EXTRA, EXTRA: READ ALL ABOUT IT!

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To quote Paul Newman's line to Charlotte Rampling in my favorite movie, "The Verdict": "I had a good day today". Two of my articles, "The Estate of Eastern Airlines" and "USA 3000 Coach Flyer" (see magazine cover above) were released nationwide this morning in bookstores across America. Next Tuesday, we will be distributed in the U.K. and Worldwide! The Eastern article is very important to me, because it is an homage of sorts to my friend and mentor, the late Martin R. Shugrue, Jr. or "Marty", as he preferred to be called. Marty served as Trustee for the estate of Eastern Airlines and appeared himself in a series of very bold high impact/high visibility television ads in 1990. I have yet to see a television ad campaign that equals the excitement of those ads, produced by Ogilvy & Mather. David Letterman got such a thrill from watching these commercials that in October 1990, he included Marty in his famous "TOP 10" feature called "Why You Should Fly Eastern Airlines"! Marty, who had a terrific sense of humor and could always laugh at himself (a requirement of all my friends) told me that he considered showing a videotape of that segment to Eastern's Creditor's Committee before deciding otherwise. "You never know how those guys will respond to humor", he said and we enjoyed quite a belly laugh! Ah, good memories! Included in the article is the aircraft livery design I created and submitted to Marty in 1994 for what was to have been the "New" Eastern. I am very proud--- to say the least---that my Editor-In-Chief Extraordinaire, John Wegg, included the commentary that Marty had my mechanical propped up against the side of his desk for several months as he struggled valiantly to raise capital for the new company. It never came to pass. But Marty was amazing. When his role changed from an Operating Trustee to a Liquidating Trustee, he petitioned the Court to make employee claims a "Priority" along with enhancing the medical trust of retirees. As my own Mother stated: "He really had a heart, ya know it?" True! He was a genuine "people person", a bridge builder who could bring adversaries together in peace, a man who had an extraordinary propensity for fixing problems. He was simply, "The Best" and he is missed! I Honor this Great man and in the days ahead, I will announce new additions to my PHOTO GALLERY Section. Among them, will be the last photo taken in Miami at Pan Am Headquarters with Marty and me.

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When Marty (whose 1994 INTERVIEW with me was included on this Blogsite--see Archives) brought back a resuscitated Pan Am, it was an Excellent airline in every sense of the word! And the "Class" was evident from full meals, to garnering awards for the cabin service and even the tasteful uniforms of the Flight Attendants. The merger with Carnival Airlines simply came at the wrong time in the economy for Pan Am and in 1998 the carrier ceased operations. But I was lucky to fly the airline from New York to Miami and it was absolutely amazing to see what flying used to be. Marty's style was all over that carrier. It was an absolute Joy! Even today, I hear about how Pan Am II is genuinely missed! But what an achievement that was, against the odds. Courage, Class and Caring! Inspired? You better believe it!

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HAVE A GOOD EVENING, ALL!

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OH, JUST A SUBTLE REMINDER: ..."FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT" GETS POSTED AT 12:01 A.M. THURSDAY! MY "NEWS" AND "COMING SOON" SECTIONS WILL CONTINUE TO BE UPDATED REGULARLY.

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I WANT TO EXPRESS MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO EACH OF YOU WHO CONTINUE TO VISIT HERE FOR YOUR CONTINUING FRIENDSHIP AND LOYALTY DURING MY RELOCATION. I WILL BE HERE ON A PART-TIME BASIS. AND WHILE IT MAY TAKE ME A LITTLE LONGER, I WILL GET BACK TO EACH OF YOUR COMMENTS. ALSO, PLEASE KNOW THAT I APPRECIATE YOUR E-MAILS MORE THAN YOU REALIZE! I HAVE FIELDED 107 AS OF THIS AFTERNOON, SINCE I ANNOUNCED MY PART-TIME SCHEDULE HERE. AGAIN, THANK YOU!