Theta Xi () is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on April 29, 1864. Of all the social fraternities today, Theta Xi was the only one founded during the Civil War. Its Grand Lodge is headquartered in downtown Atlanta. Since its inception, Theta Xi has grown to include more than 60,000 initiated members. Currently, there are approximately 45 active chapters, and 1 colony. The Theta Xi Fraternity Chapter House at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History
Theta Xi was founded on April 29, 1864 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York as an engineering fraternity however, now a social fraternity. Its founders were Peter Henry Fox, Ralph Gooding Packard, Christopher Champlin Waite, George Bradford Brainerd, Samuel Buel Jr., Henry Harrison Farnum, Thomas Cole Raymond, and Nathaniel Henry Starbuck. All of the original founders were members of a local fraternity called Sigma Delta, established in 1859 to rival Theta Delta Chi, which was then a secret society at RPI. Debates were common and encouraged at Sigma Delta meetings; however, on the evening of October 30, 1863, George Brainerd tendered his resignation to the society. This resignation was unanimously declined, but ultimately created a rift. Soon after, talks began circulating of affiliating with a larger organization such as Sigma Phi. However, when Sigma Phi declined to issue a charter, this only increased tensions.

On March 12, 1864, voting took place for members of a new organization, and on April 1, a committee consisting of Waite, Buel, Brainerd, and Packard began preparing a new constitution. By April 6, Buel presented monograms for two new names, Theta Xi and Theta Psi. Theta Xi was chosen to avoid confusion regarding a local fraternity called Theta Psi at Yale.

Within its first forty years, six chapters were established at Yale, Stevens Institute of Technology, MIT, Columbia University, Cornell University, and Lehigh University. It was not until 1905 that a westward expansion occurred with chapters at Purdue and, a month later, Washington University in St. Louis. The first west coast chapter came in 1910 at UC Berkeley, and in April 1921, the first southern chapter was founded at LSU.

In 1962, talks began of folding Kappa Sigma Kappa, a smaller, struggling fraternity into Theta Xi. The merger was completed on August 20, 1962. As a direct result, several of Theta Xi's traditions were altered.  The coat-of-arms' fleur-de-lis was changed to have crescent moons in tradition with Kappa Sigma Kappa and the "pledge" pins were also changed to incorporate Kappa Sigma Kappa's traditions diagonal white band. The fraternity flower was changed from the white carnation to the blue iris. Finally, the membership manual was changed from The Theta Xi Pledge Manual to The Quest for Theta Xi. In 1964, as a commemoration for the fraternity's centennial, a new Memorial Headquarters was formally dedicated in St. Louis. This served as the official home of the Grand Lodge until 2001.

In 1974, the Beta Alpha chapter at Georgia Tech became a Christian chapter while remaining a full member of Theta Xi and the Georgia Tech IFC. The chapter remains Christian today and is the only Christian chapter of a secular national fraternity in the United States. Their model expanded to the Gamma Phi chapter at Georgia Southern University in 2008, however that chapter has since reverted to the traditional non-religious status.

Beginning in 1999, Theta Xi began offering Leadership academies to its active brothers. That year, the first President's Academy was held to train new chapter presidents, funded by the Theta Xi Foundation. In 2006, this was expanded to include Rising Stars Academy, which aims to make first-year initiates more active in the fraternity.

The Theta Xi Fraternity Chapter House at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

In 2014, Theta Xi celebrated its sesquicentennial. In honor of this occasion, the National Convention was held in Troy, New York to commemorate the founding of Theta Xi.

William S. Mason, considered to be one of the greatest benefactors and supporters of Theta Xi, was the main supporter of the fraternity's adoption of Benjamin Franklin as its patron saint.

Although the fraternity had been headquartered in St. Louis since 1924, on October 3, 2022, it opened new headquarters at 260 Peachtree Street in Atlanta with the address for the Theta Xi Foundation remaining in St. Louis.

Purpose
The Purpose of Theta Xi is to provide a college home environment for its active members in which fellowship and alumni guidance lead to wholesome mental, moral, physical, and spiritual growth. To that end Theta Xi actively supports and augments college and community efforts to make individual members more mature and chapter groups more useful units of society. Through its alumni and undergraduate leadership Theta Xi endeavors to assist each member to develop: ONE, intellectual curiosity that assures the highest scholarship rating consistent with his ability; TWO, habits that lead to better mental and physical health; THREE, sincerity in his association with others and confidence in himself; FOUR, responsibility to chapter, college, community, and country; FIVE, leadership that comes from practicing the principles of democratic self-government; SIX, interests and activities outside regular scholastic studies that employ spare time to advantage; SEVEN, spiritual understanding that provides a reservoir of strength to draw upon when faced with conditions beyond comprehension.

Service projects

At the 111th Anniversary Convention held on August 12, 1974 Theta Xi announced its adoption of the fight against Multiple Sclerosis as its National Service Project. At the 129th Anniversary Convention held on August 4–6, 1993 the fraternity announced its second alternate NSP as Habitat for Humanity.

These charities are a mainstay among all chapters of the fraternity, as well as the numerous other charities supported by individual chapters. On June 20, 1986 Theta Xi was named the Outstanding Volunteer Organization for 1985-86 by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Theta Xi takes exceptional pride in its members' involvement in these and other charities.

Theta Xi Foundation

The Theta Xi Foundation was founded in 1949 in order to promote the education and growth of members of the fraternity. It is set up to aid in developing the members into responsible citizens that will contribute to the well-being of society. Contributions that mostly come from alumni and friends provide the money for the Foundation.  The Foundation consists of two Funds, the Chapter Education Fund and the Unicorn Fund. The funds raised are used to sponsor several programs such as President's Academy, Rising Stars Academy, and the District Leadership Academies.

Notable members

Chapters

See also
List of social fraternities and sororities

Footnotes

Student organizations established in 1864
Student societies in the United States
North American Interfraternity Conference
1864 establishments in New York (state)

Theta Xi


The Nimiq satellites are a Canadian fleet of geostationary telecommunications satellites owned by Telesat and used by satellite television providers including Bell Satellite TV and EchoStar (Dish Network). 'Nimiq' is an Inuit word used for an object or a force which binds things together. A contest in 1998 was held to choose the name of these satellites. The contest drew over 36,000 entries. Sheila Rogers, a physiotherapist from Nepean, Ontario, submitted the winning name.

Nimiq-1
Nimiq-1 was launched on 21 May 1999 by a Proton-K / Blok DM-03 launch vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It was Canada's first direct broadcast digital TV satellite and was paid for by Telesat, a Canadian communications company and subsidiary of Bell Canada Enterprises.
 Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
 Satellite Type: Lockheed Martin, A2100AX
 Weight:
 Dimensions: 5.8 x 2.4 x 2.4 m and a 27 m2 solar array
 DC power: 120 W
 Expected lifetime: 12 years
 Transponders: 32
 Vehicle: Proton-K / Blok DM-03

Nimiq-2
Nimiq 2, launched on 29 December 2002 on a Proton Breeze M launch vehicle, includes 32 Ku-band transponders. Nimiq 2 provides additional bandwidth for High-definition television (HDTV) and interactive television applications. On 20 February 2003, Nimiq-2 experienced a partial power failure and as such can only power 26 of its 32 Ku-band transponders.

Nimiq 2's orbital slot, 123° West longitude, was changed to 91.61° East longitude during June 2019.

Nimiq-3, -4i and -4iR
Nimiq-3 and Nimiq-4i were leased by Bell Satellite TV from DirecTV Inc. when they were already in orbit. Originally called Direct-TV3 and Direct-TV2 respectively, these Hughes HS-601 models were brought out of retirement and are currently used to share some of the workload from Nimiq-2 and Nimiq-1, respectively. They went online in Bell TV's stead in 2004 and 2006.

Nimiq-4i ran out of fuel and was replaced  by Nimiq-4iR on 28 April 2007.

Nimiq-4
Nimiq-4 was launched on 19 September 2008, by a Proton-M / Briz M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It will replace Nimiq-4i, and will provide advanced services such as HDTV, specialty channels and foreign language programming.

 Manufacturer: EADS Astrium
 Satellite type: Astrium Eurostar E3000S
 Weight:
 Dimensions: 39 metres solar array span
 Power: 12 kW at end of life
 Expected lifetime: 15 years
 Transponders: 32 Ku-band, and 8 in Ka-band
 Vehicle: Proton-M / Briz-M
 Location: 82.0 West

Nimiq-5
In 2009, Telesat announced plans to build and launch its 19th satellite, Nimiq-5. It selected International Launch Services (ILS) for the launch of the Nimiq-5 satellite in 2009. Space Systems/Loral has been selected as the manufacturer for Nimiq-5.

Dish Network is expected to lease all of the 32 Ku-band transponder payload. The satellite will be located at 72.7° West longitude.

The satellite's manufacturing plan also includes contracts with the Canadian satellite industry, including multiplexers and switches from Com Dev International Ltd. and antennas from MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd (MDA Ltd).

The Nimiq-5 satellite was shipped from the manufacturer, Space Systems Loral located in Palo Alto, California, to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on 18 August 2009. Telesat Canada contracted with International Launch Services (ILS) in April 2007 for the launch of Nimiq-5 by an ILS Proton-M / Briz-M launch vehicle.

Nimiq-5 was successfully launched into space aboard a Proton M / Breeze M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 19:19:19 UTC on 17 September 2009.

Nimiq-6
Satellite has been be fully leased for its lifetime by Bell Satellite TV which will use it to service direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television subscribers across Canada.

Nimiq-6 was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 17 May 2012.
 Manufacturer: Space Systems/Loral
 Satellite Type: LS-1300
 Launch mass:
 Dimensions:
 Power: 25 kW
 Expected lifetime: 15 years
 Transponders: 32 Ku-band
 Vehicle: Proton-M / Briz-M
 Location: 91.1° West

References

Communications satellites of Canada
Lockheed Martin satellites and probes
Telesat

Nimiq


James Francis Armstrong (April 3, 1750 – January 19, 1816) was a chaplain from New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War and a Presbyterian minister for 30 years in Trenton, New Jersey.

Armstrong was born in West Nottingham, Maryland. He attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), living with the family of college president John Witherspoon. Armstrong graduated in 1773 with future notables such as Henry Lee, Morgan Lewis, and Aaron Ogden. A younger classmate was Aaron Burr.

After graduation, he continued to study theology under Dr. Witherspoon. He was preparing to enter the ministry in New Brunswick in 1776, but the arrival of the British Army in New Jersey disrupted those plans. Armstrong took up a musket and served as a private in the New Jersey militia, but he was soon thereafter ordained a minister and obtained a post as a regimental chaplain in the Continental Army. He was promoted to brigade chaplain of the Second Maryland Brigade in May 1777.

After the war, he served from 1782 to 1783 as pastor at the church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, a position that had become vacant following the murder of the Rev. James Caldwell during the war. He was married to Susannah Livingston in August 1782, with the Rev. Witherspoon conducting the ceremony. He was minister of the First Presbyterian Church at Trenton for 30 years, from 1786 until his death.

Revered Armstrong was admitted as an original member of The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey in 1789 and served as Secretary of the New Jersey Society from 1790 to 1797. He was also a trustee of the College of New Jersey from 1790 until his death.

References

Hall, John. History of the Presbyterian Church in Trenton, N.J... New York: 1859. Accessed via Google Book Search.
The Magazine of American History with Notes and Queries 6. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1881.

External links
 The Society of the Cincinnati
 The American Revolution Institute

1750 births
1816 deaths
American Presbyterians
Continental Army officers from Maryland
New Jersey militiamen in the American Revolution
People from Trenton, New Jersey
Princeton University alumni
Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers
American Revolution chaplains
American military chaplains

James Francis Armstrong


The nanny van () or school private light bus is a kind of school bus service in Hong Kong. At its peak of popularity during the 1980s, it had become a form of "illegal" public transportation. Subsequently, due to unauthorized use of the vans, the government banned them as a form of public transportation and required all existing nanny vans to register and operate on designated routes.

All nanny vans in service today are required by the government to have both the Chinese text "學校私家小巴" and the English text "SCHOOL PRIVATE LIGHT BUS" in capital letters painted on the sides of the vans. There were 1769 such buses registered with the Transport Department in 2014.

History
Nanny vans were originally a small van operated in Hong Kong to ferry pre-school children from their homes to their nurseries and kindergartens. Most of these vans were run by private agreement between the schools and the drivers. These original nanny vans seated four to five adults; other seats in the van were removed and replaced with a narrow sofa around the cabin. With such an arrangement, the van could transport 10–12 children.

During the 1980s, when living standards in Hong Kong were rising, some drivers wanted to earn extra income with their vans. Therefore, when it was time for secondary schools to have their lunch break, the vans started to transport the younger children back to school. Each student paid about $1–2, which was about half the price for them to share a taxi. Most of these vans served North Point, where they either stopped at the North Point Pier or under Fortress Hill. They picked up school children until all the seats were occupied and traveled along the Cloud View Road, making stops at each school.

Regulated service
In the early 1990s, there was an accident in North Point involving a nanny van and its passengers were injured. The accident exposed the illegal service and the government issued a ban and required all nanny vans to run only along designated routes.

Nanny vans are still available in Hong Kong. Many schools are able to afford their own vans. Less affluent schools continue to sign agreements with van drivers. These drivers provide school bus services for the more remote areas of Hong Kong, transporting school children from rural villages to schools in urban areas. The nanny vans have grown to the size of a mini bus.

School private light buses are one of three legal classified vehicles for transport of schoolchildren. The other two are non-franchised public buses and private buses operated by schools directly.

There were similar services introduced also elsewhere, for example in Richmond, Virginia.

See also
Marshrutka, an equivalent mode of transportation in some ex-Soviet Bloc countries

References

External links
 Request from Hong Kong Government for Nanny Van owners to keep their vans clean during the SARS outbreak

School buses
Bus transport in Hong Kong
Student transport

Nanny van


In law, an entitlement is a provision made in accordance with a legal framework of a society. Typically, entitlements are based on concepts of principle ("rights") which are themselves based in concepts of social equality or enfranchisement.

In psychology, entitlement mentality is defined as a sense of deservingness or being owed a favor when little or nothing has been done to deserve special treatment.

Psychology

An inflated sense of what is sometimes called psychological entitlement – unrealistic, exaggerated, or rigidly held – is especially prominent among narcissists. According to the DSM-5, individuals with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are likely to have a "sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others," typically without commensurate qualities or accomplishments: Similarly, according to Sam Vaknin, the narcissistic personality attempts to protect the vulnerable self by building layers of grandiosity and a huge sense of entitlement. Similar to individuals with narcissistic personality disorder, those with borderline personality disorder display a strong sense of entitlement, according to research conducted by Dr. John Gunderson and Dr. Elsa Ronningstam. Ronningstam and Gunderson state, "Characteristics shared by the two disorders and thus failing to discriminate between NPD and BPD are notable. A sense of entitlement occurred in both diagnostic groups in Morey's and our studies; that is, both narcissists and borderlines felt that others should recognize their needs and give them special favours."

An earned sense of entitlement is usually more beneficial than a purely-psychological entitlement. Still, the former may also have a destructive counterpart in the sense of a felt entitlement to revenge based on the accumulation of grievances.

According to a study, narcissism is not associated with autonomy and adversely correlated with sociotropy, demonstrating low degrees of dependency without being excessively dependent. In contrast, entitlement showed a mixed pattern of dependency on others and a desire for independence from them, positively predicting both sociotropy and autonomy. Thus, despite having a self-centric attitude in common, psychological entitlement and narcissism have different orientations toward other people.

Psychoanalysis differentiated among children three main varieties of the sense of entitlement: normal, inflated, and compromised. The inflated sense of entitlement sought special privileges for the individual alone, perhaps to compensate for childhood suffering or narcissistic injury. The compromised sense involved an inability to expect the basic rights enjoyed by those around one. A normal or healthy sense of entitlement included an expectation of responsiveness from significant others, a sense of agency, and a sense of one's right to one's feelings, all of which form positive elements in self-esteem.

Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy distinguished in adult life between (ethically) earning entitlement in relationships, which comes from care and consideration, and a subjective feeling of entitlement, the real basis for which may be very different. Thus, the depressive may have an unjustifiably-low sense of entitlement, and the manic may have an exaggeratedly high one. The gambler may feel entitled to expect a big win to compensate for childhood deprivation. Those who clamor most loudly for such reimbursement from fate may, in fact, unconsciously doubt their entitlement to anything at all.

See also

Legal

References

Further reading

 Hill, Jess. See What You Made Me Do. Black Books Inc. Sydney. 2019.

 Twenge, Jean M.; Campbell, W., Keith The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (2009)

External links

Development studies
Narcissism
Rights
Social status

Entitlement


Pramukh Swami Maharaj (born Shantilal Patel; ordained Narayanswarupdas Swami; 7 December 1921 – 13 August 2016) was the guru and Pramukh, or president, of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a major branch of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, a Hindu denomination. BAPS regards him as the fifth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan, following Gunatitanand Swami, Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj, and Yogiji Maharaj. He was believed by his followers to be in constant communion with Swaminarayan, and ontologically, the manifestation of Akshar, the eternal abode of Swaminarayan.

He received initiation as a Hindu Swami in 1940 from Shastriji Maharaj, the founder of BAPS, who later appointed him as President of BAPS in 1950. Yogiji Maharaj declared Pramukh Swami Maharaj to be his spiritual successor and guru of BAPS, a role he commenced in 1971.

As president of BAPS, he had overseen the growth of BAPS from an organization centered in Gujarat, India, to one spread around the world, maintaining many Hindu mandirs and centers outside of India. He built more than 1,100 Hindu temples, including the Swaminarayan Akshardham temples in New Delhi and Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He had also spearheaded the efforts of BAPS Charities, which is the charitable service organization affiliated with BAPS. He was succeeded as the guru and president of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha by Mahant Swami Maharaj.

Early years

Shantilal was born in the village of Chansad, Gujarat, on 7 December 1921. His parents, Motibhai and Diwaliben Patel, were disciples of Shastriji Maharaj and followers of the Akshar Purushottam faith. Motibhai and Diwaliben were both involved in the Swaminarayan fellowship; Diwaliben's family's association with the Swaminarayan fellowship extended to the time of Bhagatji Maharaj. Shastriji Maharaj had blessed young Shantilal at birth, and had told his father, "This child is ours; when the time is ripe, please give him to us. He will lead thousands to the devotion of God. Through him, thousands will attain liberation."

Shantilal's mother described him as a calm and soft-spoken, yet energetic and active child. His childhood friends recall that Shantilal developed a reputation in the town and in school as an honest, reliable, mature, and kindhearted boy. Even as a child, he possessed an uncommon empathy that led others to seek out and trust his opinions and judgments in matters large and small. Shantilal was raised in a simple home environment, as his family was of modest means. Although he excelled in his studies, in the seventeen years he spent at home before becoming a swami, Shantilal only had the opportunity to attend school for six years. As he grew older, Shantilal helped his household by doing chores on the family farm.

Early spiritual inclination

Shantilal was strongly inclined towards spirituality from a young age. Upon completing his schoolwork, he would often rush off to the village's Hanuman temple, where he and a childhood friend would listen to the discourses of a Hindu "holy man" named Haridas.

Shantilal's daily "darshan", or worship, at the Swaminarayan temple in Chansad, and his association with Shastriji Maharaj and his disciple swamis whenever they came to the village, further reflected Shantilal's affinity for spirituality. Shantilal took his meals only after having darshan at the Swaminarayan temple. He used to meet other swamis who passed through the village from the holy places of pilgrimage in North India. Swaminarayan swamis, such as Ghanshyam Swami and Balmukund Swami, frequently visited Chansad and other nearby villages; Shantilal regularly engaged in serving them during those visits.

As a teenager, Shantilal's bond with Shastriji Maharaj deepened, and his devoutness and intellect impressed many in the fellowship. Those close to Shantilal felt it was only a matter of time until he would embark upon a monastic life by joining the order of Swaminarayan swamis under Shastriji Maharaj.

Entering the monastic life
On 7 November 1939, when Shantilal was seventeen years old, he received a letter from his guru, Shastriji Maharaj, asking him to join the swamis. His parents gave their permission and blessings, and Shantilal left home that day to join Shastriji Maharaj and his swamis.

Shastriji Maharaj gave Shantilal primary initiation, parshad diksha, at Ambli-Vadi Pol in Ahmedabad on 22 November 1939, and renamed him Shanti Bhagat. One of Shastriji Maharaj's first requests to the newly initiated Shanti Bhagat was for him to study Sanskrit; Shanti Bhagat complied with this wish, and excelled in his studies.

Soon thereafter, on 10 January 1940 at the Akshar Deri in Gondal, Shanti Bhagat was given the bhagvati diksha, initiated as a swami, and named Narayanswarupdas Swami (meaning "the form of Narayan"). Upon giving him this name, Shastriji Maharaj elaborated, "His face carries the brilliance of God, so I name him Narayanswarupdas (the servant of the form of God)." Yogiji Maharaj also gave Narayanswarupdasji his blessings, observing, "He will surely become great."

Renouncing worldly pleasures, Shantilal adopted vows of celibacy (nishkam), non-covetousness (nirlobh), non-taste (nisswad), non-attachment (nissneh) and humility (nirman) and committed himself to lifelong dedication and service to God and humanity. Shantilal was a lacto-vegetarian.

Early years as a swami
As a young swami, Narayanswarupdas Swami studied Sanskrit and the Hindu scriptures at Bhadaran and Khambhat, earning the title "Shastri" upon mastering both scripture and philosophy. In addition to his studies, Shastri Narayanswarupdas routinely engaged in a multitude of activities, including cleaning the temple compounds, cooking for swamis and devotees, and many other duties. Shastri Narayanswarupdas also played a significant role throughout the construction of the Atladra mandir in the early 1940s. During the construction, he sustained chemical burns and blisters on his body after mixing the lime to be used in construction, yet he persisted unflinchingly in performing his service despite the injuries. Serving concurrently as Shastriji Maharaj's personal secretary, Shastri Narayanswarupdas also gained a comprehensive understanding of BAPS' broader affairs and activities. In 1946, when Shastri Narayanswarupdas was 25, Shastriji Maharaj appointed him the head, or "kothari", of the large BAPS temple in Salangpur. As head of the temple, Shastri Narayanswarupdas oversaw a major expansion of the temple facilities despite considerable financial constraints. His leadership and unassuming personality in the midst of significant hardships earned him the respect of his fellow swamis and devotees, and presaged the significant responsibility that his guru would soon entrust to him.

President of BAPS

Appointment as president

In the early part of 1950, Shastriji Maharaj wrote several letters to 28-year-old Shastri Narayanswarupdas expressing his wish to appoint him the president of the organization. Twice Shastri Narayanswarupdas wrote back respectfully declining, citing his young age and inexperience, and the presence of many senior swamis who would be more suited to the responsibility. Shastriji Maharaj continued to insist, sending several senior devotees to convince Shastri Narayanswarupdas. Perceiving it to be his guru's inner wish, Shastri Narayanswarupdas ultimately acquiesced.

On 21 May 1950 at Ambli-Vali Pol in Ahmedabad, Shastriji Maharaj appointed Shastri Narayanswarupdas, then merely 28 years of age, as the administrative president ("Pramukh") of BAPS. After that Shastri Narayanswarupdas was widely known as "Pramukh Swami." At the ceremony, Shastriji Maharaj placed his own shawl around Shastri Narayanswarupdas's shoulders, and asked Yogiji Maharaj to bless him. Shastri Narayanswarupdas then addressed the group, "I feel overwhelmed by the kindness and love showered upon me so lavishly here by my guru, Shastriji Maharaj, and by my mentor Yogiji Maharaj. Always will this day remain sacred for me, in that I am considered worthy of so great a trust and confidence by the two most noble souls of our fellowship, and by you all despite my young age." Despite being appointed the president of the organization just hours before, that evening, Shastri Narayanswarupdas was found washing the cooking utensils and dishes used by the devotees who had attended the ceremony. This incident was emblematic of the humble style of servant-leadership that would characterize the next six decades of his presidency.

Service under Yogiji Maharaj

He continued to serve as the president of BAPS under guru Yogiji Maharaj after Shastriji Maharaj died in 1951. He became particularly esteemed for his aptitude as an organizer and administrator, fulfilling all of Yogiji Maharaj's goals and dreams for the organization. For instance, he helped Yogiji Maharaj in expanding the faith to England and East Africa in 1960 and 1970, constructing new temples, and instituting new programs within the organization. Throughout these efforts, he remained unassuming in his conduct and uncomplaining during the hardships he encountered.

Before dying in 1971, Yogiji Maharaj had explained to swamis and devotees, "From now onwards, Pramukh Swami Maharaj will carry on my work…Pramukh Swami is my everything".

As president and guru of BAPS

Global growth

Under his leadership, BAPS rapidly grew into a global Hindu organization and witnessed a significant expansion in many measurable parameters. As of 2019, BAPS encompasses over one million devotees, more than 900 swamis, 3,300 mandirs and congregations, over 7,200 weekly assemblies, and a host of humanitarian and charitable activities. He accompanied Yogiji Maharaj on a tour of East Africa in 1960 as well as in 1970, and embarked upon his first overseas visit as the guru, or spiritual leader, of BAPS in 1974. In the following decades, his 27 international spiritual tours spanned over fifty countries in five continents.

Temples

On 4 June 1971, in the village of Sankari, he consecrated the first temple after Yogiji Maharaj's death. After that he inaugurated hundreds of temples and centers around the world, leading to his recognition for having consecrated the greatest number of Hindu temples. In total. he consecrated 125 temples abroad, and 1,000 in India. Outside India, such temples include shikharbaddha temples in the metropolitan areas of Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Toronto, and Nairobi. The temple in the Atlanta metro area is currently recognized as the largest traditional Hindu temple outside the Indian subcontinent. Within India, he is credited as the inspirer of the Swaminarayan Akshardham complexes in Gandhinagar and New Delhi, itself the world's largest comprehensive Hindu temple. In discussing BAPS' efforts to construct traditional Hindu temples around the world, Pramukh Swami emphasized the importance of such houses of worship in modern society and values and faith they inspire in members of the community.

Interfaith harmony

In addition to meeting with and providing spiritual guidance to devotees during his international visits, he met with other religious and civic leaders. Brian Hutchinson notes that in speaking with these individuals, the pramukh "consistently emphasizes what religions hold in common and advocates cooperation between them with the purpose of uplifting the moral and religious life of mankind". The sentiments he shared with world religious leaders at the 2000 Millennium World Peace Summit at the United Nations reflected a similar message. In his address, he emphasized the goal of cooperation and mutual respect among religions, for "religion is that which spreads love for one another". He also expressed a desire that all forms of organized religion be able to coexist in harmony, noting that "flourishing together is the secret of peace". In particular, he analogized every religion to a goldmine of values from which all people could draw lessons for life. Pramukh Swami also encouraged his fellow spiritual leaders to teach their followers that religion does not grow by quantity of followers, but by quality of spirituality. In his words, "a Hindu should become a better Hindu, a Jew should become a better Jew, a Christian should become a better Christian, a Muslim should become a better Muslim. If the follower of every religion becomes a better and true follower then our world will be a much better world".

This vision of harmony through dialogue characterized his message within BAPS and beyond. During the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat and the terror attack on the Akshardham complex in Gandhinagar, he urged the public to maintain peace and unity. His response and guidance during those times was commended by leaders and commentators, including the National Security commando in charge of the rescue mission during the Akshardham attack, who later asserted that "what [the pramukh] did was unbelievable. He pieced society back together".

Celebrating Hindu culture

He led BAPS' efforts in conducting a number of large-scale cultural festivals, with the aim of fostering better understanding and appreciation of Hindu traditions and promoting moral and spiritual living. The month-long Cultural Festival of India held in Edison, New Jersey during the summer of 1991, for instance, showcased traditional Indian arts, architecture, dance, and music as well as Hindu culture and spirituality, aiming to foster deeper intercultural and interfaith understanding to the over one million visitors who attended.

Swamis

Beginning with his first swami initiation ceremony in January 1971, during his lifetime he initiated 1,000 youth into the swami fold. Hutchinson observes that his "selfless love…was his most frequently and enthusiastically reported characteristic that had influenced persons to become devotees and swamis". After renouncing worldly ambitions, these swamis were guided by him in their service of God and society. Milestone events in this realm include the bicentenary celebrations of Swaminarayan in 1981 and of Gunatitanand Swami in 1985, which saw the initiation of 200 and 173 swamis, respectively, in a single day. On 14 March 2012, he initiated 68 youths into the monastic order during a ceremony in Sarangpur, Gujarat.

Death

He had been suffering from a chest infection in his last days from which he was gradually recovering. However, due to his longstanding heart problems, he died on 13 August 2016, at 6 pm at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Sarangpur, Botad district, Gujarat, India. On 20 July 2012, Pramukh Swami had declared in the presence of senior swamis that Mahant Swami Maharaj would succeed him as the sixth guru and spiritual head of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

Significance in BAPS
Followers of BAPS believed him to be a manifestation of "Akshar", the form of the eternal abode of God. As Akshar he was also in constant communion with God. Accordingly, he was considered by devotees to be "the perfect servant of God, …totally filled with God and therefore worthy of reverence and worship".

Theological role

The living guru is considered by followers of BAPS to be the ideal swami, the perfect devotee, and the principal target for emulation by all spiritual aspirants. He was often described by followers as a personification of the sacred scriptures. He was viewed as "fully brahmanized", or having achieved the ultimate level of spiritual development.

Devotees considered him to exemplify all the ideals of the religion; he was viewed as the first disciple, most faithful in his observance of the commandments, most active in propagation of the religion, the best interpreter of the meaning of the scriptures, and the most effective in eradicating the ignorance that separates man from God. His conduct was hence considered to be that of the "ideal saint" and "perfect bhakta (devotee)", providing a tangible and graspable example for the spiritual aspirant to follow. Devotees viewed his staunch respect for Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj as the model of devotion to one's guru.

His practice of carrying the murti of Swaminarayan before him and directing all garlands or offerings presented to him to the image was also seen as a paradigm of humility and selflessness. Similarly, devotees viewed his actions in September 2002, when he appealed for peace and forgiveness of Muslim militants who killed 32 people and injured dozens more in an attack on Akshardham Gandhinagar, to epitomize the Hindu tenet of ahimsa, or nonviolence. His personality and conduct thus served as exemplars for devotees striving to progress personally and spiritually.

Followers believed that by associating with him, they might rid themselves of their vices, baser instincts, and worldly attachments. Earning the grace of the guru, devotees believed, would enable them to achieve liberation in which they would escape the cycle of births and deaths and attain "Akshardham" (God's divine abode).

For a devotee of BAPS, he was considered the essential spiritual link with God. According to the teachings of Swaminarayan, devotees consider God (Swaminarayan) to be manifest through Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Thus, his followers believed that by offering devotion to Pramukh Swami, they offer it to Swaminarayan himself.

Spiritual guide

Pramukh Swami was approached by many followers for guidance in all aspects of life. Devotees frequently took to him matters of personal, family, and business affairs and seek his guidance. This type of communication was thought to be an important aspect of the guru-disciple relationship. Accordingly, Pramukh Swami spent much time counseling devotees in person or by letters or telephone. Women could not directly receive advice from Pramukh Swami due to his vows as a swami in the Swaminarayan tradition that prohibit him from interacting directly with females. Women had to ask male relatives to approach Pramukh Swami on their behalf, or had written messages sent to him to ask for guidance.

Raymond Williams reports that through such pastoral counseling, "Pramukh Swami instructs his followers to believe in God, because without belief in the inspiration of God and faith, nothing is possible". Young devotees approaching Pramukh Swami for advice and guidance were often counseled to focus on their education. Williams notes that devotees trust Pramukh Swami's advice due to his theological role as guru and manifestation of Akshar, but also because "as a world-renouncer, he is impartial and gains no personal advantage from helping them with decisions."

Pramukh Swami had said that the purpose of his providing advice on such a range of matters was not to establish the devotees in business or to enable them to become wealthy, but to relieve them of anxieties about mundane affairs so they could attend to their spiritual progress.

References

Further reading
 APJ Abdul Kalam with Arun Tiwari, Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji (2015), HarperCollins India.

External links

1921 births
2016 deaths
Indian Hindu spiritual teachers
People from Vadodara district
Presidents of religious organizations
Swaminarayan Sampradaya
20th-century Hindu religious leaders
21st-century Hindu religious leaders

Pramukh Swami Maharaj


Maria Lauber (25 August 1891 – 4 July 1973) was a Swiss writer, who published both in Standard German and in the local dialect of Swiss German (specifically "Frutigtütsch", a form of Highest Alemannic).

Life and work
Born in Frutigen, in the Berner Oberland, Lauber worked as a teacher in Adelboden, Lenk and Kiental before retiring in 1952 for health reasons.

Her early work was mainly natural history written in Standard German, but she later published increasing numbers of stories, autobiographical narratives and poems in the Swiss German dialect of the Frutigtal valley, which runs along the river Kander.

In 1966, she was appointed an honorary citizen of Frutigen by the parish council. She is buried in the Frutigen cemetery, where her grave has been given a place of honour.

Awards and prizes
1951 Schiller Prize (for Chüngold)
1966 Literary Prize of the Canton of Bern
1966 honorary citizen of Frutigen

Selected bibliography
Alpen-Legendchen, 1920
D' Wyberschlacht uf de Langermatte. Ein Schauspiel aus der Zeit der Sage in 3 Akten, 1922
Wa Grossatt nug het gläbt. Skizzen über das Brauchtum der Talschaft Frutigen in ihrer Mundart dargestellt, 1939
Eghi Brügg: Gschichti us em innere Frutigtal, 1942
Hab Sorg derzue. Sagen aus der Talschaft Frutigen nach mündlicher Ueberlieferung, 1940
Chüngold (Erzählung), 1950
Chüngold in der Stadt (Erzählung), 1954
Mis Tal (Gedichte), 1955
Bletter im Luft (Gedichte), 1959
Unter dem gekrönten Adler. Die Talschaft Frutigen, 1961

1891 births
Swiss writers
Swiss women writers
1973 deaths

Maria Lauber


The Beldam Painter was an Attic black-figure vase painter, active from around 470 to before 450 BC.

His real name is unknown. The conventional name is derived from his name vase, which depicts an unidentified older female being tortured by several satyrs. He was one of the latest representatives of his style. The products of his workshop are considered the final evidence for large-scale production of black-figure vases in Athens. Stylistically, his work is closely connected to that of the Haimon Group.

He continued the tradition of small narrow lekythoi. The smallest have chimney-like mouths, sharply carinated shoulders and high, simple feet. Already early in his career, he produced high-quality drawings, especially on larger lekythoi, considered better than those by the Haimon Group. A striking characteristic of his work are garlands of ivy used as a decorative motif on the necks of many of his lekythoi. Sometimes they are simple outlines, often on the same vessels as funeral scenes. These grave lekythoi are the first of their type in Athens, where they were produced in large numbers from then onwards. Especially typical of his and his workshop's creations is the use of white ground under the ornamental friezes, and more generally, the generous use of white paint. Another characteristic of the artist's work are plant and checkerboard patterns on white ground, subsequently copied by other workshops. His palmette-lekythoi resemble the works of the Class of Athens 581.

See also
 List of Greek vase painters

Bibliography
 C. H. Emilie Haspels: Attic black-figured lekythoi, Paris 1936, p. 170-191. 266-269. 367.
 John Beazley: Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters, Oxford 1956, p. 586-587.
 John Boardman: Schwarzfigurige Vasen aus Athen. Ein Handbuch, Mainz 1977, , p. 162.

Ancient Greek vase painters
Artists of ancient Attica
5th-century BC Greek people
Anonymous artists of antiquity
Year of birth unknown

Beldam Painter


The Palestine Technical College is a university technical college in Deir El-Balah, Gaza Strip, Palestine. The college offers bachelor degree programs and 2-year associate degrees in technical education at the post-secondary level, as well as programmers for different target groups through continuing education.

Palestine Technical College (PTC) - Deir El-Balah is a leading governmental college that specializes in technical university education and it was established in 1993. Currently there are more than 1800 student enrolled in the college in 20 diploma programs and 8 B.Sc. programs. The main college campus is located at the city of Deir El-Balah and it serves students from all over the Gaza Strip due to its central location in the strip. Recently, the college has opened a new branch campus in the north of Gaza City to realize its expansion plans. In the academic year 2015/2016, PTC employs around 200 full time employees of which 120 are academic staff and most of them hold either PhD or master degrees. Around 60% of newly enrolled students are females.

References

External links
 Palestine Technical College

Deir al-Balah
Universities and colleges in Gaza Strip
Educational institutions established in 1993
1993 establishments in the Palestinian territories

Palestine Technical College


Albert Gregory Pearson (September 12, 1934 – February 21, 2023) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a centerfielder for the Washington Senators (1958–59), Baltimore Orioles (1959–60), and Los Angeles/California Angels (1961–66). Pearson stood  tall, weighed , and batted and threw left-handed.

Named for star college football player Albie Booth, Pearson grew up desiring to play baseball. Though he initially attended Mt. San Antonio College, he dropped out to sign with the Boston Red Sox after a psychology professor suggested he was more interested in baseball than his lectures. Pearson spent five years playing Minor League Baseball in Boston's organization but had not yet reached the major leagues upon his trade to the Senators in 1958. Pearson made Washington's roster out of spring training that season and batted .275, winning the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year and the Sporting News Rookie of the Year Awards. He struggled to start off the 1959 season, though, and was traded to Baltimore during the year; Pearson went back and forth between the minor leagues and the majors in 1959 and 1960. Hearing that his native California was about to be awarded the expansion Los Angeles Angels, Pearson wrote Fred Haney, the Angels' general manager, asking the Angels to pick him in the expansion draft. Haney did draft Pearson–as the 30th and last pick.

With the Angels, Pearson turned his career around. He batted .288 in his first year with the ballclub and became a starting outfielder again. The Angels named him their starting right fielder in 1962, but he was moved to centerfield on May 4 after Lee Thomas batted only .149 in his first 17 games. Pearson led the AL with 115 runs scored that season. In 1963, he was selected to the All-Star Game, earning the start in the game over Mickey Mantle, who had broken his leg a month earlier. Pearson was one of four AL players to hit over .300 in 1963, a season in which he set career highs in many categories. After Pearson batted .214 in the first two months of 1964, he was replaced in centerfield by Bob Perry, serving as a reserve player the rest of the year and only batting .223 on the season. He earned a platoon role with Lou Clinton in 1965 and batted .278 while playing 122 games. However, a back injury suffered in spring training of 1966 limited Pearson to two games, and he retired after that season.

After retiring, Pearson was involved in Christian ministries. He became an ordained minister in 1972, and in 1997, he and his wife sold their home to found Father's Heart Ranch in Desert Hot Springs, California, an  home for abused, neglected and abandoned 6- to 12-year-old boys. Golf was one of Pearson's hobbies, and he also acted in television shows and released a record under the Capitol label.

Early life
Pearson was named after star college football player Albie Booth. He inherited his short height from his parents; his father was  and his mother was . He was their only child. He was interested in baseball from a young age. When he was six, he borrowed his mother's decorative pillows and used them for a makeshift baseball field, then pretended to hit a home run to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. He said God told him during that game, "Join my team."

Pearson pitched and played the outfield for the baseball team, played halfback for the football team, and played on the basketball team at El Monte High School, earning 13 letters in those three sports. On the baseball team his senior year, he had a 23–6 record and an 0.83 earned run average (ERA) while batting .506, but he drew little interest from scouts because of his height. Though he was offered football scholarships at California Polytechnic State University and Pacific University, he turned them down to attend Mt. San Antonio College which was nearer his home. Following part of a semester at Mt. San Antonio, he was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1953. He said that he dropped out of Mt. San Antonio to sign with the Red Sox after a psychology professor suggested he was more interested in baseball than his lectures (which Pearson agreed with).

Baseball career

Minor leagues
Tom Downey was the scout who signed Pearson to his first contract, which amounted to little else besides two pairs of cleats, a new suitcase, and a promise of making $225 a month if he made the team. "I was afraid they wouldn't give me another chance," Pearson said of his decision to sign. "I realized this was the way it had to be." Pearson was assigned to the San Jose Red Sox of the Class C California League, where he hit .334 in 125 games. Although he was signed as a pitcher, a shortage of outfielders at San Jose forced Pearson to have a spot in the lineup daily. After getting eight hits in his first two games, Pearson did little pitching during his minor league career–none with San Jose though he spent all of 1953 with them.

Promoted to the Albany Senators in the Class A Eastern League in 1954, he hit .269. He earned a two-game promotion to play for the Louisville Colonels of the Class AAA American Association. Pearson spent 1955 back at Class A, this time hitting .305 for the Montgomery Rebels in the South Atlantic League. He split 1956 between the San Francisco Seals in the Open Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Oklahoma City Indians in the Class AA Texas League, hitting well throughout the season and finishing with a combined .358 batting average with seven home runs, 46 runs batted in (RBIs), six triples, and 36 doubles. He had 91 walks and only 41 strikeouts in 153 games, winning the Texas League batting championship. Pearson was back with the Seals in 1957 and continued to hit, batting .297 with five home runs, 50 RBIs, 11 triples, and 22 doubles. Looking at archived Seals photos, Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle observed in October 2012 that Pearson stood apart from the other Seals because of "his joyous grin." His clean living also set him apart, as a contemporary Chronicle article observed: "The little man doesn't drink or smoke or swear." With the Seals in 1957, Pearson helped the team win the PCL title in its final season.

Major leagues

Washington Senators and Baltimore Orioles (1958–60)
On January 23, 1958, the Red Sox traded Pearson and Norm Zauchin to the Washington Senators for infielder Pete Runnels. He wrote Senators' owner Calvin Griffith a letter that month, asking permission to report to camp early, as he wanted to make a good impression despite his short size. Pearson won a spot as the Senators Opening Day centerfielder and played the position all year for Washington. Hitless in his first three games, his first major league hit came on April 19, a single against Mike Fornieles in a 4–3 victory over the Red Sox. On July 28, he had three hits and hit his first major league home run against eventual Hall of Famer Early Wynn in a 6–5 loss to the Chicago White Sox. On September 2, he hit an inside-the-park home run against Hal Brown, driving in three runs in a 4–3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Three days later, he hit a two-run home run against Bob Turley in a 6–3 victory over the New York Yankees. In 1958, he won both the Major League Baseball (MLB) Rookie of the Year and the Sporting News Rookie of the Year Awards in the American League (AL). Pearson played 146 games for the Senators that year, batting .275 with 63 runs scored, 146 hits, three home runs, and 33 RBIs.

A hernia and a lingering, physically draining cold caused Pearson to miss games in 1959 spring training, but he was healthy enough to play by Opening Day. However, Pearson started the 1959 season hitting only .188 over the first 25 games with no home runs and only two RBIs, after which he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for centerfielder Lenny Green. With the Orioles in 1959, Pearson was used as a reserve outfielder in all three outfield positions. In 80 games for the Orioles, he batted .232 with 22 runs scored, 32 hits, no home runs, and six RBIs. His combined batting average in 105 games between Baltimore and Washington was .216.

Pearson started the 1960 season again as a reserve outfielder for the Orioles, batting .286 in his first 12 games. By June 12, with his average dropping to .231, Pearson was sent to the Miami Marlins, Baltimore's Class AAA team in the International League. After hitting over .300 in Miami, Pearson returned to Baltimore in September. He ended the year playing in only 48 games for the Orioles, batting .244 with 17 runs scored, 24 hits, one home run, and six RBIs.

Los Angeles Angels (1961–66)
Following the 1960 season, the Orioles sent Pearson back to their Class AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, in 1961. Meanwhile, baseball owners approved the creation of the Los Angeles Angels as an expansion team in October 1960, meaning there would be an expansion draft in which the Angels got to select players from all of the major league teams. Since he was from California, Pearson wrote Fred Haney, the Angels' general manager, asking the Angels to pick him in the 1960 expansion draft. Haney chose Pearson with their 30th and final pick. With the expansion Angels, Pearson turned around his career. In the team's first game, Pearson scored the franchise's first run, in a 7–0 win against his old team, the Orioles. Used mostly as a centerfielder early on, Pearson batted .250 in 30 games through May 21. For the next 30 days, he was used mainly as a pinch-hitter, batting .319 over that period. From June 19 through the end of the year, he made most of the team's starts in right field, batting .296 for the rest of the season. Pearson hit .288 with 7 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 92 runs for the season.

Pearson began the 1962 season as the Angel right fielder, but he was moved to centerfield on May 4 after Lee Thomas batted only .149 in his first 17 games. In the first game of a doubleheader against Boston on May 30, 1962, Pearson had three hits and scored four runs in a 10–5 victory. The Angels played another doubleheader two days later, but Pearson became the first player to go hitless when receiving at least 11 at bats in a doubleheader. He walked three times and had three RBIs on June 28 in a 19–7 victory over the Red Sox. With the Angels trailing the Yankees 7–6 in the bottom of the ninth inning on July 14, Pearson led off the inning with a game-tying home run against Marshall Bridges; however, the Yankees won the game in the tenth. Eleven times during the year, Pearson had three hits in a game. Pearson set a career-high with 160 games played, and he led the AL with 115 runs scored. He batted .261 with 160 hits, five home runs, 42 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases in 21 attempts.

On April 24, 1963, he had five walks, playing all 15 innings of a 4–3 loss to the Detroit Tigers. He had four RBIs on May 6, including a game-ending, two-RBI double against Bill Pleis in the ninth inning that turned a 3–2 deficit into a 4–3 win over the Minnesota Twins. In the first game of a doubleheader on May 19, his third-inning, three-run home run against eventual Hall of Famer Whitey Ford put the Angels ahead to stay in a 6–2 victory over the Yankees. Pearson had four hits and two RBIs on June 5 in an 8–2 victory over the White Sox. He was selected to the All-Star Game in 1963. At the game, he had Mickey Mantle and Brooks Robinson autograph a bat for him. Pearson was chosen to start the game in centerfield over Mantle, who had gotten off to a slow start to his season. On September 1, Pearson again had four hits in a 7–6 loss to the Kansas City Athletics. During his All-Star season, Pearson set career highs in RBIs (47), hits (173), and stolen bases (17, though the 10 times he was caught stealing led the AL). Pearson also led the AL with 139 singles, and his .304 batting average (another career-high) ranked him fourth in the batting crown race behind Carl Yastrzemski (.321), Al Kaline (.312) and Rich Rollins (.307), the only other American Leaguers to bat over .300.

Pearson only batted .214 in the 1964 season's first couple of months, and in June, he lost the starting centerfield job to Bob Perry. For the rest of the season, he was used as a pinch-hitter and pinch-runner, making occasional starts in left field and centerfield. On May 11, he had three hits, including a two-run home run against Moe Drabowsky in a 6–5 win over the Athletics. He also had three hits on May 22 in a 4–3 loss to the Yankees. In 107 games, Pearson had only 265 at-bats, batting .223 with 59 hits and two home runs. His runs scored total dropped from 92 the previous season to 34.

In 1965, Pearson began the season as a pinch-hitter. After Lou Clinton, the right fielder, only batted .200 in April, Angels manager Bill Rigney began using Pearson in a platoon role with him. Pearson, who was left-handed, typically started against right-handed pitchers, while Clinton, who was right-handed, typically started against left-handed pitchers. On June 12, Pearson had three hits, three RBIs, and two stolen bases in a 13–2 victory over the Yankees. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Twins on August 20, Pearson had four hits in a 3–1 victory. Eight days later, in the seventh inning of a game against the Tigers that was tied 3–3, Pearson delivered a go-ahead RBI single against Orlando Peña, providing the margin of victory in a 4–3 win. On August 31, his first-inning home run against Bill Stafford provided all the scoring in a 1–0 win over the Yankees. In 122 games for the Angels in 1965, Pearson had 360 at-bats and batted .278 with 41 runs scored, 100 hits, four home runs, and 21 RBIs. He only stole 12 bases but also only got caught stealing once all season.

A jarring slide into third base during 1966 spring training resulted in two ruptured discs in Pearson's back. The injury kept him from playing until July, and he only made two pinch-hit appearances before sitting out the rest of the season. He retired after the year, due partly to his back problems and partly to his belief that God wanted him to retire. In his final major league appearance on July 16, Pearson pinch-hit for Angel starting pitcher Dean Chance in the fifth inning, then finished a 7–1 loss to Boston in left field.

In his nine-year major league career, Pearson was a .270 hitter with 28 home runs and 214 RBIs in 988 games. He compiled a 2.45 walk-to-strikeout ratio (477-to-195) and a .369 on-base percentage.

Stature
During his career, Pearson was the shortest player in the major leagues. He stood  tall and weighed . His small size helped make him a favorite of children, as he was closer to their height. Gilbert Rogin of Sports Illustrated wrote that in 1956, the Little Guys and Dolls of America, who did not allow anybody to join who was more than , voted Pearson their Athlete of the Year. Worried his small size would deter scouts, Pearson credits the  Bobby Shantz's successful 1952 season (in which he won 24 games) with helping Boston become interested in him. He took his short size in good humor, saying, "I never have the satisfaction of looking an umpire in the eye, I'm forever signing autographs for kids taller than I am, and human skyscrapers like Norm Zauchin and Jim Lemon of our club make me feel like a midget when they walk by but, hand me a bat and let me step into the box, and I'm as good as the next guy - some of 'em, at least."

Personal life and later years
Pearson and his wife Helen married in 1953. A 2011 Orange County Register article reported that they had five daughters, 17 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. Pearson also played golf; he participated in a 1962 golf tournament with several other major leaguers, including Hall of Famers Bob Lemon and Ralph Kiner. While he was with the Angels, his roommates at various times included Bo Belinsky and Don Lee. Pearson was also an actor and singer. He was offered a part in The Petticoat Pirates, a movie, but he turned it down because the proposed scene involved him drinking. However, he did appear in Day in Court, a TV show, and he would have appeared in an episode of The Roaring 20's, only his scene was cut before the episode was released. In 1961, he made two records for Capitol (only one of which was released), and he sang "Because" when his bride-to-be came down the aisle at his wedding. In the 1961–62 offseason, he served as a disc jockey on KPRO in Riverside County, California. During his career, he owned 27.5% of the stock in the Mighty Mite Corporation, which made adhesive grips for sporting equipment.

Pearson became an ordained minister in 1972. Even before that, he had taught Sunday school at Baptist churches. "I'm a firm believer in the Bible and the Ten Commandments," he told Gilbert Rogin of Sports Illustrated. He and his wife had moved to Riverside in 1963. Later that decade, he started a Riverside youth foundation which focused on helping children stay off drugs. He has founded a non-profit organization providing training for pastors and ministers and set up churches and orphanages in Ecuador and Zambia. "When you see a life changed, it's worth everything compared to getting a base hit or winning a game," he says. The Pearsons moved to Garden Valley, Texas, in 1987 so Albie could minister to musicians in the area. From 1988 through 1989, he served as the pastor of Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale, Texas, before moving back to California. In 2004, Albie and his wife became the pastors of Thousand Palms Community Church, which they later renamed Desert Christian Community Church, in Thousand Palms, California.

In 1997, Pearson and his wife sold their home to found Father's Heart Ranch in Desert Hot Springs, California, an  home for abused, neglected and abandoned 6- to 12-year-old boys. The ranch includes a Pop Warner football team and a Little League baseball team. "It's interesting and amazing how they respond to love," Pearson said of the boys at Father's Heart Ranch. "We found that to be a key. When they find out that they are not just something to kick and hit, but that they have a purpose, a God who really loves them, they begin to respond in a dramatic way. They are little miracles." In 2011, the Orange County Register noted that the Pearsons' Father's Heart International foundation was providing food to about 4,000 Zambian children each week whose parents had died of AIDS.

Pearson died in La Quinta, California, on February 21, 2023, at age 88.

See also
 List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders

References

External links

Albie Pearson - Baseballbiography.com
Father's Heart Ranch
Pearson singing "I'll Trust in Him"

1934 births
2023 deaths
21st-century African-American people
Albany Senators players
American expatriate baseball players in Cuba
American League All-Stars
Baltimore Orioles players
California Angels players
Habana players
Los Angeles Angels players
Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
Major League Baseball center fielders
Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners
Miami Marlins (International League) players
Montgomery Rebels players
New York Yankees scouts
Oklahoma City Indians players
San Francisco Seals (baseball) players
San Jose Red Sox players
Sportspeople from Alhambra, California
Baseball players from Los Angeles County, California
Washington Senators (1901–1960) players

Albie Pearson


Marianne Golz-Goldlust (née Belokosztolszky: 30 January 1895 – 8 October 1943) was an Austrian-born opera singer and actress. She maintained a successful career in eastern Europe during the early 1920s, later moving to Prague, Czechoslovakia, and becoming a theatre critic. She married Jewish journalist Hans Goldlust in 1929. When Hans was arrested by Nazis in 1939, Golz-Goldlust secured his release, helping him and his other relatives escape to England. She stayed in Prague to help the Resistance, a dangerous task which she accomplished by hiding Jewish refugees, smuggling financial resources and information across borders, recruiting new resistance members, and holding resistance meetings at her home.

After she and several other resistance members were arrested by Nazis in 1942, Golz-Goldlust confessed to her part in the resistance and claimed her associates were innocent, successfully securing their release. Her family's legal attempts to have Golz-Goldlust freed were ultimately unsuccessful. In May 1943, she was sentenced to death by the Nazis, and was executed by guillotine in October of that year.

Golz-Goldlust's personal letters were compiled and published in book-form after the war, and her story became further popularized via articles, radio broadcasts, and a stage play. In 1988, Golz-Goldlust was recognized posthumously as Righteous Among the Nations.

Biography

Early life and career
Maria Agnes Belokosztolszky was born to a Catholic family on 30 January 1895 in Vienna, Austria. Her mother was Czech, while her father was Polish. She had a sister named Rosi. After high school, Belokosztolsky trained as an opera singer and ballet dancer. She took on the stage name Marianne Tolska. Throughout the early 1920s, she appeared in performances in Linz, Stuttgart and Salzburg City, working with Austrian composer Nico Dostal and singing operettas alongside tenor Richard Tauber. During this time, she married and divorced twice.

In 1924, Belokosztolszky moved to Berlin, where she met Jewish editor and journalist Hans Goldlust. The two married in 1929. Hans had informally adopted the surname 'Golz' to avoid social stigma surrounding traditionally Jewish-sounding names in Germany, so when Marianne married him she adopted the surname Golz-Goldlust. The couple moved to Prague in 1934, and Golz-Goldlust put her skills to work as a theatre critic.

Resistance work
When the Nazis invaded Prague in 1939, Hans was arrested. Golz-Goldlust successfully got him released, helping him escape to England. She also helped Hans' mother and sister escape the country. Instead of joining them in safety, Golz-Goldlust decided to stay in Prague to help other persecuted Jews. She began holding social gatherings at her house to find like-minded citizens, and she soon met local resistance organizer Ottokar Zapotecky, whose network helped smuggle refugees out of Prague. Golz-Goldlust recruited new resistance members from Czechoslovakia and Austria, assisting Jewish refugees in their escape by putting them in touch with the network and moving financial resources across borders. She hid refugees in her home, continued to hold resistance meetings, and arranged to smuggle important information about Prague conditions to the exiled Czech government over in England.

Death and legacy

On 19 November 1942, Golz-Goldlust and several of her resistance associates were arrested by the Nazis. Golz-Goldlust confessed immediately, telling her interrogators that she was the only resistance member in the group, and her associates were consequently allowed to go free. Golz-Goldlust was held in Pankrác Prison. Despite her captivity, however, she continued to write a steady stream of letters to friends and contacts; the letters were written on paper scraps and smuggled out of prison whenever she had meals brought to her.

Although Golz-Goldlust's family pursued legal means to have her freed, most lawyers were unwilling to risk the wrath of German authorities by arguing in her defense. Czech lawyer Marie Schrámek finally agreed to take the case, but was ultimately unable to free Golz-Goldlust, despite an appeal to the Special German High Court and to the Reich Minister of Justice. In May 1943, Golz-Goldlust was sentenced to death for her actions, and she was guillotined on 8 October 1943.

In 1946, Golz-Goldlust's letters were compiled and published as a book titled Zaluji (I Accuse), and later in German translation as Der Große Tag (The Great Day). Her story was eventually featured in radio broadcasts, articles, and a play. In June 1988, Golz-Goldlust was formally recognized posthumously by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for her work rescuing Jewish refugees. An olive tree was planted in her honour at the Yad Vashem Memorial Centre in Israel.

In 2011, the German Resistance Memorial Centre held a special exhibition focused on Golz-Goldlust's life.

References

1895 births
1943 deaths
20th-century Austrian actresses
20th-century Austrian women opera singers
Austrian Righteous Among the Nations
People executed by Nazi Germany by guillotine
Singers from Vienna
Actresses from Vienna
Austrian people of Polish descent
Austrian people of Czech descent
Austrian stage actresses
Female resistance members of World War II
Czech resistance members
Austrian resistance members

Marianne Golz


The Great Seal of the State of Missouri is an emblem that represents the U.S. state of Missouri. It was officially adopted on January 11, 1822. The center of the seal has two bears with the motto: "United we stand, divided we fall". The outer circle has the words "The Great Seal of the State of Missouri".

The year 1820 is shown in Roman numerals. Missouri, however, did not become a state until August 1821.

Missouri
Missouri
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Theodore Pratt (1901–1969) was an American writer who wrote novels set in Florida. He wrote more than 30 novels. Five films were adapted from them.

Biography
Pratt was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1901 to Thomas A. and Emma Pratt. The family later moved to New Rochelle, New York, where Theodore attended high school. After completing high school, he attended Colgate University for two years, and then Columbia University for another two years, but did not graduate. He worked in New York City as a play reader, a staff reader for a movie company, and a columnist for the New York Sun.  He also free-lanced articles for The New Yorker and other national magazines.

Theodore Pratt married Belle Jacqueline (Jackie) Jacques in 1929.  The couple went to Europe for their honeymoon, and stayed for four years, during which he served as the European correspondent for the New York Sun. The Pratts eventually settled in Majorca, Spain, where Pratt wrote a column for the English language Daily Palma Post. In 1933 Pratt wrote an article for The American Mercury called "Paradise Enjoys a Boom" that was highly critical of the Majorcan character and way of life (he called Majorcans "among the cruelest people to animals extant in the civilized world", and said "they make inept servants, and when not shirking their work from pure laziness or contrariness, they are stealing food to take to their own home").  After parts of the article appeared in translation in Majorca, the Pratts were forced to leave Spain and returned to the United States.

The Pratts moved to Lake Worth, Florida in 1934. In 1946 the Pratts moved for a brief period to California, but returned to Florida to live in Boca Raton. In 1958 the Pratts moved to Delray Beach, Florida, where he died in 1969.

Pratt traveled extensively in Florida, in particular away from the tourist areas on the east coast, to gather material for his writing.  While he was writing Mercy Island, he lived in the Florida Keys so that he could more accurately portray the lives of the Conch people of the Keys.  His Escape to Eden incorporated material from a trip into the Everglades he had made with members of the Audubon club on which their boat ran out of gas, leaving them stranded for a day-and-a-half.

Writing
Theodore Pratt published more than thirty novels, including four mysteries under the pseudonym of "Timothy Brace", two collections of short stories, two plays (adapted from his novels), a few non-fiction books and pamphlets, and numerous short stories and articles in periodicals such as Esquire, Blue Book, Escapade, The Gent, Manhunt, Guilty Detective Story Magazine, Coronet, Fantastic Universe, Space Science Fiction, and The Saturday Evening Post.  Some of his novels had strong sexual content by the standards of the time.  The Tormented (1950), a study of nymphomania, was turned down by thirty-four publishers. It eventually sold more than a million copies.

Books
Mercy Island (1941)
Mr. Limpet (1942)
Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1943)
The Barefoot Mailman (1943)
The Tormented (1950)
Handsome (1951)

Film adaptations
Five of his works were made into feature motion pictures:
His 1941 novel Mercy Island was filmed the same year, also titled Mercy Island
His April 26, 1941, article "Land of the Jook" for The Saturday Evening Post was filmed as Juke Girl in 1942.
1942's Mr. Limpet was made into the Don Knotts film The Incredible Mr. Limpet in 1964
1943's Mr. Winkle Goes to War was filmed as Mr. Winkle Goes to War in 1944
1943's The Barefoot Mailman was released as The Barefoot Mailman in 1951

The Theodore Pratt Collection of first editions and manuscript material can be found in the Special Collections section of the library at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

References

 Note: No page numbers in article.
The Fiction Mags Index - Pratt, Theodore URL retrieved February 24, 2014 (Note: The URL shifts as the index grows.)

External links

Novelists from Florida
Writers from New Rochelle, New York
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
1901 births
1969 deaths
People from Delray Beach, Florida
People from Boca Raton, Florida
People from Lake Worth Beach, Florida
Writers from Minneapolis
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from New York (state)
Novelists from Minnesota
New Rochelle High School alumni

Theodore Pratt