Clyde Beatty (June 10, 1903 – July 19, 1965)

Beatty left home at age 18 to join the circus as a cage cleaner, and a  
year later formed his first animal act. He soon became famous as a
lion tamer and animal trainer.

Beatty also owned his own show that later merged with the Cole Bros. 
Circus to form the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus.

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April 15, 1962

Mother Belle with baby Packy

Portland’s Asian elephant  Packy is the first elephant to be born in the
Western Hemisphere and is the tallest and oldest male in the U.S. His
mother, Belle, came from Thailand and died, April 22, 1997 and his
father was Thonglaw, he was born in Cambodia and died November
25, 1974.

Packy’s first birthday party

 
The groundhog Punxsutawney Phil in 2012

According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its
burrow on this day, then spring will come early; if it is sunny, it will then
see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather
will continue for six more weeks.

An early reference to Groundhog Day in America can be found in a diary
entry, dated February 4, 1841, of James Morris, a storekeeper in Berks
County, Pennsylvania.

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pa
where crowds as large as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the
holiday since at least 1886.

High School yearbook, 1958

James Oliver Cromwell made his acting debut on the NBC-
TV show, ‘The Rockford Files’ in 1974. His notable films
include Babe (1995), for which he was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First
Contact (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), and The Green
Mile (1999).

January 14,1982

Note: As of January 12, 2012, J. Fred Muggs and his "live-in girlfriend"
Phoebe B. Beebe (who also made appearances on the Garroway Show) 
were still alive in Citrus Park, Florida. Muggs will be 61 on March 14. 

Muggs and lady friend Phoebe with Dave