Saturday, January 10, 2009

Profile

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bing Crosby


William F. Torpey

I'm a retired reporter and editor, a veteran of 32 years with The Hour, a daily newspaper in Norwalk, Connecticut. I was graduated from New York University's School of Commerce (now Stern School of Business.) My major was in journalism, and I minored in marketing under a Public Relations program (financed partially under the Korean G.I. Bill.)

I am a three-year U.S. Army veteran having served as a Public Information Specialist in Germany and at Fort Carson, Colorado. I received my initial public information training at the Army Information School, located at that time at Fort Slocum, N.Y., on Davids Island off New Rochelle. My major activity in the Army was covering the 60th Infantry Regiment and writing news articles for the 9th Division News and filing reports with the Stars and Stripes and Army Times via teletype. I was particularly proud of a full-page spread I wrote for the Army Times on Germany's first speed limit, which was established for roads within the Wharton Barracks military dependent area in Heilbronn in 1956.

Upon returning to the U.S. under operation gyroscope, I was given the additional duties of 60th Infantry Regiment photographer with a full photo lab that I established in a small cottage with a lot of help from the 9th Division Photography Section.

In the business world, I spent an exciting year as Public Relations Assistant with the Commerce and Industry Association of New York, where one of my duties was as Executive Director of the
Hundred Year Association of New York then located at Church Street in downtown New York City. I was in charge of the Association's 1965 New York Hilton dinner when we presented the Gold Medal to David Rockefeller as "Man of the Year." Previous recipients of the Gold Medal include John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1935), Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers (1950), also New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani (1998) and Michael R. Bloomberg (2008).

I took the position of Executive Assistant at the Drug, Chemical and Allied Trades Association, where I worked (in the Empire State Building, 30th floor) throughout 1967. Earlier, I worked as Inventory Supervisor for Peabody Engineering Corporation, then in Glenbrook, Conn.

I was born in 1935 in Yonkers, N.Y., which was dominated before and during World War II by the Alexander Smith carpet factory, where my father and paternal grandfather worked for many years. As a young boy I lived for seven years with my maternal grandmother, Adelaide Hogan, who was the estranged wife of my famous grandfather, Michael J. Hogan, a longtime Irish prizefighter who fought more than 400 bouts under the alias Shamus O'Brien. (While his record was less than sterling, he was a good fighter and fought all comers, including the revered lightweight champion
Benny Leonard  --  three times.)

In the early '50s, I moved with my family to Norwalk, Connecticut, and was graduated from Norwalk High School. I was married to Ruth Harriet Dugdale, 1938-2004, who was a registered nurse and later worked as Attendance Secretary at Darien High School. I have two grown children, Beth, a former Bluegrass Entertainer of the Year for the State of Maine, and Catherine, Executive Director of the Focusing Institute. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Union Theological Seminary in New York and a former minister at the South Nassau Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Freeport, N.Y.

I moved to Rockville Centre, N.Y., from Darien, Connecticut, in late 2005 and presently reside in Valley Stream, N.Y. I am a former Adjutant of the Robert F. Garrison Post 3350, Veterans of Foreign Wars in East Rockaway, New York. In retirement I now write at hubpages.com where I've published my newspaper columns and some new material, which can be accessed at left. At HubPages, I have been honored by a fellow "hubber," known as Froggy213, who has created a "Hall of Fame" for hubbers. To get acquainted with some writers at HubPages, take a look at this "hub:"
Froggy's Hall of Fame II

I am a lifelong fan of
Bing Crosby the greatest singer of the 20th Century. Bing has been cited by the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest single record sales ever for his recording of "White Christmas." He also was an Oscar-winning actor for one of his five dozen movies ("Going My Way" 1944.) I am a member of the International Club Crosby and an avid reader o its "Bing" magazine, which is published three times a year.

Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? (1933)
I'm Hummin'-I'm Whistlin'-I'm Singin' (1934)
Brother Can You Spare a Dime (1932)
Bing Crosby 'The Day You Came Along' (1933)
Bing Crosby 'Sweet Georgia Brown' (1932)


2 comments:

TheOnlyWay said...

Bing Crosby always reminded me of Christmas until I read all your work on Bing Crosby and I now know he was a huge star who has worked with many greats as well as many greats being inspired by him!

Good job and thankyou!

William F. Torpey said...

Thanks for commenting, 08. I think Bing would attract many new fans if only they had an opportunity to listen to his great music and see some of his better movies. Many of his songs and movies have been made available on youtube and on CDs.