The Pointer Sisters perform in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1998

My girls, the Pointer Sisters, lovely as always, performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, November 26, 1998.  Ruth, June, and Anita rendered an awesome, upbeat rendition of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

Happy birthday, astronaut Barry Wilmore!

Barry Wilmore, born December 29, 1962 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has been in space twice, and will return in 2021.

His first trip into space was aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) as pilot to the International Space Station in November 2009. He celebrated Thanksgiving with the other crew members and the residents of the International Space Station.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-10M to the International Space Station in September 2014.  He participated in Expeditions 41 and 42.  He returned to Earth in March 2015 after more than 167 days in space.

He is scheduled to be commander of the Boeing Crewed Flight Test (Boe-CFT), the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station, expected to launch in July 2021.

Celebrating Black History Month: Robert Reed Church, first African-American millionaire in the South

Robert Reed Church, Sr, born June 18, 1839 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, is the first African-American millionaire in the South. (I haven't been able to find out who the first black millionaire in the north was.)  He was an entrepreneur, businessman and landowner in Memphis, Tennessee.  Although born into poverty, he purchased many properties around Memphis after the yellow fever epidemic in 1878, becoming very wealthy.

With his immense wealth, he funded facilities for Memphis' black population, which were oppressed by racial segregation of the white institutions at the time.  He funded a free annual Thanksgiving meal for poor blacks, and developed a public park, a playground, concert hall and an auditorium.

He helped establish Memphis' first black bank and served as its fouding president, ensuring black people could have access to loans for businesses and homes.

He passed away in August 1912.

Atlantis (STS-129) launched 2009

Front row (L-R): Charles Hobaugh, Barry Wilmore

Back row (L-R): Leland Melvin, Michael Foreman, Robert Satcher, Randy Bresnik

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis blasted off November 16, 2009 (STS-129) on an 11-day mission to the International Space Station.  Her crew consisted of Commander Charles Hobaugh, Pilot Barry Wilmore, Mission Specialist Leland Melvin, Mission Specialist (and current ISS resident) Randy Bresnik, Mission Specialist Michael Foreman and Mission Specialist Robert Satcher.

It was the second space shuttle mission that carried two African-American astronauts: Leland Melvin and Robert Satcher.

It was the 8th space shuttle mission to celebrate Thanksgiving in space.

Randy Bresnik's daughter was born the seventh day of the mission.  He received the news via private phone patch from mission control before the rest of the crew was awakened.  So he was able to give them the good news when they woke.