title: George Groves (boxer)

text: On 17 June 2015 it was announced that Badou Jack would make his first defence against mandatory challenger Groves on 22 August in Las Vegas. A venue had not been confirmed. This fight was Groves' third world title challenge, having lost back to back challenges against then world champion Carl Froch in 2013 and 2014 respectively. On 21 July, the fight was pushed back to instead take place on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Andre Berto on 12 September at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. There was no injuries as Showtime gave no reason as to why the fight was postponed. Jack was once again the underdog. It was Groves' third fight in the US, as well as his third chance at a world title. Going into the fight, old foe James DeGale had voiced his support for Groves, as he himself had become IBF champion four months prior, and was looking forward to a potential rematch with world titles at stake. In the opening round, Jack scored a knockdown against Groves, but the latter was able to recover and rally back in what would become a competitive fight. At the end, the scorecards were split with 115–112 and 116–111 for Jack, and 114–113 for Groves. Groves felt as though he did enough to win and said, "Losing a world title fight is the worst feeling in the world." In October 2016, Jack admitted that Groves was the toughest opponent he had faced in his career so far.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: Following his third failed attempt at claiming a world title, Groves had to start over. He hired Shane McGuigan as his new trainer. On 30 January 2016 Groves fought at the Copper Box in London against fringe Italian contender Andrea Di Luisa (18-3, 14 KOs). Di Luisa was down and given a count in the 4th round and down again twice in the 5th round before the towel is thrown in from his corner resulting in a TKO victory for Groves.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: Groves returned to the O2 Arena for the first time since 2013, on the undercard of Martin-Joshua IBF title match on 9 April. Groves knocked out undefeated David Brophy in round 4. Groves won the vacant WBA international super-middleweight title. With this win, Groves hoped to land a fight with either Martin Murray or Callum Smith next.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: In May, it was announced that Groves would meet domestic rival and former four-time world title challenger Martin Murray in a WBA super middleweight title eliminator on 25 June at the O2 Arena on the Anthony Joshua vs. Dominic Breazeale undercard live on Sky Box Office. Both fighters were delighted that the fight was made. Murray made weight on second attempt. After a long battle, Groves defeated Murray via a 12-round unanimous decision. The three judges scored the fight at 118-110, giving Murray only two rounds. Groves hurt Murray with big right hands in rounds 7, 9 and 12. Murray had Groves looking hurt in the 10th after hitting him with a left hook to the head. Both fighters looked tired and ragged in the 12th round. Their conditioning looked less than to be desired at that point in the fight.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: On 18 November 2016, Groves was set to defend his International title for a second time, this time against German boxer Eduard Gutknecht (30-4-1, 13 KOs). Gutknecht had previously challenged once for the world super middleweight title and once the world light heavyweight title. The fight took place at the Wembley Arena in London. In a one-sided fight, Groves defeated Gutknecht by 12 round unanimous decision title. The judges scored it (119-110, 119-109 and 119-109) all in favour of Groves. Groves showed good boxing skills in surviving an early attack from Gutknecht in the first three rounds. Groves had to take some hard power shots and jabs. In round 9, Gutknecht took a lot of heavy blows from Groves. At the end of the round, Gutknecht’s right eye was badly swollen and almost completely shut. Gutknecht was able to catch Groves with some hard jabs that got his attention in the 9th. Gutknecht was no longer throwing power shots, which at this point was what he needed to win the rounds. Gutknecht collapsed in the dressing room following the bout and was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery for swelling to the brain. The fight, which took place on Channel 5 on Friday night, averaged 780,000 viewers.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: On 7 December 2016, Groves confirmed via his Twitter account that he would challenge Fedor Chudinov for the vacant WBA super middleweight title. This would be his 4th attempt at a world title. Although the venue wasn't confirmed via his Twitter, Groves stated he would like to fight in London. Sauerland Events confirmed they had until 5 January 2017 to agree on a deal. On 8 April, Kalle Sauerland tweeted that an agreement was signed for the fight to take place in the UK. On 20 April, it was announced that the fight would take place at Bramall Lane in Sheffield on 27 May as part of the undercard of Brook-Spence PPV. A day later, the WBA announced an immediate rematch between their 'Regular' title holder Tyron Zeage and Isaac Epko after their initial fight ended in a technical decision win for Zeage in the early rounds. The winner of both fights would then need to meet in order to decide one titleholder, as part of WBA's plans to reduce the number of world titles per division.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: In his fourth attempt, Groves finally became world champion when he stopped Chudinov in round six. A barrage of punches gave referee Steve Gray no choice but to halt the fight giving Groves the win. The fight was non stop action from the opening bell. After an evenly matched first two rounds, Groves took control. Groves was cut above the eye in round four after an accidental clash of heads. The official time of stoppage was 1 minute and 14 seconds. Groves spoke to Sky Sports after the fight and credited his trainer Shane McGuigan, "This is the end of a lifetime's work. Shane McGuigan has resurrected my career. Now I'm mature enough to admit that. I feel like I'm the best in the division. I'm willing and ready to fight anyone." On 1 June, Groves had surgery after it was revealed that he broke his jaw in round 3 in the win against Chudinov. Groves said, That or [I] broke it from over-smiling since."


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: On 16 June 2017, Groves announced that he would be the first super-middleweight to join the World Boxing Super Series tournament. The 8-man bracket-style elimination tournament, which would see the winner earn a grand cash prize as well as the 'greatest prize in boxing', the Muhammad Ali Trophy. The reason for joining was to prove that he is the best super-middleweight in the world. A draft gala was scheduled to take place on 8 July in Monaco to determine who Groves would fight in the quarter finals. Groves hinted that he could possibly retire from boxing if he was to win the tournament. Groves said, “If I win this tournament I could walk away from boxing satisfied as a unified world champion.” He also said that if the next WBSS tournament took place at light heavyweight, he would be willing to move up and participate.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: At the Draft Gala on 8 July, Groves, who was first-seeded, meaning he had the option to select his opponent, choose to fight undefeated British boxer Jamie Cox (23-0, 13 KOs). Groves explained, picking Cox was a '"strategic" move and due to the tournament being long, it would be best to "pick the easy guy first". Fox was ranked #9 by the WBA at the time. AG Comosa announced the fight would take place on 14 October 2017 at The SSE Arena in Wembley, London. Groves' WBA title would also be at stake as well the winner advancing to the semi finals against the winner of Chris Eubank Jr. and Avni Yildrim. Groves took back his earlier words of saying Cox was the easiest, "I know there are no easy fights in this tournament and there are no easy fights at world level, but Jamie is the guy I know the most about." Groves retained his title and advanced to the semi finals of the tournament in a competitive bout which came to an end in round 4. A perfectly placed right hand to the body send Cox down in pain. Referee Steve Gray counted him out at 1 minute, 42 seconds into the round. The fight started with both boxers feeling each other out and trading sporadically. Cox boxed well for the first two rounds however seemed a little reckless in doing so. Groves boxed sensibly, waiting for counter shots. Chris Eubank Jr., who was sat ringside, entered the ring, giving his thoughts on the fight, "It was a good fight, he did what he had to win, not too many cuts and bruises so it looks like we're on for January. That's what we wanted." Groves spoke about his fallen opponent, "I picked him because I believe he was the most dangerous of the unseeded fighters. I didn't want an easy fight." Groves landed 48 of 163 punches thrown (29%), 42 of them being power shots. Cox landed 36 of 131 thrown (28%).


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: Due to winning their respective bouts in October 2017, Groves and Chris Eubank Jr. (26-1, 20 KOs) were due to meet in the semi final of the tournament. At first, promoter Kalle Sauerland stated he would try to book the fight for a stadium in either London or Manchester. In November 2017, ITV reported the fight was set to take place on 17 February 2018 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, Europe’s largest purpose-built indoor arena. The winner of the fight would earn his place in the final of the tournament as well as walk out with the WBA (Super) and IBO super-middleweight titles. Tickets for the fight sold out in seven minutes. Groves weighed 167 pounds, a full pound under the weight limit and Eubank came in at 167.5 pounds. Eubank Jr was ranked #2 both by the WBC and WBA at the time.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: Groves secured his place in the final of the tournament after defeating Eubank over 12 rounds. The judges scored the fight 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 for Groves. Groves, the bigger man in the ring, used his jab to control the fight after a cagey round and mostly fought on the back foot, occasionally landing the big shot. An accidental clash of heads caused Eubank to receive a cut on the side of his right eye in round 3. The big cut was dealt with by his corner after the round, but as the fight went on to the later rounds, blood was seen flowing expeditiously. Many thought Eubanks cutman was inadequate in his attempt to stop the cut, Eubank later said he struggled to see out the eye. The fight was riddled with a lot of clinches and unclean punches from both boxers. Groves retained his WBA title but did not claim Eubank's IBO title as he did not pay their sanctioning fees. Groves also suffered a dislocated shoulder in round 12. It was said that Groves weighed around 184 pounds on fight night. After the fight, Groves said, “It was about who wanted it most, I think, and I obviously wanted it most. The jab was landing correctly all night. When he had success, it was because I did something wrong. He was strong, he was aggressive, but that obviously wasn’t enough tonight.” Eubank replied, “I thought it was close. I thought I did enough in the later rounds to win the fight, but it was a close fight. And all credit to George. You know, this is all part of boxing. You win some and you lose some. Hopefully we can get a rematch. It was enough of a good fight to have another one.” Punch stats showed that Groves landed 117 of 398 punches thrown (29%) and Eubank landed 92 of his 421 thrown (22%). Many pundits and former boxers stated Eubank should move forward and hire a trainer. Both boxers earned a base purse of £1.5 million, which could increase due to sponsorship and PPV sales. Four days after the fight it was revealed Groves didn't fight for the IBO belt after failing to agree on sanctioning fees with the IBO's president Ed Levine.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: On 13 February, it was announced that the final of the super-middleweight tournament would take place at the O2 Arena in London on 2 June 2018. The final was made up after Groves defeated Eubank Jr. on 17 February and Callum Smith (24-0, 17 KOs) defeating Nieky Holzken on 24 February. On 26 February, Groves tweeted that he would be going into surgery. He wrote, "We will be applying to the @WBSuperSeries for a one-month extension and are hopeful of securing this." He hoped to return to the ring by July.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: On 9 May, Kalle Sauerland said that Groves could potentially be replaced by Chris Eubank Jr. in the final of the tournament against Smith, however there would be confirmation on the final in the next 10 days. Sauerland stated, "We're working at the moment on all the solutions and scenarios, where George [Groves] is fit and where he isn't. We're hopeful [Groves will be fit], so we'll see. You can't start the tournament and then have the final lingering into the next tournament. I'm sorry, that's not going to happen. We can push a month, but we can’t push it back by three or four months. We have a substitute system. We said that from day one, and that’s the situation. We want Groves in the final, but if that’s not possible and he doesn't declare himself fit in the next 10 days, we have to find a solution." On 28 May, it was said that Groves would be declared fit with the fight to take place on 14 July. By 6 July, there was still no date set, however according to Kalle Sauerland, the bout was expected to take place in September and likely not in the UK, with some rumours hinting there was a strong interest from Las Vegas and Middle East. Smith's trainer Joe Gallagher confirmed contracts had been signed. On 27 July, Sauerland announced the fight would take place at a 10,000 capacity arena at the King Abdullah Sports City Complex in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 28 September 2018. It was reported the prize money on offer for the final was £6.1 million, with the winner taking a larger percentage. Smith was ranked #1 by the WBC and #4 by the WBA at super middleweight.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: After a tight match with the fighters level on the judges' scorecards, Smith defeated Groves by round 7 knockout. The size difference was noticeable as the fight was fought closely throughout the opening 6 rounds with back and forth action. Early in the fight, Groves established his jab whilst trying to avoid any power shots from Smith, whilst Smith was connecting with his right hand. Smith had more success in round 3 after a counter-right hand buckled Groves legs. In round 6, Smith backed Groves against the ropes and landed two strong jabs. He later landed a clean left hook which forced Groves to move back. Midway through round 7, Groves landed two body shots, however leaving himself open, Smith landed a left hook, which again shook Groves and forced him to retreat backwards. Groves was hurt at this point and Smith went after Groves against the ropes and landed numerous shots, including a hard body shot and an uppercut, ultimately sending Groves to the canvas. Groves managed to get to one knee, before referee Luis Pabon finished the 10-count, giving Smith the win. Groves made no excuses, claiming the shoulder was never an issue in the fight. He also ruled out retirement. Muhammad Ali's daughter presented Smith with the trophy. Smith claimed the WBA super-middleweight title along with the vacant "Ring Magazine" title. Smith became the third super-middleweight after Joe Calzaghe and Andre Ward to win the Ring belt. There were four official judge's scorecards. One judge had it even after 6 rounds at 57–57, two judges had Groves ahead 59–55 and 58–56 and one judge had Smith ahead 59–55.


title: George Groves (boxer)

text: On 28 January 2019, at the age of 30, Groves announced his retirement from professional boxing, stating, "I don't want there to be a time where I'm 'too old' to box, or where injury retires me." In a long statement, he highlighted some career events and offered a prayer for Eduard Gutknecht. Groves ended his career on 28 wins, with 20 coming inside the distance and 4 losses.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The General Motors 60° V6 engine family is a series of 60° V6 engines produced for both longitudinal and transverse applications. All of these engines are 12-valve cam-in-block or overhead valve engines, except for the LQ1; which uses 24 valves driven by dual overhead cams. These engines vary in displacement between and have a cast-iron block and either cast-iron or aluminum heads. Production of these engines began in 1980 and ended in 2005 in the U.S., with production continued in China until 2010. This engine family was the basis for the GM High Value engine family. These engines have also been referred to as the X engines due to their first usage in the X-body cars.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The first generation of modern small GM 60° V6 engines featured an iron block and heads with inline valves. This "clean sheet" design was introduced in 1980 and versions were produced through 1995. Two different blocks with minor differences were developed:


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The transverse engines began the 60° family in 1980. Like the rest of the Generation I engines, they were updated in 1985 with larger main journals for durability, along with multi-point fuel injection or E2SE carb and OBD I. Production of the Generation I transverse engines ended in 1986.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LE2 was the first version of the 60° engine. It was a transverse version produced from 1980 through 1986 for the A-body and X-body cars. The standard ("X-code") engine for this line, it used a two-barrel carburetor. Output was for 1980 and '81 for 1982-86 and . Bore was and stroke was .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: Introduced in 1981, the LH7 was a High Output ("Z-code") version of the LE2 for the higher-performance X-cars like the Chevrolet Citation X-11 and higher-performance A-cars like the Pontiac 6000 STE. It retained a two-barrel carburetor and produced and for 1981 and for 1982-1984 versions. The LH7 was replaced after 1984 with the MFI L44.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The L44 was produced from 1985 to 1988, replacing the LH7. It was the first transverse to use multiport fuel injection, and was a High Output ("9-code") engine option for the higher performance A-cars, X-cars, and Pontiac Fiero. This engine produced at 5200 rpm and of torque at 3600 rpm.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LB6 engine was introduced in 1985 to replace the original LE2. It used multiport fuel injection and produced .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LG6 ("D-code") was produced from 1990 to 1996 in both transverse and longitudinal applications. It used throttle-body fuel injection and iron heads. It produced and .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The longitudinal versions had minor differences from the transverse engines on which they were based. This group appeared in 1982 with the LC1 and LR2 and never added the aluminum heads of the Generation II engines.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: Like the rest of the family, larger journals appeared in 1985, along with multiport fuel injection for the F-body LB8 version. TBI was added for the truck version in 1986.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: A version was added in 1990 with an longer stroke (now 84mm), and a appeared for 1993 with a bore and SFI. Production of the (Isuzu) engines ended in 1994. Production ended for all longitudinal 60° V6s in 1996. GM's performance-parts division continued production of a related crate engine after 1999.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The longitudinal LC1 was produced from 1982 to 1984. It was a 2-barrel High Output ("1-code") version for the F-body cars. Output was and . It was replaced by the LB8 for 1985.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The longitudinal LR2 was a truck version ("B-code") produced from 1982 to 1990. It used a two-barrel carburetor and produced and .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The longitudinal LL1 was a high-output version of the LC1 produced in 1983 and 1984. It was an optional ("L-code") engine on the Pontiac Firebird with .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The carbureted LL2 ("R-code") was produced from 1982 to 1988. Another LL2 ("R-code") with throttle-body fuel injection was produced from 1986 to 1993. Output of the TBI version was .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LB8 ("S-code") replaced the LC1 in 1985 and was produced until 1989. It used multiport fuel injection and was made for longitudinal mounting. Output was and .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LH0 as used in the rear-wheel drive applications differed significantly from that used in front-wheel drive applications. The latter retained the Generation-I architecture block and heads. Output was and .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The power rating of the L32 ("S-code") used in the Camaro and Firebird was at 4,600 rpm and torque at 3600 rpm and has 92 mm × 84 mm (3.62 in × 3.31 in) bore and stroke . The F-body cars used the Generation I architecture, with iron heads, and without splayed valves.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The second generation, still , was introduced in 1987. It used aluminum heads with splayed valves and an aluminum front cover. It was produced exclusively for transverse, front-wheel drive use. The next year, Chevrolet introduced a full-production long-stroke version in the Pontiac 6000 STE AWD, with a bore and stroke compared to the 2.8 which shared the same bore, however with a in stroke. It was produced simultaneously with the in various compact and midsized vehicles until 1990, when the was dropped. MPFI was used on both, and a full-production turbo version was available on the . An even higher displacement DOHC LQ1 was also developed, and eventually, the new GM High Value engine family followed. Production of OHV Generation II engines ended in 1994 after the introduction of the Generation III in 1993.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LH0 ("T-code") was introduced in 1988 on the Pontiac 6000 STE AWD, featuring more advanced multi-port fuel injection. It was produced until 1994 (1996 for the Mexican market) and was exported in some models. This engine produced and of torque from 1988–1989, then upgraded to at 4800 rpm and of torque at 3600 rpm.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The L64 ("W-code") was introduced in 1991 as flexible-fuel version of the . The two versions were one that could run M85 and one that could run E85.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LG5 ("V-code") was a special turbocharged engine produced with McLaren for the 1989 and 1990 model years. It featured the same multiport fuel injection intake manifolds and throttle body as the LH0, and produced at 5200 rpm and of torque at 2100 rpm.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: Around 3,700 engines were produced each year. This engine had a block with more nickel content and hardened internals.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LQ1 (also called the Twin Dual Cam or TDC) was a DOHC V6 engine ("X-code") based on the aluminum-headed second generation of GM's 60° engine line, sharing a similar block with its pushrod cousins, the 3.1 L LH0 V6 and the then recently retired LB6 V6. The engine was built only for front-wheel drive applications, and was featured exclusively in the first generation of GM's W-body platform.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: It was built from 1991 to 1997. From 1991 to 1993, it used tuned multiport fuel injection, made at 5200 rpm and of torque at 4000 rpm. From 1994 to 1997, it used sequential port fuel injection, making at 5200 rpm and of torque at 4000 rpm. In 1996, the heads were redesigned for better flow, as well as now making the engine an interference design and adapting the engine for federally mandated OBDII emissions. Output for the 1996-1997 LQ1 is and . It had four valves per cylinder. The engine substituted the standard camshaft for a chain driven intermediate shaft, which drives four overhead cams via a cogged belt. Adapting the 60°pushrod block for the LQ1's overhead cams significantly increased packaged engine height.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: Bore was increased to , and the engine's stroke was retained. Only a few interchangeable parts are use between this DOHC engine and other members of the 60° family, primarily the connecting rods and crankshaft.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The heads and intake manifolds were redesigned for the 1996 model year, incorporating a larger throttle body and plenum area, slightly longer intake runners, cloverleaf combustion chambers, and larger "pill"-shaped exhaust ports. Camshafts and cam timing were also revised for the new, higher-rpm powerband.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: Optional from 1991 to 1993 was a Getrag 284 five-speed manual transaxle, which was also exclusive to the GM W platform and was available only with the LQ1. The electronically controlled Hydramatic 4T60-E four-speed automatic transaxle was the alternative, used during the entire production run with the exception of the 1997 Monte Carlo Z34 and 1997 Lumina LTZ, which received the 4T65-E.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The third generation of the 60° engine was introduced in the 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Like its predecessors, it continued to use an overhead valve configuration with two valves per cylinder, a cast-iron cylinder block, aluminum cylinder heads, and an aluminum intake manifold. However, the heads and intake manifold were redesigned for better air flow, the cylinder block was stiffened, and the flat-tappets of the generation I and II engines were replaced with roller tappets. This generation also came standard with sequential multiport fuel injection and structural oil pan.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The L82 ("M-code") was an updated, SFI replacement for the MPFI LH0, produced from 1993 through 1999. It featured a structural oil pan, a stiffer redesigned engine block, sequential fuel injection, and revised aluminum heads. Output for the L82 was up , over the previous Gen II LH0, to at 5200 rpm and at 4000 rpm. Compression ratio for the L82 was 9.5:1 and the bore measured , while the stroke was giving it a displacement of .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LG8 ("J-code") was an updated version of the engine that displaced . It still had an iron block and two-valve pushrod aluminum heads and full sequential port fuel injection. The LG8 also featured a new intake manifold and numerous changes to improve parts-sharing with the larger-displacement LA1 3400. Emissions were improved with secondary air injection and it earned LEV status. The engine featured a bore and a stroke and a 9.6:1 compression ratio. It produced and . The LG8 was built in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico and Tonawanda, New York.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LA1 or 3400 ("E-code") was a larger-bore version of the L82. It was first used on the 1996 U-platform minivans. It displaces and has bore and stroke with a 9.5:1 compression ratio. Emissions are controlled via a catalytic converter and exhaust gas recirculation; however, the Pontiac Aztek and Buick Rendezvous do not use the latter. Fuel shut-off is at 6000 rpm. Starting around 2000, most vehicles are equipped with GM's Engine Oil Life Monitor. This engine was assembled at both Tonawanda engine and the Mexican Ramos Arizpe engine plant.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: GM partnered with SAIC Motor to form SAIC-GM in 1997. This partnership manufactured variants of the 60° V6 engine in China, primarily for use in Chinese market GM products. Chinese-built LNJ engines were used in the US for the 2005-2009 Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent.


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: The LB8 is General Motors' base V6 in China. It is a derivative of the LG8 with the same bore and a shorter stroke for . It remains an iron block with pushrods and an aluminum two-valve head. Power is and .


title: General Motors 60° V6 engine

text: An updated version of the Generation III 3400 engine. It includes a new block, intake manifold, oil pan, engine cover, and fuel system, as well as electronic throttle control. It was built in China and shipped to Canada for installation in the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent. The LNJ makes and .


title: Mike Adriano

text: Mike Adriano (born 30 June 1980) is a pornographic actor and director. He has been nominated for best director awards at several recent AVN Award, XBIZ Award and XRCO Award ceremonies.


title: Mike Adriano

text: Adriano is recognized as a major director in the genre of hardcore gonzo pornography. Some of the distinctive characteristics of his work: a very liberal use of lubricants, very lengthy scenes (over one hour), and graphic focus on the purely physical aspects of sex.


title: Mike Adriano

text: Porn star and director Bonnie Rotten has credited Adriano with inspiring and encouraging her to direct. Porn star Candice Dare has expressed her liking for working with Adriano.


title: Eros International

text: Eros International Media Ltd (also known as Eros India) is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company, based and originated in Mumbai, India. Founded by Arjun Lulla in 1977, it is one of the leading production and distribution companies in India. Currently, his sons Kishore Lulla and Sunil Lulla manage the company. It is a subsidiary of Eros Media World, formed in 2020.


title: Eros International

text: Eros co-produces, acquires and distributes Indian films in multiple formats worldwide, including theatrical, television syndication and digital platforms.


title: Eros International

text: Eros has over 12,000 films in its library which include Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and other regional language films.


title: Eros International

text: In 1977, Arjan Lulla started the company. In 1981, he founded the company "Jupitar Enterprise" with Mr. Kishore Lulla and Ms. Bhagibhai Lulla. On 19 August 1994 "Rishima International Pvt Ltd" was founded. It was a private limited company. Through its subsidiary "Eros International Films", the company produced and distributed films. On 1 April 1999, the company acquired the entire Jupiter Enterprise. Their first jointly produced film was Waqt (2005). On 25 July 2000, the name was changed to "Eros Multimedia Private Limited". The name was again changed to "Eros International Pvt Ltd" on 20 November 2008. On 16 September 2009, the company was converted into a public limited company and on 18 November, the name was changed to the present name "Eros International Media Ltd". In 2010, Eros International Media Limited was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) in India. The name Eros was chosen after the Greek god of love.


title: Eros International

text: In 2008, Eros International made a deal with Universal Music Group to make a joint-venture to promote pop music to India. The agreement was announced by Kishore Lulla and Max Hole, President of Universal Music Asia Pacific Region and Executive Vice President, Universal Music Group International (UMGI) on 10 December though the joint venture was officiated with a contractual signing on 18 November. Rajat Kakar, Managing Director of Universal Music India was appointed as the chairperson and Sunil Lulla and Jyoti Deshpande, former COO of Eros International Group, are on the board of directors. That same year, the company formed a joint venture with Lionsgate. The two companies would also co-produce films with budgets ranging from $10 to 20 million. Eros and Lionsgate also received access to each other's library, with Eros planning to air Lionsgate's TV shows such as "Weeds" and "Mad Men" and Lionsgate distributing some of Eros' Hindi films in North America such as "Om Shanti Om", "Gandhi, My Father" and "".


title: Roquan Smith

text: Roquan Daevon Smith (born April 8, 1997) is an American football inside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia. Smith became the first Georgia Bulldog to win the Butkus Award.


title: Roquan Smith

text: Smith attended Macon County High School in Montezuma, Georgia, where he played football for the Bulldogs. He originally committed to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to play college football but changed his commitment to the University of Georgia.


title: Roquan Smith

text: While at the University of Georgia, Smith played college football under head coaches Mark Richt and Kirby Smart. As a true freshman at Georgia in 2015, Smith played in 12 games and recorded 20 tackles. As a sophomore in 2016, he started 10 of 13 games, recording 95 tackles.


title: Roquan Smith

text: In 2017, Smith was named MVP of the SEC Championship Game, as well as SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He also became the first Georgia Bulldog to win the Butkus Award. Smith decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and entered the 2018 NFL Draft.


title: Roquan Smith

text: Smith was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the eighth overall pick in the first-round of the 2018 NFL Draft.


title: Roquan Smith

text: His contract signing was significantly delayed due to contract disputes between the Bears and Smith's agency CAA Football over language in his rookie contract stating whether his guaranteed money would be reclaimed by the team if he was suspended due to the NFL's new rule outlawing contact leading with the helmet. CAA argued for wording that would protect Smith's guaranteed earnings, while the Bears preferred for decisions to be determined by the league, a situation that was exacerbated by skepticism surrounding the rule and the frequency of tackling in Smith's role. On August 14, the Bears signed Smith to a fully guaranteed four-year, $18.47 million contract that included a signing bonus of $11.51 million. He was the last first-round pick in his draft class to sign with his team.


title: Roquan Smith

text: In his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers on "NBC Sunday Night Football", Smith recorded a sack on the Packers' quarterback DeShone Kizer on his first career snap. In Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins, Smith made 13 tackles. In Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, Smith made 13 tackles as the Bears won the game 41–9. In Week 10 against the Detroit Lions, he made 10 tackles and sacked quarterback Matthew Stafford, while the Bears won 34–22, while also leading the team in tackles in both of these weeks. In Week 12 against the Detroit Lions, he made 11 tackles and sacked quarterback Stafford in a 23–16 win.


title: Roquan Smith

text: In Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, Smith made six tackles and recorded his first career interception off Jared Goff and returned the ball 22 yards to the four-yard line as the Bears won 15–6. In Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers, Smith made 10 tackles in a 24–17 win. In Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers, Smith made nine tackles and sacked Nick Mullens in a 14–9 win. On December 30, during a Week 17 game against the Minnesota Vikings, Smith had six tackles as the Bears defeated the Vikings 24–10.


title: Roquan Smith

text: On January 6, 2019, in the Bears' 16–15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in a Wild Card playoff game, Smith led the team with seven tackles and made an interception off Nick Foles.


title: Roquan Smith

text: Smith finished the season with 121 tackles, five sacks, five passes defended, and one interception. He received an overall grade of 67.4 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked him as the 39th highest grade among all qualifying linebackers, and was selected as Pro Bowl alternate.


title: Roquan Smith

text: In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, Smith recorded a team high 13 tackles as the Bears won 16–14. In Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams on "Sunday Night Football", Smith recorded a team high 11 tackles and intercepted a pass thrown by Jared Goff in the 17–7 loss. In Week 13 against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, Smith recorded a team high 15 tackles and sacked rookie quarterback David Blough twice in the 24–20 win. On December 9, 2019, Smith was placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn pectoral in Week 14.


title: Roquan Smith

text: In Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans, Smith recorded a team-high 11 tackles and sacked Ryan Tannehill once during the 24–17 loss. In Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings on "Monday Night Football", Smith recorded a team-high 14 tackles and sacked Kirk Cousins once during the 19–13 loss. In Week 14 against the Houston Texans, Smith led the team with 12 tackles and two sacks during the 36–7 win.


title: Roquan Smith

text: During the Bears' 41–17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, Smith intercepted Mike Glennon twice to become the first Bears player with multiple interceptions in a game since Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in 2019. Smith was also the team's first linebacker to achieve the feat since Lance Briggs in 2008. The Bears made it back to the playoffs, for the second time in Smith's career. However, he was inactive in their appearance, a 21–9 loss against the New Orleans Saints, after suffering an elbow injury in the final game of the season.


title: Roquan Smith

text: After the season he was elected for the first time to the "Sporting News" first-team All-Pro team that was voted on by NFL players and executives, and to "Associated Press's" second-team All-Pro.


title: Roquan Smith

text: On April 27, 2021, the Bears exercised the fifth-year option on Smith's contract, which guarantees a salary of $9.7 million for the 2022 season. On September 19, Smith intercepted a pass by Joe Burrow and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown in a 20–17 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. On November 8, Smith recorded a sack alongside 12 total tackles in a 29–27 "Monday Night Football" loss which saw the Bears fall to a 3–6 record on the season. On November 21, Smith recorded a career-high total of 17 tackles, two of which were tackles for losses, in a 16–14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It was the most tackles by a Bears player in a single game since Brian Urlacher had 19 in 2006. Smith finished the season with one interception and 163 total tackles, the fifth-most in the NFL. He was named to "NFL.com"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s All-Pro team and the "Associated Press"<nowiki>'</nowiki> second team All-Pro.


title: Roquan Smith

text: In early August 2022, Smith announced that while he tried to negotiate a contract extension during the offseason, he has requested the Bears trade him stating the reason being the "new front office regime doesn't value me here." Smith did report to Bears' training camp, but refused to practice. On August 20, Smith ended his hold out from practices and stated he would no longer continue negotiating with the Bears' front office for the remainder of the 2022 season. On September 25, Smith recorded 16 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and an interception, during a 23-20 win over the Houston Texans.


title: Roquan Smith

text: On October 31, 2022, Smith was traded to the Baltimore Ravens for A. J. Klein, a 2023 second round pick, and a 2023 fifth round pick.


title: Roquan Smith

text: On May 8, 2018, nearly two weeks after being drafted, it was reported that Smith's car was burglarized in Athens, Georgia, where a team-issued iPad along with some of Smith's personal belongings, including his college jerseys, helmet, and awards were stolen from his car. However, the next day, the stolen items were recovered.


title: Laird

text: Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in a territorial designation by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. They are usually styled ["name"] ["surname"] of ["lairdship"]. However, since "laird" is a courtesy title, it has no formal status in law.


title: Laird

text: Historically, the term bonnet laird was applied to rural, petty landowners, as they wore a bonnet like the non-landowning classes. Bonnet lairds filled a position in society below lairds and above husbandmen (farmers), similar to the yeomen of England.


title: Laird

text: An Internet fad is the selling of tiny souvenir plots of Scottish land and a claim of a "laird" title to go along with it, but the Lord Lyon has decreed these meaningless for several reasons.


title: Laird

text: "Laird" (earlier "lard") is the now-standard Scots pronunciation (and spelling, which is phonetic) of the word that is pronounced and spelled in standard English as "lord". As can be seen in the Middle English version of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, specifically in the Reeve's Tale, Northern Middle English had "a" where Southern Middle English had "o", a difference still found in standard English "two" and Scots "twa".


title: Laird

text: The Scots and Northern English dialectal variant "Laird" has been recorded in writing since the 13th century, as a surname, and in its modern context since the middle of the 15th century. It is derived from the Northern Middle English "laverd", itself derived from the Old English word "hlafweard" meaning "warden of loaves". The Standard English variant, "lord", is of the same origin, and would have formerly been interchangeable with "laird"; however, in modern usage the term "lord" is associated with a peerage title, and thus the terms have come to have separate meanings. In Scotland, however, the title Baron represents a lower rank than it does in England, the rank equal to the English Baron being the Lord of Parliament in Scotland (e.g. Lord Lovat).


title: Laird

text: In the 15th and 16th centuries, the designation was used for land owners holding directly of the Crown, and therefore were entitled to attend Parliament. Lairds reigned over their estates like princes, their castles forming a small court. Originally in the 16th and 17th centuries, the designation was applied to the head chief of a highland clan and therefore was not personal property and had obligations towards the community.


title: Laird

text: The laird may possess certain local or feudal rights. A lairdship carried voting rights in the ancient pre-Union Parliament of Scotland, although such voting rights were expressed via two representatives from each county who were known as Commissioners of the Shires, who came from the laird class and were chosen by their peers to represent them. A certain level of landownership was a necessary qualification (40 shillings of old extent). A laird is said to hold a lairdship. A woman who holds a lairdship in her own right has been styled with the honorific "Lady".


title: Laird

text: Although "laird" is sometimes translated as "lord" and historically signifies the same, like the English term "lord of the manor", "laird" is not a title of nobility. The designation is a "corporeal hereditament" (an inheritable property that has an explicit tie to the physical land), i.e. the designation cannot be held in gross, and cannot be bought and sold without selling the physical land. The designation does not entitle the owner to sit in the House of Lords, and is the Scottish equivalent to an English squire, in that it is not a noble title, more a courtesy designation meaning landowner with no other rights assigned to it. A laird possessing a coat of arms registered in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland is a member of Scotland's minor nobility. Such a person can be recognised as a laird, if not a chief or chieftain, or descendant of one of these, by the formal recognition of a territorial designation as a part of their name by the Lord Lyon. The Lord Lyon is the ultimate arbiter as to determining entitlement to a territorial designation, and his right of discretion in recognising these, and their status as a name, dignity or title, have been confirmed in the Scottish courts.


title: Laird

text: Although marketed by those peddling lordship titles, the use of the honorific "The Much Honoured" by lairds is archaic. When it was used in former times, it was normally when the laird also held a barony by Crown charter (e.g. Traquair). Today, "The Much Honoured" is an honorific reserved for feudal barons and earls who are members of the pre-1707 Scots nobility.


title: Laird

text: In the UK television series "Monarch of the Glen" (based on the 1941 novel by Compton Mackenzie), the wife of "Hector Naismith MacDonald, Laird of Glenbogle" is typically accorded the courtesy title "Lady of Glenbogle".


title: Laird

text: King George V and his wife Queen Mary were reported as being "The Laird and Lady of Balmoral" by the Scottish press in the 1920s and 1930s.


title: Laird

text: A contemporary popular view of lairdship titles has taken a unique twist in the 21st century with sales of souvenir plots from sellers who obtain no legal right to the title. A souvenir plot is defined in the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 2012 as "a piece of land ... of inconsiderable size or no practical utility". Several websites, and Internet vendors on websites like eBay, sell Scottish lairdships along with minuscule "plots of land" – usually one square foot. The Court of the Lord Lyon considers these particular titles to be meaningless because it is impossible to have numerous "lairds" of a single estate at the same time, as has been advertised by these companies.


title: Laird

text: However, despite the law and guidance by the Court of the Lord Lyon, the sellers view the contract purporting to sell a plot of Scottish souvenir land as bestowing the buyer with the informal right to the title of Laird. This is despite the fact that the buyer does not acquire ownership of the plot because registration of the plot is prohibited by Land Registration (Scotland) Act 2012, s 22 (1)(b). As ownership of land in Scotland requires registration of a valid disposition under Land Registration (Scotland) Act 2012, s 50 (2), the prohibition on registration of a souvenir plot means the buyer does not acquire ownership, and accordingly has no entitlement to a descriptive title premised on landownership.


title: Laird

text: The Lord Lyon, Scotland's authority on titles and heraldry, has produced the following guidance regarding the current concept of a "souvenir plot" and the use of the term "laird" as a courtesy title:


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Glenn Alan Robinson Jr. (born January 10, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Dog" and "The Chosen One", he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1994 to 2005 for the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs. Robinson attended Purdue University and was the first overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft. He is the father of Glenn Robinson III, who played college basketball at the University of Michigan and has also played in the NBA.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Robinson was born to Christine Bridgeman in Gary, Indiana. With his mother being an unmarried teenager, Robinson rarely saw his father. Not receiving the best grades at school, his mother once pulled him off the basketball team, and he took a job at an air-conditioning and refrigeration shop.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Robinson attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in Gary, where he started playing organized basketball during the 9th grade. He was a member of three IHSAA Sectional title teams, two Regional title teams and a State Championship team. During his senior season (1990–91), he led the Panthers to an Indiana state basketball championship, winning the final game against Brebeuf Jesuit and their star Alan Henderson; this highly anticipated showdown was captured in "The Road to Indianapolis". and "Indiana High School Basketball 20 Most Dominant Players". Robinson won the 1991 Indiana Mr. Basketball award, the oldest such award in the nation (inaugurated in 1939). He was selected as a McDonald's All-American and along with Chris Webber was one of the MVPs of the Dapper Dan Roundball classic.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: After high school, Robinson attended Purdue University to play under head coach Gene Keady and his recruiter/assistant coach Frank Kendrick. A school custodian gave him the nickname of "Big Dog" before he played a game for Purdue. Robinson subsequently got a tattoo of a "snarling bulldog wearing a spiked collar" on his chest.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Due to struggles with NCAA eligibility, resulting from Proposition 48 which requires minimum academic standards, he had to redshirt for his freshman season. He worked as a welder during the summers while at Purdue.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Eligible for his sophomore season, Robinson led the Boilermakers with 24.1 points and 9.4 rebounds a game in his first season as a Boilermaker. He led them to an 18–10 record in the regular season and an NCAA tournament appearance. He received First Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-American honors.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: In his junior season, Robinson built upon his previous season's averages with 30.3 points and 11.2 rebounds a game, while becoming the first player since 1978 to lead the Big Ten Conference in both categories. Along with teammates Cuonzo Martin and Matt Waddell, he led the Boilermakers to a Big Ten Conference Title and an Elite Eight appearance, finishing the season with a 29–5 record and a 3rd overall ranking. In his last college game against a Grant Hill-led Duke team in the NCAA Tournament, Robinson was held to only 13 points, his season low, while suffering from a back strain he sustained against Kansas in the prior game. Leading the nation in scoring and becoming the conference's all-time single season points leader with 1,030 points, Robinson was unanimously selected as the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year. He also unanimously received the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Award, the first national player of the year-honored Boilermaker since John Wooden himself did it in 1932 (who also wore the jersey #13). Robinson also was the recipient for the USBWA College Player of the Year.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Robinson left Purdue after becoming the only Boilermaker to have more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 steals, 100 assists and 50 blocked shots in a career during his two seasons at Purdue, along with a school weightlifting record with a 309-pound clean-and-jerk. His 1,030 points during his junior year made him only the 15th player in college history to score 1,000 points in a season. In September 2010, the Big Ten Network named Robinson Icon No. 35 on its list of the biggest icons in Big Ten Conference history.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Purdue's campus bookstores sold T-shirts featuring Robinson's image and his nickname "Big Dog" before Robinson complained and they discontinued the practice.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Robinson was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the first overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, the first Boilermaker to be selected as the first pick since Joe Barry Carroll in 1980.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: At the draft, Robinson wore a gold suit and black alligator slip-ons. Before he could take the court, he and the Bucks became involved in a contract holdout that lasted until the beginning of training camp after it was rumored that he desired a 13-year, $100 million contract. Robinson eventually signed a rookie-record 10-year, $68 million deal that stands as the richest NBA rookie contract, as a salary cap for rookies was implemented the following season. During his first year in the NBA, Robinson was twice named the Schick NBA Rookie of the Month and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after leading all rookies with an average of 21.9 points per game. Robinson finished third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Grant Hill and Jason Kidd, who shared the award, but was named Rookie Of The Year by "Basketball Digest" magazine.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: While playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Robinson recorded some of the best statistical seasons in franchise history. Early in his career, Robinson shared the frontcourt with teammate and All-Star Vin Baker. On December 7, 1996, Robinson scored 44 points on 70% shooting, alongside 7 rebounds and 6 assists, in a 126-118 victory over the Washington Bullets. Despite another strong statistical season from Robinson, the Bucks would again fail make the NBA playoffs.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: After several trades, one of which had Baker go to Seattle, Robinson teamed with Ray Allen and Sam Cassell, and helped lead the Bucks to several postseason appearances. On May 11, 1999, Robinson scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a narrow 108-107 playoff loss against Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. The underexperienced Bucks (was both Robinson's and Allen's first postseason appearance) would eventually lose the series. On January 29, 2001, Robinson scored 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and recorded 5 steals in a 99-96 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On February 25, 2001, Robinson scored a career-high 45 points in a 122-95 win against the Golden State Warriors. That season, Robinson and the Bucks would reach the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in a 7 game series. In the final game of that series, Robinson scored 24 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and recorded 4 assists in a losing effort. It would be the closest the Bucks would get to the finals until 2019, when another Bucks Forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo, helped end their 18 year conference finals drought.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Robinson was the second place all-time leading scorer in Milwaukee Bucks history, only trailing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar until surpassed by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Robinson averaged at least 20 points per game in seven of his eight seasons in Milwaukee. He made back-to-back NBA All-Star Team appearances in 2000 and 2001.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Robinson was traded by Milwaukee to the Atlanta Hawks for Toni Kukoč, Leon Smith, and a 2003 first-round pick on August 2, 2002. In Robinson's debut as a Hawk in the season opener, he scored 34 points, had 10 rebounds and 8 assists against the New Jersey Nets. During the 2002–03 season, he averaged 20.8 points a game and shot a personal-best 87.6 percent from the free throw line.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: After a year in Atlanta, he was traded on July 23, 2003 with a 2006 second-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in a four-team deal. In his tenth overall and only season playing with the Sixers, Robinson averaged 16.6 points and 1 steal per game as second scoring option to teammate, Allen Iverson. After his year in Philadelphia during the 2003–04 season, Robinson did not play a game for the 76ers in 2004–05, largely due to an injury. On February 24, 2005, he was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for forwards Rodney Rogers and Jamal Mashburn. Robinson was waived by the team almost immediately and never suited up for them.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Robinson signed with the San Antonio Spurs on April 4, 2005 to establish an additional veteran shooting presence as the team prepared for the playoffs. As a role player in the 2005 playoffs, Robinson helped the Spurs win the championship. The games in the NBA Finals would be Robinson's last in the NBA, capping off his 11-year career with a title.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Robinson was forced to retire due to injuries, particularly to his knees. He finished his career with 14,234 career points, averaging 20.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, also playing in two league all-star games.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: Robinson was selected for the 1996 U.S. Olympic basketball team, but was unable to play because of injury. He was replaced by Gary Payton.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: His oldest son, Glenn III, played basketball for the University of Michigan and started for the national runner-up 2012–13 team. Following the 2012–13 Big Ten season he was an honorable mention All-conference selection and All-freshman honoree by the coaches. Glenn III currently plays in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings.


title: Glenn Robinson

text: His younger son, Gelen (class of 2014), is the 2013 Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) wrestling champion, the 2013 IHSAA shot put runner-up, the 2013 IHSAA discus runner-up, and a repeat (2012 and 2013) winner of "The Times of Northwest Indiana" Football Defensive Player of the Year and as a result the 2012–13 Times of Northwest Indiana Athlete of the Year. Gelen played for the Purdue University football team and signed with the CFL BC Lions in 2018. He currently plays rugby for the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR).


title: Glenn Robinson

text: On May 16, 2003, Robinson was convicted in Cook County, Illinois of domestic battery and assault charges involving his former fiance on July 20, 2002 in her Chicago Heights home.


title: Gorgeous George

text: George Raymond Wagner (March 23, 1915 – December 26, 1963) was an American professional wrestler known by his ring name Gorgeous George. In the United States, during the First Golden Age of Professional Wrestling in the 1940s–1950s, Gorgeous George was one of the biggest stars of the sport, gaining media attention for his outrageous character, which was described as flamboyant and charismatic. He was a major national celebrity at his peak, and was largely or even solely responsible for establishing television as a viable entertainment medium, in its early days. He was posthumously inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002 and the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2010.


title: Gorgeous George

text: Wagner, of German heritage, was born March 24, 1915, in Butte, Nebraska. For a time, his family lived on a farm near the village of Phoenix in Holt County and probably in Seward County before they moved to Waterloo, Iowa and later Sioux City. When he was 7 years old, Wagner's family moved to Houston, Texas, where he associated with kids from a tough neighborhood. As a child, he trained at the local YMCA and often staged matches against his friends. In 1929, he dropped out of Milby High School at 14, and worked odd jobs to help support his family. At this time, he competed at carnivals, where he could earn 35 cents for a win. By age 17, he was getting booked by the region's top promoter, Morris Siegel, and in 1938, he won his first title by defeating Buck Lipscomb for Northwest Middleweight crown. Moreover, on May 19, 1939, he captured the Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight Championship.


title: Gorgeous George

text: At 5 ft 9 in and 215 pounds (1.75 m and 98 kg), Wagner was not especially physically imposing by professional wrestling standards, nor was he an exceptional athlete, although he was a gifted amateur wrestler. Nevertheless, he soon developed a reputation as a solid in-ring wrestler. In the late 1930s, he met Elizabeth "Betty" Hanson, whom he would later marry in an in-ring ceremony. When the wedding proved a good drawing card, the couple re-enacted it in arenas across the country enlightening Wagner to the potential entertainment value that was left untapped within the industry. Around this same time, "Vanity Fair" magazine published a feature article about a professional wrestler named 'Lord' Patrick Lansdowne, who entered the ring accompanied by two valets while wearing a velvet robe and doublet. Wagner was impressed with the bravado of such a character, but he believed that he could take it to a much greater extreme.


title: Gorgeous George

text: Subsequently, Wagner debuted his new "glamour boy" image on a 1941 card in Eugene, Oregon, and he quickly antagonized the fans with his exaggerated effeminate behavior when the ring announcer introduced him as "Gorgeous George". Such showmanship was unheard of at the time; and consequently, arena crowds grew in size as fans turned out to ridicule Wagner (who relished the sudden attention).


title: Gorgeous George

text: Gorgeous George was soon recruited to Los Angeles by promoter Johnny Doyle. Known as the "Human Orchid", his persona was created in part by growing his hair long, dyeing it platinum blonde, and putting gold-plated bobby pins in it (which he called "Georgie Pins" and distributed to the audience). Furthermore, he transformed his ring entrance into a bonafide spectacle that would often take up more time than his actual matches. He strolled nobly to the ring to the sounds of "Pomp and Circumstance", followed by his valet and a purple spotlight. Wearing an elegant robe sporting an array of sequins, Gorgeous George was always escorted down a personal red carpet by his ring valet "Jeffries", who would carry a silver mirror while spreading rose petals at his feet. While Wagner removed his robe, Jeffries would spray the ring with disinfectant, ostensibly Chanel No. 5 perfume, which Wagner referred to as "Chanel #10" ("Why be half-safe?" he was famous for saying) before he would start wrestling. Moreover, George required that his valets spray the referee's hands before the official was allowed to check him for any illegal objects, which thus prompted his now-famous outcry "Get your filthy hands off me!" Once the match finally began, he would cheat in every way he could. Gorgeous George was the industry's first true cowardly villain, and he would cheat at every opportunity, which infuriated the crowd. His credo was "Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat!" This flamboyant image and his showman's ability to work a crowd were so successful in the early days of television that he became the most famous wrestler of his time, drawing furious heel heat wherever he appeared.


title: Gorgeous George

text: It was with the advent of television, however, that Wagner's in-ring character became the biggest drawing card the industry had ever known. With the networks looking for cheap, effective programming to fill its time slots, pro wrestling's glorified action became a genuine hit with the viewing public, as it was the first program of any kind to draw a real profit. Consequently, it was Gorgeous George who brought the sport into the nation's living rooms, as his histrionics and melodramatic behavior made him a larger-than-life figure in American pop culture. His first television appearance took place on November 11, 1947 (an event that was named among the top 100 televised acts of the 20th century by "Entertainment Weekly") and he immediately became a national celebrity at the same level of Lucille Ball and Bob Hope (who personally donated hundreds of chic robes for George's collection) while changing the course of the industry. No longer was pro-wrestling simply about the in-ring action, but Wagner had created a new sense of theatrics and character performance that had not previously existed. Moreover, in a very real sense, it was Gorgeous George who single-handedly established television as a viable entertainment medium that could potentially reach millions of homes across the country. It is said that George was probably responsible for selling as many television receivers as Milton Berle.


title: Gorgeous George

text: In addition to his grandiose theatrics, Gorgeous George was an accomplished wrestler. While many may have considered him a mere gimmick wrestler, he was actually a very competent freestyle wrestler, having started learning the sport in amateur wrestling as a teenager, and he could handle himself quite well if it came to a legitimate contest. The great Lou Thesz, who would take the AWA title away from Wagner, and who was one of the best "legit" wrestlers ever in professional wrestling, displayed some disdain for the gimmick wrestlers. Nevertheless, he admitted that Wagner "could wrestle pretty well", but added that, "he [Wagner] could never draw a fan until he became Gorgeous George."


title: Gorgeous George

text: On March 26, 1947, Wagner defeated Enrique Torres to capture the Los Angeles Heavyweight Championship. Then on February 22, 1949, he was booked as the feature attraction at New York City's Madison Square Garden in what would be pro wrestling's first return to the building in 12 years. By the 1950s, Gorgeous George's star power was so large that he was able to command 50% of the gate for his performances, which allowed him to earn over $100,000 a year, thus making him one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Moreover, on May 26, 1950, Gorgeous George defeated Don Eagle to claim the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (Boston version), which he held for several months. During this reign he was beaten by the National Wrestling Alliance World Champion Lou Thesz in a highly publicized bout in Chicago. However, perhaps Gorgeous George's most famous match was against his longtime rival Whipper Billy Watson on March 12, 1959, in which a beaten George had his treasured golden locks shaved bald before 20,000 fans at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens and millions more who watched the match on CBC Television.


title: Gorgeous George

text: In one of his final matches, Gorgeous George later faced off against (and lost to) an up-and-coming Bruno Sammartino, though he would lose his precious hair again when he was defeated by the Destroyer in a hair vs. mask match at the Olympic Auditorium on November 7, 1962. This was his final match, as he was nearly 50 years old and suffering from the effects of alcoholism. Gorgeous George appeared in one motion picture, "Alias the Champ", made in 1949, which also featured wrestler Tor Johnson.


title: Gorgeous George

text: As his wrestling career wound down, Wagner invested in a turkey ranch built in Beaumont, California, and he used his showman skills to promote his prized poultry at his wrestling matches and sport shows. He raised turkeys and owned a cocktail lounge in Van Nuys, California, which he named "Gorgeous George's Ringside Restaurant".


title: Gorgeous George

text: Wagner was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in 1962 and his doctors instructed him to retire from wrestling. This, combined with financial troubles that stemmed from a recent divorce, worsened his health. He suffered a heart attack on December 24, 1963, and died two days later, at age 48. A plaque at his gravesite reads "Love to our Daddy Gorgeous George".


title: Gorgeous George

text: Muhammad Ali and James Brown acknowledged that their own approach to flamboyant self-promotion was influenced by George. This was referenced in the 2021 movie "One Night in Miami...". A 19-year-old Ali met a 46-year-old George at a Las Vegas radio station. During George's radio interview, the wrestler's promo caught the attention of the future heavyweight champion. If George lost to Classy Freddie Blassie, George exclaimed, "I'll crawl across the ring and cut my hair off! But that's not gonna happen because I'm the greatest wrestler in the world!" Ali, who later echoed that very promo when taunting opponent Sonny Liston, recalled, "I saw 15,000 people comin' to see this man get beat. And his talking did it. I said, 'This is a gooood idea!'" In the locker room afterward, the seasoned wrestler gave the future legend some invaluable advice: "A lot of people will pay to see someone shut your mouth. So keep on bragging, keep on sassing and always be outrageous."


title: Gorgeous George

text: In 2002, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF.org) by a committee of his peers. On March 27, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2010. His 97-year-old former wife, Betty Wagner accepted the honor on his behalf, answering questions and telling the story of how he became Gorgeous George.


title: Gorgeous George

text: In September 2008, the first full-length biography of Gorgeous George was published by HarperEntertainment Press. The title of the 304 page book is "Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad Boy Wrestler who Created American Pop Culture" by John Capouya. In the 2005 book "I Feel Good: A Memoir in a Life of Soul", James Brown said he used many of Gorgeous George's antics to "create the James Brown you see on stage".


title: Gorgeous George

text: Bob Dylan said meeting George changed his life. In Dylan's book "The Chronicles: Volume One", Dylan recounts a story of meeting Gorgeous George in person. He wrote, "He winked and seemed to mouth the phrase, 'You're making it come alive.' I never forgot it. It was all the recognition and encouragement I would need for years."


title: Gorgeous George

text: The 1951 Warner Brothers "Merrie Melodies" cartoon "Bunny Hugged" featured the one-shot character "Ravishing Ronald", modeled after Gorgeous George. The Bowery Boys also lampooned Gorgeous George (with Huntz Hall as a much-heralded wrestler) in the 1952 feature "No Holds Barred". Musical performers such as Liberace, Little Richard, Elton John, Prince and Morris Day show signs of the George meme.


title: Gorgeous George

text: His theme tune "Pomp and Circumstance" was later also used as a theme tune by Randy Savage in the WWF 1985–1994 (a classical arrangement) and WCW 1994–1997 (a rock guitar arrangement).


title: Gorgeous George

text: Others in professional wrestling who have used the name "Gorgeous George" include Stephanie Bellars, Gorgeous George III and George Gillette, manager of Kendo Nagasaki.


title: Gorgeous George

text: Wagner was married twice, first to Betty Hanson (1913–2011), whom he married in 1939 in Eugene, Oregon inside a wrestling ring. They adopted two children. In 1951, after divorcing Betty, he married Cherie Dupré (1927–2000). By this marriage, he had one biological son, Gary George. Cheri filed for divorce from George in April 1962.


title: Gorgeous George

text: Wagner's grandnephew Robert Kellum, best known as "The Maestro" in World Championship Wrestling, also wrestled as "Gorgeous George III" in the United States Wrestling Association.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Lorena Alice "Hick" Hickok (March 7, 1893 – May 1, 1968) was a pioneering American journalist and devoted friend and mentor to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: After an unhappy and unsettled childhood, Hickok found success as a reporter for the "Minneapolis Tribune" and the Associated Press (AP), becoming America's best-known female reporter by 1932. After covering Franklin D. Roosevelt's first presidential campaign, Hickok struck up a close relationship with the soon-to-be First Lady, and travelled with her extensively. The nature of their relationship has been widely debated, especially after 3000 of their mutual letters were discovered, confirming physical intimacy (Hickok was known to be a lesbian). The closeness of their relationship compromised Hickok's objectivity, leading her to resign from the AP and work as chief investigator for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). She later promoted the 1939 New York World's Fair, and then served as executive secretary of the Women's Division of the Democratic National Committee, living mostly at the White House, where Hickok had a conjoining room with the First Lady. Hickok was the author of several books.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Lorena Alice Hickok was born on March 7, 1893, in East Troy, Wisconsin, the daughter of Addison J. Hickok (1860–1932), a dairy farmer who specialized in making butter, and Anna Hickok (née Anna Adelia Wiate, d. 1906). She had two sisters, Ruby Adelsa (later Ruby Claff, 1896–1971) and Myrtle. Her childhood was hard; her father was an alcoholic and was not consistently employed. When Lorena was 10 years old, the family moved to Bowdle, South Dakota, where in 1906, when Lorena was 13 years old, her mother, Anna, died of a stroke. In 1908, two years after his wife's passing, Addison married Emma Flashman, a divorcee who had worked as a housekeeper for the family after Anna's passing. Lorena's relationship with Addison was not a good one, he having been abusive and neglectful towards her, and he did not come to her defense when Emma forced her out of the family home. Having lost support from her father, 14-year-old Lorena worked variously as a housekeeper for an Irish family, in a boarding house infested with mice, in a rooming house for railroad workers on the edge of town, and in a farm kitchen. During her time at the rooming house, Hickok was forced to barricade her door with a chair so that male visitors to the house wouldn't be able to enter her room while she slept. She saw her father one more time in her life, when she was 15 years old, while on a train. Addison had no polite words for his eldest daughter, but the experience was a liberating one for the girl, who left the train with the realization that she was now an adult and her father could no longer strike her.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Hickok made her way to Gettysburg, South Dakota, where she met and worked for a kind, elderly lady named Mrs. Dodd, who helped her to learn how to be an adult, teaching the teenager basic skills such as how to wash her hair. Under Dodd's influence, Hickok decided to return to Bowdle to go to school. In exchange for room and board, she started working for a wealthy family, the Bicketts. The living situation was not a good one for Hickok, as the wife demanded she devote all her free time to keeping house, which came at the expense of schoolwork. She left the Bicketts to live with the O'Malleys, who owned a saloon and were viewed with disdain. Unlike the Bickett family, Hickok found friendship with the couple, particularly the wife, who was somewhat of an outcast in Bowdle, not only for her family's source of income, but also for wearing makeup and wigs and drinking alcohol. Hickok was ultimately able to find some stability within her family in 1909, when she left South Dakota to meet Ella Ellis, a cousin whom she called Aunt Ella, in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to her departure, Mrs. O'Malley paid for her train fare and dressed her for the occasion. From there on, Hickock went on to graduate from high school in Battle Creek, Michigan, and she enrolled at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin, but dropped out.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Unable to fit in at college, Hickok found work covering train arrivals and departures and wrote personal interest stories at "The Battle Creek Evening News" for $7 a week. In an attempt to follow in the footsteps of her role model, novelist and former reporter Edna Ferber, she joined the "Milwaukee Sentinel" as its society editor and then moved on to the city beat, where she developed a talent as an interviewer. She interviewed celebrities, including actress Lillian Russell, pianist Ignacy Paderewski, and opera singers Nellie Melba and Geraldine Farrar, gaining a wide audience. She also became close friends with diva Ernestine Schumann-Heink.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Hickok moved to Minneapolis to work for the "Minneapolis Tribune". She enrolled at the University of Minnesota, but left when she was forced to live in a women's dormitory. She stayed with the "Tribune," where she was given opportunities unusual for a female reporter. She had a byline and was the paper's chief reporter, covering politics and sports and preparing editorials. During her tenure with the paper, she also covered the football team, becoming one of the first female reporters to be assigned a sports beat. In 1923, she won an award from the Associated Press for writing the best feature story of the month, a piece on President Warren G. Harding's funeral train.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: During her years in Minneapolis, Hickok lived with a society reporter named Ella Morse, with whom she had an eight-year relationship. In 1926, Hickok was diagnosed with diabetes, and Morse persuaded her take a year's leave from the newspaper so the pair could travel to San Francisco and Hickok could write a novel. At the beginning of the leave, however, Morse unexpectedly eloped with an ex-boyfriend, leaving Hickok devastated. Unable to face a return to Minneapolis, Hickok moved to New York, landing a job with the "New York Daily Mirror".


title: Lorena Hickok

text: After working for "The Mirror" for about a year, Hickok obtained a job with the Associated Press in 1928, where she became one of the wire service's top correspondents. Unusually for the time, she was assigned hard-news stories, which female journalists rarely were allowed to cover. Instead, they were assigned soft-news stories, which were thought to be more feminine. Her November 1928 story on the sinking of the SS "Vestris" was published in "The New York Times" under her own byline, the first woman's byline to appear in the paper. She also reported on the Lindbergh kidnapping and other national events. By 1932, she had become the nation's best-known female reporter. Hickok called herself by this time "the top gal reporter in the country".


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Hickok first met Roosevelt in 1928 when assigned to interview her by the AP. In 1932, Hickok convinced her editors to allow her to cover Eleanor Roosevelt during her husband's presidential campaign and for the four-month period between his election and inauguration. When the mother of Franklin's secretary, Missy LeHand, died, Eleanor invited Hickok to accompany her to Potsdam, New York for the funeral. The women spent the long train ride talking, beginning a long friendship.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: During the 1932 election, Hickok always submitted her stories about Eleanor Roosevelt to the subject first for her approval or to Louis Howe, the campaign adviser to Franklin Roosevelt, becoming by the end of the election an unofficial press attaché for Eleanor. By Franklin's inauguration on March 4, 1933, Hickok had become Eleanor's closest friend. The two made trips together to Albany and Washington, D.C., and spent nearly every day in each other's company. Hickok joined the Roosevelts every Sunday night for dinner, while on other nights Eleanor joined Hickok at the theater or opera, or at dinners alone at Hickok's apartment. For the inauguration, Eleanor wore a sapphire ring Hickok had given her.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: That same day, Hickok interviewed Roosevelt in a White House bathroom, her first official interview as First Lady. By this time, Hickok was deeply in love with Roosevelt and finding it increasingly difficult to provide objective reporting. In addition, Hickok's job kept her largely in New York, while Eleanor was in Washington. Both women were troubled by the separation, professing their love by telephone and letter; Roosevelt put a picture of Hickok up in her study, which she told Hickok she kissed every night and every morning. During this period, Roosevelt wrote daily ten- to fifteen-page letters to "Hick", who was planning to write a biography of the First Lady.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: The nature of Hickok and Roosevelt's relationship has been a subject of dispute among historians. Roosevelt was close friends with several lesbian couples, such as Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman, and Esther Lape and Elizabeth Fisher Read, suggesting that she understood lesbianism; Marie Souvestre, Roosevelt's childhood teacher and a great influence on her later thinking, was also a lesbian. Hickok biographer Doris Faber published some of Roosevelt and Hickok's correspondence in 1980, but concluded that the lovestruck phrasing was simply an "unusually belated schoolgirl crush" and warned historians not to be misled. Researcher Leila J. Rupp criticized Faber's argument, calling her book "a case study in homophobia" and arguing that Faber unwittingly presented "page after page of evidence that delineates the growth and development of a love affair between the two women". In 1992, Roosevelt biographer Blanche Wiesen Cook argued that the relationship was in fact romantic, generating national attention.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin summarized the letters between Hickok and Roosevelt thus:Hick longed to kiss the soft spot at the corner of Eleanor's mouth; Eleanor yearned to hold Hick close; Hick despaired at being away from Eleanor; Eleanor wished she could lie down beside Hick and take her in her arms. Day after day, month after month, the tone in the letters on both sides remains fervent and loving.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Goodwin concluded, however, that "whether Hick and Eleanor went beyond kisses and hugs" cannot be known for certain, and that the important issue is the impact the close relationship had on both women's lives. A 2011 essay by Russell Baker reviewing two new Roosevelt biographies in the "New York Times Review of Books" stated, "That the Hickok relationship was indeed erotic now seems beyond dispute considering what is known about the letters they exchanged."


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Early in the Roosevelt administration, Hickok is credited with pushing Eleanor to write her own newspaper column, "My Day", and to hold weekly press conferences specifically for female journalists. Hickok found it difficult to objectively cover the Roosevelts herself, however, and once suppressed a story at Eleanor's request. The declining quality of her reporting soon caused her to receive a pay cut. Despite her worries about leaving the career on which she had built her identity, Hickok quit the AP at Eleanor's urging in mid-1933. Eleanor then helped Hickok obtain the position as a Chief Investigator for Harry Hopkins' Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), where she conducted fact-finding missions. In June 1933, she resigned from the Associated Press and then spent the next month on vacation with Eleanor Roosevelt in New England and in the Atlantic provinces of Canada. In July 1933, Hopkins told Hickok: "What I want to you is to go around the country and look this thing over. I don't want statistics from you. I don't want the social worker angle. I just want your own reaction, as an ordinary citizen". Hickok traveled in a car that Eleanor had brought her which she named Bluette, heading first for the coal-mining districts of western Pennsylvania to enter the region of Appalachia.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: From West Virginia, she reported about the lives of the coal miners: "Some of them have been starving for eight years. I was told there are children in West Virginia who never tasted milk! I visited one group of 45 blacklisted miners and their families who had been living in tents two years...Most of the women you see in the camps are going without shoes or stockings...It's fairly common to see children entirely naked". She reported that the most common causes of death in West Virginia were tuberculosis, asthma, typhoid, diphtheria, pellagra, and malnutrition. Many people in West Virginia where she reported "had been living for days on green corn and string beans—and precious little of that. At the Continental Hotel in Pineville, I was told that five babies up one of those creeks had died of starvation in the last ten days...Dysentery is so common that nobody says much about it." About the people of Appalachia, Hickok wrote that they were patriotic, religious and of "pure Anglo-Saxon stock", and she found them "curiously appealing". At the same time she criticized them for their apathy observing that they were willing to accept their fate as what God had intended for them. In the summer of 1933, she reported that 62 percent of people in the eastern counties of Kentucky were living on federal relief while another 150,000 people depended upon relief payments from the state government to feed their families. On 12 August 1933, the Commonwealth of Kentucky stopped relief payments because of a lack of funds, leading people going to the relief offices to find them closed and then wandering away silently. Hickok wrote: "I cannot for the life of me understand why they don't go down and raid the Blue Grass country".


title: Lorena Hickok

text: From Iowa, she wrote to Hopkins in October 1933 that the Depression "is 10 or 12 years old out here" and Sioux City was a "hotbed of the Reds". The same month she wrote from Minnesota that the farmers were growing unhappy with President Roosevelt as one farm leader told her: "We were promised a New Deal...Instead, we have the same old stacked deck". In a letter to Eleanor from North Dakota she stated: "These plains are beautiful. But, oh, the terrible, crushing drabness of life here. And the suffering, for both people and animals...Most of the farm buildings haven't been painted in God only knows how long...If I had to live here, I think I'd just quietly call it a day and commit suicide...The people up here are in a daze. A sort of nameless dread hangs over the place". In Morton County, North Dakota, Hickok left a church and found several farmers huddled around her car, trying to stay warm from the car's engine's heat on a cold winter day. One farm wife Hickok met had 10 children and was pregnant with her 11th child, saying she wished she had some contraceptives as she and her husband could not afford such a large family. Hickok wrote: "The plight of the livestock is pitiable...Half-starved horses have dropped in the harness right on the road job...They've even harvested Russian thistle to feed to their horses and cattle. Russian thistle, for your information, is a thistle plant with shallow roots that dries up in the fall and is blown across the plains like rolls of barbed wire. The effect on the digestive apparatus of an animal...would be, I should imagine, much the same as though it had eaten barbed wire".


title: Lorena Hickok

text: She called South Dakota "the Siberia of the United States. A more hopeless place I never saw. Half the people—particularly the farmers—are scared to death...The rest of the people are apathetic". In South Dakota, she found several farm wives serving Russian thistle soup to their children. Out on the South Dakota plains, she visited "...what had once been a house. No repairs have made in years. The kitchen floor was all patched up with pieces of tin...Great patches of plaster had fallen from the walls. Newspapers had been stuffed in the cracks about the windows. And in that house two small boys...were running about without a stitch on save some ragged overalls. No shoes or stockings. Their feet were purple with cold". She reported some of the normally conservative farmers of South Dakota were blaming capitalism for their plight and were turning towards Communism as Communist meetings on the Great Plains were well attended. Hickok also noted the Farm Holiday Association that called for the end of banks foreclosing on farms was growing popular on the Great Plains. When one bank foreclosed on a South Dakota farm and asked the county sheriff to evict the farmer and his family, she saw the "Family Holiday crowd" disarm the sheriff's deputies at gunpoint and "ended up tearing off the sheriff's clothes and beating him quite badly". But at the same time, she noted that for all the fury and violence of the Farm Holiday movement that the prevailing mood was still apathy, writing: "I was told in Bismarck that in the country I visited this afternoon I would find a good deal of unrest—'farm holiday' spirit. I can't say that I did. They seemed almost too patient for me". In December 1933, Eleanor wrote her: "Mr. Hopkins said today that your reports would be the best history of the Depression in future years".


title: Lorena Hickok

text: In December 1933, Hickok went on a two-month tour of the American South, where she was horrified by the poverty, malnutrition, and lack of education that she encountered. Hickok found life in the South even worse than on the Great Plains, which she previously found to be very "depressing". In January 1934, she reported that she had seen in rural Georgia "half-starved Whites and Blacks struggle in competition for less to eat than my dog gets at home, for the privilege of living in huts that are infinitely less comfortable than his kennel...If there is a school system in the state, it simply isn't functioning. It can't. The children just can't go to school, hundreds of them because they haven't the clothes. The illiterate parents of hundreds of others don't send them. As a result you've got the picture of hundreds of boys and girls in their teens down here in some of these rural areas who can't read or write. I'm not exaggerating...Why, some of them can barely talk!". In Savannah, a relief director told her: "Any Nigger who gets over $8 a week is a spoiled Nigger, that's all...The Negroes regard the President as the Messiah, and think that they'll all be getting $12 a week for the rest of their lives". In Florida, she wrote that she found seasonal farm workers on the citrus farms living in "peonage" while the hotels on the coasts were "comfortably filled". The citrus farmers of Florida had she wrote "got the world licked...for being mean-spirited, selfish and irresponsible". In February 1934, she reported from North Carolina about sharecropping: "The truth is that the rural South never has progressed beyond slave labor...When their slaves were taken away, they proceeded to establish a system of peonage that was as close to slavery as it possibly could be and included Whites as well as Blacks." From the textile mill towns of the Carolinas, Hickok wrote about the "blocks and blocks of shabby, tumbledown little houses" inhibited by the "lintheads" as the textile workers called themselves who were not normally paid cash, but rather company scrip which could only be used to purchase food at company stores . She urged Eleanor to visit a tent city of homeless ex-miners in Morgantown, West Virginia, an experience that led Eleanor to found the federal housing project of Arthurdale, West Virginia. In March 1934, Hickok accompanied Eleanor on a fact-finding trip to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, reporting afterward to Hopkins that the island's poverty was too severe for FERA to usefully intervene.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: One of her most important conclusions was the Great Depression did not just plunge a prosperous nation into poverty, but rather that there was an "old poverty". Hickok reported that even before 1929 there were about 40 million Americans which included virtually the entire non-white population, almost the entire rural population and most of the old who were already living in poverty, and all the Depression had done was merely make things worse for people who were already struggling. Hopkins praised her for discovering "a volume of chronic poverty, unsuspected except by a few students and by those who always experienced it".


title: Lorena Hickok

text: In the town of Calais, Maine she found that most of the unemployed were Catholic French-Canadians while the relief workers were WASPs. Owing to religious and ethnic prejudices, Hickok reported "the people on relief in that town are subjected to a treatment that is almost medieval in its stinginess and stupidity". From Tennessee, she reported that she found relief workers "whose approach to the relief problem is so typical of the old line social worker, supported by private philanthropy and looking down his—only usually it was "her"—nose at God's patient poor, that it made me gag a little". In Texas, she visited an "intake" facility (where people applying for relief were assessed) and wrote: "Mr. Hopkins, did you ever spend a couple of hours sitting in an intake? Intake is about the nearest thing to Hell that I know anything about. The smell alone—I'd recognize it anywhere. And take that on top of the psychological effect of having to be there at all. God!" Hickok reported many of the people applying for relief were full of guilt and shame. The ethos of the "American Dream" had been so deeply engraved into the minds of so many Americans that those who found themselves without a job tended to blame themselves, feeling that their unemployment was due to some personal flaw that had condemned them to be failures in a society where in theory anyone would be successful with the right attitude. Such feelings were especially common with those who had formerly had white collar jobs as Hickok found them "dumb with misery" as they faced unemployment. In New Orleans, a newspaper editor told Hickok "The whole white collar class are taking an awful beating. They're whipped, that's all. And it's bad". One unemployed engineer told her "I had to murder my pride" before applying for relief. In Alabama, a lumberman told her "It took me a month [to apply for relief]. I used to go down there every day or so and walk past the place again and again. I just couldn't make myself go in". One 28-year-old laid-off teacher in Texas, fired as she was the most junior teacher, dejectedly told her: "If I can't make a living, I'm just no good, I guess". The mayor of Toledo, Ohio told Hickok: "I have seen thousands of these defeated, discouraged, hopeless men and women, cringing and fawning as they come to ask for public aid. It is a spectacle of national degeneration".


title: Lorena Hickok

text: During her time with FERA, Hickok developed a dislike of reporters. In one report to Hopkins in 1934, she wrote, "Believe me, the next state administrator who lets out any publicity on me is going to get his head cracked". In February 1934, "Time" called her "a rotund lady with a husky voice, a peremptory manner, baggy clothes", a description that wounded Hickok. In a letter to Hopkins' secretary, she asked, "Why the Hell CAN'T they leave me alone?" Following the incident, Hickok and Roosevelt redoubled their efforts to keep their relationship out of the spotlight; on one occasion, Roosevelt wrote to her, "We must must be careful this summer & keep it out of the papers when we are off together."


title: Lorena Hickok

text: In April 1934, a Texas businessman told her that the solution to America's problems was fascism as he maintained democracy was doomed. Hickok told Hopkins that "Honestly, after nearly a year of travelling about this country, I'm almost forced to agree with him. If I were 20 years younger and weighed 75 pounds less, I think I'd start out to be Joan of Arc of the Fascist movement in the United States...I've been out on this trip now for a little more than two weeks. In all that time I've hardly met a single person who seemed confident and cheerful. Relief loads are mounting. They can't see any improvement...Nobody seems to think any more that the thing [the New Deal] is going to WORK". From the Imperial Valley in California, she reported that the wealthy landowners were "simply hysterical" about the prospect of the Communists organizing the masses of the unemployed to lead a revolution. She wrote to Hopkins, "It looks as through we're in this relief business for a long, long time...The majority of those over 45 probably will NEVER get their jobs back".


title: Lorena Hickok

text: As Roosevelt became more active as first lady, however, she had less time for Hickok. Hickok grew angry and jealous at perceived slights, and demanded more time alone, which Roosevelt was unable to give; at other times, she attempted unsuccessfully to separate herself from Roosevelt. Though the pair remained friends throughout their lives, they continued to grow apart in the years that followed. In 1937, Roosevelt wrote to Hickok that "I never meant to hurt you in any way, but that is no excuse having done it…I am pulling back from all my contacts now…Such cruelty & stupidity is unpardonable when you reach my age."


title: Lorena Hickok

text: After an incident with her diabetes while traveling, Hickok resigned her FERA post for health reasons in late 1936.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: On the advice of Roosevelt's secretary, Malvina Thompson, Hickok then sought work in New York with public relations man and politician Grover Whalen. Shortly after Franklin Roosevelt's 1936 re-election, Hickok was hired by Whalen to do publicity for the 1939 New York World's Fair. Opportunities for female employees of the Fair were limited, and she found the work unrewarding compared to her reporting days. Hickok primarily worked on promoting the fair to young people, including arranging class trips. Because Hickok rented both a country home and an apartment, she often faced financial problems despite her good salary during these years, and Roosevelt occasionally sent her small gifts of money.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: With help from Roosevelt, Hickok became the executive secretary of the Women's Division of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in February 1940, doing groundwork for the 1940 election. Taking to the road again, she wrote Roosevelt, "This job is such fun, dear ... It's the nearest thing to newspaper work I've found since I left the A.P."


title: Lorena Hickok

text: From early January 1941 until shortly after FDR's fourth inauguration in 1945, she lived at the White House. During her time there, Hickok's nominal address was at the Mayflower Hotel in DC, where she met most people. Also during this time, she formed an intense friendship with Marion Janet Harron, a United States Tax Court judge who was ten years younger than she and almost the only person to visit her at the White House.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: When Hickok's diabetes worsened in 1945, she was forced to leave her position with the DNC. Two years later, Roosevelt found her a position with the New York State Democratic Committee. When Hickok's health continued to decline, she moved to Hyde Park to be closer to Roosevelt. She lived in a cottage on the Roosevelt estate, where she died in 1968. She is buried at Rhinebeck Cemetery in Rhinebeck, New York.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Hickok's interest in women began when she was young and over the course of her life, she had several long-term relationships with women. Some of her lovers ultimately married men or were married to men at the time they were with Hickok. Her most notable relationship was with Eleanor Roosevelt. After Roosevelt's husband won the presidency, Hickok lived in the White House. It is believed she had an affair with Mrs. Roosevelt. The relationship ended when Roosevelt traveled to Geneva to work on drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and took interest in her male doctor, Swiss physician David Gurewitsch.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Hickok suffered from diabetes, which eventually led to her death. She used the condition to avoid social situations, claiming it made it difficult for her to dine with others, but Hickok had always enjoyed her own company or that of her dogs, Prinz and Mr. Choate. Hickok relied on her sister, Ruby Claff, a nurse, to help her during her ill health, as she had not only diabetes but blindness and arthritis in her later years.


title: Lorena Hickok

text: Hickok died at the age of 75. She was cremated and, for two decades, her ashes sat in an urn in a funeral home before being buried in an unmarked grave. A marker was finally placed on the site on May 10, 2000, describing her as "Hick" and an "A.P. (Associated Press) reporter, an author, an activist, and friend of E.R. (Eleanor Roosevelt)."