AMERICAN PATRIOT
VIEW IN
FULLSCREEN FEBRUARY 4, 2010
CLICK ABOVE
LINDSEY VONN SKIING FOR GOLD
THE MOTHER OF AMERICAN
VALENTINE’S DAY MEDAL OF HONOR SERIES
ANDERSON SAVES HIS BUDDIES
AMERICAN PATRIOT THE CENTER OF THE
US OLYMPIC MOVEMENT
4 6 THE MOTHER OF
8
AMERICAN VALENTINE’S DAY
MEDAL OF HONOR SERIES
ANDERSON SAVES HIS BUDDIES
TIFFANY LAMPS AN AMERICAN ART FORM
10
Contents
VETERANS GROUP A BEACON OF LIGHT
14 14 LINDSEY VONN SKIING FOR GOLD
12 16 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
17 THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
THE CENTER OF THE
U S O LY M P I C M OV E M E N T
4 AMERICAN PATRIOT
The U.S. Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs is the headquarters for the U.S. Olympic Committee administration and the Olympic Training Center programs. More than a dozen USOC member organizations have their national headquarters on the complex, and a dozen more member organizations and international sports federations located nearby. Once an Air Force Base and the headquarters of the North American Defense Command, the campus officially became USOC administrative headquarters in 1978. In the late 1990s, the USOC officially dedicated and opened facilities that included a state-of-the-art sports medicine and sport science center, and an athlete center, which includes a dining hall and two residence halls. The USOC is now able to provide housing, dining, recreational facilities and other services for more than coaches and athletes at one time on the complex. The Olympic Visitor Center is a popular tourist site, providing information about the USOC, U.S. Olympic Training Centers across the country, and the Olympic Movement in general. The $8 million building includes a Hall of Fame and indoor reception area, a store and auditorium. There are free public tours that include a film and a walking tour of the complex. Sites to see include the Sport Center Gymnasiums where athletes train for gymnastics, volleyball and basketball, as well as boxing; the recently refurbished weightlifting facility where you’re likely to see some serious chiseled athletes; the USA Shooting Center, where
athletes are training to control their bodies to allow them to shoot between heartbeats; and the Aquatics Center whose pool has a capacity of 1 million gallons of water and lots of cameras to help the coaching process. Life-size figures with narrative panels adorn the Irwin Belk Olympic Pathway and provide information about Olympic and Pan American Sports. After the tour, you can visit the Olympic Hall of Fame Rotunda, enjoy the memorabilia, and patronize the Olympic Spirit Store — one of only seven stores in the country selling official gear — all of which are located in the main Visitor Center. And don’t forget the rest of Colorado Springs, a community rich in highlights. Named by Outside Magazine as the 2009 Healthiest City in the U.S., it is home to the 14,000 foot Pikes Peak, 260 miles of multisport trails, quick access to nearly four million acres of Rocky Mountain wilderness and a dozen world-class ski resorts, as well as headquarters for the Air Force Academy, Focus on the Family, and historic Colorado College. FREE OLYMPIC COMPLEX PUBLIC TOUR HOURS AND INFORMATION
AMERICAN PATRIOT 5
AMERICA’S
Cupid
One billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. So says the Greeting Card Association. In the United States, this phenomenon is not the result of Cupid but can be traced to a single female entrepreneur named Esther Allen Howland. Howland, who lived from 1828-1904, is known as the Mother of the American Valentine’s Day card. of nineteen, she received an intricate English Valentine from one of her fathers’ business acquaintances, and felt confident that she could make a better one. Howland persuaded her father to order paper and supplies, she whipped up a dozen samples, and her brother included them in a catalog for his next sales trip. Hoping to recoup their investment, the family was shocked when the brother returned with thousands of dollars in advance sales. To fulfill these sales, Howland hired four female friends to assist her, setting up shop in her parents house. An assembly line was set up: seated at a long table one person would cut out Here is the love story and a uniquely American
small colored lithographs of sentimental ob-
one at that. The Howland family operated a
jects, the next person in line would lay them
book and stationery store in Worcester MA. As
onto a glazed paper background, the third
a young student at Mount Holyoke seminary,
person assembled the layers of lace paper that
Esther had been exposed to the annual Valen-
framed the central design, and the fourth per-
tine celebrations. After graduating at the age
son pasted down a printed sentiment, normally
6 AMERICAN PATRIOT
inside the card or underneath a flap where only the recipient could see it. Howland was in charge of quality control and getting them to the store. By the end of 1849, Esther Howland was firmly launched in the valentine business. As the years passed, the business flourished. The valentines were beautiful — and successful. The work force kept increasing and had to move to larger quarters on the Howland’s third floor. Among her ingenious innovations are the “lift-up” design, which combined several layers of lace paper to give a sense of depth to the central picture, and the use of small pieces of folded paper that acted like an accordion pleat, lifting up the lace from the main body of the valentine and holding it there. This growing cottage industry touched a responsive chord in sentimental nineteenth-century Americans and became increasingly popular. In 1880, Howland sold out to the George C. Whitney Company, which became the largest valentine factory in the world. She lived until 1904 —unmarried, ironically — but with an enormous legacy of having spread the gospel of romance and Valentine’s Day to her countrymen.
AMERICAN PATRIOT 7
MEDAL OF HONOR SERIES
JUMPING ON A GRENADE Each story of a winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force, amazes and inspires. In our continuing series spotlighting those bestowed this rare honor for individual bravery, the focus this week is on a man who jumped on a grenade to save his friends.
8 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Richard Beatty Anderson was born on June 26, 1921 in Tacoma WA. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942. After recruit training, he served in the San Diego area, receiving promotion to Private First Class. In 1943, Anderson was transferred to Company E, Second Battalion, Twenty-Third Marines, Fourth Marine Division. In 1944, he departed from the U.S. with Company E, landing in the Marshall Islands, on Roi Island, the first pre-war Japanese territory to fall to the Marines. A member of the invasion force, Anderson’s job was to hunt snipers. One day, he found himself in a foxhole with three of his buddies, and there he met his destiny. He hurled himself on a live grenade that had fallen into the hole though he had to know that death was almost certain. Anderson was evacuated to a ship, where he later died of his wounds. For this act of "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity," he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Other honors followed. In 1945, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Richard B. Anderson was named after him and in 2008 a government
building in Port Angeles WA was renamed the Richard B. Anderson Federal Building in his honor. Harry Pearce, who was with Anderson in the foxhole, wrote a moving eyewitness account after the war. He concluded: “E Company with all of its replacements now totals about 100 men remaining. About 20 of the original 246 remain alive that made all four invasions. All are Purple Heart owners. Several won the Silver Star, several the Bronze Star, the Navy Cross, Legion of Merit and one Medal of Honor given posthumously to PFC Richard B. Anderson. They were all good men and I am darn proud to have been one of them all the way. I've always regretted I was unable to meet the parents of Richard Anderson. I have always felt he made the ultimate sacrifice for his comrades, and that I have been on loan from God to witness the horrors of war and the supreme sacrifice of young men for their country.” LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY
AMERICAN PATRIOT 9
T I F FA N Y L A M P S AN AMERICAN ART FORM 10 AMERICAN PATRIOT
People these days collect many things, ranging from baseball cards to vintage cars, but if beauty is on your agenda consider Tiffany stained glass lamps. Known for their colorful lead glass shades and bronze bases, Tiffany Lamps originated in the New York studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany. By chance, Tiffany collaborated with Thomas Edison on designing one of the first movie theaters and it was Edison who suggested that they make electric fixtures together. Very soon Tiffany began to create electric lamps, making them as small versions of his exquisite windows, and introducing a new art form. The first of the Tiffany lamps were very geometric, using basic shapes like squares, triangles and circles in their mosaic designs. These first few lamps were referred to as Favrile, meaning handcrafted. By the end of the nineteenth century many of Tiffany's lamps had become more intricate in design. His bronze casting department created bases with leaves, feathers and wildlife. The colorful leaded glass shades particularly reflected Tiffany's love for flowers, fauna, vines, trees and shrubs, and wetlands. The elder son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, the legendary founder of the silver and jewelry firm, Tiffany and Co., Louis chose to pursue his love of art instead of continuing the family tradition. Initially, he had success with oil and watercolor works during 1860s and 1870s. However, in the 1880s he turned his attention to interior design and that was where his unique talents truly shined. Tiffany’s belief was that the decorative arts could someday hold the same status as fine arts. While making stained glass windows as part of his interior design work, Tiffany came up with the idea to arrange bits and pieces of discarded glass to form decorative lamps.
As Tiffany Lamps became increasingly popular during the early 1900s, Tiffany hired on workers who became known as the “Tiffany Girls,” unmarried women who worked on design and glass cutting. One of them, Clara Driscoll, worked her way up to director and was responsible for many of Tiffany’s most popular designs. Dragonfly, Wisteria, Peony, and Daffodil were among her most remembered contributions. By the late 1920s, Tiffany Lamps fell out of favor as too ornate for the new modern era. Tiffany Studios eventually closed its doors in 1930 and Louis Comfort Tiffany passed away soon after. Although the popularity of Tiffany lamps waned for around 20 years their beauty was rediscovered by collectors in the 1950s. They are now important — and often extremely valuable— collectors’ items.
EXPLORE THE CHARLES HOSMER MORSE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART HOME OF ONE OF THE LARGEST COLLECTIONS OF LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY’S WORK AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
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VETERANS GROUP A B E AC O N O F L I G H T As appreciation for the U.S. military ebbs and flows, one group has been consistently serving blinded vets for 65 years now. Begun by a group of recently blinded U.S. soldiers meeting in an army convalescent facility at the end of World War II, the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) has been guided by statement of purpose: “We cannot expect much help or cooperation in our fight unless we prove ourselves worthy of it. If we do not wish to be considered helpless, we must begin to produce.�
But perhaps the biggest contribution is to provide role models who have proved that the challenges of blindness can be overcome, by pairing veterans of past wars with newly blinded veterans to help them adjust to new challenges. The program is called Operation Peer Support. Similarly, representatives are also available to give advice and help with claims, and regional groups offer chances for recreation and socializing. BVA’s services are available to any vet who is legally blind, regardless of whether the cause of blindness is service connected. The Veterans Affairs estimates that nearly 7,000 veterans lose their Today, the BVA has more than 11,000 members and
site each year due to age-
works actively to locate veterans who need services and
related macular degeneration,
to help them make contributions to society. The group
glaucoma and more.
also guides veterans through the rehabilitation process, advocates for them and their families before Congress
The group is largely funded by
and the Department of Veterans Affairs, participates in
donations. BVA will commem-
veterans events and parades, and helps provide access
orate its 65th anniversary at
to tools and technologies might help with vision loss.
its 2010 national convention.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BLINDED VETERANS ASSOCIATION
L I N D S E Y VO N N SKIING FOR GOLD 14 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Few athletes are entering the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver with more potential for a gold medal than Lindsey Vonn. One of the most successful female alpine ski racers in US history, Vonn is the only American woman to have won two back-to-back World Cup overall titles. She also has two downhill titles and a super giant slalom title. For Vonn, the 2010 Games could mean matching the biggest individual gold medal windfall at a single Winter Olympics, a record of five gold medals set by American speed skater Eric Heiden in 1980. other American woman, as well as four World Championship medals, including two Golds from last year.
Vonn was born Lindsey Kildow on October18, 1984, in St. Paul MN and was raised in Vail CO, which has some of the best ski slopes in the Rocky Mountains. She began skiing at age two. As a teenager, Vonn earned Junior World medals and US titles. At 16, she made her World Cup debut and at age 20, she earned her first World Cup victory. In 2007, she married former Olympian Thomas Vonn. She says that much of her success has come from using men’s skis instead of the lighter, softer women’s version. Something must be working because the now25 year old has more World Cup wins than any
Vonn has had her share of battles. A hip injury in 2003 and a sprained knee in 2007, both forced her off the slopes for four weeks each. In 2006, Vonn endured a horrific spill while training for the Turin Olympics. Astonishingly, she continued her season with a special splint and finished by reaching the medal podium in seven of the 12 remaining World Cup races, including four wins. Her bravery earned her the US Olympic Spirit Award. Interestingly, this past December, she crashed in a World Cup giant slalom race, bruising her arm. Vonn says she is healed now and is drawing inspiration from the positive energy and optimism of her fellow US Winter Olympians. US Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Bill Marolt says that, not only is Vonn a great athlete, she’s also a great person. “She understands that she is a role model,” he says. “She accepts that responsibility. She’s gone the extra mile to create a link to the public.”
SEE LINDSAY VONN’S CRASH AT THE 2009 WORLD CUP AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering by fighting well.”
— PIERRE DE COUBERTIN FOUNDER OF THE MODERN OLYMPIC MOVEMENT
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THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY
1848. The U.S. and Mexico ended their war with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In exchange for $15 million dollars, the U.S. gained lands that today include all or part of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Texas.
AMERICAN PATRIOT 17
F R E E al digit
2 01 0 Cal or i r o f s file lendar a c e l Goog ach with e ase p u rc h
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Tens of thousands of American Service Members are deployed in hostile and remote regions of the world, including the Middle East, Afghanistan, and on ships throughout international waters. The physical conditions they must endure are difficult and they may be separated from loved ones for long periods of time. Operation Gratitude seeks to lift morale and put smiles on faces by sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed overseas. Operation Gratitude care packages contain food, hygiene products, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support.
Visit www.OperationGratitude.com to learn how you can help.