title: David Dickinson

text: David Dickinson was born in Cheadle Heath, Stockport, Cheshire, the son of Eugenie Gulesserian (born 1919 in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Lancashire), a daughter of Hrant Gulesserian, an Armenian textile merchant who had moved from Constantinople to Manchester in 1904. Dickinson was given up for adoption as an infant and never again met his biological mother although he corresponded with her in later life when she was living in Jersey. Dickinson's biological father is unknown. David was subsequently adopted by the Dickinsons, a local couple. Mr Dickinson died when David was 12, and as his mother worked hard to keep the family together, David was partly brought up by his adoptive paternal grandmother, Sarah. David now has 2 grandchildren, Myles and Finley, who appeared on "Big Star's Little Star".


title: David Dickinson

text: Dickinson began an apprenticeship at an aircraft factory when he was 14, but quickly left to work in the cloth trade in central Manchester. At 19, Dickinson served three years of a four-year prison sentence for mail-order fraud. The majority of his sentence was spent at Strangeways in Manchester.


title: David Dickinson

text: Dickinson set up in Manchester with the assistance of an old customer as silent partner, and the business ran until 1991 when, in light of forthcoming recession, the shop was closed. Dickinson decided to concentrate on selling antiques at prestigious fairs, taking stands at Olympia and other major antiques fairs three or four times a year, dealing in 18th and 19th century furniture and works of art.


title: David Dickinson

text: Dickinson met his wife, Lorne Lesley, a cabaret performer, in a nightclub in the 1960s, and they married in 1968. As a wedding gift Lorne gave David an antique regency mourning ring, set with a rose cut diamond. Lorne is of African, Welsh and Scottish ancestry; she hails from Tiger Bay, Cardiff. The couple live in the village of Prestbury in Cheshire and have two grown-up children, and also grandchildren.


title: David Dickinson

text: Dickinson's nickname is "The Duke", a reference to his wardrobe. For forty years he has used the same tailor, Chris Nicolaou, who appeared as a guest for Dickinson's "This Is Your Life" programme, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at an auction house in Folkestone in November 2002.


title: David Dickinson

text: Until May 2008, Dickinson drove a bright blue Bentley Continental GT. He owns two vehicles, the first being an eco-friendly electric Smart EV and the second a Reliant Regal van; this van was one of the famous yellow Trotters Independent Traders vans from the sitcom "Only Fools and Horses", which Dickinson bought in 2007 for over £44,000.


title: David Dickinson

text: In 1998, a chance meeting with a TV producer at a barbecue led to Dickinson's TV appearance, a two-part documentary for the BBC made about him and his preparation for a show at Olympia. His dark complexion (often implied to be a fake tan, but he says that it is because of his Armenian ancestry) and numerous catchphrases quickly caught the viewers' attention.


title: David Dickinson

text: Dickinson came to public attention as an antiques expert on "This Morning" and BBC Two's "The Antiques Show". His career break as a television celebrity came from presenting "Bargain Hunt" on BBC One at lunchtimes which gained a keen following amongst daytime viewers including students.


title: David Dickinson

text: A primetime evening version of "Bargain Hunt" was broadcast for a few years following the success of the daytime show. Dickinson left the daytime edition of "Bargain Hunt" in 2003 and was replaced by Tim Wonnacott on the daytime slot while Dickinson carried on presenting the primetime, celebrity and Christmas versions of the show. He went on to present a reality show, "Dealing With Dickinson" on BBC One in 2005 which was cancelled after only one series. Dickinson left the BBC once the primetime editions of "Bargain Hunt" were cancelled.


title: David Dickinson

text: Dickinson moved to ITV in 2006 to present a new daytime antiques programme, "Dickinson's Real Deal" which is broadcast on daytime weekday afternoons. Old episodes are frequently repeated. The show visits locations around the UK and asks people to come in and either sell their antiques and collectables for valuation by an antiques dealer who may offer to buy the item for cash. Alternatively, the participants can take a gamble and go to auction if the dealer's offer is refused or no offer is made to buy the object. The participant risks taking a lower price than offered by the dealer if the object fails to exceed the dealer's offer or fails to meet its reserve. Dickinson's job is to act as a mediator to help the sellers obtain the best prices from the dealers or to help them with the decision about whether to refuse the offer and to take the item to auction.


title: David Dickinson

text: From 17 May 2010, "The David Dickinson Show", a celebrity variety show, was broadcast on ITV for 10 episodes. In 2017, he presented "David Dickinson's Name Your Price" for ITV.


title: David Dickinson

text: In 2002, Dickinson appeared as a guest on "Shooting Stars" joining Team B led by Ulrika Jonsson with Johnny Vegas.


title: David Dickinson

text: In 2004, Dickinson was one of several celebrities to have their portraits painted in the BBC One television series "Star Portraits with Rolf Harris", and, also in 2004, he appeared in the first series of "Strictly Come Dancing".


title: David Dickinson

text: In 2005, Dickinson appeared on the ITV reality show "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!", where he first announced that he had used heroin in his younger years. He also presented information slots for viewers on how to bid on satellite shopping channel Bid TV. He appeared in one episode of the ITV drama "Heartbeat", playing an antiques dealer.


title: David Dickinson

text: Dickinson explored his family background in an episode of the third series of the BBC genealogical documentary series "Who Do You Think You Are?" broadcast in the UK on 4 October 2006. He was able to trace relatives in both the UK and Istanbul.


title: David Dickinson

text: On one radio episode of "Dead Ringers", The Doctor (voiced by Jon Culshaw) 'phoned up Dickinson to ask him how much he could get for a magnetic core extractor that was believed to have been owned by the Doctor when he was played by Jon Pertwee. Dickinson described the extractor as "a bit of a bobby dazzler".


title: David Dickinson

text: In March 2014, Dickinson appeared in the eleventh series of "Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway". The duo disguised themselves with prosthetics and fake accents to dupe Dickinson into believing there was a live argument and subsequent car crash on the set of his new 'fake' show "Long Lost Treasures". During the aftermath of the wind up and following the big reveal from Ant & Dec, Dickinson said "you two have done me up like a kipper!"


title: David Dickinson

text: He played the Emperor in the third episode of "The Keith & Paddy Picture Show" ("Return of the Jedi").


title: Forks, Washington

text: Forks, also previously known as the unincorporated town of Quillayute, is a city in southwest Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,335 at the 2020 census. It is named after the forks in the nearby Quillayute, Bogachiel, Calawah, and Sol Duc rivers.


title: Forks, Washington

text: For many years, the city's economy was fueled by the local timber industry. More recently it has drawn tourism related to the novel series "Twilight" and films of the same name, set in Forks. With recent declines in the timber industry, Forks has relied on the nearby Clallam Bay Corrections Center and Olympic Corrections Center as sources of jobs. Forks is a popular destination for sport fishers who fish for salmon and rainbow trout in nearby rivers. It is also supported by visitors to Olympic National Park.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Forks was once inhabited by the Quileute Native American tribe, before they ceded their territory. In 1889 a reservation was created near Forks the same year that Washington became a state. That same year the village was burnt down by settler Daniel Pullen. Forks is 12 miles from tribal burning areas that area tribes used to regenerate young ferns. The phrase "prairie upstream" from Quileute language was translated and became the name Forks Prairie.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Early settlers to Forks came via the rivers and trails from the Pacific and the Strait of Juan de Fuca due to the lack of overland options. In the 1860s, men from Dungeness unsuccessfully attempted to convince the territorial legislature to create Quillehuyte County out of Clallam and Jefferson counties's western ends.


title: Forks, Washington

text: In January 1878, a mile east of Forks, Luther and Esther Ford arrived and laid claim to the 160-acre homestead (at the time there was already a few trappers living in the area). Ford set up the first dairy herd in the settlement in 1879. In 1884 a post office opened in Nelson's cabin. Since another Washington settlement already was named 'Ford's Prairie' the name 'Forks' was chosen as the name. The name 'Forks' was due to the prairie's location as a fork in the vicinity of three rivers.


title: Forks, Washington

text: It was difficult to receive and sell products in Forks in its early days since the nearest market was in Port Townsend (over 55 miles away). The small supply boat that was provided in the summers was not large enough for cargo either. Due to these problems, hops would regularly rot awaiting transport. It was not until narrow roads were built in the 1880s and 1890s that the situation improved slightly. Eventually canoes and ferries were used to help alleviate these issues. In 1927 a single car-sized road opened from Lake Crescent to Forks and the Olympic Loop Highway (U.S. 101) was built through Forks in 1931. The Mora post moved to Forks in the early 1890s which consisted of a general store, hardware store, and a hotel. In the early 1900s, hop growing declined and the Forks Cooperative Creamery was established which operated for 70 years.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Timber was cleared by settlers and small-time loggers in the late 1800s. Booming logging camps were set up by timber baron Michael Earles in the early 1900s which attracted many workers to the area. In 1916, Merrill & Ring began to log in the Pysht River drainage northwest of the area. President Grover Cleveland placed individual claiming of timber volume off-limits in the Olympic Peninsula around this time which proved monumental for the area's future. The Olympic Forest Reserve was trimmed by 623,000 acres but it contained three-fourths of all timber by volume. The Olympic National Park took up the remaining parts of the reserve (it first became a monument in 1909). Isolation soon creeped into the area due to the 1907 national recession. Sitka spruce in the West End was provided during the First World War due to urgent demand. The U.S. Army's Spruce Production Division used this spruce to build 36 miles of railroad track from Port Angeles to Lake Pleasant in six months. But before it could be completed, World War I ended and no spruce was hauled down the line.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Settlers from the Hoh came gradually to Forks in its earlier days. In 1912 the town was laid out where the Whittier homestead stood and as late as the 1920s the town was just a block of buildings and prairie homesteads amongst looming forests. In 1930 the current newspaper, "Forks Forum", started publication 40 years after the original Forks newspaper was established. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Forks gained many amenities of modern towns at the time as new inhabitants increased its population. Nearly 20 percent of the forest around Forks was flattened as what locals described as a "hurricane roaring overhead" swept through the West End. Five years later a fire occurred on Main Street before another fire hit the town in 1951.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Forks was officially incorporated on August 7, 1945, following an election of the constituents who would become its first town members.


title: Forks, Washington

text: The city gained popularity for being a key setting in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series (2005 to 2008) and related film adaptations.


title: Forks, Washington

text: As of the census of 2010, there were 3,532 people, 1,264 households, and 849 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,374 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 67.7% White, 0.5% African American, 6.6% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 18.1% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 25.9% of the population.


title: Forks, Washington

text: There were 1,264 households, of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.16.


title: Forks, Washington

text: The median age in the city was 31.3 years. 29.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.2% were from 45 to 64; and 9.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.5% male and 48.5% female.


title: Forks, Washington

text: As of the census of 2000, there were 3,120 people, 1,169 households, and 792 families residing in the city. The population density was 854.8 people per square mile (330.2/km). There were 1,361 housing units at an average density of 435.6 per square mile (168.4/km). The racial makeup of the city was 81.47% White, 0.42% African American, 5.03% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 8.49% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.54% of the population.


title: Forks, Washington

text: There were 1,169 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.15.


title: Forks, Washington

text: In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 30.4% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.9 males.


title: Forks, Washington

text: The median income for a household in the city was $34,280, and the median income for a family was $38,844. Males had a median income of $35,718 versus $23,690 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,686. About 14.6% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.


title: Forks, Washington

text: The city lies on Forks Prairie just east of the confluence of the Calawah River with the Bogachiel River. U.S. Route 101 passes through the town.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Forks has an oceanic climate (Cfb) in a temperate rainforest with very high rainfall, above per year. Although there is a drying trend in summer, rain is still abundant, just not as wet as the rest of the year. Forks averages 212 days per year with measurable precipitation.


title: Forks, Washington

text: The city is organized under Washington State law as a non-charter code city. Its structure is that of an elected mayor and a five-member elected city council. Unlike other cities on the Olympic Peninsula, Forks operates under what is called a "strong mayor" form of government with the mayor being the chief executive officer overseeing four department heads (clerk/treasurer, public works, police, and legal/planning).


title: Forks, Washington

text: Forks Municipal Airport is located in Clallam County, southwest of Forks. The airport has six based aircraft, including 3 single-engine aircraft and 3 helicopters. The latest available data indicate that the airport had a total of 13,550 annual operations. Runway 4-22 is Forks Municipal Airport's sole runway. This runway is long, wide, is equipped with medium intensity runway lighting, and has an asphalt surface. Approaches to both ends of this runway are visual.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Forks is served by two public transit agencies. Clallam Transit route 17 provides local service in Forks, while three other routes provide connections to Port Angeles (14), La Push (15), and Clallam Bay and Neah Bay (16). Jefferson Transit runs an "Olympic Connection" bus that provides service on Highway 101 south of Forks as far as Lake Quinault. From there, transfers to Aberdeen are available via Grays Harbor transit. All five of these bus routes serve Forks six days a week, with no service on Sundays.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Newspapers serving Forks include the "Peninsula Daily News" and the weekly "Forks Forum", known as "the farthest west newspaper in the contiguous United States."


title: Forks, Washington

text: KBDB-FM 96.7, owned by Forks Broadcasting, is the only local commercial station serving the area. KNWU 91.5, a satellite station of Washington State University's statewide Northwest Public Radio network, is the public radio station serving the area.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Forks is a part of the Quillayute Valley School District, with Forks High School being the community's high school. Forks is home to the University of Washington's Olympic Natural Resources Center.


title: Forks, Washington

text: In 2003, an executive on the economic development council noted that 'Forks is going through a transition from a logging community to a tourist community'.


title: Forks, Washington

text: On the south end of town is the . Constructed in 1989 by the Forks High School carpentry class, the building provides a look into the local history of the timber industry, loggers of the past, and their tools of the trade. The museum has exhibits depicting local history dating to the 1870s.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Forks serves as the hub for numerous day excursions to the Hoh Rainforest, the Pacific Beaches, and various wilderness trails. Forks is well known for its winter steelhead fishing with the Quillayute river system – the Hoh, Sol Duc, Bogachiel and Calawah rivers. Other nearby Clallam, Sekiu, and Hoko rivers are also good for king salmon fishing and steelheading as well. Local guides are available for both native and hatchery runs and for float trips. Fishing gear and clothing is available at local stores.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Another source of tourism is Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series, which she set in the town after searching Google for rainy settings. Tours are available of locations that resemble the places described in Meyer's books. The majority of the films were not shot in Forks, though key scenes were shot in the town and surrounding area.


title: Forks, Washington

text: In December 2005, 74 visitors signed the guest book at the Forks Visitor Center; after the release of the Twilight series this increased substantially, with 2540 visitors signing in to the center in December 2009. In July of that year, the number was 16,186. The average annual number of tourists visiting the town rose from 10,000 before "Twilight" to 19,000 in 2008, the year of the first film, and 73,000 by 2010.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Forks displays one of a few Shay engines remaining in Washington. Shay locomotives are unusual in that they have a crank shaft running down the side, powering all wheels. They were designed to be used to transport lumber out of forests. Rayonier #10 (c/n 3348) was built for stock by Lima in 1930. It has three cylinders and three trucks. The Ozette Timber Company bought it 11 years later. In 1945 it was acquired by Rayonier for their lumber operation near Forks. It was retired near the north end of Forks in Tillicum Park in 1959.


title: Forks, Washington

text: The Forks Lions Club erected an attractive shelter over the #10 in 1999. It has also built and maintained most of the structures in the Shay Tillicum Park over the last 40 years.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Rainfest, a celebration of the arts sponsored by the West Olympic Council for the Arts, occurs in April. It includes a combination of arts and craft related events. In recent years quilt classes and a quilt show have been sponsored by the Piece Makers Quilt Club.


title: Forks, Washington

text: In March of every year, the Quillayute Valley Scholarship Auction occurs. This annual fundraising event raises tens of thousands of dollars for scholarships. Since the first scholarship award in 1964, to Robert Henry (now D.D.S.), the Committee has awarded over US$1m in scholarships to Forks students.


title: Forks, Washington

text: In the summer, Forks hosts its traditional "Old Fashioned Fourth of July" celebration with a Grand Fourth of July Parade. The numerous events include a demolition derby and fireworks display. July is also the month for Quileute Days at La Push with its parade, traditional salmon bake, bone games, softball tournament, canoe races, and street fair. In August, the Forks Family Festival combines arts and crafts vendors with children activities.


title: Forks, Washington

text: In late September, the Forks Chamber of Commerce partners with the Quileute Tribe and the City of Forks to host the Last Chance Fishing Derby at La Push; cash prizes are offered to those wanting to fish for salmon on the Pacific Ocean. The first week in October is when the community celebrates its heritage during Heritage Days. One of the more celebrated events during this week-long festival is the "Old Timers Round Table;" this is a moderated conversation broadcast live via the local radio station, featuring longtime residents of the region talking about days long past.


title: Forks, Washington

text: The Forks City Council passed a resolution in 2007 celebrating Stephenie Meyer Day in honor of the "Twilight" young adult novels and film series, set for September 13, the day of the fictional Bella's birthday. In 2015 the event was still driving tourism, with visitor numbers peaking in 2010, then settling to 50% more than before the "Twilight" phenomenon.


title: Forks, Washington

text: Stephenie Meyer Day has been replaced with the Forever Twilight in Forks Festival which is still celebrated annually on the week of September 13. The festival includes a movie marathon, a blood drive, and dance lessons.


title: Dick Gautier

text: Richard Gautier (October 30, 1931 – January 13, 2017) was an American actor, comedian, singer, and caricaturist. He was known for his television roles as Hymie the Robot in the television series "Get Smart", and Robin Hood in the TV comedy series "When Things Were Rotten," as well as for originating the role of Conrad Birdie in the Broadway musical "Bye Bye Birdie."


title: Dick Gautier

text: Gautier started his career as a nightclub comic and a singer; he joined ASCAP in 1959 after serving in the United States Navy. In 1960, he portrayed fictional rock 'n roll star Conrad Birdie in the original Broadway theatre production of "Bye Bye Birdie", receiving a Tony Award nomination for his performance. He would later appear with two of his "Birdie" stars in two films: with Kay Medford in "Ensign Pulver" in 1964, and with Dick Van Dyke in "Divorce American Style" in 1967.


title: Dick Gautier

text: During the 1970s and 1980s, Gautier was a frequent game show panelist, appearing on "Match Game", "Family Feud", "Tattletales", "Showoffs", "You Don't Say!", "Liar's Club", "Password Plus", "Body Language", "Super Password", "Win, Lose or Draw", and the TV version of "Can You Top This?".


title: Dick Gautier

text: In 1973, when Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig reprised their Batman roles (as Robin and Batgirl, respectively) for a TV public service announcement about equal pay for women, Adam West, who was trying to distance himself from the Batman role at the time, declined to participate. Gautier filled in for West as Batman on this occasion.


title: Dick Gautier

text: Gautier performed several voice-over roles in animation, including Rodimus Prime in the third season of "The Transformers" animated series from 1986 to 1987, as well as Serpentor in the "" series, Louis from the 1986 cartoon "Foofur", Spike the Dog in "Tom & Jerry Kids", some additional voices in Hanna-Barbera's "The New Yogi Bear Show", Wooly Smurf in "The Smurfs", several voices for "Inhumanoids", including Crygen and Pyre and their combined form, Magnakor.


title: Dick Gautier

text: Gautier was known for his caricatures of celebrities and wrote several instructional books on caricature, drawing, and cartooning.


title: Dick Gautier

text: Gautier was first married to Beverly J. Gerber; the marriage ended in divorce after they had three children together. He was divorced from his second wife, actress Barbara Stuart, and his final marriage was to Tess Hightower, a psychologist. He had three children, Chrissie, Randy and Denise, six grandchildren as well as a stepdaughter, Jennifer and her two children.


title: Dick Gautier

text: His son Randy, nicknamed Rand, had both a brief stint in pornography under the name Austin Moore, and would in 1995 steal a videotape from the home of Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson, containing footage they had filmed of themselves having sex while on vacation. Rand, along with a distributor, released it on the Internet, and it became one of the first widespread celebrity sex tapes.


title: Dick Gautier

text: Gautier died on January 13, 2017, at an assisted living facility in Arcadia, California, following a long illness.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (, "Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas"; ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. His ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: In addition to his work as a theologian, Basil was known for his care of the poor and underprivileged. Basil established guidelines for monastic life which focus on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labor. Together with Pachomius, he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity. He is considered a saint by the traditions of both Eastern and Western Christianity.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil, together with his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus, are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches have given him, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, the title of Great Hierarch. He is recognized as a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church. He is sometimes referred to by the epithet "Ouranophantor" (Greek: ), "revealer of heavenly mysteries".


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil was born into the wealthy Cappadocian Greek family of Basil the Elder, and Emmelia of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, around 330. He was one of ten children, and his parents were known for their piety. His maternal grandfather was a Christian martyr, executed in the years prior to Constantine I's conversion. His pious paternal grandmother, Macrina, a follower of Gregory Thaumaturgus (who had founded the nearby church of Neocaesarea), raised Basil and four of his siblings who also are now venerated as saints: Macrina the Younger, Naucratius, Peter of Sebaste, and Gregory of Nyssa.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil received more formal education in Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia (modern Kayseri) around 350–51. There he met Gregory of Nazianzus. Gregory went to Alexandria, while Basil went to Constantinople for further studies, including the lectures of Libanius. The two later met again in Athens and became fast friends. There they met a fellow student who would become the emperor Julian the Apostate. Basil left Athens in 356, and after travels in Egypt and Syria, he returned to Caesarea. For around a year he practiced law and taught rhetoric.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil's life changed radically after he encountered Eustathius of Sebaste, a charismatic bishop and ascetic. Abandoning his legal and teaching career, Basil devoted his life to God. In a letter he described his spiritual awakening:


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: After his baptism, Basil traveled in 357 to Palestine, Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia to study ascetics and monasticism. He distributed his fortunes among the poor, and went briefly into solitude near Neocaesarea of Pontus (modern Niksar) on the Iris. Basil eventually realized that while he respected the ascetics' piety and prayerfulness, the solitary life did not call him. Eustathius of Sebaste, a prominent anchorite near Pontus, had mentored Basil. However, they also eventually differed over dogma.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil instead felt drawn toward communal religious life, and by 358 he was gathering around him a group of like-minded disciples, including his brother Peter. Together they founded a monastic settlement on his family's estate near Annesi (modern Sonusa or Uluköy, near the confluence of the Iris and Lycos rivers). His widowed mother Emmelia, sister Macrina, and several other women, joined Basil and devoted themselves to pious lives of prayer and charitable works (some claim Macrina founded this community).


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Here Basil wrote about monastic communal life. His writings became pivotal in developing monastic traditions of the Eastern Church. In 358, Basil invited his friend Gregory of Nazianzus to join him in Annesi. When Gregory eventually arrived, they collaborated on "Origen's Philocalia", a collection of Origen's works. Gregory decided to return to his family in Nazianzus.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil attended the Council of Constantinople (360). He at first sided with Eustathius and the Homoiousians, a semi-Arian faction who taught that the Son was of "like" substance with the Father, neither the same ("one" substance) nor different from him. The Homoiousians opposed the Arianism of Eunomius but refused to join with the supporters of the Nicene Creed, who professed that the members of the Trinity were of one substance ("homoousios"). However, Basil's bishop, Dianius of Caesarea, had subscribed only to the earlier Nicene form of agreement. Basil eventually abandoned the Homoiousians, and emerged instead as a strong supporter of the Nicene Creed.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: In 362, Bishop Meletius of Antioch ordained Basil as a deacon. Eusebius then summoned Basil to Caesarea and ordained him as presbyter of the Church there in 365. Ecclesiastical entreaties rather than Basil's desires thus altered his career path.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil and Gregory Nazianzus spent the next few years combating the Arian heresy, which threatened to divide Cappadocia's Christians. In close fraternal cooperation, they agreed to a great rhetorical contest with accomplished Arian theologians and rhetors. In the subsequent public debates, presided over by agents of Valens, Gregory and Basil emerged triumphant. This success confirmed for both Gregory and Basil that their futures lay in administration of the Church. Basil next took on functional administration of the city of Caesarea. Eusebius is reported as becoming jealous of the reputation and influence which Basil quickly developed, and allowed Basil to return to his earlier solitude. Later, however, Gregory persuaded Basil to return. Basil did so, and became the administrator for the Diocese of Caesarea.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: In 370, Eusebius died, and Basil was chosen to succeed him, and was consecrated bishop on June 14, 370. His new post as bishop of Caesarea also gave him the powers of exarch of Pontus and metropolitan of five suffragan bishops, many of whom had opposed him in the election for Eusebius's successor. It was then that his great powers were called into action. Hot-blooded and somewhat imperious, Basil was also generous and sympathetic. He personally organized a soup kitchen and distributed food to the poor during a famine following a drought.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: His letters show that he actively worked to reform thieves and prostitutes. They also show him encouraging his clergy not to be tempted by wealth or the comparatively easy life of a priest, and that he personally took care in selecting worthy candidates for holy orders. He also had the courage to criticize public officials who failed in their duty of administering justice. At the same time, he preached every morning and evening in his own church to large congregations. In addition to all the above, he built a large complex just outside Caesarea, called the Basiliad, which included a poorhouse, hospice, and hospital, and was compared by Gregory of Nazianzus to the wonders of the world.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: His zeal for orthodoxy did not blind him to what was good in an opponent; and for the sake of peace and charity he was content to waive the use of orthodox terminology when it could be surrendered without a sacrifice of truth. The Emperor Valens, who was an adherent of the Arian philosophy, sent his prefect Modestus to at least agree to a compromise with the Arian faction. Basil's adamant negative response prompted Modestus to say that no one had ever spoken to him in that way before. Basil replied, "Perhaps you have never yet had to deal with a bishop." Modestus reported back to Valens that he believed nothing short of violence would avail against Basil. Valens was apparently unwilling to engage in violence. He did however issue orders banishing Basil repeatedly, none of which succeeded. Valens came himself to attend when Basil celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Theophany (Epiphany), and at that time was so impressed by Basil that he donated to him some land for the building of the Basiliad. This interaction helped to define the limits of governmental power over the church.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil then had to face the growing spread of Arianism. This belief system, which denied that Christ was consubstantial with the Father, was quickly gaining adherents and was seen by many, particularly those in Alexandria most familiar with it, as posing a threat to the unity of the church. Basil entered into connections with the West, and with the help of Athanasius, he tried to overcome its distrustful attitude toward the Homoiousians. The difficulties had been enhanced by bringing in the question as to the essence of the Holy Spirit. Although Basil advocated objectively the consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son, he belonged to those, who, faithful to Eastern tradition, would not allow the predicate "homoousios" to the former; for this he was reproached as early as 371 by the Orthodox zealots among the monks, and Athanasius defended him.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: aid and encouragement against triumphant Arianism; the pope, however, cherished some degree of suspicion against the Cappadocian Doctor.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil died before the factional disturbances ended. He suffered from liver disease; excessive ascetic practices also contributed to his early demise. Historians disagree about the exact date Basil died. The great institute before the gates of Caesarea, the Ptochoptopheion, or "Basileiad", which was used as poorhouse, hospital, and hospice became a lasting monument of Basil's episcopal care for the poor. Many of St. Basil's writings and sermons, specifically on the topics of money and possessions, continue to challenge Christians today.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: The principal theological writings of Basil are his "On the Holy Spirit", an appeal to Scripture and early Christian tradition to prove the divinity of the Holy Spirit, and his "Refutation of the Apology of the Impious Eunomius", which was written about in 364 and comprised three books against Eunomius of Cyzicus, the chief exponent of Anomoian Arianism. The first three books of the "Refutation" are his work; his authorship of the fourth and fifth books is generally considered doubtful.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: He was a famous preacher, and many of his homilies, including a series of Lenten lectures on the "Hexaëmeron" (also "Hexaëmeros", "Six Days of Creation"; ), and an exposition of the psalter, have been preserved. Some, like that against usury and that on the famine in 368, are valuable for the history of morals; others illustrate the honor paid to martyrs and relics; the address to young men on the study of classical literature shows that Basil was influenced by his own education, which taught him to appreciate the propaedeutic importance of the classics. In one of his Homilies, he describes, in one of the earliest descriptions of desalination, how sailors in his time obtain fresh water by hanging sponges over a vessel with boiling seawater and collecting and condensing the water vapor.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: In his exegesis Basil was an admirer of Origen and the need for the spiritual interpretation of Scripture. In his work on the Holy Spirit, he asserts that "to take the literal sense and stop there, is to have the heart covered by the veil of Jewish literalism. Lamps are useless when the sun is shining." He frequently stresses the need for Reserve in doctrinal and sacramental matters. At the same time he was against the wild allegories of some contemporaries. Concerning this, he wrote:


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: "I know the laws of allegory, though less by myself than from the works of others. There are those, truly, who do not admit the common sense of the Scriptures, for whom water is not water, but some other nature, who see in a plant, in a fish, what their fancy wishes, who change the nature of reptiles and of wild beasts to suit their allegories, like the interpreters of dreams who explain visions in sleep to make them serve their own end."


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: His ascetic tendencies are exhibited in the "Moralia" and "Asketika" (sometimes mistranslated as ), ethical manuals for use in the world and the cloister, respectively. There has been a good deal of discussion concerning the authenticity of the two works known as the "Greater Asketikon" and the "Lesser Asketikon".


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: In his book "De Spiritu Sancto", Basil lists some who for him are illustrious men of the church and quotes them; these are Irenaeus of Lyon, Clement of Rome, Dionysius of Rome, Dionysius of Alexandria, Eusebius, Julius Africanus, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Firmilian and Origen.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil also stresses the complete equality of both genders, deriving from the same human ‘lump’ (φύραμα), both in the image of God, endowed with the same honour and dignity (ὁμοτίμως), in perfect equality (ἐξ ἴσου). Men even risk being inferior in piety (Homily on Julitta 241B). Likewise, in Homilies on Psalms 1, PG 29.216–17, he insists on the Socratic and Stoic tenet, here Christianized, that man and woman have ‘one and the same virtue’ and ‘one and the same nature’ (φύσις). Their common creation was of equal honour and dignity (ὁμότιμος); they have the same capacity and activity (ἐνέργεια), and will be given the same reward. Similarly, in Letter to Amphilochius 188, Basil again uses ἐξ ἴσου in reference to the equality of women and men.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil faced the slavery issue in "De Spiritu Sancto 20" in the context of a Trinitarian debate. Basil recognizes that no human is "a slave by nature". This principle countered Aristotle's conviction and was consistent with Gregory of Nyssa view and with that of many other patristic thinkers; even Augustine and Theodoret conceded this. Basil, indeed, viewed slavery as a result of the Fall, a principle that was shared by Augustine, Theodoret, and many other Fathers. Sometimes slavery is a boon to the enslaved person, Basil maintained (in "Moral Rules 75" he recommended, that Christian slaves work harder than non-Christian slaves). This view is opposed to Gregory of Nyssa, and is reminiscent of Aristotle's argument and of Theodoret's.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: It is in the ethical manuals and moral sermons that the practical aspects of his theoretical theology are illustrated. So, for example, it is in his "Sermon to the Lazicans" that we find Basil explaining how it is our common nature that obliges us to treat our neighbor's natural needs (e.g., hunger, thirst) as our own, even though he is a separate individual.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil's three hundred letters reveal his character. They show his observant nature, which, despite the troubles of ill-health and ecclesiastical unrest, remained optimistic, tender and even playful. Basil is honoured as the chief architect of monastic life in the Greek Church.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Most of his extant works, and a few spuriously attributed to him, are available in the "Patrologia Graeca", which includes Latin translations of varying quality. Several of Basil's works have appeared in the late twentieth century in the "Sources Chrétiennes" collection.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: The bread you store belongs to the hungry. The clothes you accumulate belong to the naked. The shoes that you have in your closet are for the barefoot. The money you bury deep into the ground to keep it safe, belongs to the poor. You were unfair to as many people as you could have helped and you did not.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil of Caesarea holds a very important place in the history of Christian liturgy, coming as he did at the end of the age of persecution. That St. Basil composed a liturgy, or rather reformed an existing liturgy, is beyond doubt, since besides the constant tradition of the Byzantine Church there are many testimonies in ancient writings to establish the fact. Basil's liturgical influence is well attested in early sources.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Most of the liturgies bearing the name of Basil are not entirely his work in their present form, but they nevertheless preserve a recollection of Basil's activity in this field in formularizing liturgical prayers and promoting church-song. Patristics scholars conclude that the Liturgy of Saint Basil "bears, unmistakably, the personal hand, pen, mind and heart of St. Basil the Great".


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: One liturgy that can be attributed to him is "The Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great", a liturgy that is somewhat longer than the more commonly used "Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom". The difference between the two is primarily in the silent prayers said by the priest, and in the use of the hymn to the Theotokos, "All of Creation", instead of the "Axion Estin" of John Chrysostom's Liturgy.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: The Eastern Churches preserve numerous other prayers attributed to Basil, including three prayers of exorcism, several morning and evening prayers, and the "Prayer of the Hours" which is read at each service of the Daily Office.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Through his examples and teachings Basil effected a noteworthy moderation in the austere practices which were previously characteristic of monastic life. He is also credited with coordinating the duties of work and prayer to ensure a proper balance between the two.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil is remembered as one of the most influential figures in the development of Christian monasticism. Not only is Basil recognized as the father of Eastern monasticism; historians recognize that his legacy extends also to the Western church, largely due to his influence on Benedict. Patristic scholars such as Meredith assert that Benedict himself recognized this when he wrote in the epilogue to his "Rule" that his monks, in addition to the Bible, should read "the confessions of the Fathers and their institutes and their lives and the "Rule of our Holy Father, Basil." Basil's teachings on monasticism, as encoded in works such as his "Small Asketikon", was transmitted to the west via Rufinus during the late 4th century.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: As a result of Basil's influence, numerous religious orders in Eastern Christianity bear his name. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Basilian Fathers, also known as the Congregation of St. Basil, an international order of priests and students studying for the priesthood, is named after him.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: Basil was given the title Doctor of the Church in the Western Church for his contributions to the debate initiated by the Arian controversy regarding the nature of the Trinity, and especially the question of the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Basil was responsible for defining the terms ""ousia"" (essence/substance) and ""hypostasis"" (person/reality), and for defining the classic formulation of three Persons in one Nature. His single greatest contribution was his insistence on the divinity and consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: In Greek tradition, Basil brings gifts to children every January 1 (St Basil's Day). It is traditional on St Basil's Day to serve "vasilopita", a rich bread baked with a coin inside. The tradition is attributed to St. Basil, who when a bishop, wanted to distribute money to the poor and commissioned some women to bake sweetened bread, in which he arranged to place gold coins. Thus the families in cutting the bread were pleasantly surprised to find the coins.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: It is customary on his feast day to visit the homes of friends and relatives, to sing New Year's , and to set an extra place at the table for Saint Basil. Basil, being born into a wealthy family, gave away all his possessions to the poor, the underprivileged, those in need, and children.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: According to some sources, Basil died on January 1, and the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates his feast day together with that of the Feast of the Circumcision on that day. This was also the day on which the General Roman Calendar celebrated it at first; but in the 13th-century it was moved to June 14, a date believed to be that of his ordination as bishop, and it remained on that date until the 1969 revision of the calendar, which moved it to January 2, rather than January 1, because the latter date is occupied by the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. On January 2 Saint Basil is celebrated together with Saint Gregory Nazianzen. Novus Ordo services use the revised calendar while traditionalist Catholic communities continue to observe pre-1970 calendars.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod commemorates Basil, along with Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa on January 10.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: The Church of England celebrates Saint Basil's feast (Lesser Festival) on January 2, but the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada celebrate it on June 14.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: In the Byzantine Rite, January 30 is the Synaxis of the Three Holy Hierarchs, in honor of Saint Basil, Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint John Chrysostom.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria celebrates the feast day of Saint Basil on the 6th of Tobi (6th of Terr on the Ethiopian calendar of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church). At present, this corresponds to January 14, January 15 during leap year.


title: Basil of Caesarea

text: There are numerous relics of Basil throughout the world. One of the most important is his head, which is preserved to this day at the monastery of the Great Lavra on Mount Athos in Greece. The mythical sword Durandal is said to contain some of Basil's blood.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a population of 90,403 as of the 2020 Census. A suburb just north of San Antonio, and part of the Greater San Antonio metropolitan area, it was the third-fastest-growing city in the United States from 2010–2020.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: New Braunfels was established in 1845 by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, Commissioner General of the Mainzer Adelsverein, also known as the Noblemen's Society. Prince Carl named the settlement in honor of his home of Solms-Braunfels, Germany.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The Adelsverein organized hundreds of people in Germany to settle in Texas. Immigrants from Germany began arriving at Galveston in July 1844. Most then traveled by ship to Indianola in December 1844, and began the overland journey to the Fisher-Miller land grant purchased by Prince Carl. At the urging of John Coffee Hays, who realized the settlers would not have time to build homes and plant crops further inland before winter, and as the German settlers were traveling inland along the Guadalupe River, they stopped near the Comal Springs. Prince Carl bought two leagues of land from Rafael Garza and Maria Antonio Veramendi Garza for $1,111.00.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The land was located northeast of San Antonio on El Camino Real de los Tejas and had the strong freshwater Comal Springs, known as "Las Fontanas", when the Germans arrived. It was about halfway between Indianola and the lower portions of the Fisher-Miller land grant. The first settlers forded the Guadalupe River on Good Friday, March 21, 1845, near the present-day Faust Street bridge.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: As the spring of 1845 progressed, the settlers built the "Zinkenburg", a fort named for Adelsverein civil engineer Nicolaus Zink, divided the land, and began building homes and planting crops. Prince Carl would also lay the cornerstone for the Sophienburg, a permanent fort and center for the immigrant association.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: In 1844, Prince Carl was so disillusioned with the logistics of the colonization that he asked the Verein to remove him as commissioner-general and appoint a successor. When John O. Meusebach arrived, the finances were in disarray, due in part to Prince Carl's lack of business experience and his refusal to keep financial records. To a larger degree, the financial situation happened because the Adelsverein was an organization of noblemen with no practical backgrounds at running businesses. They were on the other side of the world and did not witness the situation with which both Prince Carl and Meusebach were dealing. Henry Francis Fisher had not supplied transport and supplies for which the Verein advanced money to him. Meusebach found Prince Carl in Galveston trying to return to Germany, detained by authorities for unpaid bills. Meusebach made good on the debts, so Prince Carl could depart.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Meusebach discovered that Prince Carl's choice of the inadequate Carlshafen (Indianola) as a port of entry, as well as the isolated route to New Braunfels, was deliberately chosen to keep the Germans from interacting with any Americans. According to Nicolaus Zink, Prince Carl had planned to establish a German feudal state by secretly bringing in immigrants and placing them in military fortresses. Meusebach, who had renounced his own title of nobility, took a different approach and invited Americans to settle in the Vereins territory.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Prince Carl, being an officer of the Imperial Army of Austria, had kept a uniformed military unit at the ready in Indianola. Meusebach converted the military unit to a more needed work detail. A finance and business structure for the colony was put in place by Meusebach. He also provided for adequate food and shelter for the colonists. On August 11, 1845, Hermann Friedrich Seele became the first teacher for the German-English school in New Braunfels. Meusebach established friendly relations with a local tribe of Waco Indians. Upon seeing his reddish-blonde hair, they called him "Ma-be-quo-si-to-mu", "Chief with the burning hair of the head".


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: In May 1846, Meusebach received a letter from Count Castell informing him 4,304 emigrants were on their way to Texas. With no funds and no new settlements, the mass of emigrants was stalled at Carlshafen. Meusebach's requests to the Verein for more money, and his warnings of pending bankruptcy for the Verein, brought no results. As a last resort, Meusebach instructed D.H. Klaener to publish the plight in the German news media. Embarrassed by the publicity, the Verein established a $60,000 letter of credit. The amount was not adequate for sustaining the total number of German emigrants in Texas, but Castell also sent Philip Cappes as special commissioner to observe the situation. Cappes had also been instructed by Castell to observe Meusebach and to secretly report back every detail. By the time Cappes departed in March 1847, he recommended another $200,000 be advanced.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Cappes invited Henry Francis Fisher to New Braunfels, in spite of Fisher not being entirely trustworthy to the Verein. As of February 11, 1845, Fisher had been involved in coercing newly arrived immigrants to sign documents stating their intent to depart from the Verein and align with Fisher's friend Dr. Friedrich Schubbert, also known as Friedrich Strubberg.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: <nowiki> </nowiki>Cappes was not in town when Meusebach was breakfast host to Fisher on December 31, 1846. Posters had mysteriously appeared about town maligning Meusebach, saying "Curses upon Meusebach the slave driver", and inciting colonists to free themselves from his "tyranny". A group led by Rudolph Iwonski pushed their way into Meusebach's home, and colonist C. Herber brandished a whip. Herber was an alleged counterfeiter to whom Count Castell had awarded asylum. Meusebach and Herber shared a dislike of one another.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The colonists' list of demands included Meusebach resigning as commissioner-general and turning the colonization over to Fisher. Meusebach kept his composure, but the group became so heated, they yelled, "Hang him!" When the estimated 120 men dispersed, Fisher was nowhere to be found. The same evening, a different group of individuals assembled and pledged to stand by Meusebach, the next day passing resolutions condemning the actions of the mob. Meusebach himself had considered leaving Texas as early as November 1845, when he wrote to Count Castell and announced his intention to resign and return to Germany. Meusebach did not feel the Adelsverein was organized enough to achieve its goals. After the mob visit in New Braunfels, he again submitted his resignation to accompany a financial report to Castell on January 23, 1847.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Meusebach had arranged with the Torrey Brothers for transporting the emigrants inland, but the United States hired the Torrey Brothers for use in the Mexican–American War.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Meusebach stabilized the community's finances, and encouraged the settlers to establish additional neighboring communities. The largest of these secondary settlements was Fredericksburg, to the northwest of New Braunfels.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: New Braunfels thrived, and by 1850, it was the fourth-largest city in Texas, with 1,723 people, following only Galveston, San Antonio, and Houston in population. In 1852, the "Zeitung" newspaper was established, edited by German Texan botanist Ferdinand Lindheimer. The newspaper continues to publish under its current name, the "Herald-Zeitung".


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: New Braunfels is located in southeastern Comal County. The city is northeast of Downtown San Antonio, southwest of San Marcos, and southwest of Austin.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, New Braunfels has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.91%, is covered by water. The city is situated along the Balcones Fault, where the Texas Hill Country meets rolling prairie land. Along the fault in the city, a string of artesian springs known as Comal Springs gives rise to the Comal River, which is known as one of the shortest rivers in the world, as it winds through the city before meeting the Guadalupe River.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Gruene Historical District is located within the city limits of New Braunfels. Founded by the sons of settlers Ernst and Antoinette Gruene, the community had a bank, post office, school, general store, lumberyard, gristmill, dance hall, and cotton gin. It also had access to two railways for shipping cotton bales. Its most famous attribute was the dance hall, a family activity in those days. Due to the failure of the cotton crop from boll weevils, and the failure of the banks after 1929, commercial activity slowed to a crawl. This village is now a Nationally Registered Historic District where one can dine in the ruins of the original gristmill or enjoy live music at Gruene Hall.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: New Braunfels experiences a humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. Temperatures range from 100 °F (27.8 °C) in the summer to 49 °F (9.4 °C) during winter.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The city falls in USDA hardiness zones 8b (15 °F to 20 °F) and 9a (20 °F to 25 °F). New Braunfels and San Antonio, to the southwest, are some of the most flood-prone regions in North America. The October 1998 Central Texas floods were among the costliest floods in United States history, resulting in $750 million in damage and 32 deaths. In 2002, from June 30 to July 7, of rain fell in the area, resulting in widespread flooding and 12 fatalities.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: In New Braunfels, July and August tie for the average warmest months, with an average high of . May, June, and October have quite a bit of precipitation. The average annual precipitation has been .


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: As of the 2020 United States census, there were 90,403 people, 30,855 households, and 20,946 families residing in the city.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: At the census of 2000, 36,494 people, 13,558 households, and 9,599 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,247.7 people per square mile (481.7/km). The 14,896 housing units averaged 509.3 per square mile (196.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 84.30% White, 1.37% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 10.93% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 34.52% of the population.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: For the year 2015, New Braunfels was named the U.S.'s second-fastest growing city with a population of 50,000 or more, according to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: In 2019, the American Community Survey determined there were 90,209 residents, up 56.4% since the 2010 U.S. census which determined the population was 57,740. The population density was 1,316.1 people per square mile. In 2019, the racial and ethnic makeup of New Braunfels was 60.4% non-Hispanic white, 2.0% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, 2.1% from two or more races, and 34.4% Hispanic or Latin American of any race. By 2020, its population grew to 90,403 residents.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The 2019 American Community Survey estimated 62.2% of housing units were owner-occupied and the median selected monthly owner costs were $1,599 with a mortgage, and $509 without a mortgage. The city had a median gross rent of $1,183 and there were a total of 28,835 households with an average of 2.72 persons per household. In 2019, the median household income was $71,044 and the per capita income was $33,405. An estimated 8.6% of New Braunfels lived at or below the poverty line.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Of the 13,558 households at the 2000 census, 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were not families. About 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11. In 2000, the population was distributed as 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The median income for a household in the city was $40,078, and for a family was $46,726 in 2000. Males had a median income of $31,140 versus $23,235 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,548. About 9.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Companies based in New Braunfels include Rush Enterprises and Schlitterbahn. The top employers in the area are:


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Most of the city is served by the New Braunfels Independent School District and the Comal Independent School District in separate places. Small portions in Guadalupe County are within the Marion Independent School District and the Navarro Independent School District.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: Two traditional public high schools are located within city limits, as well as a freshmen center. The public high schools are New Braunfels High School, Canyon High School, and Alamo Colleges-Memorial Early College High School. Private high schools are New Braunfels Christian Academy, a K–12 institution, and the Calvary Baptist Academy.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The town holds "Wurstfest", a German-style sausage festival, every November, drawing on the city's strong German heritage. Every December, the town celebrates Wassailfest in the historic downtown.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: New Braunfels draws a large number of tourists, particularly in the summer because of the cold-spring rivers that run through the city. Many generations of families and college students return every summer to tube for miles down the Guadalupe and Comal rivers. New Braunfels is the site of the original water park, the Schlitterbahn WaterPark Resort. The Ernest Eikel Skate Park attracts many skate board enthusiasts.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: New Braunfels also hosts a Buc-ee's gas station, which is recognized as the largest gas station in the world.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The 10,000-capacity Unicorn Stadium is the largest sports venue by capacity in New Braunfels. It opened in 1927 and it is used mostly for American football and soccer. The venue also has an athletics track.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The newspaper "Herald Zeitung" was originally two newspapers: "The Herald" (published in English) and "The Zeitung", which means "newspaper", (published in German) until 1967.


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: The other newspaper publisher serving the city of New Braunfels is the "TX Citizen", formerly the "NB citizen".


title: New Braunfels, Texas

text: In radio, two stations broadcast from New Braunfels, KGNB 1420 AM and KNBT 92.1 FM, notable for its Americana music format.


title: Hard bop

text: Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in saxophone and piano playing.


title: Hard bop

text: David H. Rosenthal contends in his book "Hard Bop" that the genre is, to a large degree, the natural creation of a generation of African-American musicians who grew up at a time when bop and rhythm and blues were the dominant forms of black American music. Prominent hard bop musicians included Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Thelonious Monk and Lee Morgan.


title: Hard bop

text: Hard bop is sometimes referred to as "funky hard bop". The "funky" label refers to the rollicking, rhythmic feeling associated with the style. The descriptor is also used to describe soul jazz, which is commonly associated with hard bop. According to Mark C. Gridley, soul jazz more specifically refers to music with "an earthy, bluesy melodic concept and... repetitive, dance-like rhythms. Some listeners make no distinction between 'soul-jazz' and 'funky hard bop,' and many musicians don't consider 'soul-jazz' to be continuous with 'hard bop.'" The term "soul" suggests the church, and traditional gospel music elements such as "amen chords" (the plagal cadence) and triadic harmonies that seemed to suddenly appear in jazz during the era. Leroi Jones noted a combination of "wider and harsher tones" with "accompanying piano chords [that] became more basic and simplified." He cited saxophonist Sonny Rollins' playing as one of the best examples of the style. Jazz critic Scott Yanow distinguished hard bop from the broader world of bop by saying that "[t]empos could be just as blazing but the melodies were generally simpler, the musicians (particularly the saxophonists and pianists) tended to be familiar with (and open to the influence of) rhythm & blues and the bass players (rather than always being stuck in the role of a metronome) were beginning to gain a little more freedom and solo space."


title: Hard bop

text: Hard bop has been seen by some critics as a response to cool jazz and West Coast jazz. As Paul Tanner, Maurice Gerow, and David Megill explain, "the hard bop school... saw the new instrumentation and compositional devices used by cool musicians as gimmicks rather than valid developments of the jazz tradition." However, Shelly Manne suggested that cool jazz and hard bop simply reflected their respective geographic environments: the relaxed cool jazz style reflected a more relaxed lifestyle in California, while driving bop typified the New York scene. Some writers, such as James Lincoln Collier, suggest that the style was an attempt to recapture jazz as a form of African American expression. Whether or not this was the intent, many musicians quickly adopted the style, regardless of race.


title: Hard bop

text: According to Nat Hentoff in his 1957 liner notes for the Art Blakey Columbia LP entitled "Hard Bop", the phrase was originated by music critic and pianist John Mehegan, jazz reviewer of the "New York Herald Tribune" at that time. Hard bop first developed in the mid-1950s, and is generally seen as originating with the Jazz Messengers, a quartet led by pianist Horace Silver and drummer Art Blakey. Alternatively, Anthony Macias points to Detroit as an early center in the rise of bop and hard bop, noting Detroit musicians Barry Harris and Kenny Burrell and the fact Miles Davis lived in the city from 1953 to 1954. Billy Mitchell, a tenor saxophone player, organized a band that played at the Blue Bird Inn during the early 1950s that "anchored the city's Jazz scene" and attracted hard bop musicians to the city.


title: Hard bop

text: Michael Cuscuna maintains that Silver and Blakey's efforts were in response to the New York bebop scene:


title: Hard bop

text: Both Art and Horace were very, very aware of what they wanted to do. They wanted to get away from the jazz scene of the early '50s, which was the Birdland scene — you hire Phil Woods or Charlie Parker or J. J. Johnson, they come and sit in with the house rhythm section, and they only play blues and standards that everybody knows. There's no rehearsal, there's no thought given to the audience. Both Horace and Art knew that the only way to get the jazz audience back and make it bigger than ever was to really make music that was memorable and planned, where you consider the audience and keep everything short. They really liked digging into blues and gospel, things with universal appeal. So they put together what was to be called the Jazz Messengers.


title: Hard bop

text: David Rosenthal sees the development of hard bop as a response to both a decline in bebop and the rise of rhythm and blues:


title: Hard bop

text: The early fifties saw an extremely dynamic Rhythm and Blues scene take shape... This music, and not cool jazz, was what chronologically separated bebop and hard bop in ghettos. Young jazz musicians, of course, enjoyed and listened to these R & B sounds which, among other things, began the amalgam of blues and gospel that would later be dubbed 'soul music.' And it is in this vigorously creative black pop music, at a time when bebop seemed to have lost both its direction and its audience, that some of hard bop's roots may be found.


title: Hard bop

text: A key recording in the early development of hard bop was Silver's composition "The Preacher", which was considered "old-timey" or "corny", such that Blue Note head Alfred Lion was hesitant to record the song. However, the song became a successful hit.


title: Hard bop

text: Miles Davis, who had performed the title track of his album "Walkin'" at the inaugural Newport Jazz Festival in 1954, would form the Miles Davis Quintet with John Coltrane in 1955, becoming prominent in hard bop before moving on to other styles. Other early documents were the two volumes of the Blue Note albums "A Night at Birdland", also from 1954, recorded by the Jazz Messengers at Birdland months before the Davis set at Newport. Clifford Brown, the trumpeter on the Birdland albums, formed the Brown-Roach Quintet with drummer Max Roach. Among the pianists in the band were Richie Powell and Carl Perkins, both of whom died at a young age.


title: Hard bop

text: David Ake notes that by the mid-1950s, "the bop world clearly was not the 'closed' circle it had been in its earliest days." This coincided with a competitive spirit among bop musicians to play with "virtuousity and complexity," along with what Ake calls "jazz masculinity." The broadening influence of hard bop coincided with a generation of jazz pianists who rose to prominence in the late 1950s – among them Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Drew, and Wynton Kelly – who took "altered" approaches to bebop. Although these musicians did not work exclusively or specifically within hard bop, their association with hard bop saxophone players put them within the genre's broader circle. West Coast Jazz's diminishing influence during the late 1950s accelerated hard bop's rise to prominence, while the transition to 33-RPM records facilitated the shifts toward longer solos that were typical of hard bop albums. During a fifteen-year stretch from 1952 to 1967, Blue Note Records recruited musicians and promoted hard bop described by Yanow as "classy."


title: Hard bop

text: A critical album that cemented hard bop's mainstream presence in jazz was "A Blowin' Session" (1957), including saxophonists Johnny Griffin, John Coltrane, and Hank Mobley; trumpeter Lee Morgan; pianist Wynton Kelly; bassist Paul Chambers; and Art Blakey. Described by Al Campbell as "one of the greatest hard bop jam sessions ever recorded" and "filled with infectious passion and camaraderie," it was the only studio session ever recorded including all three saxophonists. It cemented "Coltrane's ability to navigate complex chord changes over a fast tempo" and is associated with Griffin's reputation as "the world's fastest saxophonist."


title: Hard bop

text: In 1956, The Jazz Messengers recorded an album titled "Hard Bop", which was released in 1957, including Bill Hardman on trumpet and saxophonist Jackie McLean, with a mix of hard bop compositions and jazz standards. Shortly after, in 1958, The Jazz Messengers, with a new line-up including Lee Morgan on trumpet and Benny Golson on saxophone, recorded the quintessential hard bop album "Moanin'", with the album pioneering in soul jazz. Golson and Morgan formed their own bands and produced further records in the hard bop genre: Golson's Jazztet with Art Farmer on trumpet recorded the album "Meet the Jazztet" in 1960, which was given a five-star rating by AllMusic, and Morgan explored hard bop and sister genres in records like "The Sidewinder", known for its "funky, danceable groov[e] that drew from soul-jazz, Latin boogaloo, blues, and R&B." Morgan's albums attracted rising stars in the jazz world, particularly saxophonists Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter; Morgan formed a "long-standing partnership" with the latter.


title: Hard bop

text: Meanwhile, in the late 1950s to early 1960s John Coltrane was a prominent saxophonist within the hard bop genre, with albums such as "Blue Train" and "Giant Steps" exemplifying his ability to play within this style. His album "Stardust" (1958), for instance, included a young Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, who would go on to become "a hard bop stylist." "Blue Train" was described by Richard Havers as "Coltrane’s Hard-Bop Masterpiece," although an edit made to one of the album's records caused controversy following disapproval from sound engineer Rudy Van Gelder. In the early to mid-1960s, prior to his death, Coltrane experimented in free jazz but again drew influences from hard bop in his 1965 album "A Love Supreme". Coltrane was a longtime member of Miles Davis' band, which bridged the gap between hard bop and modal jazz with albums such as "Milestones" and "Kind of Blue". These albums represented a transition toward more experimental jazz, but Davis maintained core ideas of hard bop, such as the "call-and-response theme" found on one of "Kind of Blue"'s best-known tracks, "So What." The earlier album "Milestones" was described as "indebted to hard bop" due to its "fast speeds, angular phrases and driving rhythms."


title: Hard bop

text: In the early 1960s, Joe Henderson formed a band with Kenny Dorham, which recorded for Blue Note Records, and played extensively as a sideman in the bands of Horace Silver and Herbie Hancock; however, he received less recognition after he moved to San Francisco and began recording for Milestone. Other hard bop musicians went to Europe, such as pianist Bud Powell (elder brother of Richie Powell) in 1959 and saxophonist Dexter Gordon in 1962. Powell, a bebop pianist, continued to record albums in the early 1960s, while Gordon's "Our Man in Paris" became "one of his most iconic albums" for Blue Note.


title: Hard bop

text: Other musicians who contributed to the hard bop style include Donald Byrd, Tina Brooks, Sonny Clark, Lou Donaldson, Blue Mitchell, Sonny Rollins, and Sonny Stitt.


title: Hard bop

text: David Rosenthal considers six albums among the high points of the hard bop era: "Ugetsu", "Kind of Blue", "Saxophone Colossus, Let Freedom Ring," "Mingus Ah Um", and "Brilliant Corners", referring to these as being some of the genre's "masterpieces."


title: Hard bop

text: Scott Yanow described hard bop in the late 1960s as "running out of gas." Blue Note Records' sale and decline in the late 1960s and early 1970s, combined with the rapid ascendance of soul jazz and fusion, largely replaced hard bop's prevalence within jazz, although bop would see a major revival in the 1980s known as the Young Lions Movement. Yanow also attributes hard bop's temporary decline in the 1970s to "[t]he rise of commercial rock and the consolidation of most of the independent record labels." With rock groups such as The Beatles capturing hard bop's charisma and avant-garde jazz, which had limited appeal outside jazz circles, bringing "division and controversy into the jazz community," Davis and other former hard boppers left the genre, only for the new fusion genre to itself shrink within the next decade.


title: Hard bop

text: Davis led other jazz musicians toward the fusion genre, particularly other trumpet players. For example, Donald Byrd's shift toward commercial fusion and smooth jazz recordings of the early 1970s, while celebrated within some circles, was considered a "betrayal" by fans of hard bop. His album "Black Byrd" (1973), Blue Note's most successful album, neared #1 spot on the R&B charts despite the opposition of jazz purists. However, in 1985, the filmed concert "One Night with Blue Note" brought together thirty predominantly hard bop musicians including Art Blakey, Ron Carter, Johnny Griffin, and Freddie Hubbard.


title: Hard bop

text: Following fusion's decline, younger musicians started a bop revival, the best-known proponent of this being trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. The revival was a "resurgence" by the 1990s, and by the 1990s, hard bop's revival had become so prominent that Yanow referred to it as "the foundation of modern acoustic jazz."Joe Henderson, for instance, was described by Yanow as a "national celebrity and a constant poll winner" in jazz circles after signing for Verve in the 1990s, largely due to changes in marketing.


title: Hard bop

text: Rosenthal observed that "[t]he years 1955 to 1965 represent the last period in which jazz effortlessly attracted the hippiest young black musicians, the most musically advanced, those with the most solid technical skills and the strongest sense of themselves, not only as entertainers but as artists." In the same text he laments hard bop's "many detractors and few articulate defenders," describing some of the comments made by its critics as "derogatory cliches." Alternatively, Yanow suggests a slightly longer period, from 1955 to 1968, during which hard bop was "the most dominant jazz style."


title: Hard bop

text: Although the hard bop style enjoyed its greatest popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, hard bop performers and elements of the music remain present in jazz.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Prisoner (known in the UK and the US as Prisoner: Cell Block H) is an Australian television soap opera, which broadcast on Network Ten (originally The 0-10 Network) from February 27 (Melbourne) February 26 (Sydney) 1979 to December 1986 (Melbourne), though the series finale would not screen until September 1987 in Sydney, where it aired as a 3-hour film that was split into three 1-hour episodes at the much-later time-slot of 10.30pm, running eight seasons and 692 episodes. "Prisoner" was the first Australian series to feature a primarily female-dominated cast and carried the slogan "If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it would be like for woman!"


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: The series, produced by the Grundy Organisation, was conceived by Reg Watson and filmed at the then Network Ten Melbourne Studios at Nunawading and on location.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: The series garnered an international cult following, and it was one of Australia's most successful media exports, performing particularly well in the United States and Canada (billed as "Prisoner: Cell Block H" and "Caged Women", respectively). It also built a large audience in the United Kingdom and other European countries, most especially Sweden.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Sammy Davis Jr. was a major fan and visited the set, and wanted to appear in a role, but had other engagements at the time


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: The cult status of the series has seen many adaptations, including the modern 21st century re-imaging series "Wentworth" on Foxtel.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Ian Bradley served as original producer and then executive producer, from series 2, whilst associate producer and screenwriter was Ian Smith, who appeared as an actor in the series as Head of the Department Ted Douglas, prior to becoming famous as the character Harold Bishop in "Neighbours"; another screenwriter, Anne Lucas, also acted briefly in the series playing prison bookie Faye Quinn.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: The series is loosely based on British prison drama series "Within These Walls", although it focuses more on the prisoners or inmates, rather than the prison staff led by officious governor Faye Boswell, played by Googie Withers, who was even approached by producers of "Prisoner" to play the governor.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: The series is set in the fictional "Wentworth Detention Centre", in the fictional suburb of Wentworth, in Melbourne, Victoria and follows the lives of the prisoners and staff within cell block H, and to a lesser extent, others on the outside, such as family members, doctors and lawyers. Numerous scenes also took place outside the compound exploring the lives of the inmates and staff outside of the prison - in particular, "Driscoll House", a half-way house where inmates were housed after being released, or neighbouring correction institutions like Barnhurst (a lower-security country prison) and Blackmoor (an aged, yet high-security, prison).


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: The series gained a positive reception. Initially conceived as a stand-alone miniseries of 16 episodes, its popularity meant it was developed into an ongoing series. It has since endured worldwide, acquiring cult classic status, particularly for its somewhat outrageous acting and plotlines.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: "Prisoner" was created by Reg Watson, who had produced the British soap opera "Crossroads" from 1964 to 1973 and then the Australian soaps "The Young Doctors" and "Sons and Daughters" and post-prisoner soap opera "Neighbours"


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Inspired by the British television drama "Within These Walls", the show was initially conceived as a 16-episode series, with a pilot episode bearing the working title "Women Behind Bars". Its storylines focused on the lives of the prisoners and, to a lesser extent, the officers and other prison staff. When the initial episodes met an enthusiastic reception, it was felt that "Prisoner" could be developed into an ongoing soap opera. The early storylines were developed and expanded, with assistance from the Victorian Corrective Services Department.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: The show's themes, often radical, included feminism, LGBT matters, and social reform. "Prisoner" began in early 1979 with the advertising slogan, "If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it's like for a woman". The series examined how women dealt with incarceration and separation from their families and friends, and the common phenomenon of released inmates re-offending. Within the prison, major themes were interpersonal relationships, power struggles, friendships and rivalries. The prisoners became a surrogate family, with the self-styled "Queen Bea", Bea Smith and the elderly "Mum" (Jeanette) Brooks (Mary Ward) emerging as central matriarch figures. Several lesbian characters were introduced on the show, including prisoners Franky Doyle (played by Carol Burns) and Judy Bryant (played by Betty Bobbitt), as well as corrupt and sinister officer Joan Ferguson (Maggie Kirkpatrick).


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Characters and story exposition were often 'retconned' in order to expand potential storylines. Initially there was a men's prison "next door" to Wentworth, but it was never mentioned again after the early episodes. Barnhurst was originally a co-ed prison, soon becoming a women's facility. Its security status varied considerably with it being described as an 'open prison farm' by the end of the run; although it was often described as "low-security", serial murderers Bea Smith and Marie Winter were housed there for long periods. Although Blackmoor Prison was initially described as a brand new, state-of-the-art maximum-security prison, it was depicted as a Victorian-era workhouse when finally seen. Wentworth was variously described as either new or built during World War II, with aged infrastructure.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: During the show's run, several recurring characters were played by multiple actresses and actors. Meg Jackson (later Morris) (Elspeth Ballantyne) son and stepdaughter, Marty Jackson and Tracey Morris, were each played by multiple different actors—Ronald Korosy, Andrew McKaige, and Michael Winchester as Marty, and Sue Devine and Michelle Thomas as Tracey. In the closing year, Nicki Paull's character Lisa Mullins was taken over by Terrie Waddell.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Viewers' introduction to the Wentworth Detention Centre featured the arrival of two new prisoners, Karen Travers (Peta Toppano) and Lynn Warner (Kerry Armstrong). Travers was charged with murdering her husband in a crime of passion after he was found in-bed with another woman (her flashback featured a shower scene that was a nod to Alfred Hitchcock's classic "Psycho"), whilst Warner insisted she was innocent despite her conviction for the abduction and attempted murder of a child. Both women were sent to the prison's maximum-security wing (H Block), where they were horrified by their new surroundings. Karen was confronted with a former lover—prison doctor Greg Miller (Barry Quin)—and was sexually harassed by violent lesbian cellmate Franky Doyle (Carol Burns). Lynn was ostracised by the other prisoners because of her crime (prisoners are known for their intolerance of offenders against children) and terrorised by Bea Smith, who burnt her hand in the laundry's steam press in one of the series' most iconic early scenes.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Other, less volatile prisoners included elderly, garden-loving Jeanette "Mum" Brooks who was incarcerated for the euthanasia of her husband who had terminal cancer, teddy-clutching misfit and childlike Doreen Anderson (Colette Mann), alcoholic former cook recidivist Lizzie Birdsworth (Sheila Florance), who apparently poisoned a group of shearers, and seductive prostitute Gladys "Marilyn" Mason (Margaret Laurence), who seduced prison electrician Eddie Cook (Richard Moir). The prison officers (or "screws", as the prisoners call them) included firm-but--heeled governor Erica Davidson (Patsy King); dour deputy governor Vera Bennett (Fiona Spence), who was always wanting to become Governor and was nicknamed "Vinegar Tits" by Franky; and firm but compassionate senior officer Meg Jackson (later Morris) (Elspeth Ballantyne).


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Early episodes featured a high level of violence: Lynn Warner's burning in a steam press; a prisoner hanging herself in her cell; a fatal stabbing; and a flashback sequence inspired by which Karen Travers stabbed her abusive husband to death in the shower. The series' first major story arc was the turf war between Bea and Franky, in a bid to become the prison's "Top Dog" (unofficial leader), culminating by Episode 3 in a riot where Meg was held hostage and her husband—prison social worker Bill Jackson (Don Barker)—was stabbed to death by inmate Chrissie Latham (Amanda Muggleton).


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: "Prisoner" premiered in Australia on 27 February 1979. Its success prompted the producers to extend the series, first from 16 to 20 episodes and then indefinitely. The production schedule increased from one to two-hour-long episodes per week; Carol Burns left the show after 20 episodes, feeling that she could not continue playing Franky Doyle with the tighter schedule. Her storyline sees her as an escapee from Wentworth with fellow inmate Doreen Anderson, and after being on the run for three weeks, she is shot dead by an officer


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: New story arcs were introduced. Karen Travers appealed against her sentence and was eventually released, allowing her to resume her relationship with Greg Miller and becoming involved in prison reform. As original characters began leaving the series (Mum Brooks, Lynn Warner, Karen and Greg appeared beyond the initial sixteen episodes, but most had left by the end of the 1979 season; Greg left in early 1980), new characters arrived: hulking husband-beater Monica Ferguson (Lesley Baker), career criminal Noeline Bourke (Jude Kuring), troubled murderess Roslyn Coulson (Sigrid Thornton) and imprisoned mother Pat O'Connell (Monica Maughan), in addition to shorter-term inmates with brief storylines. Prostitute Chrissie Latham, a minor character in the early episodes, returned in a more central antagonistic role and a male deputy governor, Jim Fletcher (Gerard Maguire), joined the female-dominated cast.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Ratings had been declining for some time, and when they continued to fall in 1986, Network Ten decided in July not to renew the series. Production ended on 5 September, and the final episode aired in Melbourne on 11 December 1986. The producers had several weeks' notice that the series was ending, enabling them to construct strong concluding storylines (including the ultimate defeat of Joan "the Freak" Ferguson). "Prisoner" final episodes dealt with the redemption of the misunderstood Kath Maxwell and concluded the ongoing dynamic between Rita Connors (played by Glenda Linscott) and Joan Ferguson (Maggie Kirkpatrick).


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Days and times listed are for Network Ten Melbourne Station ATV-10, days and times may vary in other regions of Australia.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: A pilot for an unproduced American version of "Prisoner" was produced by Lorimar in 1980, entitled "Willow B: Women in Prison". The cast included Ruth Roman, Virginia Capers, Carol Lynley, and Sally Kirkland. The pilot aired on ABC-TV on 29 June 1980.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: In March 2012, it was announced that Foxtel would produce a contemporary "re-imagining" of "Prisoner", "Wentworth", set in modern-day Australia. "Wentworth" recounts the rise of Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack) from her arrival at Wentworth as a remand prisoner to "top dog". The series is filmed at a new, purpose-built prison set in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: "Wentworth" features contemporary versions of vintage characters along with new characters. Characters and cast members include Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack), crime matriarch Jacs Holt (Kris McQuade), Liz Birdsworth (Celia Ireland), Doreen Anderson (Shareena Clanton), Franky Doyle (Nicole da Silva), Sue "Boomer" Jenkins (Katrina Milosevic), social worker Erica Davidson (Leeanna Walsman), officer Will Jackson (Robbie Magasiva), officer Matthew Fletcher (Aaron Jeffery), deputy governor Vera Bennett (Kate Atkinson), and governor Meg Jackson (Catherine McClements), as well as Linda Miles (Jacquie Brennan), Joan Ferguson (Pamela Rabe), Sean Brody (Rick Donald), Greg Miller (David de Lautour), Marie Winter (Susie Porter), Rita Connors (Leah Purcell).


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: None of the original cast was initially scheduled to return for the first series, but on 29 November 2012 it was confirmed that Anne Charleston (who appeared in the original series) would make a guest appearance, as well as Sigrid Thornton who was in the original series as Ros Coulson, Thornton would play Sonia Stevens. "Wentworth" premiered in Australia on Foxtel's SoHo channel on 1 May 2013. As of 2018, the series was still in production, with a sixth season premiering on 19 June 2018, while a seventh season had been announced and due to air in 2019. Season 7 aired in May 2019. While "Wentworth" was confirmed for a 2021 ending, it won't surpass "Prisoner" in episodes, but will surpass the show in years on air.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: In 1980 "Saturday Night Live" aired a parody of the series, "Debs Behind Bars". In the sketch, the inmates (including guest host Teri Garr) are spoiled debutantes who complain about "icky" living conditions in prison. During the early 1990s, Seven Network's comedy sketch program "Fast Forward" parodied "Prisoner"; Gina Riley (Bea Smith), Jane Turner (Lizzie Birdsworth), Magda Szubanski (Doreen) and Marg Downey as officer (Joan Ferguson) gave scenes from the series a comedic twist.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Other series to have featured "Prisoner" spoofs included "The Paul Hogan Show", "Let the Blood Run Free", "Naked Video" and "The Krypton Factor".


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: In 1991, "Prisoner" was reprised for the American market as "Dangerous Women". The US version borrowed heavily from the Australian original for characters and was created and written by Reg Watson, who had also created the original Australian series. In "Dangerous Women", the emphasis was outside the prison, focusing on prisoner relationships in a halfway house. It is remembered now mainly for the early appearance of actor Casper Van Dien in the role of Brad Morris. In 1997, "Prisoner" was revised in a German-language version, "Hinter Gittern – Der Frauenknast" ("Behind Bars"). The series ran from 1997 to 2007 for 16 series and 403 episodes.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: On June 18, 2021 producer Matt Batten created the "Talking Prisoner" podcast and YouTube channel. Batten's co-host Ken Mulholland served as head cameraman on "Prisoner" from the series debut until episode 692. Mulholland and Batten interview cast and crew from "Prisoner" in depth. The podcast however also features interviews with cast and crew from other popular Australian internationally successful series like "Sons and Daughters" and "Neighbours".


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: The channel can be found on YouTube, and the official website "Talking Prisoner.com", and is also broadcast on social media sites such as Facebook.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: There have been several tie-in books and video and DVD releases. "Prisoner" theme song ("On the Inside", sung by Lynne Hamilton) reached number four in Australia in 1979 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart in 1989. "On the Inside" was re-released as a digital download and CD single in March 2012. The song was featured as a B-side on punkabilly group The Living End's EP, "Second Solution / Prisoner of Society".


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: There have been numerous publications on the series, including tie-in paperback novels, including publication's by Pinnacle Books, which in 1980, led by the actors union the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and represented by cast member Val Lehman (Bea Smith), which saw the cast go on strike due to the content in the United States: soft-core pornography at odds with the series. Six books were published: "Prisoner: Cell Block H", "The Franky Doyle Story", "The Karen Travers Story", "The Frustrations of Vera", "The Reign of Queen Bea" and "The Trials of Erica".


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Two behind-the-scenes books were published in the UK during the early 1990s. "Prisoner: Cell Block H – Behind the Scenes" was written by Terry Bourke and published by Angus & Robertson Publishers, who published similar books about soap opera's "Neighbours" and "Home and Away". Bourke documents the show's genesis and development, and the book has many stills and character profiles. Hilary Kingsley's "Prisoner Cell Block H – The Inside Story" emphasises more on plot and characters.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: A limited-edition book, "The Inside Story", was published in 2007 as part of the full-series DVD release in Australia. Written by TV journalists Andrew Mercado and Michael Idato, the commemorative book has the series' background, year-by-year storylines, character details and quotes by cast and crew. It was available as part of "The Complete Collection" DVD set.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: The complete series of "Prisoner" is available on DVD format in both Australia and the United Kingdom. On Region 4 in Australia, distribution company Shock Records released the series over forty volumes, and a complete collection, comprising these volumes; the UK editions, from FremantleMedia, made the series available over twenty volumes (doubling-up on the Australian sets). In 2016, ViaVision acquired the rights to re-release the series in Australia and made the decision to release the series in their original season formats. See above for a full listing of VHS and DVD sets available. The following is an overview of "Prisoner" releases in their seasons formats.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: A stage version of "Prisoner", based on the original scripts, was produced in 1989 and toured the United Kingdom. Elspeth Ballantyne (Meg Morris) and Patsy King (Erica Davidson) reprised their characters and Glenda Linscott (Rita Connors) played a new character, Angela Mason. A second tour, with Fiona Spence (Vera Bennett) and Jane Clifton (Margo Gaffney), followed in 1990; Jacqui Gordon (Susie Driscoll) played new character Kath Evans.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: A musical version followed, with Maggie Kirkpatrick reprising her role as Joan (the Freak) Ferguson and Lily Savage as an inmate. The musical, a parody of "Prisoner" kitschier aspects, toured and had a West End run in 1995 and 1997. Val Lehman (Bea) was critical of the production, questioning why a drag queen would be in a women's prison.


title: Prisoner (TV series)

text: Due to "Prisoner" popularity in the UK during the late 1980s, its British fan club organised personal-appearance tours for several actresses including Val Lehman (Bea Smith), Carol Burns (Franky Doyle), Betty Bobbitt (Judy Bryant), Sheila Florance (Lizzie Birdsworth), Amanda Muggleton (Chrissie Latham) and Judy McBurney (Pixie Mason). A TV special, "The Great Escape", was produced in 1990. The programme, which featured Val Lehman, Sheila Florance, Amanda Muggleton and Carol Burns on their 1990 UK visit, includes extensive footage of their on-stage interview with TV presenter Anna Soubry in which the cast members discuss their time on the series. Recorded at the Derby Assembly Rooms in Derby, it was briefly available in the UK on VHS video.