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EXIT of the DAY: EXIT 35 I-95n to : Thurgood Marshall International Airport, Savage Mills, North Laurel in Maryland. You are approaching Baltimore Washington International Airport aka The Thurgood Marshall Airport. It is named for a man whose roots were in Baltimore... his career was in Washington... and his influence was International.  The grandson of slaves, Marshall attended Frederick Douglass High School. He then went to Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, a primarily African American college. His remarkable class of 1930 included Big Band leader Cab Calloway and writer Langston Hughes.   After Lincoln University, Marshall wanted to go to Law School. He applied to his home state college, University of Maryland School of Law but was rejected. That’s because the U of M did not accept African Americans. Instead Marshall attended Howard University Law School. Not surprisingly, he graduated 1st in his class. Then not 3 years after he applied, he sued the University of Maryland, won the suit, and forced the matriculation of the first black man. The legacy of Marshall at Howard lives on: the law school boasts one of the most admired Centers for the study of civil rights which itself was named for Thurgood Marshall.    A passionate proponent of education and an avid stickler to detail, over his career he stayed close to the words -- and promises -- of the US Constitution. As a Civil Rights lawyer, by 1967 he had won more cases in front of the Supreme Court than any other lawyer in the history of the United States. In the Mid '60's, President Johnson came calling.  Seeking the first black Supreme Court Justice, Marshall was appointed. President Lyndon Johnson said, "this was "the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place." Marshall once described his philosophy as this: "You do what you think is right -- and let the law catch up." Folks argue that this was judicial activism. Marshall did not deny it. When he died in 1993, his legacy was simple: to uphold the constitutional rights of EVERY American. #BWI #ThurgoodMarshall #HarrietTubman #LyndonJohnson #BaltimoreWashingtonInternationalAirport #CivilRights #SupremeCourt #Slavery #escapefromslavery #HowardUniversity #UniversityofMaryland #CabCalloway #LangstonHughes  
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 Hear this here! EXIT of the DAY: Exit 75 I-95s: To Jackson Ward, Richmond Virginia Ok Road Trippers listen up. Time for a Road Test. So now listen well to the Fast Facts. You are approaching the Exit to a special place. It is called the Maggie Lena Walker House and it is operated by the National Park Service. Maggie’s former home in the Jackson Ward section of Richmond was the center of African American commerce at the turn of the twentieth century. Talk about a success story, this African American daughter of slaves was the first female bank president in The United States.   All along the highway you see billboards. Likely you see signs for banks like Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, and here in Virginia, you see a lot of PNC Banks. Well now, it is time for the Fast Facts: Born to slaves in Richmond, Virginia at the end of the Civil War, Maggie Lena Walker grew up an avid student. She excelled in both math and Bible studies. In her twenties, she became an active member of The Independent Order of Saint Luke which was a Christian Society that encouraged self-help amongst African Americans. Then Maggie did something that today we would call, “Extending the brand.” In 1902, Maggie Lena Walker started a newspaper for the organization, "The Saint Luke Herald."  Shortly thereafter, she perceived that most African Americans in Richmond were not welcome at white banks. Through the newspaper she solicited blacks to “put their money together” to work for their own people. Said Maggie, "Let us put our nickels together and turn them into dollars." So Maggie chartered “Saint Luke’s Penny Savings Bank.” Maggie was the bank's first president, which earned her the recognition of being the first woman — anywhere in the United States — to start a bank. Pretty cool eh? During the same time she married and almost lost her life giving birth to her first child. Ultimately she and her husband, Armstead, raised 3 children. Later, Maggie merged Saint Luke’s Penny Savings Bank with two other Richmond banks to become The Consolidated Bank and Trust Company. Maggie served as the bigger bank’s Chairman of the Board. This represented several Firsts for women in America none the least was that the daughter of slaves became the First Woman CEO of a Bank. Said Maggie, “I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but instead, with a clothes basket almost upon my head." Newspaper publisher, bank president, business woman, wife and Mom, as someone else might say, "Only in America…” Now for the Road Test: what was Maggie’s full name? You have three seconds. Three… and two… and one. Her name was Maggie Lena Walker and don’t forget it! #The Consolidated Bank and Trust Company #SaintLukeHerald #SaintLuke #MaggieLenaWalker #RichmondVirginia #CivilWar     1 Post: 249,000 Views! Forty Acres and a Mule Hear this right... Here; EXIT of the DAY: EXIT 8 I-95s: Road 13, To Switzerland, Beaufort, South Carolina, and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. 'In November 1861 the Union Navy attacked nearby Port Royal Sound and for the rest of The Civil War, Union Troops occupied South Carolina's Sea Islands. Meanwhile local Whites fled their plantations, abandoning about 10,000 slaves. The Union had not planned on this turn of events. Suddenly they were responsible for thousands of people who previously had no experience as freed people. With no provisions for refugees, The Union could only ask that the slaves stay and continue to farm.  During the first year of occupation African American field hands successfully harvested approximately 90,000 pounds of cotton. The workers were paid one dollar for every 400 pounds harvested. Thus, these people became the first freed slaves to earn wages for their labor. This soon evolved to become the so-called Port Royal Experiment.  While the farmers struggled through the war to make a success of their farms, Union missionaries, teachers, ministers and doctors volunteered to help promote this experiment. Freed people built hospitals and schools. In schools, math and literature were taught for the first time. The experiment was such a success that in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued new land redistribution policies that allowed nearly 40,000 acres of abandoned Confederate plantations to be divided among 16,000 families of the “African race.” But the land was not free. The freed people had to purchase the land. Families were each offered 40 acres each — which became known as the slogan that success could be found with just “40 acres and a mule”. Almost immediately blacks bought about 2,000 acres of land.  In part due to the success of the Black Farmers in Port Royal, Lincoln became convinced that African Americans could possibly be effective Soldiers. He sought soldiers from the population and was overwhelmed by the response of those who volunteered to join the Union Cause. It was only the assassination of Lincoln in April 1865, however, that ended momentum. The new president, despite being a resentful poor white Southerner, Andrew Johnson was determined to restore all lands back to the previous white elite “Planter Class”. Nonetheless not all white owners returned to the Sea Islands. So thousands of black families continued to farm their lands until well into the 20th century and even until today. #13thAmendment #Slavery #Freedom #Free #AbeLincoln #Confederacy #SeaIslands #AndrewJohnson #blacks #PortRoyalExperiment      Hear this ... right....here! I-95s EXIT 260B to onramp I-4s To Orlando, Florida  “Ok Road Crew, listen up. Whoever is first to get this Road Test correct gets $20 off admission to Disney World any time in the next 30 days? Yup, that’s right. You can claim the discount by just tapping your smart device's DEAL RADAR button -- which is flashing on your phone right now --and saying out loud, "CLAIM MY DEAL!"  “Ok, so get ready for the Road Test. Listen now for the fast facts: Back in the early 1930's in early days of Movies, a cartoonist created a mouse. That Mouse, Mickey Mouse, had friends like Daffy Duck. Together they created a film studio. That Film Studio then spun off a theme park in sunny southern California. It was called DisneyLand after the creator, Walt Disney.  In the early 1960’s, Walt Disney and his brother Roy Disney embarked on a super-secret endeavor, known simply as “Project X”. They scoured the nation for a new location for a follow on theme park to their Anaheim based DisneyLand. First and foremost, they were looking for cheap land.  Second, they wanted it to be an all season location with great highway access. Reportedly, when Walt’s plane crossed over the intersection of Interstate 4 to land in Orlando Florida, he knew he found his spot. Orlando was a sleepy citrus and cattle town. But soon that was to change... To keep secret and not to drive up land prices, the Disneys set up many “dummy” corporations to purchase swampland, orchards and cow pastures. By May of 1965, there had been major land purchases, although no one suspected that Disney had anything to do with it. In late June of that same year, the Orlando Sentinel reported that over 27,000 acres had recently changed hands. Speculation was that it was aerospace related as Kennedy Space Center is located nearby. People speculated that large aerospace corporations such as Hughes Aircraft and Boeing were the likely culprits. In October, though, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Walt Disney was behind it all. Of course, once it was revealed, the price of land jumped more than one thousand percent! By comparison, Walt bought his first acre of land in Florida for $80 dollars and his last for $80,000!  With the governor of Florida by his side, Walt described the $400,000,000 project that would become Walt Disney World. In exchange for boosting the area’s economy, the Disneys negotiated their own, autonomous government, known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This gave Walt the ability to do his own zoning and create his own residential community.  In total, Disney purchased 47 square miles. That’s equal to the city of San Francisco or about 30,000 acres. However, Only about 1,100 acres is devoted to the 4 theme parks. In fact, with only 7,000 acres developed, there’s still quite a lot of room for expansion.  This raises the question: why did Disney buy up all that extra land? The answer lies in Anaheim California. When DisneyLand was developed in the early 1950’s it was surrounded by beautiful orange orchards. But with the theme park’s success, cheapo motels, fast food restaurants and tourist traps moved in.    Walt did not want that to happen in Orlando. He would be sure that they could control the surroundings, which would include first-class facilities for recreation and accommodation. On top of that there are acres of open space.  Today, Orlando has become one of the top tourism destinations not just in Florida but in the world. So, as much as it has impacted the local economy, it certainly has fulfilled if not exceeded Walt’s vision.  Sadly the original Imagineer never saw the fruits of his dreams. Walt Disney was a heavy smoker all his life. He died of Lung Cancer in 1966, 5 years before Disney World ever even opened.  Now for the road test: What world famous theme park and resort is off the upcoming exit to Orlando? You have 3 seconds to answer. 3 and a 2… and 1. That’s correct! If you said Disney World you get $20 Dollars off admission from now till June 13, 2021. Just remember to say, RoadSpoke sent you!" #WaltDisney #DisneyLand #DisneyWorld #Orlando #ReedyCreek #RoyDisney #Citrus #Anaheim #ThemeParks #Florida   Hear this right as you enter the tunnel… EXIT 55 I-95n: Fort McHenry Tunnel entry “Ok Road Trippers, listen up. And you in the driver’s seat, please turn on your headlights, cause you are going down! And back -- in time! The official name of the tunnel ahead is the Francis Scott Key Tunnel named for the prisoner of war who wrote the poem that became America’s National Anthem. It was during the War of 1812 and the war was going badly for the United States. Still angry about losing the Revolution over 20 years earlier the invading British were attacking Baltimore. They would at one point march down the road to nearby Washington DC. There the invasion force burned down the White House.  Fast Fact: the National Anthem was a poem that grew to be hugely popular years before it was ever set to music.  Fast Forward to 1985; the 8-lane Fort McHenry Tunnel became part of I-95. The Tunnel crosses under the Patapsco River south of Fort McHenry, and connects Locust Point and the Canton areas of Baltimore City. You are about to go under the famous Fort McHenry whose bombing inspired that Prisoner of War, Francis Scott Keys to write what would become the National Anthem. As a POW aboard a British ship, he had witnessed the British bombardment of Baltimore's final fortification and before going to sleep, he assumed the end was imminent for the new nation.  When the sun rose in the morning of September 14, it shone on the last shreds of the American flag. Like the song says, “Wow! Our flag was still there!”  After nearly 24 hours of shelling, the huge British fleet almost immediately ceased fire. Frustrated and low on ammo, the Brits released Francis Scott Key and their other prisoners. Then they surprisingly withdrew.   Months later, a peace treaty was signed over in Belgium. According to Smithsonian Magazine, “Although neither side achieved decisive or lasting military gain, the War of 1812 did have beneficial consequences for the United States. The nation emerged stronger at least internationally. No matter how poorly prepared the United States had been, the government’s readiness to take up arms against a mighty foe substantially enhanced American prestige abroad. Former President Thomas Jefferson said the war demonstrated that “our government can stand the shock of war.” Delaware Senator James Bayard expressed a commonly held sentiment when he vowed: “It will be a long time before we are disturbed again by any of the powers of Europe.” Indeed, within a decade, President Madison’s successor, James Monroe, formulated the Monroe Doctrine, which put “European powers” on notice that the United States would tolerate no further incursions on the “American continents.” From skirmishes with European powers trying to run un-taxed cargo into the United States to the Russians placing Missiles in Cuba, America has been the police man of the Western Hemisphere. Good or bad, no world Wars have happened here under this “Pax Americana”. From the harbor above you, ripples went out into the world. The United States had come of age. #PaxAmericana #FrancisScottKey #NationalAnthem #StarSpangledAnthem #Baltimore #1812 #MonroeDoctrine #ThomasJefferson #FortMcHenry  Given the current situation with COVID, not a lot of people will be taking planes or other mass transit anytime soon. The safest way to travel in the foreseeable future will be to RoadTrip in the family car -- or in a RV. Yesterday we took a little drive. We drove 75 minutes up I-95 from Stamford, Connecticut to New London, Connecticut. RoadSpoke does 2 things: we turn the Interstate into a talking tour -- just as we turn the highway into an endless shopping aisle. Along Interstate 95 we presented you deals and discounts and even cash rewards from our Spoken Road partners. These deals amounted to almost a quarter million dollars. You could Claim a 10% discount on a $200,000 RV from Airstream Campers, a 15% discount on IKon Ski Passes for next ski season, a 20% discount on music and movies from Amazon, a lot of "Buy 1 Get 1" free deals from McDonald's and Dunkins, and of course, a 15% off deal from GEICO's Gecko. All you needed to do was claim these deals and then tell the merchants that RoadSpoke sent you. In less than an hour we also explored a lot of things that happened along this strip of asphalt. As RoadSpoke's slogan says: “We turn drives into discovery.” Man, ain’t that the truth!    On my RoadSpoke app -- right where it happened -- we heard about Nathan Hale(“Regret but one life to give for my Country.”, Childe Hassam(American Impressionist), Long Tooth the mastodon(At Yale Museum), blue fish, blue sharks, Taylor Swift, The Knights of Columbus, The U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Hat City, Sybil Ludington and her horse Star, Eli Yale…  …The Connecticut River, Wilbur Cross(Parkway namesake), John Cabot Lodge(Official name of the I-95 in Connecticut), U. Conn’s Lady Huskies, PT Barnum, Tom Thumb, whaling, sealing, harbor seals, aquaculture, culturing marijuana... …McDonald’s, Wendy's, Walmart, Mobil Oil, Jewish War Veterans, Catholic Charities, Puritan Bigots, Venture Smith …  ... coywolves, submarines, Eugene O'Neill, Puerto Ricans, Pilgrims, Pequots, Mohegans, and the biggest Movie Star Katharine Hepburn who lived in the littlest town, Fenwick, Connecticut. And that was just 20 minutes near New Haven! No wonder we won the Walton Family’s SCALE Challenge. CONNECTICUT... still Revolutionary! #Connecticut #StillRevolutionary #Yale #TheCoastGuardAcademy #Pequots #FenwickConnecticut #KnightsofColumbus #WaltonFamilyFoundationSCALEChallenge   EXIT of the DAY: Exit 31b I-95s to Silver Spring, Maryland and I-495, Capital Beltway Silver Spring, Maryland is a nice place to grow up. It is most notable as the hometown for trail blazing environmentalist, Rachel Carson, who wrote SILENT SPRING about the town’s namesake DDT polluted water source. Rachel also wrote a book called THE SEA AROUND US in which she became the first scientist to question the concept that science only brings good things. Plastics and chemical pollution did not easily melt away in the seas that were getting unsustainably polluted even in the early 1960's. Rachel discussed how -- as a rare lady scientist in the US Navy during World War Two --along with the benefits of science we have an obligation to be responsible with the fruits of science. The potential and threat of Nuclear Physics proved her thesis exactly and Rachel would go on to be one of the founders of the environmental movement. Sadly, the first University of Virginia student to die in combat since the Vietnam war was also from this DC suburb.  Before going to UVA, he attended and graduated in 1996 from nearby John F. Kennedy High School. There he taught swimming to disabled children. This was not surprising because his father was both a lawyer and a humanitarian. As a young child, this student read extensively about Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal. ” His Dad, the lawyer, even kept a mini version of that document in his pocket at all times.   Perhaps this was not surprising either. His family were immigrants from repressive regimes in the Middle East. Civil Rights? Forget about it. In America, his Dad carried a pocket copy of the Constitution everywhere he went. Also not surprising was that the immigrant child would enroll at UVA — the college created by Jefferson himself. Muslims have served in every American war since the Revolution. An African American Muslim named Peter Salem was at the Battle of Bunker Hill near Boston. He is credited with shooting a British Major sending the redcoats into retreat. Muslims have fought in the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War. At UVA, the Muslim student from Silver Springs signed up to join the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Upon graduating in 2000, that UVA grad, Humayun Saqib Muazzam Khan, was commissioned as a Captain in the United States Army and was deployed to Iraq.  Only 6 years previous, the US military had commissioned its first ever Muslim Chaplain. Military Chaplains are empowered to support all faiths. Still, it took roughly 200 years before a Muslim got ordained to perform the same duties as countless Protestants, Catholics and Jews had before them. In military modesty the occasion was discreet. And meaningful. The Frocking Ceremony for the Navy's first Muslim chaplain, was conducted by his colleague Navy Chaplain Arnold Resnicoff. Chaplain Resnicoff attached shoulder boards with a Muslim crescent insignia to the uniform of Imam Monje Malak Abd al-Muta Noel Jr.  It was 1996, the same year that Monaj Khan graduated from John F Kennedy High. While new Chaplain Monje Noel was a Muslim, Chaplain Arnold Resnicoff was himself a Rabbi. At that time Imam Noel was just one of 2 Muslims to serve the military's growing Muslim community which numbers around 10,000. Noel, a native of Salem, New Jersey, said the unique epaulets on his uniform are a positive sign for Muslims. ``I think it's good for the Muslim community to be able to see them in the service. It lends an air of legitimacy and credibility. We are represented. We are here.’' Later, at a reception including military brass and Muslim leaders, Noel tried to shy away from the Limelight. Said he: ``This is the Navy's night. This is God's night.'' Now new Muslim Soldiers or Chaplains are hardly newsworthy.  Fast forward to 2004. Captain Khan was inspecting a guard post in Iraq when a suspicious vehicle approached. Ordering his troops to stay back, he stepped forward. The car stopped. Then detonated. Later it was determined to have been carrying more than 200 pounds of explosives.  Captain Khan’s father, Khizr Kahn, still carries a miniature of the Constitution in his pocket. He also has a wall dedicated to his son’s service. It’s hung with medals, flags, and photographs. Despite or perhaps because he is an immigrant and a Muslim, he knows intimately the sacrifices so many other military families have suffered through our history — and other of his countrymen still take for granted. #KhazirKhan #CaptainKhan #ImanMonjeNoel #FirstMuslimChaplain #KhizrKan #Muslims #JohnFKennedyHighschool #HumayunKhan  Hear this… here: EXIT 361 I-95S To I-10w and Highway 17w, in Jacksonville FL "Upcoming is an EXIT to Interstate 10 which if you drove 365 miles west you would come to The Pensacola Navy Base. You can bet that a lot of young ambitious officer candidates from all different backgrounds exit here, drive the 6 hours to the aviator school and become different people. In many ways they become one. By that, I mean their shared experience in the Navy Flight School creates a seminal bonding experience. And you can bet on one other thing too. They wish they were NOT driving to Pensacola. They wish they were flying-- already.  Back in the last years of World War Two, a couple of guys went to Pensacola hoping to be fighter pilots in that war. But they were late so by the time they graduated, the Big Show was over. One was an upwardly mobile middle class Irish guy from near Boston.  His parents wanted the best for him, so they had sent him to Phillips Academy Andover, an elite Prep School that had graduated the likes of both President Bushes, and many titans of industry and politics. The other was the first African American graduate of Navy Flight training school. His parents were penniless Mississippi sharecroppers. They too wanted the best for their brilliant son.  Despite being raised in a cabin with no plumbing or electricity, he had graduated as salutatorian of his segregated Hattiesburg high school, where he met his future wife, Daisy Pearl Nix. After, he got his degree from The Ohio State University, he signed up for Reserve Officer Training and joined the Navy. Both Ohio State and The Navy were largely segregated at the time. That meant Jesse LeRoy Brown was only one of 2 African Americans enlisted in ROTC and only one of seven blacks to graduate that year from Ohio State. It was 1946. After Ohio, Jesse continued flight training at Pensacola US Naval Air Station. The only African American in the program, Jesse anticipated antagonism. But he was pleasantly surprised. White cadets were welcoming.  Ironically, he found it was the black janitors and mess hall staff who were hostile to him. Because naval cadets were not allowed to marry, Jesse Brown and Daisy Nix married in secret. If caught it would mean immediate dismissal. But Daisy moved discreetly to Pensacola.  She found a job and lived off-base discreetly with Jesse rushing to her on his free weekends. In October 1948, Jessie became the first Black to graduate from Navy Flight School which means he became the first African American to earn the Navy’s coveted Wings Of Gold.   Fast Forward to a freezing December day in 1950 over snowbound Korea. Approximately 100,000 Chinese troops had surrounded 15,000 U.S. Marines beside the Chosin Reservoir.  Jessie Brown was now wingman to the Andover grad whose name was Tommy Hudner. The two pilots flew dozens of close support missions. They rolled in and strafed the Red Army to prevent them from overrunning the vastly outnumbered Americans. At some point, Tommy Hudner noticed that Jesse Brown’s plane was trailing fuel. He had been hit. Jessie was going down. Jessie survived the crash. Still to Tommy’s perspective, Jesse was in deep trouble. Jesse’s aircraft started to burn and Tommy could see that Jesse was trapped in the cockpit. Worse, the Chinese Troops were rushing through the woods.  So what does Tommy do? He radios for helicopter help and then crash-lands his own plane.  Desperately he tries to extract Jesse from the cockpit before the fire can consume them both. But it is too late. Jesse cannot extract Jessie and Jesse is losing consciousness.The Helicopter lands and before Jesse dies he says one thing: “Tell Daisy I love her.”  Lieutenant Tom Hudner got out that day and Jesse became the first Naval Officer to die in the Korean War. As for Tommy Hudner, he won the Medal Of Honor for his bravery and received it in a ceremony attended by Jessie’s wife, Daisy Nix.  However Tommy’s bold but dangerous effort to save his wingman received official attention: it was thereafter prohibited to crash your own aircraft in an attempt to save your comrade. Turns out Tommy did not need to do that again. He lived long enough to speak at the commissioning of the first Navy Ship named for an African American Sailor. It was a frigate named for his wingman, The Jesse L. Brown. With no doubt Koreans as well as African Americans in mind, said Tom Hudner of his friend, “Jesse willingly gave his life to tear down barriers to freedom of others.” To this day, Jesse LeRoy Brown’s remains have never been recovered from the North Koreans. #KoreanWar #JesseLeroyBrown #Pensacola #NavalAirStation #Cadets #WingsofGold #ChosinReservoir #ChineseTroops #PensacolaNavalAirStation Jesse Leroy Brown Family   EXIT 7a: I-87n to Saw Mill River Parkway near Elmsford, New York Hear this right.....HERE!  There is a lot of innovation in America and a lot of that has come from small towns. Just north of New York City, Westchester County's many small towns claim to be the birthplace of a lot of stuff: everything from plastic, elevators, computer memory circuits, rolling luggage, Carvel Ice Cream and even ladys' bras Westchester County — specifically the town of Elmsford, New York which is right off the next exit to the Sawmill — claims to be the birthplace of the cocktail. A cocktail is by definition any alcoholic mixed drink. But purists claim a cocktail must contain three or more ingredients.   The reason for the name derives from our country’s farming heritage. Prior to mixed drinks most alcohol was served straight — rum, whiskey, gin — all served straight. At some point, folks mixed booze with other things and to mix it they used a rooster’s long stout tail feather and presto: The Cock’s Tail!  Quick Community Statement from us at RoadSpoke: Cocktails are not advised while driving. In fact drinking alcohol is illegal in America while driving — so listen up all you Europeans and Chinese tourists! Cocktails historically were recommended especially during election day in America. Back in May 13 1893, Newspaper editor Harry Crosswell answered the question, "What is a cocktail?” “A cocktail,” wrote Harry,“Is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar water and bitters— and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion in as much as it renders the heart stout at the same time that it fuddles the head.” “It is said also to be of great use to vote for a political candidate: because a person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow anything else!” #Cocktails #Elmsford #Westchester #WestchesterInventions #SCALE #WestchesterInventions #PathThroughHistory #BirthplaceofCocktails   EXIT of the DAY: Exit 22 I-95 s to Bordentown NJ. Hear this here! "OK Road Scholars, listen up! This RoadSpoke was submitted to us by Jungyung Kim, a ninth grader from Harrington Park New Jersey. Thanks Jungyung! Here now is the spoken road... "Upcoming is a Wendy’s Restaurant. In his book "Dave's Way," Wendy's Founder Dave Thomas recalls how the family dressed up his 8 year old daughter in a striped dress for the opening of the first location. To make her pigtails stick out, Mom put pipe cleaners in her hair. That's the little red headed girl in the logo. Now time for a Road Test: The winner gets a free Frosty from the upcoming Wendy's off the next EXIT. So get right now and listen up for the Fast Facts!  Fast food outlets are all along Interstates so you are all familiar with Wendy’s, Burger Kings, and McDonald’s. Believe it or not though, back in the 1800’s establishments that sold just food were almost unheard of. Eating out was rare if largely unheard of. Everyone ate at home. Eating out was only something travelers would do and so Hotels or taverns may offer meals to their nightly guests but no one else. Then just before the Civil war, fine dining became a thing with rich people but mainly in big cities. Delmonico’s in Manhattan is credited with being one of the first eat-only places. All the fashionable and famous in the Big Apple would gather there to see and be seen   Then came the Civil War. Perhaps it was then with vast segments of the population traveling far from the farm did offering meals for pay become an idea. From the Civil War forward, inns, taverns or saloons would offer food to supplement the sale of their profit centers which was liquor or beer. But except for pickled or salted meats and vegetables, almost all food was cooked to order. There was no standardization of meals nor were meals pre- fabricated in industrial capacities. In the 1950’s Fast Food rose in tandem with high speed travel along interstates. Upcoming is a Wendy’s. Founded in 1969 in Ohio by Dave Thomas and named for his daughter, Wendy’s claim to fame is being the home of fresh, never frozen beef. The chain is also known for its square hamburgers, sea salt fries, and Frosty, a form of soft-serve ice cream. Despite being bashful and self effacing Dave held the record for appearing in his own commercials. He starred in them over 800 times. Remarkably his daughter Wendy never did. So while you may be familiar with all types of fast food, eating out, Dave Thomas and even Wendy’s fast food, well you nor anyone in America has ever met the so-called Wendy herself. Was she real. And was that her real name?  Now for the answer to the Road Test: What was the name of Dave Thomas’ daughter… the one for whom Dave named the chain? If you said "Wendy" , technically you would be wrong. Wendy or Wenda was just her baby name. Melinda Lou was the lady’s real name. Now let’s get right to exit. I want a Frosty from Melinda Lou’s. And don't forget... you gotta tell em RoadSpoke sent you!" #Wendy's #DaveThomas #Frosty #NewJersey #ExitofThe Day #Delmonico's   EXIT 31b to Oakland Park Blvd. To Wilton Manors, Florida The upcoming EXIT is to Oakland Park Boulevard. The city of Oakland in California is known for its diversity. Oakland is across the San Francisco Bay from the number one gay city in America, that being, of course, San Francisco itself. Perhaps then it should be no surprise that the city abutting Oakland Park Boulevard is Wilton Manors. Wilton Manors is home to a majority LGBT population.  Like in many resort towns around Florida, while many are year round residents, most are in fact winter snowbirds. If you cruise down Wilton Drive, the so-called main drag, you will see these residents frequenting its many restaurants, bars and other gay-owned businesses. The scene is very colorful and frankly inclusive. Between cruising, drag and birds, my commentary is rife with bad puns. But do not hold it against Wilton Manors; this winter nest is a hot-bed of creativity and culture. Interestingly, like the majority of snow birds elsewhere in Florida, most of the LGBT community here live in family households. The 2010 U.S. Census reported that Wilton Manors is second only to Provincetown, Massachusetts in the proportion of couples relative to the total population. The city is very progressive and boasts a lot of well, pride. The art scene spills out onto streets that are well manicured and spotlessly clean. It should be no surprise of course that this brazenly flamboyant community contains a large Pride Center, the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center, and a branch of the Stonewall National Museum & Archives. The Stonewall Museum commemorates a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village which was the birthplace of the Gay Pride movement. No wilting flowers, the community wants the world to know they have created a welcoming, successful, and diverse community. In fact, the mayor, Gary Resnick, refers in the Town’s official biography that he has a male partner. The city’s web page highlights LGBT life stating that "the City of Wilton Manors Police Department conducts police training that is geared toward working with the City’s LGBT population and has gay and lesbian officers amongst its ranks.” You would not be surprised about any of this, once you see a Wilton Manors Police Car. The vehicles are themselves open statements about the proclivities of the city's residents. That’s because no black and whites are these vehicles. Here smokey drives a police car draped in rainbows! Happy Pride Week! #WiltonManors #PrideCenter #StonewallNationalMuseum #WorldAIDSMuseum #Florida #Provincetown    Hear this… Here! EXIT 284 I-95n to State Road 204, Route 1, Bunnel & Flagler Beach, near Crescent Lake, FL “Upcoming and off to the left in that tangle of Cypress swamp is a sunlit span of water known as Crescent Lake. A large deep lake, it is famous as a prolific fishing hole — especially for Large Mouth Bass. Largemouth Bass are little fish that mean BIG business.   The fish inhabit ponds as small as large puddles and lakes as big as small states. Their range is from Canada to South Florida. Personally I can attest: even from muddy ponds, they taste good! Because they and their even more feisty fast water cousins, the Small Mouth Bass are tough little fighters, they are pursued by hundreds of thousands of American Sportsmen and Sportswomen. And little kids too.    Likely you have passed Bass Pro Shops along I-95. These mega stores service the great American Angler. Founded by a sports man Johnny Morris, this chain of Recreation shops are themselves an 8 billion dollar business. They made a guy from Missouri who sold fishing gear from the back of a truck into a billionaire. Mister Johnny Morris today is worth around 6 Billion bucks.  Starting from a single shop along a well travelled Missouri road, Johnny Morris now not only owns Bass Pro but he recently bought the hunting fishing superstore chain, Cabela’s.  On top of being a sportsman the Springfield Missouri father of 4 is also a conservationist, which only makes sense when you consider there is no sportsmen if the eco systems are depleted. In fact in February 2019, no less than the Audubon Society honored Johnny Morris with its Audubon Medal for Conservation. Why is that? Well, consider the joy fishing brings. I quote here a David verses Goliath Story from famed Fishing Guide Jim Porter… …about a kid and his first fishing adventure.  Writes Mister Porter, “Well, so his name is Andrew and not 'David'. I still think the title above fits pretty good!! He's 4-1/2 years old and weighs in at 35 pounds. And, Andrew Morrisette recently accomplished what most grown-up anglers have never done - he landed a 9-pound largemouth bass. On top of that, he got his trophy from a northeastern State where bass of that size are extremely rare. On the 1st of June, Andrew and his Dad, Gary, took a trip to Darrah Pond in New Hampshire. Armed with a yellow grub, they proceeded to catch some small fish. Andrew had no trouble with that and proudly displayed his first fish for the camera.  After a short period with no strikes, Dad switched Andrew over to the Rapala minnow. In a few casts, Andrew called out that he was hung up. But, then, the snag started to SWIM. Suddenly, all dickens broke loose and the big bass busted the surface trying to rid itself of the Rapala. Andrew hung right in there and, with a little help from Dad to keep from being pulled into the water, eventually dragged the giant fish up on the sandy shore. This time, Andrew said he was afraid of the fish because it was so big that his brother had to hold up the fish. As for Andy he was happy to stand behind the camera. That day Andy did not just catch his first fish, he also took his first picture!  But, all ended well for everyone. The big sow bass was released and Andrew got his pictorial proof of the catch of a lifetime. Who knows - maybe he and the bass will meet again when BOTH are older -- and bigger!” Maybe this is why the Billionaire from Missouri got so rich. He is not selling fishing gear. He is selling experiences that families will remember forever. #BassProShops #JohnnyMorris #AudubonMedalofConservation #BigMouthBass #Cabelas #SpringfieldMissouri #CrescentLake #FlaglerBeachFlorida    EXIT Of The DAY: EXIT 101b I-4s To: Heathrow, Florida This is what you would hear if you had the RoadSpoke app and drove past this Exit: Off this Exit is the AAA National Headquarters. Triple A may be considered the mother of all RoadTrippers. Or not. That honor really belongs to a so-called "plucky housewife" from New Jersey. The female with Pluck was named Alice Huyler Ramsey.  On a Saturday in August 1909, 59 days after starting in New York, Alice Ramsey drove off a ferry into San Francisco. She thus became the first woman to drive a motor car across the United States. The Hackensack native discovered that the lack of suitable roads made the adventure more similar to a trip by gold seekers in the days of ’49 than it did to modern day travelers. Only 152 of the 3600 miles were paved.  Despite this, Newspapers remarked on the good shape of her Maxwell car. It was dusty but clean. They said it was not battered and scarred but showed that it had received treatment "much more considerate than would have given by a man." Still, Ramsey had it right when she said, "Good driving has nothing to do with sex. It's all above the collar.” As for the transcontinental trip itself, articles described the machine climbing steep grades, crawling roads made from goop, extracting the machine from an irrigation ditch, suffering multiple blow outs and the necessity of driving as much as possible alongside the railroad tracks of the Transcontinental Union Pacific in order not to lose contact with civilization.  Other than the tracks, Ramsey used maps provided by Triple A. She needed the best horse trails wide enough for car travel.  By the time she had reached Sacramento, Alice was leading a parade of vehicular well-wishers who followed in her dust. They honked to announce her extraordinary feat.  Remarkably it is very difficult to imagine how stone aged vehicle travel was just a few generations ago. In 1960 she was named Woman Motorist of the Century by Triple A and she would live until 1983. In large part, the safety standards of both highways and vehicles as advocated by the Triple A are responsible for today’s smart standards. And so it will be as the world embarks into a future of driverless cars. Then as now, safety, technology and the Triple A lead the way. Thanks Triple A! Thanks Alice Ramsey! #CrossCountry #Roadtrippers #RoadWarrior #Firstladytodriveacrosscountry #AAA #TripleA #AAAMaps #WomanMotoristoftheCentury #Motorist #SpokenRoad #   South Carolina's Ancient Jewish Roots5/27/21  Hear this Here! Exit 190 I-95s in SC To: SC 34, to Dillon near Dillon,SC The name Shiloh comes from the Bible. It means Place of Peace. Peace is not usually associated with Dixie’s racial history. But the same cannot be said about religious tolerance. Over 300 years, South Carolinians have been welcoming of many faiths. Not to be confused with the famous Battleground in Tennessee, the upcoming town of Shiloh is over fifty percent African American. For almost 230 years, African Americans from 1708 to 1930 were a majority of the South Carolina’s population. While discrimination was long enforced on racial grounds, the state promoted religious toleration to encourage white immigration. By the 1800 census the population had increased 38 per cent to nearly 340,000 of which about 150,000 were slaves.  Simultaneously — and perhaps surprisingly -- South Carolina had the largest population of Jews in all the 16 United States. Most Jews lived in Charleston, which had been the country's fifth largest city. But these sons of Abraham were not the first immigrants of their faith. Dutch Jews landed on Manhattan as early as the 1630’s — just a few years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. By the late 1790’s through the 1830’s German Jewish Peddlers wandered the dirt roads between Southern towns selling goods from packs and wagons. But it was not long before ambitious traders profited by their close familial connections to relatives back in the old country. Peddlers became store owners, store owners became wholesalers, wholesalers became commodity traders, and commodity traders became brokers and bankers. As Marshall Sklare wrote in Commentary Magazine: “The scions of banking families would marry the offspring of the owners of German-Jewish companies in a variety of fields, and these companies—some of them later to become the country’s leading department stores and mail-order firms—would then raise capital through the banking houses with whom they had formed family connections. There were banking families, of course, which had even closer ties to the retailing business, having themselves engaged in it at one time. In fact, several of the most important banking houses were established by one or another Bavarian villager who began his American business career by carrying a pack on his back, and later graduated to a horse and wagon. Not all the Jewish banking houses, to be sure, could point to such Horatio-Alger beginnings; some were originated by immigrants who had served their apprenticeship as bankers rather than as peddlers. A few of the founders had come to America with wealth or connections, and others were assisted by European Jewish financiers (and in some cases served as their American representatives).” This German Jewish aristocracy — with names like Loeb, Levi Strauss, Guggenheim, Goldman, Schiff, Seligman, Belmont and Warburg — generally started out in southern trading centers like Memphis and here in Charleston. Only later would they migrate north and join the ranks of other robber barons like JP Morgan, John D Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.  These families, Christian and Jewish, turned monopolies in trade or commodities into famed Wall Street banking houses such as Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan, and Chase Bank. After the Civil War, a new wave of Jews arrived in South Carolina. These were not German Jews but Eastern European Jews who were escaping the progroms of the Russian Czar. The Czar’s dreaded troops destroyed Jewish neighborhoods. Many Eastern European Jews immigrated to post Civil War South Carolina because the devastation of the Civil War provided opportunity for poor traveling merchants and seasoned cart traders. Just as they had in the towns of Poland, Austria, and Russia, Jewish push carts would carry essential goods throughout the south. Fast Fact about those most famous of Jewish dynasties: while Goldman Sachs, Bloomingdales, B. Altman’s, Abraham Strauss, Macy’s, Marshalls, and even Levi’s Blue Jeans are the product of Jewish merchant princes... ...why are generations of Rothschilds still a financial force in Europe — but not much mentioned on this side of the pond?   Well, you see, the Rothschilds were true to their Southern partners. The Rothschild Bank lost its cachet in the United States right after the Civil War. Banking is full of risks and that storied bank made the unforgivable mistake of investing in the Confederacy not the Union, which is why post-Civil War, the Rothschild Bank never rose in New York. Still despite the Rothschild's failed investment, South Carolina celebrates today more than two centuries of vibrant Jewish Heritage. #OurCrowd #Jew #GermanJews #SouthCarolinaJews #Bloomingdales #GoldmanSachs #LehmanBrothers #Banking #Macys #BAltmans On Memorial Day, a Higher Definition for "Service Station""I think that I shall never see. A poem lovely as a tree."  Happy Memorial Day! EXIT of the DAY: Alfred “Joyce Kilmer” Service Area NJ Tpke n;  When Alfred Joyce Kilmer's daughter Rose was stricken with polio shortly after birth Alfred and his wife, Aline, turned to their new religion, Catholicism, for comfort.  Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Alfred was the son of Doctor Frederick Kilmer a physician employed by the Johnson and Johnson Company. Doctor Joyce Kilmer is notable in his own right as the inventor of the iconic Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder. His son, Alfred, was a poet/ soldier best known for his 1913 poem “Trees”.   He was married to Aline Murray, also an accomplished poet, with whom he had five children. Later he is also credited with naming the 69th Infantry of the New York National Guard; he called his 69th Regiment from New York City, "The Fighting Irish".  Or rather, Joyce Kilmer re-named the unit since in the Civil War, Robert E Lee, admiringly named this Union unit, "The Fighting 69th". As converts to Roman Catholicism from Episcopalianism. the young poets were received in the Catholic church in 1913. Kilmer writes that he "wanted something not intellectual, some conviction not mental – in fact I wanted Faith." He claimed that when "faith did come, it came, I think, by way of my little paralyzed daughter. Her lifeless hands led me. I think her tiny feet know beautiful paths. You understand this. And it gives me a selfish pleasure to write it down.” When the Great War began, seeking a higher calling, Kilmer enlisted and was deployed to France with his famous "Fighting Irish" in 1917. Then he received sad news. His daughter had died. In France, fighting the Germans, Kilmer sought increasingly hazardous duty. He was transferred to the military intelligence section where his coolness under fire was admired. One day his Commanding Officer, Wild Bill Donovan -- who would later go on to be the founder of the Central Intelligence Agency (the CIA) -- had Kilmer scout out a machine gun nest. When Wild Bill Donovan later ran up upon him, he thought Kilmer was just lying down, cooly watching the enemy. But when Donovan touched him, he found that he was dead. Kilmer had taken a sniper's bullet to the brain... and no doubt he followed his beloved Rose on a path her paralyzed feet had blazed to Heaven. Again...Happy Memorial Day.     EXIT OF THE DAY: Exit 26 I-95n to Spiney Bluff, GA. Hear this here: On your right, you're passing the Sanctuary Golf Club. What with the all year climate, the varied terrain and the presence of The Master’s Tournament up at Augusta, it’s no surprise that Golf is huge all over Georgia. Locally several Pro golfers have hung up their woods and called the region home.  Cross jump to the British Open in 2018. As written by the Des Moines Register newspaper, “There was a loud gasp in the media room just off the first tee at the British Open, where a good number of assembled reporters were waiting for Tiger Woods to talk after his round..." "A television in the corner of the room was airing live coverage and suddenly the conversation from Woods’ 5-under 67 switched to Zach Johnson’s bomb of an eagle putt at the par-5 sixth hole. Suddenly, Tiger Woods knew that sinking feeling.”  The Golf Icon had reason to fear the less famous Zach Johnson. An Iowa native, Zach maybe naturally gravitated to Georgia since he won his first Pro Championship here. Zach won his first Tour event at the 2004 BellSouth Classic outside of Atlanta. He followed that up with another major win on Georgia greens. On Easter Sunday April eight, 2008, Johnson won his first major title. He put on the green blazer at the Masters Tournament in Augusta. He won the tournament by a margin of two strokes over the runner up. That contender was Tiger Woods. After winning, Zach thanked God, saying: "This being Easter, I cannot help but believe my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was walking with me. I owe this to Him.” Zach must feel closer to God in Georgia; he, his wife, their daughter and their two boys now live on the coastal island of Saint Simon’s.  But Zach is not the only pro golfer in the neighborhood. Therefore he does not lack for competition in his daily rounds. Other notable professional golfers owning Saint Simons real estate include Davis Love III, Matt Kuchar, and Jonathan Byrd. With practice rounds with players like that, much less Phil Michelson and Tiger Woods -- plus a little boost from the Man upstairs, Zach Johnson is sure to win again -- Tiger Woods notwithstanding. #TigerWoods #ZachJohnson #Bellclassic #TheMasters #PGATour #Augusta #DesMoinesRegister  Hear this …. right....HERE! EXIT of the DAY: I-95n Exit 4 To: Route 4, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and White Mountains “Hey Road Crew! Off upcoming Exit 4 is the University of New Hampshire. So that means it’s a time for a Test... a Road Test, of course!” “The winner of this Road Test wins 10% off an IKON Ski Pass. The Ikon Pass allows you to ski or snowboard at many mountain resorts all over North America. Some of Ikon’s mountains are Aspen and Deer Valley out west and Loon and Killington here in New England. The savings offered here represent between $200 to $2000 depending on where you ski and how often. The evolution of multi mountain ski passes is quite smart business-wise. According to an article in Penske Media Corporation’s Digital Magazine, SPORTICO, written by John Wallstreet, “Vail Resorts and Aspen Skiing Company have led an industry wide consolidation that has dawned an era of multi-resort seasonal passes providing skier discounts on lift tickets, a hedge against warm winters, and incentives to visit different mountains.”    Fabulous Loon Mountain is maybe 90 minutes up approaching Route 4 which cuts over to Interstate 93.    I-93 north drives right up the middle of New Hampshire. A beautiful drive, the highway slices through farmlands and foothills before giving way to serious mountains. In fact, Loon Mountain is just 2 hours from Boston. So world class skiing is just a commute away. Now, please pay attention, cause here are the Fast Facts: New Hampshire is nicknamed the “Switzerland of America” because of the beautiful scenery. It is even more famous as the Granite State.  The rugged terrain is reflected in the independent character of its inhabitants. After all, the state motto on license plates proudly proclaims, “Live Free or Die”.  Speaking of liberty or death, winter sports are a great reason to come to New Hampshire. The Granite State boasts the largest nordic cross country ski trail network in the Northeast. As for alpine sports, well it’s all in the name. The New Hampshire section of the Appalachian Mountains are named the White Mountains. The White Mountains are usually covered with snow from late November to May. The highest mountain in the New England is Mount Washington — also known for its wild weather. Mount Washington is not a ski Mountain but that’s okay by me. Being over 6000 feet high, it looms almost two thousand feet over neighboring ski resorts like Loon Mountain. In the warmer months, you can drive or even take an antique train up and relax or get a meal at the Summit House. But if it’s winter, forget about it. It seems as if Mount Washington breaks its own records for wind speeds and frosty temperatures every few years. For 76 years, Mount Washington held the record for fastest surface wind gust in the world. That blast clocked in at 231 miles per hour. Washington is the highest of a line of summits, the Presidential Range, that are named after presidents and famous freedom fighters like Revolutionary War General Lafayette. Speaking of Mountains and Freedom Fighters, world famous Olympic Skier, Bode Miller, should get a mountain named after him.  Bode is a Franconia, New Hampshire native. Known for his go-for-broke ski style, he is equally famous as being an iconoclast who does everything his way. In one memorable interview after he tore down the mountain with skis just barely holding the trail, he revealed that he may have had a little too much to drink! Regardless, the Granite State local is one of the greatest World Cup racers of all time with 33 victories. In 2008, Bode and fellow American Lindsey Vonn won the overall World Cup titles for the first U.S. sweep in 25 years.  An Olympic Gold Medalist, Bode is just one of 5 skiers to have won Olympic medals in 4 different ski- disciplines — downhill, super- G, slalom, grand slalom, and combined. So if Bode tipples a little, you cannot fault his discipline in skiing! Bad pun, I know. But maybe for someone in your household, skiing or snowboarding isn’t your winter thing. Well there are beautiful trails for snowmobiling. Fast Fact: the first snowmobile was invented in Ossipee, New Hampshire.  New Hampshire prides itself on being a state concerned with personal liberties and freedoms so get ready to voice your right to win an Ikon Pass! New Hampshire's state motto is, without a doubt, one of the most well-known of the 50 states. And it makes sense! It represents the American spirit and is said to have been the words spoken by a dying revolutionary soldier from the Granite State. Incidentally, that is the road test. And no peeking at the New Hampshire License plates on cars next to you. Eyes up! So what is the state motto of New Hampshire? If you answer correctly, you can claim the deal on Deal Radar by saying you want the Ikon Pass Spoken Road discount. You have 3 seconds to answer or you lose the Ikon Pass. Three… and two and one… what is it? That’s right: Live Free or Die. Now go for broke like Bode Miller. Claim that Ikon Pass. Just remember, you gotta tell ‘em, “RoadSpoke and Bode Miller sent you!” #IkonPass #BodeMiller #Olympics #WorldCup #Skiing #Snowboarding #GraniteState #NewHampshire #LoonMountain #LindseyVonn    Hear this Here: EXIT 169 I-95s To: Franconia, Virginia and Springfield, Virginia Never content with just one gig, super hacker whiz kid Sean Parker attended nearby Oakton High School and Chantilly High School. When little Sean was 7, his father taught him how to program. Parker’s father, who put his family before his entrepreneurial dreams, told Parker "If you are going to take risks, take them early -- before you have a family." Maybe Dad also should have told Sean not to break the law. Or maybe not. One night, while hacking into the network of a Fortune 500 company, Sean was unable to log out after his father unplugged and confiscated his computer keyboard. Because his IP address was exposed, FBI agents tracked down and convicted the 16-year-old. Since Sean was under 18, he was sentenced to community service.  Rewind a year. When Sean was 15, he met 14 year-old Shawn Fanning over the Internet where the two bonded over esoteric topics like theoretical physics. Now fast forward a few years. The 2 Shawns co-founded Napster, a free file-sharing service for music. Only problem was, they did not tell the music companies they were sharing their songs. Within one year, by June 2000, Napster with its black cat logo had tens of millions of users. Lawsuits by various industry groups including heavy metal band Metallica eventually shut down the business.  Napster had been called the fastest-growing business of all time. Depending on your perspective, it is credited or demonized with revolutionizing the music industry, and is considered to be a precursor to Apple’s iTunes and Spotify. In 2004, Sean Parker saw a site called "The Facebook". He contacted the Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg who hired him as President. He famously advised Zuckerberg to change the name from "The Facebook" to simply "Facebook".  Zuckerberg said "Sean was pivotal in helping Facebook transform from a college project into a real company." Later in 2014, no less than Justin Timberlake would play the part of Sean Parker in the major motion picture, THE SOCIAL NETWORK.  Sean Parker is now married to the beautiful artist Alexandra Lenas. They have two kids. While Sean's tenure as Facebook President ended he is still a major Facebook shareholder.  Sean now busies himself being a major philanthropist. The former hacker who grew up off the next exit’s net worth is over three billion dollars. Giving away millions, Sean is a major establishment figure in Silicon Valley. His Foundation’s main targets are eradicating malaria, understanding allergies, and curing cancer. Not bad for a former juvenile delinquent from Virginia, right? #SeanParker #OaktonHighSchool #ChantillyHighSchool #Facebook #JustinTimberlake #MarkZuckerberg #ShawnFanning #FranconiaVirginia #SpringfieldVirginia  |
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