October 5th

It’s the birthday

… of Maya Lin. The designer of the Vietnam Memorial is 52.

… of Bill Keane. The artist and creator of Family Circus is 89.

… of comedian Bill Dana, born William Szathmary 87 years ago today. He was once a famed astronaut, José Jiménez.

… of Steve Miller. Miller was encouraged as a child by family friend Les Paul. Fly Like an Eagle today Steve, you’re 68.

… of Edward P. Jones. The author of the Pulitizer Prize winning novel The Known World is 61. A great book.

… of Diane Cilento. Ms. Cilento received a supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in Tom Jones, but NewMexiKen liked her best as the spicy, outspoken passenger in Hombre (with Paul Newman in photo). Diane Cilento was married to Sean Connery 1962-1973. She’s 78 today.

… of Bill James, 62.

… of Karen Allen, 60.

… of Bob Geldof. He’s 60.

… of Michael Andretti, 49.

… of Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy. They’re 46.

… of Grant Hill. He’s 39.

… of Kate Winslet. The actress is 36. She’s been nominated for the best leading actress Oscar four times and the best supporting actress Oscar twice. She won for The Reader in 2009.

… of actor Donald Pleasence, born in 1919. Pleasance was in a lot of films, but I liked him best as Colin Blythe, “The Forger,” in The Great Escape.

… of Allen Ludden, born in 1917, host of Password and Mr. Betty White from 1963 until he died in 1981.

… of Larry Fine, born 109 years ago today. You know, the Larry of Larry, Curly and Moe.

… of Ray Kroc, developer of the McDonald’s empire, who was born on October 5th in 1902.

But by 1941, “I felt it was time I was on my own,” Mr. Kroc once recalled, and he became the exclusive sales agent for a machine that could prepare five milkshakes at a time.

Then, in 1954, Mr. Kroc heard about Richard and Maurice McDonald, the owners of a fast-food emporium in San Bernadino, Calif., that was using several of his mixers. As a milkshake specialist, Mr. Kroc later explained, “I had to see what kind of an operation was making 40 at one time.”
. . .

Mr. Kroc talked to the McDonald brothers about opening franchise outlets patterned on their restaurant, which sold hamburgers for 15 cents, french fries for 10 cents and milkshakes for 20 cents.

Eventually, the McDonalds and Mr. Kroc worked out a deal whereby he was to give them a small percentage of the gross of his operation. In due course the first of Mr. Kroc’s restaurants was opened in Des Plaines, another Chicago suburb, long famous as the site of an annual Methodist encampment.

Business proved excellent, and Mr. Kroc soon set about opening other restaurants. The second and third, both in California, opened later in 1955; in five years there were 228, and in 1961 he bought out the McDonald brothers.

Source: Kroc obituary in 1984 from The New York Times

Chester A. Arthur, the 21st president, was born on October 5th in 1829. Arthur became president when Garfield was assassinated.

And it’s the birthday of my mother, born in Laredo, Texas, 86 years ago today. Dad always called Mom “Peter Pan,” never wanting to grow up. And she didn’t; she died at 48.