Henkels & McCoy celebrates its 60th Anniversary. The company, which
started with a six-man crew and one truck, now employs 5,000 engineers,
craftspeople, and support personnel. To commemorate the milestone, Henkels &
McCoy publishes a special 16-page newsletter recounting the founders,
growth, struggle and triumphs of the company… Henkels & McCoy creates its
new Teledata Division, devoted exclusively to network cabling. First
headquarters for the fledgling division are in Richmond, Va. The division
will be renamed as Network Systems and Solutions in 2000 and new
headquarters established in Montgomeryville, Pa. in 2002… Henkels & McCoy’s
wholly-owned subsidiary, Star Datacom, is reorganized to be more closely
integrated with the company as a whole and is renamed as H&M’s Business
Telecommunications Division. H&M’s acquisition of Dataphonics in Lansing
Michigan, and of Alpha Telephones, in the state of Washington, brings an H&M
Telecommunications presence to a total of 37 states… During a routine
excavation project in Burlington, New Jersey, a long forgotten, 240-year old
section of wooden water pipe system is uncovered by a Henkels & McCoy crew.
Made of bored cedar logs, the pipe system was purchased from the City of
Philadelphia in 1804 when that city upgraded its water supply conduit to
cast iron. The cedar log pipes were in use in Philadelphia in the 1740s,
according to a local historian.January 25
Pope John Paul II signs new Roman Catholic code incorporating changes
brought about by Second Vatican Council.
April 4
Second space shuttle, Challenger, makes successful maiden voyage, which
includes the first US space walk in nine years.
May 31
Jack Dempsey, retired prize fighter and beloved
New City restaurateur, dies of natural causes at age 87.
June 18
Sally K. Ride, 32, left, becomes the first US woman astronaut in space as a crew
member aboard the space shuttle Challenger
August 15
US admits shielding former Nazi Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie, 69, the "butcher
of Lyon," wanted in France for war crimes.
August 21
Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., 50, (right) political rival of Philippines president Marcos,
slain in Manila airport by Marcos henchmen as he arrives to challenge the
despot’s rule.
August 30
South Korean Boeing 747 jetliner bound for Seoul enters Soviet airspace and
is shot down by a Soviet fighter after it had tracked the airliner for two
hours; all 269 aboard are killed, including 61 Americans.
October
World Series Baltimore Orioles beat Philadelphia Phillies by four games to
one.
October 25
Terrorist explosion kills 237 US Marines in Beirut, Lebanon. Also this day:
US and Caribbean allies invade Grenada.
ALSO IN 1983:
First cellular telephones introduced in US: mobile phones for cars,
transportable phones carried in a case, and portable phones carried in
hand... With the introduction of noise-free, virtually indestructible
compact discs, the vinyl record begins a steep decline... "Crack" cocaine,
is developed in Bahamas, and soon appears in the United States. This highly
addictive, pebble-sized, solid form narcotic (left) will ensnare thousands of
mostly young, inner city users... The FCC authorizes Motorola to begin
testing cellular phone service, in Chicago... The El Nino phenomenon
disrupts global weather patterns.
In Sports
At the Super Bowl, the Washington Redskins reel in the Miami Dolphins (27-17)...
At the '83 World Series, the BaltimoreOrioles defeat the Philadelphia
Phillies 4 to 1... The Sixers destroy the Lakers 4-0 for the NBA title... NY
Islanders sweep Edmonton for the Stanley Cup... At Wimbledon, Women: Martina
Navratilova defeats A. Jaeger (6-0, 6-3); Men: John McEnroe defeats C. Lewis
(6-2, 6-2, 6-2)... NCAA Basketball Championship, it's N.C. State over
Houston (54-52)...NCAA Football Champions are Miami-FL (11-1-0).
That's Show Biz
Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song Trilogy wins the New York Drama
Critics' Circle Award and Tony Award for best play... Singer Karen Carpenter
dies of complications from anorexia nervosa at age 32... More than 125
million viewers tune in to the last episode of M*A*S*H... The Big
Chill, Terms of Endearment, Fanny & Alexander, and The Right Stuff
pack movie houses this year.
What's on TV
New shows in TV's top echelon include Kate & Allie, Hotel,
Cagney & Lacey, Knots Landing, Riptide, Scarecrow and Mrs. King.
Deaths
Among the departed of 1983...
Playwright Tennessee Williams (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly Last
Summer, A Streetcar Named Desire)
Abstract Painter
Joan Miro
Architect, Futurist, Entrepreneur R. Buckminster Fuller (right).
