Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Halvorsen wanted to fly, and earned his pilot’s license in 1941, and joined the Civil Air Patrol. With World War II raging, he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942, and was assigned to transport operations in the South Atlantic. When the Berlin Airlift (“Operation Vittles”) was begun … Read more
From This is True for 20 February 2022
Growing up in Los Angeles — and being the son of Donald Trumbull, who created visual effects for The Wizard of Oz in 1939 — Trumbull seemed to be a natural for Hollywood, but he wanted to be an architect. Part of that was learning to be an illustrator …which led to a job with Graphic Films, … Read more
From This is True for 13 February 2022
A businessman, Mermelstein made wooden shipping pallets. But he was known briefly as a public figure starting in 1979 when he forced an issue that he was told to instead “leave it alone.” Mermelstein was the sole survivor in his family of the Holocaust. Someone taunted him that it was a lie, that Jews’ World … Read more
From This is True for 6 February 2022
Born in New York City to a dentist and a schoolteacher, Stamler went to school to become a doctor, but he didn’t want to practice, he wanted to do research. His interest: understanding heart problems so they could be prevented. He coined the term “risk factors” to indicate there are many, including, he found, increased … Read more
From This is True for 30 January 2022
Due to several factors, this entry is hosted on my blog. See Father Tom Carten, CSC.
From This is True for 23 January 2022
Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, McDonough became “a public servant in the truest sense,” said Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston. She not only dedicated her life to politics, she dedicated herself to help those who wanted to follow in her footsteps, especially women. In 1970 she helped craft the Canadian Liberal Party’s social policy platform … Read more
From This is True for 16 January 2022
Born in New York City, Mintz graduated magna cum laude from NYC’s Hunter College, but due to antisemitic admission quotas at east coast universities, she had to move to the University of Iowa to get her Master’s and PhD in biology. She was a professor of biological science at the University of Chicago from 1946 … Read more
From This is True for 9 January 2022