sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Barbershop Quartet Day!
On April 11, 1938 the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America was founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, marking the official celebration of Barbershop Quartet Day. The image of four wearing straw hats singing together with complex harmonies could be considered a cultural cornerstone of the 1940s.
However, Barbershop Quartet is by no means an American invention; the popularity of barbershops in England amongst men during the time of Shakespeare extended as far as in-house entertainment, often taking the form of a lutist providing a melody to which the queuing patrons could harmonize with. This idea and practice became popular in America in the West during the late 1800s, though a banjo was often used instead of a lute.
SU News
Back to the Future: 1959 Syracuse (footballstudyhall.com; Galina)
We continue in our quest to look at some of the greatest offenses in college football history. The goal is to see what we can glean from those grainy films. Next up: the 1959 Syracuse Orange.
Back to the Future: The 1945 Army Cadets[/paste:font]
Back to the Future: The 1956 Oklahoma Sooners
It would seem almost inevitable that, when Jim Brown graduated from Syracuse and got drafted by the Browns in 1957, the Orange would take a swift fall from grace. Syracuse is not exactly a college football power, right?
When Ben Schwartzwalder took over the team as head coach in 1949, he proceeded to go 26-20-1 before Brown’s first game. With Brown, there was a slight uptick, as he went 16-9 with the greatest running back of all time. This was a middling program that was sure to fall back into the depths of obscurity without Brown.
Luckily, Brown left a parting gift for the university: He hand-delivered them best running back in America, Ernie Davis.
Brown had invited the then high school running back from Elmira, New York, to come hang with him at the university, and Davis was so charmed that it was inevitable he would go to Syracuse.
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NY Fire Department Honors Fallen 40 Years Later (firehouse.com;; Buckshot)
A tragedy 40 years ago taught lessons that Syracuse firefighters will never forget.
In 1978, four firefighters were killed in a three-story Victorian home that had been turned into 10 student apartments near Syracuse University. The hazards in the building played a key role in the firefighters' deaths, said Syracuse Fire Fighters Local 280 President Paul Motondo.
Stanley Duda, Michael Petragnani, Frank Porpiglio, Jr., and Robert Shuler died in the blaze at 701 University Ave. on April 9, 1978.
"Each and every firefighter who has come along since this tragedy owes these men a significant debt of gratitude," Motondo said. "Our safety is a result of the legacy they left behind and that should always be remembered."
Syracuse firefighters, local officials and families of the four men gathered Monday morning to honor the fallen heroes.
Motondo said their deaths inspired change and taught valuable lessons.
A candle was blamed for starting the fire at the home. The firefighters were conducting search and rescue operations inside the home when a hidden sprinkler system caused an impenetrable wall of heat and steam, which cut off their escape.
"This tragedy exposed a local and national problem about non-sanctioned student housing," Motondo said.
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Other
After surge of snow, NBT Bank Stadium field ready for Syracuse Chiefs home opener (PS; Kramer)
John Stewart has worked as head groundskeeper for the Syracuse Chiefs long enough to take his small victories where he can find them when it comes to the weather.
And right now, he puts the absence of accumulated snow on NBT Bank Stadium field in the 'W' column.
"We don't have any snow on the field, so that's good,'' Stewart said recently. "We're doing OK. We definitely wanted to get over our first hurdle, which was the first three weeks of March when we had 45 inches of snowfall. So to not be completely snow covered right now is a bonus.
"But our ground is still very cold and winter doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon. So we're battling some cold ground temperatures and a lot of moisture. We're trying to stay as dry as we can.''
Barring any unexpected turns, Stewart should have the field in fine form for the home opener against Norfolk at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
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