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Who Really Invented Basketball? The ‘Human Calculator’ Thinks He Knows.

Austin Tang — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 16:18:57 +0000

The official story is that Dr. James Naismith invented basketball in Springfield, Mass., in 1891. But what about the teenager tossing cabbages in upstate New York a year earlier?

Just off the too-quiet Main Street in the upstate New York town of Herkimer, a man sat in a booth at Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner, making his case. Between bites of two eggs, three pancakes and a ham slice the size of a paperback, he politely defied accepted American lore.His case goes like this: Basketball was invented not by Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, Mass., in 1891, as everyone is taught, but by a Herkimer teenager who came up with the idea first, about a year earlier, while tossing heads of cabbage into a basket.

Before you say, “Check, please,” know that this stocky, white-haired heretic isn’t some random Herkimer eccentric; he is the Human Calculator, also known as Scott Flansburg, who has astonished people around the world with his ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide vast numbers with finger-snap speed. He may be the most notable Herkimer native since the Herkimer Hurricane himself, Lou Ambers, world lightweight boxing champion of the 1930s.

But Mr. Flansburg has set aside his wizardry to champion what he argues is his hometown’s rightful place in sports history, and he says he has receipts — well, some receipts. He has assembled a group of local leaders and created the nonprofit Herkimer 9 Foundation, dedicated to an admittedly improbable pursuit: to revitalize this town with a basketball-related museum, a basketball-related events center and even a pavilion topped with the world’s largest basketball.

“Basketball was invented on our Main Street,” Mr. Flansburg, 61, said, nodding toward the nearby avenue where there’s a lot not happening.

The Herkimer origin story has sat on the far end of history’s bench since at least the early 1950s. It has brought pride to a swath of Central New York but exasperation to, among other places, Springfield, home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

When asked if someone at the Hall of Fame might discuss the Herkimer case, its curator and historian, Matt Zeysing, responded with an emailed, “No comment.” When asked if someone else might be available, Mr. Zeysing wrote, “That is the official statement at this time.”

Herkimer, located pretty much at the center of New York State, seems far removed from the multi-billion-dollar industry of professional basketball; it seems far removed, period. But the town is no different than any other community warding against time’s erasure of memory.

Herkimer has had its moments. The murder trial that inspired the Theodore Dreiser novel “An American Tragedy” took place in the old courthouse in 1906. The last woman to be hanged in New York met her fate behind the old jail in 1887.

And at some point in the 1970s, in one of its schools, closed and derelict now, a 9-year-old Scott Flansburg realized he could process numbers at breathtaking speed.

After serving in the Air Force, he began a career as a mathematical savant. Before long, the television personality Regis Philbin had nicknamed him “The Human Calculator.”

Mr. Flansburg, who tends to ask your birth date and then immediately tell you the day of the week you were born, appeared on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno”; was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records; published a best-selling math book; traveled extensively as a Pied Piper of numeracy. He settled in exclusive Paradise Valley, just outside Phoenix, and lowered his golf handicap. Life was good.

In 2019, with his father dying, he returned to a diminished Herkimer. Seeking consolation in the Herkimer County Historical Society, he asked to be told something surprising and a volunteer in his 80s said:

Well, how about that basketball began here in Herkimer?

The mere suggestion is basketball apostasy. The official story holds that Dr. Naismith was a young instructor at the International Y.M.C.A. Training School, which later became Springfield College. Assigned to create an engaging indoor activity that provided safe exercise, he came up with a game involving a soccer ball, two peach baskets and a set of 13 rules that he had typed up and tacked to a bulletin board in the gymnasium on Dec. 21, 1891.

But Dr. Naismith wasn’t first, said the volunteer, who directed Mr. Flansburg to a little-known book from 1952 called “I Grew Up With Basketball” by Frank J. Basloe, a Herkimer notable who had managed barnstorming basketball teams in the early 1900s. Mr. Basloe told the story of Lambert Will, the teenage director of the town’s new Y.M.C.A., who was said to have thought up basketball while throwing cabbages into a bushel basket at Ausman’s General Store on Main Street. This was in late 1890, a full year before Naismith was said to have posted the 13 rules.

The first-ever basketball game, Mr. Basloe wrote, was played between the Herkimer Y.M.C.A. 9 and the Herkimer Businessmen 9 on Feb. 7, 1891. A second match, against a team from nearby Little Falls, was played two weeks later. His book includes a photograph of the original Herkimer 9 team, including Mr. Will. One player is holding a ball on which someone has written “91-92” — as in 1891-92 — though it is unclear when that date was added.

Mr. Flansburg’s initial response: Nonsense. “It seemed like an easy thing to negate,” he said.

After his father’s death, Mr. Flansburg went back to his Arizona paradise, only to return to Herkimer in 2020 when Covid restrictions canceled his mathematics roadshow. He decided to dig in and disprove.

Burrowing into the historical society’s dusty corners, among copies of long-gone newspapers (The Mohawk Courier, The Ilion Citizen) and evocative artifacts (the trombone used by Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Shaul in the 1920s, the high-wheeled bicycle that George Nellis rode to San Francisco in 1887), he found some corroboration in Mr. Basloe’s book, including the locations of the market, still standing, and the Y.M.C.A. building, now a parking lot.

Intrigued, Mr. Flansburg put on a mask and visited the archives of libraries and historical societies across the region. He came away convinced that, at the very least, Central New York — and Herkimer in particular — had been pivotal in basketball’s early evolution (a claim also made by Holyoke, Mass.).

“Something was up,” he said

He tracked down two historians, the brothers George and Darril Fosty, who had written a very brief article about the Herkimer angle in 2010. “We just got ridiculed,” George Fosty recalled. “People just thought we were nuts.”

Or worse.

A few months after the Fostys published their squib online, a wealthy alumnus of the University of Kansas, where Dr. Naismith coached and taught for most of his career, paid $4.3 million for the 13 original rules after the document was put up for auction by the doctor’s grandson, Ian Naismith. (The document, regarded as basketball’s sacred scripture, is now enshrined at the university.)

The Kansas City Star described the grandson at the time as being sick of hearing about Mr. Will. “I want Herkimer out of my life,” he said, before getting really mad.

“I’m ready to kick some ass,” Ian Naismith, who died two years later at 72, was quoted, precisely, as shouting. “I will hurt somebody. Whoever says it can face me, and I’m 260 pounds.”

George Fosty, who weighed about 300 pounds at the time, was not concerned. Still, he and his brother set aside the project until being contacted a dozen years later by a man calling himself the Human Calculator. Soon they were delving deeper into the past with Mr. Flansburg and another Herkimer native, Brion Carroll.

In 2022, the Fosty brothers, with Mr. Carroll, published a book with a flagrant foul of a title: “Nais-MYTH: Basketball’s Stolen Legacy.” It combines circumstantial evidence and what Mr. Carroll called “if this, then that” logic to upend the game’s origin story.

The book recounts Lambert Will’s late-life recollection that in 1890, the Springfield Y asked the greater Y.M.C.A. network for suggestions of new indoor athletic endeavors. He sent in his thoughts, which included the rudimentary rules for what became basketball, but he never heard back. And so, the story goes, Mr. Will arranged for his new game to be played in Herkimer, with two teams of nine men.

The book points to a Utica Daily Press article from 1898 that said Herkimer had a basketball team in 1891. It refers to a Herkimer Evening Times article from 1940, about a 50th anniversary basketball reunion, that said basketball began in the Mohawk Valley “at the Herkimer Y.M.C.A. in the fall of 1890.” It names a man who, in later years, had said he witnessed the first game at the Herkimer Y, and had produced his 1891 Y.M.C.A. membership card as proof.

It raises questions about Dr. Naismith’s shifting accounts of the game’s development, as well as his other odd claims, like eating rabbit could make someone run faster, or that he had invented a stretching machine to make people taller, or that he had invented the hair dryer.

The book also notes a curious detail about the 13 original rules, now displayed at the University of Kansas. A handwritten date at the bottom of the document, “Feb. 1892,” has clearly been erased and replaced with “Dec. 1891” — a date that would better align with the official Naismith narrative.

Dr. Naismith is believed to have changed the date when he signed the document at the behest of one of his sons, in 1931. But a University of Kansas website and the 1996 reprint of Dr. Naismith’s book, “Basketball: Its Origin and Development,” include an image of the document bearing the original February 1892 date.

But, but, but. As with Mr. Basloe long ago, Mr. Flansburg and his team have found no smoking-gun document. No news clippings of games played in 1891, no Y.M.C.A. documents, no correspondence. Some records, in fact, are missing, leading to mutters of a conspiracy.

“It’s like a special ops preceded us,” Mr. Carroll said.

What they do have is the recollection of Mr. Will, who served in the Spanish-American War, volunteered as a firefighter for more than 60 years and ran a printing business. He joined Mr. Basloe in the 1950s in a protracted campaign to have the Basketball Hall of Fame located in Herkimer (1950 population: 9,400) — only to lose out to Springfield (1950 population: 162,000) — and died the day before his 88th birthday in 1964.

“All I know is that I played my first basketball with a head of cabbage in 1890 and played the first game on my mother’s birthday, Feb. 7, 1891, after I had made up enough rules for a game,” he once said. “I am not looking for any glory for what I did for basketball, which I am thankful to think a head of cabbage gave so many people and myself a great deal of pleasure.”

Another day at Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner, Mr. Flansburg sat with one of Mr. Will’s grandsons, Dennis Will. He is 66, with a long gray beard.

Though his memories of his grandfather are faint, he clearly remembers joining two dozen Will relatives on a 1994 trip to Springfield, where the Basketball Hall of Fame held a small celebration of Mr. Will centered on a display of a few mementos borrowed from the family. It was a private videotaped affair, no press, that lasted less than a half-hour.

The display quickly disappeared, and Mr. Will said that the mementos have never been returned to the family, despite repeated requests. The moment seemed to define the decades-long struggle, and Mr. Will choked up in a booth at Crazy Otto’s.

“Credit where credit’s due,” he said, with reddened eyes.

Mr. Flansburg escorted Mr. Will and his wife, Laurie Will, along Main Street, its sun-baked emptiness interrupted by an old bar here, a new restaurant there. They paused in front of the once-grand but long-shuttered building where Lambert Will threw cabbages into a barrel.

The Human Calculator talked of Herkimer: what was, what is, and what, maybe, could be. He talked like every sports fan who ever was, knowing the odds but rooting still for the long shot.

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Agape Scott shares his important Good News with Audrey Wu

Austin Tang — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 18:57:19 +0000

Audrey Wu
Co-Host with Paul Sladkus

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GoodNewsLetter: Calm the Mind, More Peace is Coming 09/21/23

Austin Tang — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 21:00:57 +0000

Michel Pascal and HOMMM.xyz states, “CALM THE MIND”. Most of you know that for the last 21 years Good News has been involved with The International Day of Peace and we would love on that day that there is a www.peacedayparty.org everywhere and random acts of peace. Let’s www.pausetheworldforpeace.org.

Peace is an interesting word that has many, many meanings. Peace is NO WAR, Peace is no Domestic Violence, Peace is in one’s body, Peace is Health & Wellness, Peace is having food, shelter, FREEDOM, LOVE, HOPE AND so much more.

Peace is also taking care of MOTHER EARTH…Creating Actions for being Guardians of the Planet. Today the Good News is growing in corporations/governments with actions for ESG (Environmental Social Governance), CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and for all of us, we have termed, PSR (Personal Social Responsibility/Respect).

As we think about MOTHER EARTH, for years we thank Reverend Susana Bastarrica, with many other concerned citizens of the world, who helped create the Vigil for the International Day of Peace in Central Park, at the Band Shell, starting in 2002. We all have been involved since then. Susana included Ecology and MOTHER EARTH maybe 10 or so years ago into their theme…we also title our outreach as the International Day of Peace & Ecology because, as DR. JANE GOODALL STATES, “WITHOUT TAKING CARE OF MOTHER EARTH THERE CAN BE NO PEACE”.

We would like to share our Earth & Water Day Sizzle Reel with you once again, as we have edited in some sustainability facts about the country of Greece that we felt showed sustainability in action, i.e.

Astypalaia has been reborn as one of Greece’s smartest and most sustainable islands. Through a collaboration with the Volkswagen Group, the island has shifted to electric vehicles. Tilos has invested into its energy transformation, becoming the first island in the Mediterranean to be 100% energy self-sufficient, using solar and wind for energy. The cosmopolitan island of Paros in the Cyclades is starting to make waves for the fact that the island is almost entirely plastic-free.

Here is the link for the Sizzle Reel:

Also, we are creating individual shows, approximately one hour each and we will have 6 Parts, it’s a big show, because caring about MOTHER EARTH is a BIG SUBJECT & WORK! Here is the Run of Show and Link for Part One & Two.

Part 1 includes Pastor Gil Monrose, Scott Harrison, Deloitte, Donna Szatkowski-Zych, Rick Rosenspire, DSM Energy, Kilows, Powertron Global, Mission 6, Integrated Nano-Magnetics Inc. (INM), Earth Quakes, Michael Fitzpatrick, Ringo Starr and Dr. Jane Goodall.

Part 2 includes Carmen Olivia, Steven Joseph, Chip Shelton Peacetime Ensemble, Chuck Armstrong Jr., Chuck Armstrong Sr., Leonardo DiCaprio, Reif Harrison & Mckenzie Brooke, Chuckie Armstrong Jr., AY Young Battery Tour, Todd Cederhome, Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala, Tammy Scarlett & Michele Bongiovanni, Eric LeDuc, Guardians of the Rain Forests and Dr. Kalumuna & Dr. Joseph/Uganda/Mt. Sinai.

2023 Earth & Water Day Times Square Concert Part 1

2023 Earth & Water Day Times Square Concert Part 2

Lastly, we want to emphasize the fact that www.youtube.com/goodnewsbroadcast and www.goodnewsplanet.TV our websites, est. on July 4, 1998 will be celebrating our 24th Anniversary. With over 6,000 shows and over 30% of them interviewing Health and Wellness Experts there is great wisdom that we have had the honor to interview… please take time each week to hear many of the leaders in their respective fields.. Grow and Pay it Forward by Sharing the Content, some of it might save your life and it has saved some.

Lastly, please join and introduce us to potential donors/sponsors who can help us fund our nonprofit 501 C 3 tax deductible www.pausetheworldforpeace.org upcoming, International Day of Peace & Ecology: September 21, 2023. Times Square and the World LIVE Broadcast. We are presenting this major event to funders to create one of the most important International Day of Peace & Ecology Events in the world. We plan to broadcast with Solar/Battery Power, Utilize Billboards in Times Square, major public relations campaign with our partners UNIFY, AY Young Battery Tour, We the World, HOMMM with the Earth, Wind and Fire Musicians and others soon to be announced. Any suggestions, for donors, advertisers please let us know ASAP. Thanks with Peace & Love. Go to: https://goodnewsplanet.com/pausetheworld/peace-day-donations/ or call Paul 212 647 1212.

LET’S GROW TOGETHER. GOOD NEWS MOTTO: ALL WE ARE IS WHAT WE ARE WITH EACH OTHER. ZEAL

For more information contact:

Reverend Paul Sladkus, All Faiths and Spiritual 212 647 1212

New York, NY, Montauk, NY

PS – SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FRIENDS AND MEMBERS: Looking for a vacation rental, SHORT TERM, in Montauk, here is our listing https://goodnewsplanet.com/montauk-manor-rental-suite-403-paul-sladkus/ call me. Paul 917 687 1790

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Earth Day 4/22/23

Austin Tang — Fri, 26 May 2023 19:34:55 +0000

Listen to “Earth Day Intro…” on Spreaker.

#earthday #michaelfitzpatrick #ringostarr #drjanegoodall #gilmonrose #scottharrison #unify #youtube #goodnews #paulsladkus

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Global Security Institute presents: Dr. William J. Perry, Governor Brown and others

Austin Tang — Mon, 16 May 2022 13:12:17 +0000

Dr. William J. Perry to be Honored With the Cranston Peace Prize at Stanford Event
SHARE THIS EVENT | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter
MAY 17, 4:00 — 5:30pm PDT
Please join us next week via Zoom when the Global Security Institute (GSI) has the honor to present former Secretary of Defense of the United States, Dr. William J. Perry, with the Alan Cranston Peace Award at Stanford University in an event co-sponsored by GSI and the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC).

Many scholars and policy-makers have stated that the war in Ukraine, the spread of nuclear weapons to new states, and the lack of arms control agreements outside of the New Start treaty make the world extremely dangerous. Indeed, the Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists currently stands at 100 seconds to midnight, the closest to doomsday since the clock was invented in 1947. Is this estimate true, and, if so, what can the leaders and people of the world do to reduce the risks?

Panelists:

Governor Jerry Brown

Former Governor of California

Ambassador Rose Gottemoeller

Former Deputy Secretary-General of NATO

Prof. Martin Hellman

American Cryptologist

Prof. Scott Sagan

Co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford

#globalsecurityinstitute #williamperry #governorjerrybrown #reducingnucleardanger #stanford #ambassadorrosegottemoeller #profmartinhellman #profscottsagan

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Charity Water: Join an Unstoppable Community of Givers…

Austin Tang — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 18:41:50 +0000

Listen to “Join an Unstoppable Community of Givers…” on Spreaker.

We’re on a mission to end the water crisis—and you can help. 100% of your donation funds clean water projects in developing countries.

Learn more about the charity: water story here: http://cwtr.org/2btdilD
.

Subscribe to charity: water: https://my.charitywater.org/mailing_l…

Learn about our 100% Model: https://www.charitywater.org/our-appr…

Follow charity: water here:
Blog: https://blog.charitywater.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charitywater/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/charitywater/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charitywater

#charitywater #health #education #economicopportunity #watercrisis firsthand #cleanwaterprojects #fund #mission #donation #peopleinneed #scottharrison

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February 17, 2022, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – TAG – Forever Provenance and Protection in Collecting

Austin Tang — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 15:57:41 +0000

Kleckt (4 C Collectors, Inc.) announces the launch of its beta program for the first ever biometric “owner to asset” association technology, called ‘TAG’. TAG will generate ‘biographic keys’ (bio keys) imbuing owner data directly into a collectible asset at creation to combat fraud and add pedigree. Kleckt, through its counsel Offit Kurman filed a first of its kind patent application for its novel Tag technology.

“Kleckt TAG introduces an innovative technology as a tool which combats fraud by forever memorializing title by associating ownership to the asset using blockchain technology. TAG enhances the value of any item, resulting in an appreciation of value in ‘Goodwill Intangibles’ of any asset, both digital and physical, at inception. By creating an immutable record of title to a collectible, TAG legitimizes this emotional asset class, whether through legacy, title and by telling the underlying story in-between,” said Scott Einiger, Founder of Kleckt.

Today is an important date in collectible history as the first superhero was created by visionary Lee Falk on February 17, 1936. According to historian Kevin Patrick author of The Phantom Unmasked America’s First Superhero, the Phantom captivated an international audience of one hundred million readers worldwide and is the true “grandaddy” and “template” of today’s modern day costumed superhero.

Kleckt TAG technology begins testing today on this important day in collecting history with the first of its kind owner imbued provenance technology for the collectible market. Our company origin story is tied to the first superhero ever as it inspired our corporate mission and there can be only one first enhanced NFT and ultimately a “smart security”.

We selected the visionary artist, a legend who modernized the first superhero character to TAG first. “The Phantom has been part of my artistic legacy, so it was natural for my first NFT to not merely create a collectible. I am excited to explore TAGs ability to capture provenance and the story surrounding collecting” said Sy Barry, artist of The Phantom. www.Kleckthlx.com

We are excited to begin testing TAG using BCHLX irrevocable blockchain. Once our testing is complete you can own a part of history and be a part of the story with the world’s first tagged NFT with superpowers. Turning physical and digital artwork into enhanced NFTS using TAG, powered by BCHLX. “We are pleased to be selected as the blockchain testing this novel technology,” said Co-Founder Dan Schwartz.

(Scan QR CODE or link on the top of the Press Release for more information).
Contact Kleckt for more information:
Preview our first commercial: https://youtu.be/WBbrPsn1vG8
Connect to our visionary staff: www.Kleckthlx.com
Investor relations: Peter Signorelli: pete@kleckt.com
Media relations: Eugene Rosenthal: scott@kleckt.com
Production: Paul Sladkus, Dave Chislett: scott@kleckt.com
Counsel: Mark Zafrin of Offit Kurman: mark.zafrin@offitkurman.com
To learn more about Kleckt testing and strategic partners: Contact BCHLX Co-Founder Dan Schwartz: dan@bchlx.com
Contact: Divvy technology; Dean Stamos Founder: dean@divvytech.com
Sy Barry, artist of the Phantom: https://sybarry.com
Contact: Kevin Patrick, author, and historian: kevin.patrick@outlook.com.au

“The Phantom Unmasked; America’s First Superhero” is available online at Amazon

#kleckthlx #bchlx #technology #novel #pete #scott #mark #zafrin #dan #dean #kevin #patrick #phantom #unmasked #america #superhero #sybarry #nft #author #historian

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Peking University shares a beautiful song with Good News

Austin Tang — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 20:56:39 +0000

http://goodnewsplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/peking_university.mp3

Submitted by our friend Scott Shi

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The Red Nose Day Special on NBC is almost here!

Austin Tang — Wed, 13 May 2020 15:05:48 +0000

Go see one of Good News’s Red Stories as well, they are great organization. : http://goodnewsplanet.com/duane-reade-and-walgreens-host-pre-event-party-for-red-nose-day-usa-on-may-21-in-herald-square/

Next Thursday, May 21 at 8/7c on NBC, stars unite for a world of good…

Stars Unite for a World of Good Thur 5/21

We can’t believe it’s almost here! The 6th annual Red Nose Day Special returns to NBC next Thursday, May 21 at 8/7c.

It all starts off at 8 p.m. ET/PT with a special episode of Celebrity Escape Room. You won’t want to miss the hilarious adventures our good friends Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Adam Scott get into to raise money for Red Nose Day.

And then at 9 p.m. ET/PT, the biggest names in entertainment come together (virtually) for The Red Nose Day Special. It’s going to be an inspiring evening of comedy, music, and storytelling.

We can’t wait for one-of-a-kind musical performances by Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, OneRepublic, Ellie Goulding, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, Sam Smith, James Taylor, Meghan Trainor and Adrienne Warren.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be Red Nose Day without some much-needed laughter – courtesy of our favorite comedians Jim Gaffigan, Tony Hale, Ray Romano and Lilly Singh. We’ll also be joined by stars including Bryan Cranston, Mario Lopez, Milo Ventimiglia and Noah Jupe.

THE RED NOSE DAY SPECIAL — “Celebrity Escape Room” — Pictured: (l-r) Jack Black, Adam Scott, Lisa Kudrow, Ben Stiller, Courteney Cox — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)

Tune in on Thur 5/21

So, tell your loved ones and join us to see how your support is changing lives – here at home and around the world. Amid the crisis of COVID-19, Red Nose Day’s work has never been more critical.

It’s going to be an unforgettable night. Save the date! We’ll see you next Thursday, May 21st at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

(Digital) Noses On!
The Red Nose Day Team

P.S. Too excited to wait? Tonight on NBC at 10 p.m. ET/PT, watch a special “social distancing” episode of Hollywood Game Night. Jane Lynch hosts as Kristen Bell, Nick Jonas and Kenan Thompson go head-to-head with Sean Hayes, John Legend and Retta to play games and raise money for Red Nose Day!

Before the big night, make sure you look the part! Unlock your Digital Red Nose and share your selfie during your quarantine watch party.

Donate Now Donate Now, Unlock Your Digital Red Nose

A gift of any size can make a life-changing difference for children in need and unlocks exclusive access to this year’s digital Red Nose on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.

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The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences – Chuck Scarborough WNBC News Anchor, Sue Simmons (Retired) WNBC News Anchor… Video 12/6 Stay Tuned with more to come!

admin — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 20:50:47 +0000

Thursday, November 29, 2018 SPOTTER SHEET
Gold & Silver Circle membership is a celebration of personal achievement and contribution.
Members of the Gold & Silver Circle are media professionals who began their careers in broadcasting at least 25 or 50 years ago either in a performing, creative, technical, administrative or journalistic role, or in a peripheral area directly related to television, such as production and education. Inductees have made significant contributions to both their industry and their communities throughout their careers.
The 2018 Gold Circle

Induction of Honorees:

Diane Sawyer
ABC News Anchor

Chuck Scarborough
WNBC News Anchor

Diane Sawyer
Diane Sawyer is an ABC News anchor, tackling some of the biggest issues of our time in new ways with original reporting, primetime specials, long form interviews and in-depth investigations.
Her primetime documentaries have won critical acclaim for shedding light on difficult and previously under-reported topics, including her in-depth reporting on the U.S. foster care system and realities of poverty in America. Sawyer investigations have also chronicled hard working women paralyzed by sexual harassment, the new reality of Americans struggling to stay in the middle class, ISIS targeting young Americans online, and the state of prisons and jails and treatment of prisoners over two decades.
Throughout the course of Sawyer’s career, she has had exclusive, wide-ranging and headline-making interviews with Malala Yousafzai, former President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush, former Secretary of State, Senator and First Lady Hillary Clinton, the late Senator John McCain, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Amanda Knox, Jaycee Dugard and Caitlyn Jenner.
Sawyer has anchored live coverage on the ground on the biggest news stories in recent history including the Boston Marathon bombing, the historic transition to Pope Francis, the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergency in Japan, the Afghanistan war, the deadly earthquake in Haiti, the 2005 tsunami in Southeast Asia, the Soviet coup from Moscow, the Gulf War from Egypt, Hurricane Katrina, and the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Pennsylvania.
Sawyer’s reporting has been recognized with numerous awards, including duPonts, Emmy® awards, Peabodys, the grand prize of the premier Investigative Reporters and Editors Association, an IRTS Lifetime Achievement Award, and the USC Distinguished Achievement in Journalism Award. In 1997, she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Sawyer joined ABC News in February 1989 as co-anchor of Primetime. In addition to that role, she was named co-anchor of Good Morning America in January 1999 and held the post until taking over the World News anchor chair in December 2009.
Prior to joining ABC News, Sawyer spent nine years at CBS News, making history as the first female correspondent of 60 Minutes. She began her career in broadcasting in 1967 in Louisville, Kentucky, where she was a reporter for WLKY-TV until 1970.
A native of Glasgow, Kentucky, and raised in Louisville, Sawyer received a BA from Wellesley College and completed a semester of law school before embarking on a career in broadcasting.

Chuck Scarborough
Emmy® award-winning news veteran Chuck Scarborough has been reporting for the National Broadcasting Company since 1974.
Over the years, he has led breaking news coverage locally and abroad. Scarborough has filed reports from Europe; Russia; the Middle East; the Philippines; Mexico and South America. Scarborough, a U.S. Air Force veteran, began his television career as an anchor and operations manager at WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi. He was anchor/reporter for WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; WAGA-TV in Atlanta and WNAC-TV in Boston.
Scarborough has earned 36 local Emmy awards and was honored by the New York Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with their 2014 “Governor’s Award” as recognition of his long and distinguished career in journalism. Scarborough’s work has also earned awards from the Associated Press, New York Press Club; the Aviation and Space Writers; the Washington Review of Journalism’s Best in the Business; the Working Press Association; and the New York State Broadcasters Association. As a part of NBC 4’s continuing coverage of Hurricane Sandy, Scarborough earned a National Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award.
He has authored three novels, Stryker (1978), The Myrmidon Project (1980), and Aftershock (1991) and has written articles for publication in New York Magazine, Boston Magazine, and American Home Magazine. A proficient aviator, Scarborough holds a commercial pilot’s license.
Scarborough lends his time and talent to support a number of non-profit organizations that aid and support animal welfare, the environment, arts and education. He is also the voice for the New York Cares Coat Drive PSA – the Shivering Liberty Statue.
Scarborough, a Phi Kappa Phi, holds a Bachelor of Science degree Summa Cum Laude from the University of Southern Mississippi and an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Mercy College. He is married and has two children.

The 2018 Silver Circle

Induction of Honorees:

Scott Clark
Sports Director and Anchor – Retired, WABC-TV
David Friend
Senior Vice President, News, CBS Television Stations; News Director – WCBS-TV & WLNY-TV
Dr. Max Gomez
Senior Medical Correspondent – WCBS-TV
Christopher Goutman
Director, Producer & Writer – Television & Stage
Curt Gowdy, Jr.
Senior Vice President of Production & Executive Producer – SNY
David Hyman
Vice President, Marketing & Creative Services – PIX11, Tribune Broadcasting
Sue Simmons
News Anchor – Retired, WNBC
Jacquie Walker
News Anchor – WIVB-TV Channel 4, CBS Buffalo

Scott Clark
Scott joined Eyewitness News in 1986 and soon became the station’s Sports Director and Anchor… and is known to be “Out of This World”! In fact, Scott’s reporting exploits over 30 years took him around the world-from Tokyo, Japan for Major League Baseball’s historic season opener with both the Yankees and the Mets, to England to cover The Championships at Wimbledon, and back across the United States to bring Channel 7 viewers the best coverage of their local sports teams before retiring in 2011.
While at Channel 7, Scott initiated some of the funniest and most anticipated sports features with his weekly segments, “Out of This World,” “Highlight Zone,” and “Armchair Quarterback.” The Emmy® award-winning sportscaster not only nabbed exclusive interviews throughout the years, but also covered sporting events first hand.
Scott signed on and played with a professional football team. He stood with bat in hand at home plate to face the likes of Doc Gooden and Goose Gossage, and played basketball against the Harlem Globetrotters. If that wasn’t enough, he’s been a Drag Racer, Sky Diver, Bronco Buster, and yes, even a Bull Riding Fool that earned him a week’s stay in the hospital!
Off the air, Scott served as Vice President on the Board of Directors of the Alcoholism Council of New York. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Board of the National Sportscasters Association, and the Board of Trustees of the Starlight Foundation, where he is a Hall of Fame inductee.
New York’s 1998 Big Brother of the Year also loves to play golf and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity by hosting his own golf tournaments over the years.

David Friend
David Friend was named Senior Vice President, News, for the CBS Television Stations group in June 2010.
In addition to his station group responsibilities, he continues to serve as News Director at WCBS-TV, the company’s New York flagship, which is a position he has held since June 2006. He added oversight of the news department at WLNY-TV when CBS acquired the station in 2012 and created a duopoly in the New York City market.
In 2010, Friend was selected by Broadcasting & Cable as the publication’s “News Director of the Year” in recognition of his efforts to drive ratings growth, share best practices across the CBS Television Stations group and facilitate partnerships with CBS Radio stations.
Prior to joining WCBS-TV in 2006, Friend served as the senior vice president in charge of business news programming at CNBC, where he oversaw 14 hours of live programming on a daily basis. He was also responsible for spearheading CNBC’s development of original long-form programming, including the Peabody Award-winning documentary The Age of Wal-Mart: Inside America’s Most Powerful Company. Prior to that, Friend served as executive producer of “Squawk Box,” CNBC’s signature morning program.
Before working at CNBC, Friend was with Warner Bros. as executive producer and co-creator of the nationally syndicated series, Extra. He was responsible for overseeing the transformation of the program from a nightly entertainment magazine to a news and information program.
Prior to that, Friend was the assistant news director at WABC-TV in New York City. He rose from producer to executive producer before being promoted to assistant news director during his seven years with the station.
Friend’s career in television news began in 1978 as a news writer at WPIX-TV in New York City. He was promoted to producer and won an Emmy® award for “Best Local Newscast” before being named senior producer.
In 1983, Friend was the first to produce live special coverage of the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks show, a tradition that continues today.
Friend has also been an adjunct professor of journalism at Yeshiva University and the College of Mount St. Vincent in New York. He holds a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia College.

Dr. Max Gomez
One of TV’s most respected medical journalists, Dr. Max Gomez has produced award-winning health and science segments for network stations in New York and Philadelphia. Dr. Max has reported for Dateline, The Today Show, and 48 Hours. He is currently the senior medical correspondent for WCBS, the flagship CBS network station in New York.
Over more than three decades, he’s earned nine Emmy® awards, three NY State Broadcaster’s Association awards and UPI’s “Best Documentary” award.
In addition to NYC’s ‘Excellence in Time of Crisis’ for his September 11 coverage, Dr. Max has been singled out nationally for special award recognition by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and The National Marfan Foundation. He was also named the American Health Foundation’s “Man of the Year.”
Dr. Gomez has served on the national board of directors for the American Heart Association, the Princeton Alumni Weekly, the Partnership for After School Education and the After School All Stars. He has chaired the national communications committees for the American Heart Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A noted moderator, speaker and media trainer, Dr. Max also mentors undergraduate journalism and medical students and physicians who are interested in medical journalism.
Dr. Max is the co-author of “Cells Are the New Cure – The Cutting-Edge Medical Breakthroughs That Are Transforming Our Health” as well as “Our Stem Cells – The Mysteries of Life and Secrets of Healing,” and “The Prostate Health Program: A Guide to Preventing and Controlling Prostate Cancer.”
Dr. Max is an honors graduate of Princeton University, received his PhD in Neuroscience from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University.

Christopher Goutman
Christopher Goutman has spent most of his career in New York as a director, producer and writer. He has directed numerous daytime dramas and executive produced for 12 years.
He created and produced two web series, In Turn and L.A. Diaries, which he also directed, as well as promotional campaigns for network television, commercial movie theater trailers, and an award-winning Presidential campaign ad.
For his work in television, he has shot on locations all over the world. He also wrote, produced and directed three short films, The Square Root of Three, Visions of Joanna, and I.E.D., which received extensive exposure on the independent film circuit.
In the theatre, he has directed in New York, Philadelphia and Florida, including productions at EST, NYC Fringe, the Harold Clurman Theatre and the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. His plays have been performed at L.A. Stage and Film Company, the Barrow Group, EST and The New Circle Theatre Company.
In his previous life as an actor, he appeared extensively in television and film and in the theatre at Circle Rep, Manhattan Theatre Club and the Roundabout Theatre, where he received a Theatre World Award for The Promise.
His other awards include five Emmy® awards for his work as a producer and director and the DGA Award.
Mr. Goutman holds a B.A. from Haverford College with Honors in English and an M.F.A. in Directing from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Curt Gowdy, Jr.
Curt Gowdy, Jr. is the Senior Vice President of Production and Executive Producer at SNY. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing all production and on-air talent at the network, including New York Mets live broadcasts and New York Jets programming. Gowdy also oversees the network’s original entertainment and news programming, including SNY’s critically acclaimed shows SportsNite, Daily News Live and Loud Mouths, as well as its various award-winning documentaries. Over the course of his career, Gowdy has been recognized for his work by garnering 34 Emmy® awards.
Prior to joining SNY in May of 2005, Mr. Gowdy worked for ABC Sports for 27 years where he served as the coordinating producer and producer for Major League Baseball’s World Series, The League Championship Series and All-Star Games, Summer and Winter Olympic Games, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, Horse Racing’s Triple Crown, College Football and the Little League World Series.
As coordinating producer for Major League Baseball, Gowdy produced three World Series, including the critically acclaimed 1989 San Francisco earthquake series. He also produced – for over a decade – ABC’s Wide World of Sports, the longest running sports anthology show in television history. In addition, Gowdy garnered eight Eclipse Awards for “outstanding live coverage” of thoroughbred racing for ABC’s Triple Crown coverage.
Gowdy graduated from Colby College with a BA in American Studies and lettered in varsity hockey. He was also the recipient of Colby’s “Distinguished Alumnus” award, as well as the “Carl Nelson” award for professional achievement in the world of athletics. A native Bostonian, Gowdy is an expert salt and freshwater fly fisherman, and is an accomplished guitarist and composer. He resides in New Canaan, Connecticut with his wife Karen and they have three daughters; Taylor, Katherine and Grace.

David Hyman
David Hyman is Vice President, Marketing & Creative Services for PIX11, Tribune Broadcasting’s flagship station. He joined the station in 2013. In this role, Hyman is responsible for all marketing, brand development, creative direction, production, media strategy and execution. He leads a team of a dozen producers, designers, social media strategists and is the principal architect of the PIX11 New York’s Very Own brand.
In 2018, Hyman directed the design of the PIX11 Social Media Center, an interactive studio for anchors, reporters and producers to create original, digital content. This dedicated space is the first of its kind in New York television, and allows the PIX11 News team to be competitive online through a 360-degree approach to storytelling.
PIX’s recent citywide bus advertising campaign ‘Your Fight is Our Fight’ is a reflection of many of PIX11 News’ most high-impact stories and is an extension of its New York’s Very Own brand. Hyman’s art direction is unconventional – a dramatic shift from traditional marketing – and highlights issues that have resonated passionately with PIX’s core audience.
Prior to joining PIX11, Hyman served as Vice President, Creative Director for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams from 2009-2012. He was executive producer for all major marketing campaigns and developed the brand signature ‘Where the World Unfolds Nightly’ for the #1 Network Evening News broadcast during that period.

For sixteen years, Hyman was the creative leader at WNBC 4 New York and for ten years Vice President Creative Services & Programming where he directed the marketing, branding and programming for NBC’s flagship station. During his tenure, Hyman led the multi-million dollar studio scenic transition and the redesign of legendary Studio 6B. He was executive producer for the Olympics from Athens campaign – shot entirely on location in Greece – aired on all NBC-owned Stations. (Emmy® award and Promax International Gold Medallion winner) Hyman also served as executive producer on the Sydney Olympics’ marketing campaign starring Ray Charles singing America and airing on all NBC-owned Stations.
Hyman was executive producer and liaison for all local programming with oversight for all syndicated programming from major studios. He also served as executive producer for the Emmy® award-winning series Jane’s New York with host Jane Hanson. In addition, he was charged with developing key station relationships and marketing campaigns for all WNBC cultural partners including Lincoln Center, MOMA, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Tribeca Film Festival. While at WNBC, Hyman was also directly responsible for forging the relationship with LXTV, ultimately purchased by NBC, and was a collaborating partner in the development of their two long running signature shows, Open House New York and First Look New York.
Over the course of nearly thirty years in broadcasting, Hyman has won many prestigious awards including fifteen Promax International Gold Medallion awards, sixteen New York Emmy awards, seven New York State Broadcaster awards, the GLAAD Media award and NATPE’s National Iris award for best public service campaign in America. Hyman and his wife, Eugenie, a writer, have two grown sons and live in Connecticut.

Sue Simmons
Sue Simmons grew up in Greenwich Village and Harlem, New York. Her father was John Simmons, a successful jazz bass player who worked with Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and others.
Sue began her career as a reporter at WTNH-TV in New Haven, CT. After several years, she moved on to WBAL-TV in Baltimore, MD. In 1974, her next move was to WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., where she anchored until 1980.
Sue then got hired in New York City to anchor Live at 5 with Jack Cafferty; doing interviews with celebrities and paving the way for entertainment shows of the present. Her partnership with Cafferty lasted almost twelve years.
She was also paired with Chuck Scarborough to anchor the 11pm newscast. Chuck and Sue (as they were known in New York) were together for 32 years, the longest running anchor team in New York television history! Sue worked at WNBC-TV for 32 years until June of 2012.

Simmons’s final broadcast was on June 15, 2012. During that program, show biz entertainers, sports figures and longtime co-workers appeared with fun farewells. She’s fondly remembered for her on-air impression of a groundhog. It became a tradition!

After her run at WNBC, Simmons made cameo appearances on various TV shows – Law & Order, 30 Rock, and Elementary. She even appeared in a few movies: The First Wives Club, Set It Off, and Exiled: A Law & Order movie.

Jacquie Walker
Jacquie Walker has been news anchor at WIVB-TV Channel 4, CBS Buffalo, for 35 years, the longest serving anchor at one television station in Buffalo broadcasting history. She anchors News 4 at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11pm. For her outstanding career, Jacquie has been inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame. The Buffalo Excellence in Media Awards previously selected her as ‘Television Personality of the Year.’ Buffalo Business First named Jacquie among the most influential people in Western New York.
Jacquie’s work has been recognized with dozens of journalism awards, eighteen New York Emmy® nominations, and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Communications. She is proud to be on the News 4 team that earned two National Edward R. Murrow Awards for coverage of the tragic crash of Flight 3407 in 2009.
Jacquie truly believes in serving others through community volunteerism. She has just been honored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society with a Lifetime Achievement Award for 30+ years of support for those living with MS. Because of her dedication to the fight against cancer, she was honored with the prestigious Service to Mankind Award by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For the past 10 years, the Buffalo chapter of the American Association of University Women has presented a $5,000 scholarship in Jacquie’s honor to a local college student. She also has received major awards for her service from the Girl Scouts of Western New York, Rotary Club, the National Conference for Community and Justice, and other organizations.
A breast cancer survivor, she has shared her own story with viewers as well as other stories of survivors, screenings, and clinical trials.
Jacquie began her 40-year career in television news, reporting and anchoring at (the former) WBHW-TV in Springfield, Illinois. In 1980, she became the first female co-anchor for WROC-TV in Rochester, NY. She joined WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY, in 1983.
Jacquie’s husband, Mike Beato, is a technology consultant. They are proud parents of two sons: an attorney with the Washington, D.C. law firm, Wiley Rein; and an administrator with the Stern School of Business, New York University (married to Taryn Ocko Beato).

GOLD CIRCLE INDUCTEE
Diane Sawyer
Marvin Scott Presenter

Charles Scarborough
Janice Huff Presenter
Ellen Scarborough Wife
Eric Lerner
Amy Morris
Natalie Pasquarella Reporter
Stefan Holt Reporter
David Ushery Reporter
Bruce Beck Reporter
John Durso VP, Community and Communications

SILVER CIRCLE INDUCTEES Scott Clark
Dave Davies Presenter

David Friend
Todd Ehrlich Presenter
Wendy Friend Family
Matthew Friend Family
Alexia Friend Family
Gealia Singer
Harris Marks
Elana Oved
Rony Oved
Wendy Pessi
Nicole Tindiglia Assistant News Director

Dr. Max Gomez
Meredith Viera Presenter

Christopher Goutman
Colleen Zenk Presenter
Nicholas Goutman Son

SILVER CIRCLE INDUCTEES Cont/d.

Curt Gowdy, Jr.
Ron Darling Presenter
Karen Gowdy Wife
Taylor Gowdy-Carlson Daughter
Katie Gowdy-Pridham Daughter
Grace Gowdy Daughter
Luke Carlson Son-in-Law
Erik Pridham Son-in-Law
Mrs. Curt Gowdy Mother
Cheryl Gowdy Sister

David Hyman
Jane Hanson Presenter
Genie Schomer (Mr. Hyman’s wife)
Nic Hyman
Graham Hyman
Chris Wayland
Jessica Bellucci
Amy Waldman
Marvin Scott Reporter
Marshall Hites
Larry Wert

Sue Simmons
Chuck Scarborough Presenter
Sue-Ann Greenfield Manager

Jacquie Walker
Lisa Polster Presenter
Mike Beato Husband
Matt Beato Son
Michael Beato, Jr. Son
Taryn Ocko Beato Daughter-in-Law

2018 Gold & Silver Circle
Presenters

Ron Darling
Dave Davis
Todd Ehrlich
Jane Hanson
Janice Huff
Lisa Polster
Chuck Scarborough
Marvin Scott
Meredith Viera
Colleen Zenk

The Gold Circle Members

*Deceased

The Silver Circle Members

Denise Rover
President
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
New York Chapter

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
New York Chapter Board of Governors
Officers
Denise Rover, President
Jim Turner, 1st Vice President
Amy Waldman, 2nd Vice President
Robert Isaacson, Treasurer
Janine Rose, Secretary
Governors
Phil Alongi
Audrey Arbeeny
N.J. Burkett
Todd Ehrlich
Jonathan Furr
Arnold Miller
Julie Poll
David Stern
Sal Tagliarino
Amy Waldman
Steven White
Colleen Zenk
New York Chapter Staff
Sean Schenk, Director of Awards & Communications
Ailette Artiles, Acting Membership & Marketing Manager

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