. Vick attempted to end the relationship with Joel Enterprises a few weeks later, and entered into another relationship with other agents. In 2005, Joel Enterprises sued Vick in Richmond Circuit Court for $45 million in compensatory and punitive damages for breach of contract. After the Virginia Supreme Court denied a Vick motion and ruled that the civil trial could proceed in December 2006, the parties agreed to submit the dispute to binding arbitration for resolution instead of a formal civil court trial. The outcome of the case was an award of $4.5 million to Joel.

The Atlanta Falcons sought to recover a portion of Vick's $37 million 2004 signing bonus. A reduced amount of $20 million was awarded to the Falcons in binding legal arbitration, which Vick disputed. The sides agreed to reduce the amount to between $6.5 and $7.5 million. The bankruptcy court was advised of this Vick-Falcons settlement agreement on April 3, 2009.

On September 20, 2007, the Royal Bank of Canada filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Newport News against Vick for more than $2.3 million over a loan tied to real estate. The suit claimed Vick failed to meet a September 10 deadline to repay. On May 7, 2008, the court granted a motion for summary judgment against Vick for default and breach of a promissory note and ordered him to pay the bank more than $2.5 million.

On September 26, 2007, 1st Source Bank, based in South Bend, Indiana, claimed damages of at least $2 million in a federal lawsuit, alleging Vick and Divine Seven LLC of Atlanta refused to pay for at least 130 vehicles acquired to be used as rental cars. The bank's Specialty Financing Group provided financing for rental car fleets.

Wachovia Bank also filed a federal suit in October 2007 in Atlanta seeking about $940,000 from Vick and Gerald Frank Jenkins, a business partner. The bank claimed the two men and their business, Atlantic Wine & Package LLC, defaulted on a May 2006 loan of $1.3 million to set up a wine shop and restaurant. Jenkins, a retired surgeon who owned Atlantic Wine since 2004, brought Vick in as an investor. In May 2008, the U.S. District Court in Atlanta granted a summary judgment in favor of Wachovia. The judgment of $1.11 million included the initial principal balance, interest accrued, fees, overdrawn accounts, and legal fees. The order provided that further interest could be accrued.

The United States Department of Labor filed another lawsuit in federal district court in Newport News on March 25, 2009, alleging Vick and others violated federal employee benefits laws by withdrawing $1.35 million from a retirement plan sponsored by MV7, one of Vick's companies. The money was held in trust under pension laws to fund retirement plans for nine MV7 employees. The Labor Department simultaneously filed a complaint in federal bankruptcy court to prevent Vick from discharging his alleged debt to the MV7 pension plan. The complaint alleged that some of the funds were used to pay restitution ordered in his dogfighting case.

Early proceedings
In August 2008, trustee W. Clarkson McDow Jr. was appointed to manage Vick's bankruptcy. The trustee noted in court documents that Vick "has limited ability to arrange his finances and limited ability to participate in the bankruptcy case on an in-person basis." McDow wrote in court documents that it appeared Vick had "routinely relied upon others to make financial decisions for him, giving them discretionary control over large sums of money". McDow named Mary Wong and David A. Talbot as people who had obtained broad written authority to act as his attorney-in-fact over all of his financial affairs.

Vick had hired Wong, a business manager in Omaha, Nebraska, in the fall of 2007 on the recommendation of Falcons teammate Demorrio Williams. Wong helped cash in some of Vick's investments to provide restitution funds required by the federal court in his criminal case. According to a document filed by one of Vick's attorneys, she used a power of attorney from Vick to "wrongfully remove" at least another $900,000 from his various accounts. Court papers also alleged Wong "caused certain business entities owned by [Vick] to be transferred to her." Vick learned later that Wong had been permanently barred from working with any firm that traded on the New York Stock Exchange as the result of taking more than $150,000 from two elderly widows she met while working at Wells Fargo.

Vick next turned to Talbot, a medical school graduate from Hackensack, New Jersey who claimed to have expertise in financial management. Vick later told the court he met Talbot in April 2008 through his brother, Marcus. Talbot was to be paid $15,000 per month and took possession of one of Vick's cars, an $85,000 Mercedes-Benz. Vick later discovered that Talbot's résumé contained numerous false statements. Talbot had been accused of defrauding church members in New Jersey. The New Jersey Attorney General started legal action against Talbot for securities fraud over an alleged scheme to defraud investors of more than $500,000 by offering them "asset enhancement contracts" to be used to build a new church. U.S. bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro ordered that the Mercedes-Benz Vick gave Talbot be repossessed and sold, and that Talbot appear at a hearing on September 5.

Paul K. Campsen, one of Vick's lawyers, told the court that Vick "has supported his mother, brother, fiancée and his two children" over the years. He said Vick's financial problems included average monthly expenses of $12,225 for several large homes his family and friends were living in and a monthly income of just $277.69.

Reorganization plan
Vick's attorneys filed a first plan of reorganization through bankruptcy on November 12, 2008. Under the plan, Vick was to sell three of his six homes. Vick's expenses, meanwhile, included support payments of approximately $30,000 a month. They included $14,531 a month to his mother, $12,363 a month to his fiancée and two daughters, and $3,500 a month to his former girlfriend Tameka Taylor, with whom he had a child. Creditors challenged Vick's spending plan given his loss of salary and suspension from the NFL. Vick's attorneys told the judge on November 13 that Vick "has every reason to believe that upon his release, he will be reinstated into the NFL, resume his career and be able to earn a substantial living."

After creditors objected to the initial reorganization plan, Vick appeared in person before Santoro at a hearing in Newport News on April 2, 2009. Santoro had decided not to allow testimony by video in March, saying he needed Vick in the courtroom to assess his demeanor and credibility. Vick testified that he intended to live a better life after prison. He said his crime was "heinous" and felt "true remorse". Near the end of the hearing, Santoro rejected the plan as unsound, saying that it was too strongly predicated on Vick's return to the NFL and the substantial projected income it would bring, neither of which was assured.

The judge commended Vick for trying to work out his financial mess after years of poor choices, but told Vick the numbers did not add up. Santoro adjourned the case and told Vick to work with his advisers to create a new plan, suggesting Vick begin by liquidating one or both of his Virginia homes, as well as three of the cars he intended to keep, and "buy a house more within his means." Vick had testified that he felt obligated to provide for friends and family because of "where he had come from." Santoro told Vick that while that was commendable, "You cannot be everything to everybody. If you do, you're going to be nothing to anybody."

On April 28, attorneys met with Santoro and said they made substantial progress on a revised plan. They reported having settled all disputes with Vick's creditors, including Joel. On August 27, Santoro approved the revised reorganization plan. It was supported by all of Vick's creditors but one who was owed $13,000. Every creditor was to be paid back in six years on the condition that an estimated $9 million in assets be liquidated. Vick was allowed annual living expenses of $300,000 under the plan. He could spend up to $3,500 a month for rent in Philadelphia and $750 for "utilities and miscellaneous". He was to pay $3,712 a month on the mortgage for his house in Hampton, Virginia, where his fiancée and two children lived, and could pay up to $1,355 per month in private school tuition for his children. Vick was also given up to $472 a month in car-related expenses. His mother was allowed $2,500 per month, and his former girlfriend Tameka Taylor was allotted $3,000 per month to support their son, Mitez. Vick was not required to pay creditors during his first season with the Eagles. Vick paid his agent, Joel Segal, $32,500 in 2010, $104,000 in 2011, and would pay him $160,000 each year from 2012 to 2015 for a total of $776,500. He paid bankruptcy lawyers $748,750 in 2010, $1 million in 2011, and a total of $2.6 million.

Endorsements
During his career with the Falcons, Vick became a spokesperson for many companies. He had endorsement contracts with companies including Nike, EA Sports, Coca-Cola, Powerade, Kraft, Rawlings, Hasbro, and AirTran.

Even before the animal cruelty case surfaced in 2007, however, Vick's corporate status had deteriorated. Among the negative incidents was his middle finger gesture to Atlanta football fans in 2006. Vick's first endorsement after being released from prison was a two-year deal on January 27, 2011, with Unequal Technologies, a company that produces football pads. Nike officially signed Vick again as an athlete on July 1, 2011. The company had been supplying him with complimentary gear since October 2009; his re-signing marked the first time a sponsor had brought back an athlete after dropping him.

In 2012, Vick launched a sports clothing line called V7 to be sold exclusively at Modell's. Part of the proceeds was to go to the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia.

Charitable foundations
Vick has been a principal in two charitable foundations, the Michael Vick Foundation and The Vick Foundation. In June 2006, Vick, along with his brother Marcus and mother Brenda, established The Vick Foundation, a nonprofit organization to support at-risk youth with after-school programs in the Metro Atlanta and Hampton Roads areas. The announcement of the new organization came just before the start of the foundation's first fundraiser, the Michael Vick Golf Classic. The inaugural event was held at the prestigious Kingsmill Golf Course in James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia in partnership with The Virginia Tech Alumni Association Tidewater Chapter, and raised more than $80,000 for charity. According to its 2006 federal tax return, the Michael Vick Foundation provided 100 backpacks to poor children in Newport News and paid for an after-school program.

After the Virginia Tech massacre on April 16, 2007, Vick and the United Way donated $10,000 to assist families affected. The Vick Foundation collected donations from communities in Atlanta and Virginia to be placed in the United In Caring Fund for Victims of the Virginia Tech Tragedy and a special fund at the United Way of Montgomery, Radford, and Floyd counties, which serves the Virginia Tech area. The Vick Foundation said the money would be used to provide help with funeral expenses, transportation for family members and other support services.

See also
 List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
 Dual-threat quarterback
 Racial issues faced by black quarterbacks
 List of left-handed quarterbacks

References

External links

1980 births
Living people
21st-century American criminals
African-American players of American football
American football quarterbacks
American male criminals
American people convicted of cruelty to animals
American sportspeople convicted of crimes
American television sports announcers
Atlanta Falcons players
Criminals from Virginia
Fox Sports 1 people
National Conference Pro Bowl players
National Football League announcers
National Football League controversies
National Football League first-overall draft picks
New York Jets players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Players of American football from Newport News, Virginia
Virginia Tech Hokies football players

Michael Vick


The 19th Light Dragoons was a cavalry regiment of the British Army created in 1781 for service in British India. The regiment served in India until 1806, and in North America during the War of 1812, and was disbanded in Britain in 1821.

History

Great Britain
On 25 April 1779 warrants were issued to raise three regiments of light dragoons, the 19th, 20th and 21st, to address potential French aggression during the American Revolutionary War. The 19th was made up of drafts from the 1st and 2nd Dragoon Guards and the 4th and 10th Dragoons. The 19th did not see overseas service and was disbanded in June 1783.

India

The regiment was raised by Colonel Sir John Burgoyne (a cousin of General John Burgoyne) as the 23rd Regiment of Light Dragoons on 24 September 1781 for service in India. There had been no European cavalry to that date in India, and successive commanders there had called upon the regular British Army to supply a cavalry unit. The regiment arrived at Fort St. George, Madras in 1782 and became the first British cavalry regiment to serve in India. In 1786, the regiment was renumbered as the 19th Regiment of Light Dragoons.

The 19th played a major role in the Anglo-Mysore Wars and Anglo-Maratha Wars. Their first campaign was against Tipu Sultan of Mysore from 1790 to 1792. After defeating Tipu, the 19th were on garrison duty until 1799 when war broke out with Tipu again. This time, the Sultan was killed during the Siege of Seringapatam in May 1799.

In 1800, the 19th fought Dhondia Wagh's rebel army and in 1803, led by Major-General Arthur Wellesley (who later became the Duke of Wellington), they participated in the Battle of Assaye in September 1803. In this battle, the outnumbered British troops defeated a Maratha army and the regiment was subsequently awarded the battle honour of "Assaye" and presented with an honorary colour.

The 19th Light Dragoons then spent time garrisoning various British outposts. They were stationed at Cheyloor in 1802, at Arcot in 1803, in Bombay in 1804, and at Arcot again from 1805 to 1806. The regiment was summoned to Vellore on the night of 10 July 1806 to rescue the 69th Regiment of Foot who had been the victims of a revolt by Indian sepoys.

North America
The regiment embarked for England on 20 October 1806, and remained in Britain until the outbreak of the war with the United States in 1812. The 19th were one of three British regular cavalry units that served in North America during the War of 1812, and the only one to serve in Canada. (The 14th Light Dragoons served on campaign in New Orleans but had no horses,  The 6th Inniskilling Dragoons served on the East coast of the United States.) The regiment's first three squadrons arrived at Quebec City in May 1813 and were mounted on horses procured in Lower Canada.

Two squadrons were sent to Upper Canada where they were involved in the blockade and re-capture of Fort George, and the destruction of Black Rock and Buffalo in New York State. Elements of the two squadrons participated in Colonel Thomas Pearson's delaying action against Brigadier General Winfield Scott's brigade during the American invasion of 1814. They subsequently fought at the Battle of Chippawa in July 1814, the Battle of Lundy's Lane later in the month and the Siege of Fort Erie in August 1814. Another troop pursued American raiders who had struck at Battle of Malcolm's Mills in November 1814. For these actions, the regiment earned the battle honour of "Niagara".

The other squadron had been stationed south of Montreal at The Halfway house (Saint Luc area as well as Fort Lennox and The Block houses along the Lacolle border) and participated in the Battle of Plattsburgh in September 1814. In the autumn of 1814, the two squadrons serving on the Niagara rejoined the other squadron. The regiment served south of Montreal until the end of the war. They were sent back to England in August 1816.

Disbandment

The 19th Light Dragoons were re-equipped as lancers in September 1816 and renamed the 19th Lancers. The regiment remained in Britain until it was disbanded on 10 September 1821 due to reductions in size of the British Army. In 1862, the 19th Hussars were created and given permission to inherit the battle honours of the 19th Light Dragoons.

Regimental Colonels
Colonels of the regiment were:

23rd Regiment of (Light) Dragoons  (1781)
1781–1785: Sir John Burgoyne, Bt.

19th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (1786)
1786–1814: Gen. Sir William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB
1814–1815: Gen. Sir William Payne, Bt.

19th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Lancers) (1816)
1815–?1821: Gen. Sir John Ormsby Vandeleur, GCB
1821: Regiment disbanded

Notes

References

External links
19th Light Dragoons in the War of 1812
Uniforms of the 19th Light Dragoons
19th Light Dragoons at FIBIS
19th Light Dragoons re-enactment group

Light dragoon regiments of the British Army
19th Light Dragoons officers
1781 establishments in Great Britain
1821 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Military units and formations established in 1781
Military units and formations disestablished in 1821
British military units and formations of the War of 1812
Cavalry regiments of the British Army

19th Light Dragoons


Seven Wonders of the Industrial World is a 7-part British docudrama television miniseries that originally aired from  to  on BBC and was later released on DVD. The programme examines seven engineering feats that occurred since the Industrial Revolution. The same feats are covered in a companion book of the same name by producer Deborah Cadbury.

Production
The programmes were dramatised versions of actual events: actors played the various figures involved, reciting monologues and dialogue based on their letters and writings. It cost approximately £1 million to create the 7-part documentary. A book of the same name was released by producer Deborah Cadbury, exploring the same feats.

Awards
2004 British Academy Television Awards
Nominated: Huw Wheldon Award for Factual Series or Strand
2004 British Academy Television Craft Awards
Nominated: Best Photography (Factual): Mike Spragg
RTS Television Awards 2004
Nominated: Best Production Design (Entertainment & Non Drama)
Nominated: Best Science & Natural History

Episodes

The Great Ship
This episode focuses on the construction of the SS Great Eastern, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to be both the first ship entirely made out of iron and the most luxurious vessel of the day. However, while the ship itself was a marvel of shipbuilding, its construction was marred by accidents, scandal and misfortune, including a fire that practically destroyed the shipbuilder's yard, problems with the launch and financial scandals, all of which contributed towards Brunel's deteriorating health and comparatively early demise in 1859 and the popular belief that the ship was jinxed (a rumour leading to the legend of two bodies being found trapped in the hull upon its dismantling).

The Brooklyn Bridge
Focusing on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, the episode examines the family that built it—John Augustus Roebling, who designed the bridge; his son, Washington Roebling, who took over construction following his father's death shortly after the project was announced; and Washington's wife Emily Roebling, who taught herself engineering principles and took on the burden of her husband's work after his health was destroyed by the decompression sickness he suffered, owing to the length of time he spent working and overseeing matters in the pressured atmosphere of the underwater caissons used to build the bridge.

Bell Rock Lighthouse
This episode tells the story of the construction in the early 19th century of the offshore lighthouse on Bell Rock, by the Scottish engineer Robert Stevenson. Bell or Inchcape Rock was underwater except for a couple of hours at low tide each day. It had claimed the lives of sailors and sunk ships for hundreds of years, but its situation caused difficulties in producing a design that would stand up to the storms and waves that ravaged the area while simultaneously housing the builders who worked on it during the few months of fair weather available each year.

The Sewer King
Set in London during the 1850s, this episode focusses on the construction of the London sewerage system, built to replace the antiquated medieval system that was overworked and inadequate for the needs of the then-largest metropolis in the world, causing epidemics of disease and a permanent foul stench to fill the air also known as the Great Stink. The episode follows the efforts and work of Joseph Bazalgette, the brilliant engineer who designed the influential and modern sewer system that would purify the city, transform the streets above and would result in the end of the epidemics of cholera and typhoid that had ravaged the population—although, ironically not for the reasons that he initially thought. (This episode was written by Gregory Evans and directed and produced by Bazalgette's great-great-grandson, Edward Bazalgette)

The Panama Canal
This episode presents the French and American efforts to build a canal through Panama to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The first attempt to construct the canal by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal, was abandoned because of tropical diseases (which killed over 22,000 men) and the difficulty of constructing a sea-level canal through the mountains. The resulting financial scandals not only ruined de Lesseps and many investors, it also brought down the French government. The episode then takes up the story seventeen years later when the United States took up the challenge. A concentrated effort succeeded in eradicating the causes of the tropical diseases, but the attempt to build a sea-level canal once again failed.  Instead the canal was built with locks.

The Line

The episode follows the construction of the First transcontinental railroad, the first transcontinental rail system, which would unite the eastern and western seaboards of the United States. Started in Sacramento by a consortium of local shopkeepers with no experience in building a railroad, the episode follows their efforts to build from west to east through the forbidding Sierra Nevada mountains with the help of Chinese labourers whilst simultaneously following the efforts of the workers of the Union Pacific to build from east to west, and their problems in dealing with the lawless nature of the Wild West, attacks by hostile Indians, and financial corruption and scandal.

The Hoover Dam
The final episode focuses on the construction of the Hoover Dam during the Great Depression of the 1930s, focusing in particular on the ruthless pace set by Frank Crowe, the builder, whose eagerness to complete the project well before schedule and subsequent exploitation of the workforce (who were desperate for any employment and were forced to accept conditions of extreme hardship in the process) resulted in many deaths and the eventual construction of a new city to house the workers.

Media information

DVD release

Companion book

See also
 Wonders of the World

References

External links

2003 British television series debuts
2003 British television series endings
2003 books
BBC television docudramas
Industrial history of the United Kingdom
Science docudramas

Seven Wonders of the Industrial World


Abbey House is an early 19th-century ruined stately home in Ranton, Staffordshire, England.

History
The red-brick Regency house was built in 1820 by Thomas Anson the 1st Earl of Lichfield as a second seat for his family based at Shugborough Hall. The 300-acre estate is also the site of Ranton Abbey, one of many Augustinian abbeys founded across England from the 1140s to the 1160s. Today, only the imposing 15th-century church tower survives.

The Ranton Estate was purchased  by Viscount Anson, who was created the First Earl of Lichfield in the coronation honours of King William IV in 1831. He spent large sums of money improving the estate and the house, which was used as a centre for sporting hospitality hosting great shooting parties, for distinguished guests, including Sir Francis Grant (who was to become president of the Royal Academy); Lord Melbourne, then prime minister; Lord Sefton and the Earl of Uxbridge. The house has been a mere shell since being gutted by fire in 1942, when the bodyguard of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands were stationed there.

The estate was sold to the Wedgwood porcelain company in the 1950s but bought back by Patrick Lichfield, the 5th Earl, in 1987 with a view to restoring the house or building a replacement. Realisation of these plans was delayed for many years due to objections from English Heritage. Permission was finally granted in December 2005, only a month after Lichfield died. The estate was sold in 2008, and again in July 2011 for around £3.5 million.

References

External links
Picture of Ranton Abbey Tower and Abbey House viewed from the south
Photograph of Abbey House from the south, c.1912, in its heyday, with Abbey visible to left
 The shooting party, at Ranton Abbey, c.1840, A coloured engraving by W.H. Simmons after an oil painting of 1840 by Sir Francis Grant

Country houses in Staffordshire
Houses completed in 1820

Abbey House, Ranton


John A. Hostetler (October 29, 1918 – August 8, 2001) was an American author, educator, and scholar of Amish and Hutterite societies. Some of his works are still in print.

Life
John Andrew Hostetler was born to an Old Order Amish family in the Kishacoquillas Valley (known locally as the Big Valley) region of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, the fifth of seven children of Joseph and Nancy Hostetler. At the age of eleven, his parents moved to Iowa. As a youth he supervised his father's turkey operation, took courses on poultry raising, and received a poultry-judging license from the American Poultry Association. He discovered that he enjoyed reading more than raising turkeys and feeding hogs. He was sixteen when his essay "Some Effects of Alcohol and Tobacco" was published by the Mennonite youth paper The Words of Cheer. Never baptized in the Amish church, Hostetler joined the Mennonite Church in 1935. He attended Hesston College in 1941, but with US involvement in World War II, he was called to the draft. Utilizing a religious exemption from active duty, Hostetler, as a conscientious objector, was assigned to Civilian Public Service in several locations. After the war, he graduated from Goshen College with a degree in sociology (1949). While at Goshen he assisted dean Harold S. Bender by writing articles on the Amish and similar groups for the four-volume Mennonite Encyclopedia which Bender was editing, beginning a productive and prolific academic career.

Hostetler married Hazel Schrock in June 1949. They moved to State College, Pennsylvania, where he began graduate studies in rural sociology at the Pennsylvania State University. In 1951, his wife and a daughter died in childbirth, the same year that Hostetler's Annotated Bibliography on the Amish won the University of Chicago's annual Folklore Prize. In 1953 Hostetler married Beulah Stauffer, a book editor at Herald Press. They had three daughters, and their marriage marked the beginning of a 48-year collaboration on many projects. He died in 2001 at the age of 82.

Educator and author
Dismayed by inaccurate popular essays on the Amish, Hostetler published Amish Life (Herald Press, 1952) and The Amish (Herald Press, 1995), books still in print at his death, whose combined sales approached 850,000 copies at that time. He received his Ph.D. degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1953 for his dissertation The Sociology of Mennonite Evangelism, which was later published by Herald Press. During a five-year stint at the Mennonite Publishing House, he served as book editor and also wrote a history of the press, God Uses Ink (1958).

Beginning in 1959 he held faculty teaching appointments at the University of Alberta, Penn State Abington (Penn State Ogontz campus), and Temple University where he retired in 1985. He lectured widely at colleges and universities and held several visiting professorships including five years (1986–1990) as a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College, where his wife also held a teaching appointment.

Work
Hostetler's scholarship and publications included at least twenty articles in church periodicals, nearly that number in  The Mennonite Quarterly Review and the Mennonite Historical Bulletin as well as some twenty additional articles in other scholarly journals including the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute and the American Journal of Medical Genetics. He contributed at least fifteen chapters to edited books as well as several essays to encyclopedias. Hostetler produced eight full-length books and six booklets for popular audiences including the best selling Amish Life. His most important and influential book was Amish Society (Johns Hopkins); first published in 1963, with a fourth edition in 1993, it became one of the best-selling volumes in the history of the Johns Hopkins University Press. Hutterite Society (Johns Hopkins, 1974) provided an authoritative account of Hutterite life and society. Other major books included Children in Amish Society (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1971) co-authored with his long-time colleague Gertrude Enders Huntington, and Amish Roots (Johns Hopkins, 1989). At the Amish Tricentennial Conference at Elizabethtown College in 1993, Hostetler was recognized and presented with a festschrift, The Amish and the State (Johns Hopkins, 1993) which honored his scholarly contributions.

During the early 1960s Hostetler organized an extensive study of Hutterite religious, educational and social practices, with particular focus on socialization patterns, in three colonies, two in southern Canada and one in the northern U.S. state of Montana. The study was funded by the U.S. Office of Education and enlisted numerous consultants and fieldworkers, the latter headed by anthropologist Gertrude Huntington, who lived with some of her family as participating members of an Alberta colony during one summer. Hostetler and Huntington published their findings in The Hutterites in North America in 1967—it has been reprinted in several new editions since then.

In addition to his formal publications Hostetler wrote many research reports, directed six funded research projects, and served as an expert witness in at least five court cases involving minority groups, the most prominent being Wisconsin v. Yoder, which was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972. He was an active participant in the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom. Hostetler served as an advisor to two major films: The Amish: A People of Preservation (1976) and The Hutterites: To Care and Not to Care (1983). Among numerous awards, John A. Hostetler was a Fulbright Scholar, received an honorary doctorate from Elizabethtown College, and was recognized by the Society for German-American Studies and the National Historic Communal Societies Association.

Through publication and contact with the public media, Hostetler served as the leading national interpreter of Amish and Hutterite communities throughout the last half of the twentieth century. As a champion of religious liberty, he was instrumental in preserving and protecting fundamental religious rights of religious minorities, working in quiet and sensitive ways to build bridges of understanding and respect between Old Order communities and the larger world. One of his most enduring accomplishments was his ability to nurture and maintain the trust of leaders and members of Old Order communities.

Major works

As author
Amish Life, Scottdale, Pa, 1952.
Mennonite Life, Scottdale, Pa, 1954.
Amish Society, Baltimore, 1963.
Hutterite Life, Scottdale, Pa, 1965.
Communitarian Societies New York, 1973.
Hutterite Society, Baltimore, 1974.
The Amish, Baltimore, 1982 .
Amish Roots: a treasury of history, wisdom, and lore, Baltimore, 1989.

As co-author with Gertrude Enders Huntington
The Hutterites in North America, New York, 1967.
Children in Amish Society : Socialization and Community Education, New York, 1971.
Amish Children : Education in the Family, School, and Community, Fort Worth, 1992, 2nd edition.

References
Published obituary by Donald Kraybill in The Mennonite Quarterly Review, October 2001

External links

 John A. Hostetler Papers Finding Aid

1918 births
2001 deaths
20th-century American educators
American Mennonites
American Amish people
American Amish writers
American historians of religion
American male non-fiction writers
American sociologists
Anabaptism
Elizabethtown College faculty
Goshen College alumni
American conscientious objectors
Members of the Civilian Public Service
Mennonite writers
Mennonitism
Pennsylvania State University alumni
Pennsylvania State University faculty
People from Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
Temple University faculty
Academic staff of the University of Alberta
Historians from Pennsylvania

John A. Hostetler


Clarence Barone (born July 26, 1963) is an American football coach who is the tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons and most recently was the tight ends coach of the Chicago Bears.

Coaching career

Early career
Barone began his coaching career at American River College as an offensive line coach. From 1991 to 1992, Barone served as the offensive line coach at Sacramento State University. In 1993, Barone joined Texas A&M University as an assistant offensive line coach before becoming the offensive line coach at Eastern Illinois University (1994–1996) and the University of Wyoming (1997–1999). Barone was given an additional title as run game coordinator at Wyoming in 1998. From 2000 to 2002, Barone was served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at the University of Houston and as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Texas State University in 2003.

Atlanta Falcons
In 2004, Barone was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their offensive line coach. In 2005, Barone switched the tight ends coach and worked with all-pro tight end Alge Crumpler.

San Diego Chargers
In 2007, Barone was hired by the San Diego Chargers as their tight ends coach, where he worked with tight end Antonio Gates.

Denver Broncos
In 2009, Barone was hired by the Denver Broncos as their tight ends under head coach Josh McDaniels. In 2010, Barone switched to offensive line coach.

In 2011, Barone was retained and switched back to tight ends coach under new head coach of the Broncos, John Fox. Barone coached Broncos tight end Julius Thomas and in 2013, the Broncos had an offensive record-breaking season and made an appearance in Super Bowl XLVIII.

In 2015, Barone was retained by the Broncos new head coach Gary Kubiak and Barone was switched back to offensive line coach. Barone's offensive line paved the way to victory in Super Bowl 50 and the Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers by a score of 24–10. The 2015 Denver Broncos rushing attack was hampered by multiple injuries in the early part of the season but rebounded to lead the NFL in rushing from week 6 through the end of the season. The 2016 season saw the Broncos again dominate the NFL in rushing for the first part of the season before injuries forced three running backs onto the injured reserved list.

After Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak stepped down in January 2017, Barone was not retained by new head coach, Vance Joseph.

Barone worked with All-Pro players Alge Crumpler (Falcons) and Antonio Gates (Chargers), and Julius Thomas (Broncos) all of whom made multiple Pro Bowl appearances under his guidance. Kyle Rudolph (Vikings) also was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 2017 season.  This feat marked the first time in NFL history that a tight ends coach had four players selected to Pro Bowls with four teams. In addition, Barone also coached multiple Pro Bowl caliber players as the Offensive Line coach for the Denver Broncos, including; Ryan Clady, Zane Beadles, Louis Vasquez, Matt Paradis and Evan Mathis. Barone coached teams that led the NFL in rushing four times.

Minnesota Vikings
In January 2017, Barone was hired by the Minnesota Vikings as their tight ends coach under head coach Mike Zimmer. In 2018, following the sudden death of offensive line coach Tony Sparano, Barone was moved to co-offensive line coach along with Andrew Janocko.

Chicago Bears
On January 9, 2020, Barone was hired by the Chicago Bears as their tight ends coach under head coach Matt Nagy.

Personal life
Barone has three children: Gianna, Stefano, and Isabella.

References

External links
 Denver Broncos profile

1963 births
Living people
Atlanta Falcons coaches
Denver Broncos coaches
Eastern Illinois Panthers football coaches
Houston Cougars football coaches
Sacramento State Hornets football coaches
Sacramento State Hornets football players
San Diego Chargers coaches
Texas A&M Aggies football coaches
Texas State Bobcats football coaches
Wyoming Cowboys football coaches
American River Beavers football coaches
People from San Andreas, California
National Football League replacement players
Minnesota Vikings coaches
Chicago Bears coaches

Clancy Barone


Neil Selkirk  (born June 25, 1947) is a British-born American photographer known for his portraiture.

Photography career
Selkirk was born in London, England, in 1947. "An accomplished portrait photographer and masterful documentarian," he studied Photography at the London College of Printing and graduated in 1968. He won a British Arts Council award to photograph New York and therefore moved to New York City in 1970. There, he worked as an assistant for photographer Hiro at the studio of Richard Avedon. The following year, he studied with photographer Diane Arbus in her master class. His photographs quickly drew assignments from major magazines including Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Interview, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and the premier issues of Wired, Paper, Colors , and Spy.

By the 1990s, Selkirk was known as a portraitist with a distinctive style. In August 1993, the photographs from his limited edition portfolio were featured in the Minneapolis Institute of Art exhibition, 3 Photographers, and 3 Portfolios along with the work of Diane Arbus and Richard Avedon.

His photographs are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and other major U.S. institutions.

Selkirk is the only person ever authorized to make posthumous prints of the work of Diane Arbus. In an article for iPhoto Newsletter, Jeffrey Fraenkel stated that the process by which Selkirk came to make these prints and the arduous decisions that went into their making are thoroughly detailed in his essay "In the Darkroom" (pp. 266–275 of Diane Arbus Revelations). Selkirk described his first encounter with an Arbus photograph in a radio interview on Kurt Andersen's Studio 360 series, "The Aha Moment."

In 2005, Selkirk directed the documentary film, Who is Marvin Israel, about Marvin Israel (1924-1984), an artist, designer, art director and teacher, who influenced many of the important photographers and designers of the twentieth century, including Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus, as well as Selkirk himself. The film, which premiered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and aired on the Documentary Channel, explores Israel's life and work through the words of those who knew him.

Selkirk's recent project, Certain Women, was on display from March 19 to May 2, 2015, at the Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York City. "The series has taken Selkirk far afield from that for which he's best known: frank portraits of celebrated authors, filmmakers, statesmen, athletes, and their recognizable ilk, which he has shot since the 1970s for Esquire (where he got his start under Jean-Paul Goude), Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and many other publications. He has also produced a strong body of documentary and street photography that reflects his having studied with Diane Arbus and worked in the studio of Richard Avedon."

About the project, Selkirk said in an interview with the Los Angeles Review of Books, "Motherhood leaves its mark. And I think that one of the things that the whole project suggests is that maybe it's a really nice mark and something to be proud of. The sort of strength that I thought I saw, that I was looking for, that I was hoping to record is just this knowingness. When you start talking nonsense it's like they see it instantly."

Publications

Publications by Selkirk
See No Evil. Tucson: Nazraeli Press, 2006. .
Lobbyists. Tucson: Nazraeli Press, 2006. .
Certain Women. New York: Howard Greenberg, 2015. Exhibition catalog.

Publications with contributions by Selkirk
Infra-Apparel by Richard Martin and Harold Koda. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993. . Photography by Selkirk.
1000 on 42nd Street by Tibor Kalman and Maira Kalman. New York: powerHouse Books, 1999. . Photography by Selkirk.
"In the Darkroom," in Diane Arbus Revelations by Diane Arbus, Sandra S. Phillips, Selkirk, Elizabeth Sussman, Doon Arbus, and Jeff L. Rosenheim. New York: Random House, 2003. .

References

External links

American photographers
Living people
1947 births
Photographers from London
British emigrants to the United States

Neil Selkirk


Sir Thomas Wemyss Reid (29 March 1842 – 26 February 1905) was an English newspaper editor, novelist and biographer.

Early life
Reid was born at Newcastle upon Tyne in 1842, the son of a Congregational minister

Career
He became chief reporter on the Newcastle Journal aged 19. His reporting of the Hartley Colliery disaster (1862) established his reputation regionally, and two years later he was appointed editor of the Preston Guardian. He was made London correspondent of the Leeds Mercury in 1867, becoming its editor three years later. He reminisced of the changes he had made to the working methods of the Mercury:
When I was appointed editor of the Leeds Mercury I was told that I need never trouble to come to the office in the evening. If I looked in during the afternoon, and wrote my leader and notes, I would do all that was necessary. In those days, the provincial daily editor did not think of forming a judgement of his own on current events. When the pile of London dailies came in, he would read their leaders and base his own on them. In that way he was always a day behind London. I tried to change all that. I was down in my office each night, and I wrote my leaders on the telegraphic news as it came in . When Charles Dickens died, the news came in about eleven at night, and we went to press at one. I wrote a leader on Dickens's death, and that, I believe, was the only comment that appeared next day in any provincial daily on the matter. Other editors awoke to the fact that they, too, must no longer depend on London, and the old, easy-going times everywhere passed away.

He won the right for provincial newspapers to be admitted to the House of Commons press gallery and was (notes his entry in the ODNB) "the first to establish a provincial paper as a real rival to the London press, in the quality of its news and comment, and in its access to behind-the-scenes information".
He held the editorship for seventeen years, until in 1887 he moved to London to become a director and general manager of Cassell & Co, the London publishers, a post he held until his death. From 1890 to 1899, he was the editor-in-chief of the moderate Liberal magazine The Speaker.

He wrote a number of biographies, principally of W E Forster (a personal friend), and of Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton, but also including one of Charlotte Brontë. He also wrote a book on Tunisia, "Land of the Bey", and a number of popular novels, including "Gladys Fane".

On his death the Yorkshire Post, the Leeds-based rival of the Mercury described him as an inveterate political wire-puller who had known more about the formation of William Ewart Gladstone's administration in 1892 that anybody else outside the official circles. He was knighted in 1894.

Reid died in 1905 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London. A former subordinate offered the following pen-portrait: His style, if direct and clever, was common place, and his manner of speech retained more than a suggestion of Northern provincialism. But at every point and in every situation he had a personality that impressed. He was self-willed, self-assured, and if provoked eminently combative. It was not by suavity alone that he made his way. He could fight, and I know that in politics at any rate he was a tolerably good hater. He was afraid of nobody. Rather below the medium height, without any particular graces of person or of address, he could hold his own anywhere. He talked well and unaffectedly, and in his eyes, which had a curious scintillating brightness, there ever seemed to lurk a shrewd and humorous patronage of all men and things.

Writings
Among his more permanent writings are:
 volume I, volume II - a compendium of short biographical character sketches of leading statesman and foreign premiers.
The Land of the Bey (1882),
Gladys Fane (1883),
and Lives of William Edward Forster (1888), and Lords Houghton (1891), and Playfair (1899), and William Black, Novelist (1902).
He pronounced Heathcliff, from Wuthering Heights, "the greatest villain of literature."  (From "A character study from "Wuthering Heights," The Nassau Literary Magazine (1848–1908); Apr 1879; 34, 9; American Periodicals Series Online).

References

Sources
Author and Bookinfo.com

External links

Life of William Edward Forster by Thomas Wemyss Reid, Chapman and Hall, 1888

1842 births
1905 deaths
Burials at Brompton Cemetery
Knights Bachelor
Writers from Newcastle upon Tyne
English newspaper editors
English male journalists
English biographers
English male novelists
19th-century English novelists
19th-century English male writers
Male biographers

Thomas Wemyss Reid


Varla Jean Merman is a character originated and portrayed by Jeffery Roberson, an American actor, singer and drag performer. Varla's fictitious pedigree boasts that Ernest Borgnine is her father and Ethel Merman is her mother.

Merman is perhaps best known for her role in the 2003 independent film Girls Will Be Girls. She also had a co-starring role in the 1997 film Franchesca Page.  Merman was also one of the performers featured in the HBO original documentary Dragtime. She has appeared in a number of short films and live cabaret acts since she and her male alter-ego attended the School of Music at Louisiana State University.

Merman's shows are a staple of summer entertainment in Provincetown, Massachusetts.  She also performs fairly often in New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco, and London and has also enjoyed billing at the Sydney Opera House in Australia and Carnegie Hall.

The gay-themed television network Logo commissioned Merman to write and star in an animated educational short film about the Stonewall riots of 1969.

Merman appeared on the August 20, 2008 Project Runway episode "Good Queen Fun".  The outfit created for her was the winning design.

She also had two short runs on the soap opera All My Children as the character "Rosemary Chicken".

Roberson has almost always been credited as either "Varla Merman" or "Varla Jean Merman" rather than his birth name, though in the role of Mary Sunshine in the Broadway revival of Chicago, he's credited as the gender-neutral "J. Roberson," in keeping with the show's tradition of concealing the performer's gender.

Merman appeared along with Leslie Jordan in the 2011 off-Broadway musical Lucky Guy.

Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads, a film based on Roberson and Jacques Lamarre's fake kids' show that's been performed in New Orleans, San Francisco and Provincetown, Mass., is slated for a fall 2011 release. In it, an alcoholic Varla tricks a couple into paying for her services as a surrogate mother to raise money to produce a children's TV show.

Merman's 2012 schedule included the role of Madam Flora in an Off-Broadway production of the Gian Carlo Menotti opera The Medium.

In 2013, Merman played the title role in the Gold Dust Orphans production Mildred Fierce.

Awards
Along with co-stars Miss Coco Peru and Evie Harris, Merman shared the Best Actor Grand Jury Award at Outfest 2003 and "Best Actress" honors at both the 2003 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and the 2003 Aspen HBO Film Festival for her role in Girls Will Be Girls.

References

External links
 Varla's official site

 Varla Jean Merman at Internet Off-Broadway Database
 Varla's collaboration with Vidkid Timo
 Varla's role as "Rosemary Chicken"

American drag queens
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
American stage actors
American gay actors

Varla Jean Merman


Grenzau Castle () is a ruined spur castle at  near Höhr-Grenzhausen in the county of Westerwaldkreis in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the only castle in Germany with a triangular bergfried.

History
The castle was built by Henry I of Isenburg around 1210 as Burg Gransioie, Old Fr. for "great joy" (Fr.: grande joie), from which its name developed through Gran Joie (1238), Gransoge (1275), Grensoy(ge) (1331, 1343, 1346), Grensawe (1356), La Grange (1525), Grensove, Grensauwe, Grentzawe and finally Grenzau. The castle is first recorded in a document dated 6 January 1213 that states the Isenburgs had flouted the rights of Laach Abbey. In 1324 the middle line of the lords of Isenburg-Grenzau lived at the castle.

In 1346, Archbishop Baldwin of Trier captured the castle during the Grenzau Feud. In 1347, in spite of his victory at Gumschlag over the citizens of Koblenz, Philip I had to recognise its feudal lordship. Emperor Charles V awarded Frankfurt town rights to Grenzau. In 1439, the older Salentine line of the lords and counts of Isenburg lived at the castle. In 1460 the castle was returned to Gerlach II by Electoral Trier. In 1557 the younger Salentine line of Isenburg counts lived here and reinforced the fortifications with artillery bastions in the north and a roundel on the southern hillside.

During the Thirty Years' War the castle was set on fire on 14 March 1635 by French troops. In 1664, after the death of Count Ernest of Isenburg-Grenzau, the badly damaged castle went back into the ownership of the Electorate of Trier. In 1700 the mill below the castle was replaced and, in 1722, a house was built for the Trier admodiator at "Schloss Grenzach", however the castle became noticeably dilapidated. In 1788 the castle chapel was demolished and rebuilt in a new location. In 1793 the roof of the castle tower collapsed.

In 1803, following a Reichsdeputationshauptschluss the castle went to Nassau-Weilburg. In 1866, it went to the kingdom of Prussia. In 1925, the castle was bought by a government architect, Rudolph Arthur Zichner, from Wiesbaden and made available for the Nerother Wandervogel - a youth group. In 1953, Hans Spiegel bought the castle and carried out preservation work. Since his death in 1987, the castle has been cared for by a family society.

Description
The spur castle has two baileys: an inner ward forming the heart of the fortification, and an outer ward to the west. On the south side is an outwork (Bollwerk), built around 1540, with a round battery tower (Geschützturm) and two flanking walls (Flügelmauern), the whole separated from the enceinte by a neck ditch. The triangular, mid-13th century bergfried,  high, stands above the northern neck ditch. All that survives from the 14th century is the gatehouse, flanked by a round tower (tourelle), on the south side of the former enceinte. On the west side, the ruins of the palas can still be made out.

Literature
 Hans Spiegel: Chronik der Burg Grenzau. In: Burgen und Schlösser 25 (1984), S. 22–52
 Dietmar Spiegel: Der Architekt Hans Spiegel und "seine Grenzau" 1954 bis 2004: Sicherung und neuzeitlicher Ausbau einer Burgruine. In: Burgen und Schlösser 45 (2004), pp. 93–97
 Lorenz Frank: Der Bergfried der Burgruine Grenzau: Neue Beobachtungen zur Baugeschichte. In: Burgen und Schlösser 45 (2004), pp. 98–103
 Alexander Thon, Stefan Ulrich: "... wie ein Monarch mitten in seinem Hofstaate thront". Burgen am unteren Mittelrhein. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg, 2010, , pp. 74-79.

External links

 Entry for the castle in the scientific castles database of the European Castles Institute (EBIDAT)
 Local history information about Grenzau Castle
 Artist's impression by Wolfgang Braun
 Historic data on the town and castle
 Derivation of the name of Grenzau

Castles in Rhineland-Palatinate
House of Isenburg
Heritage sites in Rhineland-Palatinate
Buildings and structures in Westerwaldkreis

Grenzau Castle


Mission San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicuñer was founded on January 7, 1781, by Spanish Padre Francisco Garcés, to protect the Anza Trail where it forded the Colorado River, between the Mexican provinces of Alta California and New Navarre.

The settlement, located about  northeast of Yuma Crossing in present-day California, was not part of the Spanish California missions chain, but was administered as a part of the Arizona missions chain.

History
The Mission site and nearby pueblo were inadequately supported, and Spanish colonists seized the best lands, destroyed the Indians' crops, and generally ignored the rights of the local natives.

In retaliation, the Quechans (Yuma) and their allies attacked and destroyed the installation and the neighboring Mission Puerto de Purísima Concepción during a three-day period, from July 17–19, 1781. Some 50 Spaniards, including Father Garcés (along with three other friars and Captain Fernando Rivera y Moncada) were killed, and the women and children taken captive. The Indians' victory closed this crossing and seriously crippled future communications between Las Californias province and colonial Mexico, both within the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

Today, only a California Historical Marker identifies the site. The marker is located on Imperial County Road S24, 0.2 mi W of the intersection of Levee Road and Mehring Road/11th St, and 4.4 mi NE of Bard, in southeastern Imperial County.

California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark number 921 reads:

NO. 921 SITE OF MISSION SAN PEDRO Y SAN PABLO DE BICUNER – To protect the Anza Trail where it forded the Colorado River, the Spanish founded a pueblo and mission nearby on January 7, 1781. Threatened with the loss of their land, the Quechans (Yumas) attacked this strategic settlement on July 17, 1781. The Quechan victory closed this crossing and seriously crippled future communications between upper California and Mexico.

See also
 Spanish missions in Arizona

 California Historical Landmarks in Imperial County
 Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert
 Spanish missions in Baja California
 California Historical Landmark

References

External links
 Missions of the Colorado River
 Discovery of California
 Virtual Tour of California Missions
 California State Landmark number 921 plaque

San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicu
San Pedro y San Pablo de Bicu
California Historical Landmarks
Pre-statehood history of Arizona
1781 establishments in New Spain
1781 establishments in Alta California
National Register of Historic Places in Imperial County, California
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in California