document_title: Twelve-step program

question_text: where did the 12 step program come from

question_tokens: where did the 12 step program come from

text: Twelve-step program

text: Overview[edit]

text: Twelve-step methods have been adapted to address a wide range of alcoholism, substance-abuse and dependency problems. Over 200 self-help organizations—often known as fellowships—with a worldwide membership of millions—now employ twelve-step principles for recovery. Narcotics Anonymous was formed by addicts who did not relate to the specifics of alcohol dependency.[3]

text: Demographic preferences related to the addicts' drug of choice has led to the creation of Cocaine Anonymous, Crystal Meth Anonymous and Marijuana Anonymous. Behavioral issues such as compulsion for, and/or addiction to, gambling, crime, food, sex, hoarding, debting and work are addressed in fellowships such as Gamblers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous and Debtors Anonymous.

text: Auxiliary groups such as Al-Anon and Nar-Anon, for friends and family members of alcoholics and addicts, respectively, are part of a response to treating addiction as a disease that is enabled by family systems.[4] Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA or ACOA) addresses the effects of growing up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional family. Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) addresses compulsions related to relationships, referred to as codependency.

text: History[edit]

text: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the first twelve-step fellowship, was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith, known to AA members as "Bill W." and "Dr. Bob", in Akron, Ohio. In 1946 they formally established the twelve traditions to help deal with the issues of how various groups could relate and function as membership grew.[5][6] The practice of remaining anonymous (using only ones first names) when interacting with the general public was published in the first  edition of the AA Big Book.[7]

text: As AA chapters were increasing in number during the 1930s and 1940s, the guiding principles were gradually defined as the Twelve Traditions. A singleness of purpose emerged as Tradition Five: "Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers".[8] Consequently, drug addicts who do not suffer from the specifics of alcoholism involved in AA hoping for recovery technically are not welcome in "closed" meetings unless they have a desire to stop drinking alcohol.[9]

text: The principles of AA have been used to form many numbers of other fellowships specifically designed for those recovering from various pathologies; each emphasizes recovery from the specific malady which brought the sufferer into the fellowship.[10]

text: Twelve Steps[edit]

text: The following are the original twelve steps as published by Alcoholics Anonymous:[11]

text:
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

tag: ol

text: In some cases, where other twelve-step groups have adapted the AA steps as guiding principles, step one is uniquely different for each organization, these are sometimes altered to emphasize principles important to those particular fellowships, or to remove gender-biased language.[12][13][14][15]

text: Twelve Traditions[edit]

text: The Twelve Traditions accompany the Twelve Steps.  The Traditions provide guidelines for group governance. They were developed in AA in order to help resolve conflicts in the areas of publicity, politics, religion and finances.[16]  Alcoholics Anonymous' Twelve Traditions are:[7]

text:
Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AA unity.
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.
Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole.
Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
An AA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Every AA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
AA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always to maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

text: Process[edit]

text: In the twelve-step program human structure is symbolically represented in three dimensions: physical, mental, and spiritual. The problems the groups deal with are understood to manifest themselves in each dimension. For addicts and alcoholics the physical dimension is best described by the allergy-like bodily reaction resulting in the compulsion to continue using substances after the initial use.[17][18] The statement in the First Step that the individual is "powerless" over the substance-abuse related behavior at issue refers to the lack of control over this compulsion, which persists despite any negative consequences that may be endured as a result.[19]

text: The mental obsession is described as the cognitive processes that causes the individual to repeat the compulsive behavior after some period of abstinence, either knowing that the result will be an inability to stop or operating under the delusion that the result will be different. The description in the First Step of the life of the alcoholic or addict as "unmanageable" refers to the lack of choice that the mind of the addict or alcoholic affords concerning whether to drink or use again.[20]

text: The illness of the spiritual dimension, or "spiritual malady," is considered in all twelve-step groups to be self-centeredness.[17][18]  The process of working the steps is intended to replace self-centeredness with a growing moral consciousness and a willingness for self-sacrifice and unselfish constructive action.[18] In twelve-step groups, this is known as a spiritual awakening not a religious experience.[21] This should not be confused with abreaction, which produces dramatic, but ephemeral, changes.[22] In twelve-step fellowships, "spiritual awakening" is believed to develop, most frequently, slowly over a period of time.[23]

text: In accordance with the First Step, twelve-step groups emphasize self-admission by members of the problem they are recovering from. It is in this spirit that members often identify themselves along with an admission of their problem, often as "Hi, I’m [first name only], and I’m an alcoholic".[24]

text: Sponsorship[edit]

text: A sponsor is a more experienced person in recovery who guides the less-experienced aspirant ("sponsee") through the program's twelve steps. New members in twelve-step programs are encouraged to secure a relationship with at least one sponsor who both has a sponsor and has taken the twelves steps themselves.[25] Publications from twelve-step fellowships emphasize that sponsorship is a "one on one" nonhierarchical relationship of shared experiences focused on working the Twelve Steps.[26][27][28] According to Narcotics Anonymous:

text: Sponsors share their experience, strength, and hope with their sponsees... A sponsor's role is not that of a legal adviser, a banker, a parent, a marriage counselor, or a social worker. Nor is a sponsor a therapist offering some sort of professional advice. A sponsor is simply another addict in recovery who is willing to share his or her journey through the Twelve Steps.[29]

text: Sponsors and sponsees participate in activities that lead to spiritual growth. Experiences in the program are often shared by outgoing members with incoming members. This rotation of experience is often considered to have a great spiritual reward.[30] These may include practices such as literature discussion and study, meditation, and writing. Completing the program usually implies competency to guide newcomers which is often encouraged.[31] Sponsees typically do their Fifth Step, review their moral inventory written as part of the Fourth Step, with their sponsor. The Fifth Step, as well as the Ninth Step, have been compared to confession and penitence.[32] Michel Foucault, a French philosopher, noted such practices produce intrinsic modifications in the person—exonerating, redeeming and purifying them; relieves them of their burden of wrong, liberating them and promising salvation.[32][33]

text: The personal nature of the behavioral issues that lead to seeking help in twelve-step fellowships results in a strong relationship between sponsee and sponsor. As the relationship is based on spiritual principles, it is unique and not generally characterized as "friendship". Fundamentally, the sponsor has the single purpose of helping the sponsee recover from the behavioral problem that brought the sufferer into twelve-step work, which reflexively helps the sponsor recover.[25]

text: A study of sponsorship as practiced in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous found that providing direction and support to other alcoholics and addicts is associated with sustained abstinence for the sponsor, but suggested that there were few short-term benefits for the sponsee's one-year sustained abstinence rate.[34][35]

text: Effectiveness[edit]

text: Alcoholics Anonymous is the largest of all the twelve-step programs (from which all other twelve-steps programs are derived), followed by Narcotics Anonymous; the majority of twelve-step members are recovering from addiction to alcohol or other drugs. The majority of twelve-step programs, however, address illnesses other than substance addiction. For example, the third-largest twelve-step program, Al-Anon, assists family members and friends of people who have alcoholism and other addictions. About twenty percent of twelve-step programs are for substance addiction recovery, the other eighty percent address a variety of problems from debt to depression.[36] It would be an error to assume the effectiveness of twelve-step methods at treating problems in one domain translates to all or to another domain,[37] therefore readers are directed to relevant sections in each group's article.

text: Criticism[edit]

text: The criticisms of twelve-step groups are as varied as the pathologies they address. People have attended twelve-step meetings, only to find success eluded them. Their varied success rate and the belief in a Higher Power suggested in them, are common criticisms of their universal applicability and efficacy.[38]

text: Confidentiality[edit]

text: The Twelve Traditions encourage members to practice the spiritual principle of anonymity in the public media and members are also asked to respect each other's confidentiality.[39] This is a group norm,[39] however, and not legally mandated; there are no legal consequences to discourage those attending twelve-step groups from revealing information disclosed during meetings.[40] Statutes on group therapy do not encompass those associations that lack a professional therapist or clergyman to whom confidentiality and privilege might apply. Professionals and paraprofessionals who refer patients to these groups, to avoid both civil liability and licensure problems, have been advised that they should alert their patients that, at any time, their statements made in meetings may be disclosed.[40]

text: Cultural identity[edit]

text: One review warned of detrimental iatrogenic effects of twelve-step philosophy and labeled the organizations as cults,[41] while another review asserts that these programs bore little semblance to religious cults and that the techniques used appeared beneficial to some.[42] Another study found that a twelve-step program's focus on self-admission of having a problem increases deviant stigma and strips members of their previous cultural identity, replacing it with the deviant identity.[43] Another study asserts that the prior cultural identity may not be replaced entirely, but rather members found adapted a bicultural identity.[44]


document_title: History of the Detroit Red Wings

question_text: where did the red wings logo come from

question_tokens: where did the red wings logo come from

root

text: History of the Detroit Red Wings

text: Founding[edit]

text: At the April 18, 1926, NHL meetings to discuss expansion of the NHL, five applications were received from Detroit along with three from Chicago, one from Cleveland, one from New Jersey, one from Hamilton and one from New York. The New York application to become the New York Rangers was approved. The NHL decided to investigate all applicants before deciding at their next meeting.[1] At the time, it was known that the Western Canada Hockey League was folding.[2] Other than the Rangers, there was opposition to adding any other teams to the NHL. The NHL constitution required unanimous approval on adding new teams and the New York Americans were opposed to the plan to add one team in Detroit and one in Chicago, as the Americans favoured two teams in Chicago. This was overcome at the May 2, 1926 NHL meeting by amending the NHL constitution, which required only a 2/3 approval, to allow a simple majority vote for the approval of new teams and it became expected that Chicago and Detroit would receive franchises.[3] At the meeting, what were now two competing syndicates vying for the Detroit franchise, one from Townsend and McCreath, and one from Bierer, were ordered to amalgamate by the NHL.[4]

tag: p

text: The next day, May 3, it was announced by Detroit promoters Morris Caplan and Morris Friedberg that they had purchased the 1925 Stanley Cup champion Victoria Cougars in expectation of a NHL franchise being awarded to them at NHL meetings later that month.[5] Similarly, the Portland Rosebuds were also purchased that day by Chicago interests. On May 15, 1926, Detroit was tentatively awarded a NHL expansion team to a group of investors led by Townsend, Seyburn and McCreath, not Caplan and Friedberg, on condition of the arena being ready for the upcoming season.[6] At the time, the arena was expected to be ready for December 1. The Victoria Club was sold by Lester and Frank Patrick to the Townsend group for $100,000, of which $25,000 went to Caplan and Friedberg.[7] Although the arena was not ready, the franchise was permanently approved by the NHL on September 25, 1926.[8] The franchise was established as the Detroit Cougars, retaining the Victoria name. However, the NHL does not consider the Red Wings to be a continuation of the Victoria team. The Rangers had been issued a franchise on May 15, while the Chicago Black Hawks joined the league the same day as the Cougars; the additions of these clubs increased the number of teams in the league to ten.[a]

text: Early seasons[edit]

text: 1926–1932: Cougars and Falcons[edit]

text: Without a Detroit arena, the new Cougars played their first season in Windsor, Ontario at the Border Cities Arena.[9] Frank Patrick of Victoria did not come east to manage Detroit. The Cougars signed former Calgary Tigers player Art Duncan to play and coach the team, but the NHL, in its distribution of WHL players ordered Detroit to send players Art Gagne and Fraser to the Chicago Black Hawks for Duncan.[10] The Cougars played their first game on November 18, 1926, losing 2–0 to the Boston Bruins, and finished their first season with a record of 12 wins, 28 losses and 4 ties for 28 points, the worst record in the league;[11] the 12 wins and 4 ties remain club records for fewest wins and fewest ties in a season.

text: The next year, the 1927–28 season, the team moved into the Detroit Olympia, playing their first game on November 22, 1927. This building would be the home arena for the team until 1979. Also in that year, Duncan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was replaced as coach and general manager by Jack Adams, recently retired from the Ottawa Senators. Adams would be the face of the franchise for the next 36 years as coach or general manager. The Cougars finished with a record of 19-19-6, moving up to fourth place in the American division.

text: The Cougars made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 1929 with Carson Cooper leading the team in scoring. The Cougars were outscored 7–2 in the two-game series with Toronto.

text: In 1930 the team changed its name to the Detroit Falcons as a result of a promotion with a newspaper.[12] They would reach the NHL playoffs for the first time in 1929, losing the series to the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the team continued to have financial difficulties, and was forced into receivership in 1931.

text: 1932–1942: The new Detroit Red Wings[edit]

text: Chicago grain merchant James E. Norris bought the team in 1932. His first act was to change the team's name to the Red Wings. Norris believed the new name would help the team curry favor with Detroit's auto industry, and also wanted to pay homage to a hockey team for whom he had played earlier in the century, the Montreal Hockey Club—nicknamed the Winged Wheelers. He also designed the first logo for the Red Wings, which is more or less the same logo that is used today.

text: Under the new name Red Wings, the team began to improve. Carl Voss was named the inaugural recipient of the NHL rookie-of-the-year award in 1932–33. The team as a whole also began to enjoy success. They reached the 1934 Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Chicago Black Hawks.

text: In 1935–36 the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup for the first time, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs. En route to the final, they played in the longest overtime game in NHL history, winning the first game of a semi-final match against the Montreal Maroons in the sixth overtime frame.[13] The match lasted 176 minutes and 30 seconds of game time, ending when rookie Mud Bruneteau scored, giving Detroit a 1-0 win. [14] The following season, they defeated the New York Rangers for their second consecutive Stanley Cup title.

text: In 1938, the Wings and the Montreal Canadiens became the first NHL teams to play in Europe, visiting Paris and London. The Wings played nine games against the Canadiens and went 3-5-1. The Wings did not play in Europe again until the preseason and start of the 2009-10 NHL season in Sweden against the St. Louis Blues.[15]

text: Original Six era[edit]

text: They made the Stanley Cup Finals in three consecutive years during the early 1940s. In 1941 they were swept by the Boston Bruins, in 1942 they lost a seven-game series against Toronto in the finals after winning the first three games, but in 1943, with Syd Howe and Mud Bruneteau scoring 20 goals apiece, Detroit won their third Cup by sweeping the Bruins. They remained a solid team through the rest of the decade, making the playoffs every year, and reaching the finals three more times.

text: In 1946, one of the greatest players in hockey history came into the NHL with the Red Wings. Gordie Howe, a right-winger from Floral, Saskatchewan, only scored seven goals and 15 assists in his first season and would not reach his prime for a few more years. It was also the last season as head coach for Adams, who stepped down after the season to concentrate on his duties as general manager. He was succeeded by minor league coach Tommy Ivan.

text: By his second season, Howe was paired with Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay to form what would become one of the great lines in NHL history—the "Production Line". Lindsay's 33 goals propelled the Wings to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they were swept by the Maple Leafs. Detroit reached the Finals again the following season, only to be swept again by Toronto.

text: 1950–1966: The Gordie Howe Era[edit]

text: The Wings returned to the top in 1950, with Pete Babando scoring the game winner in double overtime of Game 7 to beat the Rangers in the Finals. After the game, Lindsay skated around the Olympia ice with the Cup, beginning a tradition that continues today.

text: After being upset by Montreal in the 1951 semifinals, Detroit won its fifth Cup in 1952, sweeping both the Leafs and the Canadiens, with the Production Line of Howe, Abel and Lindsay joined by second-year goalie Terry Sawchuk. Detroit would become the first team in 17 years to go undefeated in the playoffs. They also scored an amazing 24 playoff goals, compared to Toronto and Montreal's combined total of 5. Abel left the Wings for Chicago following the season, and Alex Delvecchio took his spot on the roster.

text: James E. Norris died in December 1952. He was succeeded as team president by his daughter, Marguerite – the first (and as of the 2017–18 season, only) woman to head an NHL franchise.[16] She made no secret of her dislike for Adams. While she could have summarily fired him, since he was still without a contract, she chose not to do so.

text: Following another playoff upset in 1953 at the hands of the Bruins, the Red Wings won back to back Stanley Cups in 1954 (over Montreal, when Habs defenseman Doug Harvey redirected a Tony Leswick shot into his own net) and 1955 (also over Montreal in the full seven games). The 1954–55 season ended a run of eight straight regular season titles, an NHL record.[17]

text: Also during the 1955 off-season, Marguerite Norris lost an intrafamily power struggle, and was forced to turn the Wings over to younger brother Bruce, who had inherited his father's grain business. Detroit and Montreal met once again in the 1956 finals, but this time the Canadiens won the Cup, their first of five in a row.

text: In 1957 Ted Lindsay, who scored 30 goals and led the league in assists with 55, teamed up with Harvey to help start the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA). As a result, he, along with outspoken young netminder Glenn Hall, was promptly traded to Chicago (which was owned by James D. Norris, Bruce's elder brother) after his most productive year. The Wings had lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Bruins.

text: The Lindsay deal was one of several questionable trades made by Adams in the late 1950s. For example, in 1955, he had traded Sawchuk to Boston in order to make room for Glenn Hall. While Adams managed to get Sawchuk back two years later, it came at the expense of sending up-and-coming Johnny Bucyk to Boston. It was one of the most one-sided trades in hockey history. Although Sawchuk played seven more years for Detroit (and would stay in the NHL for another five years), his best days had passed. Meanwhile, Bucyk went on to play 21 more years with the Bruins and score over 500 goals en route to the Hall of Fame. In 1958 the Red Wings were swept in the first round by Montreal; in 1959 they missed the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.

text: Within a couple of years, however, Detroit was rejuvenated and made the Finals for four of the next six years between 1961 and 1966. Still, despite having Howe, Delvecchio, Norm Ullman, and Parker MacDonald as consistent goal-scorers, Lindsay's sudden one-year comeback in 1964–65, and Sawchuk and later Roger Crozier between the pipes, the Wings came away empty-handed. Adams was fired as general manager in 1963. He had coached for 15 years and served as general manager for 31 years on a handshake, and his 36–year tenure is still the longest for any general manager in NHL history.

text: 1967 Expansion to 1993[edit]

text: 1967–1982: The "Dead Wings" Era[edit]

text: Only a year after making the Finals, the Red Wings finished a distant fifth, 24 points out of the playoffs. It was the beginning of a slump from which they would not emerge for almost 20 years. Between 1967 and 1983, Detroit only made the playoffs twice, winning one series. From 1968 to 1982, the Wings had 14 head coaches (not counting interim coaches), with none lasting more than three seasons. In contrast, their first six full-time coaches – Art Duncan, Adams, Ivan, Jimmy Skinner, and Abel – had covered a 42–year period. During this dark era in franchise history, the team was derisively known as the "Dead Wings"[18] or "Dead Things".

text: One factor was the end of the old "development" system, which allowed Adams to get young prospects to commit to playing for Detroit as early as their 16th birthday. Another factor was Ned Harkness, who was hired as coach in 1970 and was promoted to general manager midway through the season. A successful college hockey coach, Harkness tried to force his two-way style of play on a veteran Red Wings team resistant to change. The Wings chafed under his discipline, in which he demanded short hair and no smoking, along with new rules regarding drinking and phone calls.[19] Harkness was forced to resign in 1973.

text: In the "expansion season" of 1967–68, the Red Wings also acquired longtime star left-winger Frank Mahovlich from the defending Cup champs in Toronto. Mahovlich would go on a line with Howe and Delvecchio, and in 1968–69, he scored a career-high 49 goals and had two All-Star seasons in Detroit.

text: However, this could not last. Mahovlich was traded to Montreal in 1970, and Howe retired after the 1970–71 season. Howe returned to pro hockey shortly after to play with his two sons Mark and Marty Howe (Mark would later join the Red Wings at the end of his career) in the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972. Through the decade, with Mickey Redmond having two 50–goal seasons and Marcel Dionne starting to reach his prime (which he did not attain until he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings), a lack of defensive and goaltending ability continually hampered the Wings.

text: Around the same time, the area around the Olympia went to seed. After two murders took place near the arena, Norris seriously considered moving to an arena in suburban Pontiac. However, the city offered the Red Wings a deal Norris couldn't refuse—operational control of a new city-owned arena on the banks of the Detroit River, Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings moved to the new arena during the 1979–80 season.

text: In 1982, after 50 years of family ownership, Bruce Norris sold the Red Wings to Mike Ilitch, founder of Little Caesars Pizza.[20]

text: 1983–1993: The Yzerman Era Begins[edit]

text: In 1983 the Wings drafted Steve Yzerman, a center from Cranbrook, British Columbia. He led the team in scoring in his rookie year, and started the Wings' climb back to the top. That season, with John Ogrodnick scoring 42 times and Ivan Boldirev and Ron Duguay also with 30–goal seasons, Detroit made the playoffs for the first time in six years. Defenseman Brad Park, acquired from the Boston Bruins in the 1983 free-agent market, also helped the Wings reach the postseason and ended up winning the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy the same season.

text: Later, Park was asked to coach the Wings, but was sacked after 45 games in 1985–86. He admitted, “I took over a last-place team, and I kept them there.” They did indeed end up in the basement, achieving a 17–57–6 record for only 40 points. This was the same year that the Wings added enforcer Bob Probert, one of the most familiar faces of the Wings in the 1980s and 1990s.

text: By 1987, with Yzerman joined by Petr Klima, Adam Oates, Gerard Gallant, defenceman Darren Veitch and new head coach Jacques Demers, the Wings won a playoff series for only the second time in the modern era. They made it all the way to the conference finals against the powerful and eventual Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers, but lost in five games. In 1988 they won their first division title in 23 years (since 1964–65, when they finished first in a one-division league). They did so, however, in a relatively weak division; no other team in the Norris finished above .500. As was the case in the previous season, they made it to the conference finals only to lose again to the eventual cup champion Oilers in five games.

text: In 1989, Yzerman scored a career-best 65 goals,[21] but Detroit was upset in the first round by the Chicago Blackhawks. The following season Yzerman scored 62 goals, but the team missed the playoffs. Rumors spread that maybe "Stevie Wonder" should be traded.

text: But it was Demers, not Yzerman, who received the pink slip. New coach Bryan Murray was unable to get them back over .500, but they returned to the playoffs. Yzerman was joined by Sergei Fedorov, who would be an award-winner and frequent all-star for the team in the 1990s. In 1992, the team acquired Ray Sheppard, who had a career-best 52 goals two years later; and in '93, top defenseman Paul Coffey. Also joining the Red Wings around this time were draft picks like Slava Kozlov, Darren McCarty, Vladimir Konstantinov and Nicklas Lidstrom.

text: 1994–2004: The Russian Five and return to glory[edit]

text: The Yzerman trade rumors ended very soon after Scotty Bowman got behind the Motown bench in 1993. In his second season, the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season, he guided Detroit to its first Finals appearance in 29 years, only to be swept by the New Jersey Devils.

text: The Wings kept adding more star power, picking up Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov and goaltender Mike Vernon in trades and winning an NHL record 62 games in 1996. After defeating the St. Louis Blues (with a Game 7, double-overtime goal by Yzerman), the Wings would fall in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual champion Colorado Avalanche (formerly Quebec Nordiques).

text: The following year, Detroit, joined by Brendan Shanahan and Larry Murphy during the season, once again reached the Finals in 1997. After defeating the St. Louis Blues in six games, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Colorado Avalanche in the first three rounds, the Wings went on to beat the Philadelphia Flyers in four straight games in the Stanley Cup Finals. It was the Wings' first Stanley Cup since 1955, breaking the longest drought (42 years long) in the league at that time. Mike Vernon accepted the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the 1997 playoffs.

text: Tragedy struck the Wings six days after their championship; defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov, one of the "Russian Five," suffered a brain injury[22] in a limousine accident, and his career came to an abrupt end. Wings trainer Sergei Mnatsakanov suffered similar injuries. Red Wings defenseman Slava Fetisov was also injured in the accident, but was released from the hospital the next day. The Red Wings dedicated the 1997–98 season, which also ended in a Stanley Cup victory (another sweep, this time over the Washington Capitals), to Konstantinov, who came out onto the ice in his wheelchair on victory night to touch the Cup. Yzerman, who had won the Conn Smythe Trophy as post-season Most Valuable Player that year, immediately gave the Cup to Konstantinov after he hoisted it. He later reported that he had intended to pass it to goalie Chris Osgood for his stellar surprise performance. "Not very often does a moment in hockey transcend sports," remarked Brendan Shanahan later.

text: The following season, the Wings looked poised to "three-peat" for the first time in franchise history, acquiring three-time top blueliner Chris Chelios from his hometown Chicago Blackhawks in March 1999, but it was not to be as they would end up losing the Western Conference Semifinals to Colorado in six games.

text: The Wings had built up a fierce rivalry with the Avalanche in this time. With the Red Wings beating the Avs in the third round in 1997, and Colorado beating Detroit in the second round in both 1999 and 2000, the battles between these two teams had become one of the fiercest in sports. During a game on March 26, 1997, a brawl ensued between Colorado goalie Patrick Roy and his Detroit counterpart Mike Vernon. In a separate fight, Darren McCarty paid back Avalanche player Claude Lemieux for his hit from behind on Kris Draper the year before. Fittingly, it was Darren McCarty who scored the overtime goal to give the Red Wings the 6–5 victory in the game that became known as "Fight Night at the Joe."

text: In 2001, Detroit, the league's second-best team in the regular season, were upset in the playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings. During the summer that followed, they acquired legendary goalie Dominik Hasek (the defending Vezina Trophy winner) in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres. They also landed left-wing Luc Robitaille and right-wing Brett Hull through free agency. Rookie center Pavel Datsyuk joined the Wings from the Russian Superleague the same year. The Wings became the hands-down favorite to win the Cup in 2002. They did not disappoint, posting the league's best record in the regular season and defeating Colorado in seven games in the Western Conference Finals after beating the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues in rounds one and two. The Red Wings went on to capture another Cup in five games over the Cinderella-story Carolina Hurricanes, with Nicklas Lidstrom winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff's Most Valuable Player. Bowman and Hasek both elected to retire after the season. Yzerman, Hull, and Robitaille were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.[23]

text: The 2003 season saw the Red Wings promote associate coach Dave Lewis to the head coach position after Bowman's retirement. Needing a new starting goaltender after Hasek's retirement, the Red wings signed Curtis Joseph from the Toronto Maple Leafs to a three-year, $24 million deal. Also new to the lineup was highly touted Swedish prospect Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings finished the season second in the Western Conference and third overall in the NHL. The Red Wings were favored in their first round matchup against the 7th seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. But the Ducks shocked the hockey world by sweeping the Red Wings in four games, thanks in large part to the strong performance of Ducks goaltender J. S. Giguere. The Ducks later advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost in Game 7 to the New Jersey Devils.

text: Longtime Wing Sergei Fedorov signed with the Mighty Ducks as a free agent during the offseason, after a long contract dispute. More importantly, Dominik Hasek decided to come out of retirement, and joined the Wings for the 2003–04 season. The Wings also added defenseman Derian Hatcher from the Dallas Stars via free agency, as well as forward Ray Whitney from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joseph, despite being one of the highest-paid players in the NHL, had to spend part of the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's American Hockey League affiliate. The Wings attempted to trade him; but, perhaps because of his large contract, there were no suitors. Ultimately, Hasek called it quits after just 14 games because of a groin injury, and Joseph became the Wings' No. 1 goalie again, and helped lead the team to the top of the Central Division and the National Hockey League standings. Hatcher was also injured just a few games into the regular season with a torn MCL. Hatcher would not return until the end of the regular season. The Wings acquired veteran center Robert Lang from the Capitals at the trade deadline.

text: The Red Wings eliminated the Nashville Predators in six games in the first round of the playoffs, which led to a second round matchup with the Calgary Flames. In Game 5, with the series tied at two games apiece, a deflected puck struck Steve Yzerman in the left eye, sidelining him for the remainder of the playoffs. The Red Wings lost that game 1–0, and were eliminated the next game in Calgary by the same score in overtime.

text: During the 2004 offseason, the Wings focused on keeping players they already had instead of being active on the free agent market. They re-signed Frank J. Selke Trophy-winning forward Kris Draper, who had just had a career season, to a four-year deal, and captain Yzerman to a one-year deal. They also re-signed Brendan Shanahan, Jiri Fischer, Jason Williams, and Mathieu Dandenault as well head coach Dave Lewis. Deals were not reached with veteran defensemen Chris Chelios and Mathieu Schneider or star forward Pavel Datsyuk before the NHL owners triggered their lockout on September 15. There also was a parting of ways with veteran forward Brett Hull, who signed with the Phoenix Coyotes as did forward Boyd Devereaux.

text: 2005–2012: Nick Lidstrom and the 'Swedish Connection' era[edit]

text: On July 15, 2005, Mike Babcock, former head coach in Anaheim, became the new head coach for the Wings. During a November 21, 2005, game against Nashville, defenseman Jiri Fischer suffered a heart arrhythmia and collapsed on the bench. The game was canceled because of his injury, and was made up on January 23, 2006. This was the first time in NHL history a game had been postponed by injury. The game was played for the full 60 minutes; however, the Predators were allowed to maintain their 1–0 lead from the original game and won, 3–2. The Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy with a 58–16–8 record, earning them 124 points, and secured home ice advantage for the entire playoffs. They opened the 2006 playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers with a 3–2 overtime victory at Joe Louis Arena, but the Oilers won four of the next five games to take the series.

text: Continuing the shakeup of the Red Wings roster, the off-season saw the departure of Brendan Shanahan and the return of Dominik Hasek, while Steve Yzerman announced his retirement after a 23-season Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Wings, at the time having played the second most games in history all with a single team (behind fellow Red Wing Alex Delvecchio and later also surpassed by Nicklas Lidstrom). Yzerman retired with the additional distinction of having been the longest-serving team captain in NHL history.

text: The Red Wings opened the 2006–07 season with Nicklas Lidstrom as the new captain. The team retired Steve Yzerman's jersey number 19 on January 2. The Wings finished first in the Western Conference and tied for first in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, but the Sabres were awarded the Presidents' Trophy by virtue of having the greater number of wins. Detroit advanced to the third round of the 2007 playoffs after defeating Calgary and the San Jose Sharks both in six games, coming back three-straight after the Sharks' 2–1 series lead. The Red Wings, however, then lost to the eventual Stanley Cup winning team, the Anaheim Ducks, in the Western Conference Finals, four games to two.

text: To start the 2007–08 campaign, Henrik Zetterberg recorded at least a point in each of Detroit's first 16 games, setting a club record. The Wings cruised to the playoffs, where they faced the Nashville Predators. After goalie Dominik Hasek played poorly in Games 3 and 4 of the series, both losses, Head Coach Mike Babcock replaced him with Chris Osgood. Osgood had departed the Wings earlier in the decade, only to be re-acquired as a backup in 2005. Osgood never left the net for the remainder of the playoffs, as the Red Wings came back in that series on their way to winning their 11th Stanley Cup. The final victory came in Game 6 on June 4, 2008, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, by a score of 3–2. This was the Wings' fourth Stanley Cup in 11 years. Zetterberg scored the winning goal in the decisive game, and was also named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. It was the first time a team captained by a non-North American player (Nicklas Lidstrom) won the Stanley Cup.

text: On July 2, 2008, the Detroit Red Wings announced the signing of Marian Hossa. From the beginning of the 2008–09 season to New Year's Day, the Wings enjoyed success. Although they finished second in the conference to the San Jose Sharks, the Wings became the first team in NHL history to top 100 points in nine straight seasons. On January 1, 2009, the Red Wings played the Chicago Blackhawks in the third NHL Winter Classic at Chicago's Wrigley Field, beating them 6–4. The Wings entered the 2009 playoffs as the second overall seed in the Western Conference. The Red Wings handily swept the Columbus Blue Jackets, then beat the eighth-seeded Anaheim Ducks in a hard fought seven-game series. They took on the vastly improved Chicago Blackhawks in the Conference Finals, winning in five games. The Red Wings would face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Finals for a second consecutive year, but this series would feature a different outcome. Pittsburgh defeated the Red Wings in seven games, Detroit becoming only the second NHL team to lose the Cup at home in Game 7.

text: The Red Wings began the 2009–10 NHL season in Stockholm, Sweden, falling in both games to the St. Louis Blues by scores of 4–3 and 5–3, respectively. They were plagued by injuries throughout the season and lost the second most man-games to injury, with only the last place Edmonton Oilers losing more. The beginning of the season was a struggle for the Wings, with key players out of the lineup including Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Niklas Kronwall. After the Olympic break, Detroit posted a record of 13–2–2 and earned 28 points, the most by any team in the NHL in the month of March. This run helped them secure the fifth playoff seed in the Western Conference. Detroit won their first-round playoff series over the Phoenix Coyotes in seven games. In the second round, they fell behind the San Jose Sharks three games to one, before being knocked out of the playoffs in five games. All four games that the Red Wings lost that series were decided by one goal. The lone game that they won ended with a final score of 7–1.

text: A healthier Red Wings team finished the 2010–11 NHL season with a 47–25–10 record and 104 points to win the Central Division title. They earned the #3 seed in the Western Conference for the Stanley Cup playoffs (extending their professional sports record of post-season appearances to 20 seasons), finishing behind the Vancouver Canucks (117) and San Jose Sharks (105). The Wings again faced the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round of the playoffs, this time sweeping them 4–0—making them the only team in the 2011 playoffs to sweep the first round—and again moved on to play the Sharks in Round 2. After losing the first three games of the series against the Sharks, the Red Wings won three consecutive games to force a Game 7, becoming just the eighth team in NHL history to accomplish the feat (the Chicago Blackhawks became the seventh team to do so earlier in the 2011 playoffs, against Vancouver). The Red Wings lost Game 7 to the Sharks by a score of 3–2, and were eliminated.

text: During the 2011 off-season, Red Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski retired, citing injuries as the main reason behind his decision. Detroit soon signed free agent defenseman Ian White to take his place. Long-time Red Wings Kris Draper and Chris Osgood also announced their retirement from hockey, with both soon taking positions within the club. Detroit signed goaltender Ty Conklin for his second tour of duty with the team. Tragedy struck the organization and the rest of the National Hockey League upon the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, which claimed the lives of former Red Wings assistant coach Brad McCrimmon and defenseman Ruslan Salei, who had joined the KHL team during the summer. Stefan Liv, a former Red Wings goaltending prospect, was also among the fatalities. The Red Wings then added a patch to the left arm of their uniforms with the trio's initials.

text: On February 14, 2012, the Red Wings set the NHL record for most consecutive wins at home in a single season by winning their 21st home game with a 3–1 victory over the Dallas Stars, and on Sunday, February 19, 2012, defeated the San Jose Sharks to record their 23rd consecutive home victory, breaking the overall record previously held by the Boston Bruins over two seasons from 1929 to 1930. The Red Wings also made the NHL playoffs extending their streak of 21-straight playoff appearances as the fifth seed. They were defeated in five games by their opening-round opponent, the Nashville Predators.

text: On Thursday, May 31, 2012, Nicklas Lidstrom retired after his 20th consecutive NHL season, and sixth year as captain of the Detroit Red Wings.[24]

text: Later in the off-season, fellow longtime Swedish Red Wing Tomas Holmstrom would also retire.

text: 2013–17: The Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk era[edit]

text: Henrik Zetterberg was named successor to Nicklas Lidstrom as team captain. On July 1, 2012, the first day of the NHL free agency period, the Detroit Red Wings signed Swiss forward Damien Brunner to a one-year, entry-level contract; forward Jordin Tootoo to a three-year, $5.7 million contract; and goaltender Jonas Gustavsson to a two-year, $3 million deal.

text: The team won their final four games of the 2012–13 season to earn the seventh seed of the playoffs. The Red Wings' 3–0 victory over the Dallas Stars on April 27, 2013, clinched a playoff appearance; had they lost the game in regulation, they would have missed the playoffs by one point. Detroit's win preserved their streak of 22 consecutive playoff appearances, extending their North American professional sports franchise record.

text: As the seventh seed in the 2013 playoffs, the Red Wings faced the second-seeded Anaheim Ducks. The Wings survived a fierce battle that included four overtime games, winning the series 4–3 after a 3–2 Game 7 victory in Anaheim.[25] The next round pitted the Red Wings against the top-seeded and eventual Stanley cup winners Chicago, and also went seven games. On May 29, the Wings were eliminated from the playoffs in a 2–1 overtime loss to the 'Hawks in Game 7.

text: On July 5, 2013, the Red Wings signed long time Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson to a one-year contract and long time Florida Panther Stephen Weiss to a five-year contract. In the 2013–14 season, the Red Wings moved to the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. On April 9, 2014, the Red Wings clinched their 23rd consecutive playoff appearance, though they were eliminated in the first round by the Boston Bruins in five games.

text: On April 9, 2015, after the 2014–15 regular season, the Red Wings clinched their 24th consecutive playoff appearance, thus extending the longest streak in the four major North American sports. The team, however, was eliminated in the first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. Head coach Mike Babcock, concluding the final year of his contract, left the Red Wings and became coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dylan Larkin signed a contract with the Red Wings the day after. Jeff Blashill, head coach of the Red Wings' top farm club, the Grand Rapids Griffins, was named his successor on June 9.

text: During the 2015–16 season, the Detroit Red Wings extended their North American major sports playoff streak to 25 seasons; they would be eliminated in the first round by the Lightning for the second consecutive season, in five games.

text: On February 10, 2017, Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch died at the age of 87.[26]

text: In the 2016-17 season, the Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1989-90 season, ending their playoff streak at 25 seasons.

text: On April 9, 2017, the Red Wings beat the New Jersey Devils 4–1 in the final game played at Joe Louis Arena. Riley Sheahan scored his only two goals of the season in that game.

text: The Red Wings won their first game of the 2017–18 regular season at their new home, Little Caesars Arena, on October 5, 2017 against the Minnesota Wild by a score of 4-2.


document_title: List of Mama's Family characters

question_text: how did aunt fran die on mama's family

question_tokens: how did aunt fran die on mama 's family

text: List of Mama's Family characters

text: Thelma Harper (Mama)[edit]

text: See Thelma Harper

text: Eunice Harper Higgins[edit]

text: See Eunice Harper Higgins

text: Vinton Harper[edit]

text:
Vinton Harper

First appearance
"Vint and the Kids Move In"

Last appearance
"Bye-bye–Baby!"

Portrayed by
Ken Berry
David Friedman as Young Vint Harper

Information

Aliases
Vinton Ray Harper (birth name)

Gender
Male

Occupation
Locksmith

Family
Thelma Harper (mother)
Carl Harper (father; deceased)
Ellen Jackson (sister)
Eunice Higgins (sister)

Spouse(s)
Mitzi Harper (divorced)
Naomi Oates (current)

Children
Sonja Harper (daughter, with Mitzi)
Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. (son, with Mitzi)
Tiffany Thelma Harper (daughter, with Naomi)

Relatives
Aunt Fran Crowley (aunt)
Ed Higgins (brother-in-law)
Bubba Higgins (nephew)
Billy Joe Higgins (nephew)

tag: table

text: Vinton Ray Harper , played by actor Ken Berry, was the youngest of the three children of Thelma Harper and her late husband, Carl born on March 10th. As a child and as an adult, he was often at the mercy of his older sisters, snobbish Ellen and temperamental, tempestuous Eunice.

text: Vinton worked as a locksmith at a store called Kwik Keys. Prior to the series' run, Vinton had been married to a woman named Mitzi, siring two children, Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. and Sonja Harper. Mitzi had just abandoned Vinton and her family to move to Las Vegas as the series began, finding work there as a cocktail waitress, and Vinton and his two children moved in with his mother after being evicted from their house. He soon reconnected with former schoolmate, and his mother's next door neighbor, Naomi Oates. They fell in love after a one-night stand, exacerbating the neighborly rivalry between Thelma and Naomi, and they married in his mother's house. Their plan after marriage had been to move to Arizona to run a trailer park, but their business partner absconded with their money, leaving them destitute with no other alternative but to move into his mother's basement.

text: During the NBC run of the series (1983-1984), Vinton was portrayed as clumsy, temperamental, and unafraid of confrontation. As a blue-collar worker from the heartland, a few episodes during the NBC run revolved around his family's inability to act with grace and class in public, much to the embarrassment of the more cultured members of the family. This changed during the series' run in syndication (1986-1990); Vinton was portrayed as dumbfounded and naïve, with a peaceable demeanor and a fear of confrontation.

text: Toward the end of the third season, Vinton became a member of the Mystic Knights of the Cobras, a fictitious men's order similar to the Shriners and the Elks Club.

text: A running gag throughout the series was that the Vinton and Naomi characters were relegated to living in his mother's basement while other family members occupied the rooms upstairs. When the series began running in syndication, Vinton's children Buzz and Sonja had moved out of the house, and his aunt (Thelma's sister Fran) had recently died. The season three premiere had Vinton's nephew Bubba Higgins, the son of Eunice and Ed Higgins, released from juvenile hall to Thelma's custody after his parents had left Raytown for Florida; Bubba was given Thelma's deceased sister's spacious room, complete with pink floral wallpaper. A season four episode addressed the unusual living arrangements between the family members as they switched rooms, but Vinton and his wife ultimately chose to move back into the basement and remained there without further complaint. In the penultimate episode of the series, Vinton and Naomi finally moved out of the basement and into a recreational vehicle parked in his mother's backyard.

text: A recurring theme throughout the fifth season had Vinton and his wife planning and attempting to conceive a child, culminating in the announcement at the season finale that Naomi was pregnant. The sixth season saw the family's preparation for the upcoming new addition, and the series ended with Vinton's wife giving birth to a daughter, Tiffany Thelma Harper.

text: Naomi Harper[edit]

text: This television-related article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (October 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Naomi Harper

First appearance
"Vint and the Kids Move In"

Last appearance
"Bye-bye–Baby!"

Portrayed by
Dorothy Lyman

Information

Nickname(s)
"Skeeter"

Aliases
Naomi Oates

Occupation
Cashier at Food Circus
Assistant Manager at Food Circus

Spouse(s)
Vinton Harper,
Leonard Oates (ex-husband),
Tommy Ray/Lee (ex-husband)

Children
Tiffany Thelma Harper (daughter)
Vinton Harper Jr. AKA Buzz (step-son)
Sonja Harper (step-daughter)

Relatives
Thelma Harper (mother-in-law),
Bubba Higgins (nephew),
Ellen Jackson (sister-in-law),
Eunice Higgins (sister-in-law),
Ed Higgins (brother-in-law)

text: Naomi Harper (formerly Oates), supposedly born in September played by actress-director Dorothy Lyman, was the second wife of Vinton Harper and the bane of Thelma Harper's existence. Thelma thinks that Naomi is a floozy; but Vint adores her and calls her "Skeeter". At first, Naomi was Thelma's neighbor, always complaining about the sap from Thelma's tree dripping on her car, but later she becomes family. Naomi is a very amorous, touchy-feely woman, who's often seen openly showing her love and affection towards Vinton by rubbing and feeling all over him. She almost always either wears the color yellow and/or off-the-shoulder dresses and blouses.

text: She met Vinton, an old schoolmate, after he moved in with his mother, and the two hit it off. They even shared a night together, which truly infuriated Thelma. When they announced their marriage plans, Thelma wanted the paramedics called, because she was going to kill Vinton.

text: In fact, her wedding ceremony was almost ruined by the over-the-top antics of her hateful sister in-law, Eunice Harper Higgins. Eunice begged both Vinton and Naomi to let her sing. Naomi reluctantly agreed, basically to keep Eunice quiet. However, the straw broke for Eunice when Naomi showed her a ring that her mother had given Vinton. It turned out to be a sapphire ring that had belonged to her father, and she had coveted for some time. Naomi tied the ring around her neck (it was the something old, something borrowed and something blue, her dress was the something new).

text: This led to Eunice going off on every single member of her family, and particularly her mother, leading Ed, Eunice's long-suffering husband, to carry her out of the house. During this argument, Naomi wasn't spared Eunice's tongue-lashing and neither was Vinton. She called her younger brother, "Tinker Bell" and referred to Naomi as a "recycled bride". This set the stage for animosity between Eunice and Naomi. To Eunice, Naomi is a Bleach Blond Bimbo, and Naomi counters with that she buys her clothes from a dime-store dummy.

text: At first, Naomi, with Vint and her new family, was set to move to Arizona to run a trailer park, but her so-called "partner" ran off with the money she had made selling her house.

text: Naomi worked as a cashier at Food Circus, a local grocery store in Raytown, and continued to do so, even after her marriage. Later on, she was promoted to Assistant Manager. She worked under three managers, Mr. Frank Palmer (who hired Thelma Harper as head of customer relations), Mr. Carruthers, and Mr. Archie Woods, who sexually harassed Naomi.

text: She had been married two previous times, most notably to Leonard Oates (played by Jerry Reed), but despite that, Vint is her soul-mate and the love of her life. She and Vint remain a solid couple, even though their across the street neighbor, Iola Boylen, makes no secret that she wants Vint.

text: Although she established a bond between her and her two stepchildren, (from Vint's first marriage) Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. and Sonja Harper; she had her own child by Vint, Tiffany Thelma Harper, named after her grandmother. After years of living in the basement of the Harper home, they purchased a trailer and lived in the backyard, out of the house, but never out of Thelma's shadow.

text: The character of Naomi underwent a change after the series went to first run syndication. Naomi became less assertive and more dumb. During the run on NBC Naomi was not shown to be a pushover and quite often stood up to Mama. Indeed, at one point she sued Mama. This side of Naomi was dropped when the series entered syndication.

text: There is also a continuity error with how many prior times Naomi has been married. Most say Vinton was her third marriage but several instances (such as in the episode regarding the chili cook-off), Naomi names four prior ex-husbands so that would make Vinton her fifth. Naomi says she married Tommy Lee when she was 17, then names Rick, Leonard and George as her other husbands. It was Leonard (played by Jerry Reed) who had the last name of Oates.

text: Naomi boasts about her cooking, but it's really canned food with a few added ingredients. Her "Famous International Stew" is canned stew, canned peas, canned Mexican corn, canned sauerkraut and SpaghettiOs. Another time is when Mama, Iola and Naomi competed in a chili cookoff, Naomi's ingredients consisted of canned chili, Beer Nuts, beef jerky, and Fritos. Despite having limited cooking skills, Naomi briefly worked as a caterer with disastrous results.

text: Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr.[edit]

text: Vinton Harper, Jr. better known by his nickname, "Buzz", played by actor Eric Brown, was the youngest of the two children of Vinton Harper (whom he was named after) and his first wife, Mitzi. Right after Mitzi had run off to Las Vegas to work in show business, (in actuality, she worked at a bar as a cocktail waitress) he, along with his father and his sister, Sonja Harper moved in with his grandmother, Thelma Harper, after they were evicted from their house. He shared a very good relationship with his grandmother and his great aunt Fran Crowley.

text: The reason for this is that he didn't constantly drive his grandmother crazy as Sonja was often wont to do, and as his father had to his mother when he was Buzz's age. He found favor with Aunt Fran because they shared a bathroom and at least, he was extremely neat and orderly, unlike Sonja, who strewed her makeup all over the counter.

text: The thing about Buzz was that he was extremely obedient, very patient, and was always willing to do the right thing, no matter what. In short, he was quite respectful to everyone. Although, he could be head-strong, like most of his family, he was never outright mean.

text: This didn't please Sonja, who like her aunts before her, felt that he was overshadowing her. On the other hand, Buzz was himself, and it earned him favor from his great aunt and his grandmother.

text: Buzz also seemed to have a close bond with his grandmother. One example was when she was lining up help to clean the attic. After everyone else gave some ridiculous and even some not-so-subtle excuses for not wanting to doing so, Buzz said that he had no excuse, and so said he would help her. "You've got no imagination, Buzz" his grandmother said, "but I love you."

text: Together the two shared stories from her earlier days when his dad and aunts were children, and even though they never got the attic (where Buzz slept) cleaned up, it mattered not, it was a fun time for both of them. As it turned out, it was a surprise for Thelma, who received a freezer that she had coveted for a long time, as a birthday present, and everyone had pitched in.

text: Another sore spot with Sonja was that even though she was older, she perceived Buzz to be favored by his father. In fact, he told his father, after he had told them that he was planning to remarry, that no matter what situations that he dragged them into, that they were his for the dragging. In his mind, other fathers would have given up on them and dumped them, but his father never did, and that was good enough for him.

text: Buzz and Sonja were on the receiving end of their sharp-tongued aunt, Eunice Harper Higgins's ire when she told them to "go soak their heads in Clearasil!!" This occurred at his father's wedding.

text: Buzz will defend his family, when push comes to shove. This was shown as Buzz had shouted at Eunice as she was being carried out by his Uncle Ed.

text: After two years of living with his grandmother, he and Sonja moved to an unknown location. They did establish a bond with their father's second wife, Naomi Harper, however. In fact, Buzz outright said that he liked Naomi.

text: Ellen Harper[edit]

text: This television-related section describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (October 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Ellen Harper Jackson

First appearance
The Carol Burnett Show
(November 22, 1975)

Last appearance
Episode: "Best Medicine"
(July 1986)

Portrayed by
Betty White

Information

Aliases
Mary Ellen Harper (birth name)

Gender
Female

Occupation
Socialite

Family
Carl Harper (father; deceased)
Thelma Harper (mother)
Eunice Higgins
Vinton Harper

Spouse(s)
Bruce Jackson (divorced)

Children
Mary Beth Jackson
Debbie Jackson (daughters with Bruce; mentioned on The Carol Burnett Show)

Relatives
Fran Crowley (maternal aunt; deceased)
Bubba Higgins (nephew)
Sonja Harper (niece)
(Tiffany Thelma Harper) (niece)
Buzz Harper (nephew)
Billy Joe Higgins (nephew)

text: Ellen Jackson (née Mary Ellen Harper), who made sporadic appearances in the sketch comedy, The Family, and its spin-off sitcom, Mama's Family, was played by Betty White.

text: Mary Ellen Harper (usually called Ellen) was born on June 30th in Raytown to Carl Harper and Thelma Crowley Harper. Snobbish by nature, affluent by marriage, Ellen is the oldest of Carl and Thelma Harper's three children. Even as a child, her snobbish tendencies asserted themselves. Typically, she prefers not to associate with anyone in her family—-unless it benefits her in some way. She was married to an often spoken of but never seen husband named Bruce Jackson, whom she later divorced. Her ability to do anything well irritated her resentful younger sister, Eunice, to no end. This, added to the fact that Ellen was Carl and Thelma's clear favorite, added to the explosive rivalry between the two sisters. Ellen later learned of Bruce's infidelity from Eunice, who gleefully exposed it to her face. Ellen's relationship with her brother Vinton "Vint" Harper tends to be amicable, although like the rest of the family, she usually dismisses him for being a bit dim.

text: Shortly after her divorce from Bruce Jackson, Ellen began to date a much younger man named Glenn, to which Thelma vehemently objected. She later began seeing Alvin Tutweiler, mayor of Raytown. Ellen saw him as the ticket back into the high society that she missed since her divorce. When confronted on this conniving by her mother, she flippantly replied: "it worked for Nancy Reagan." Ellen was clearly resentful towards her mother when she decided to run against her boyfriend for mayor. Despite Ellen's conniving, Thelma won the Mayor's race. However, Thelma realized that she couldn't run Raytown, so she relinquished the Mayor's office back to Tutweiler.

text: When the show went into syndication, it was presumed that Ellen still lived in Raytown, but she wasn't seen much after the second season (Betty White was, by this time, starring in The Golden Girls.)

text: Despite being her mother's favorite, Ellen (like her siblings) isn't spared Thelma's criticism, insults or wrath. When Fran died and Ellen's presence was not at her funeral, this caused a huge rift in Thelma and Ellen's relationship, and Thelma threatened to not speak to her again. Afterwards, Ellen made an attempt to mend fences with her mother by showing up with a peace offering, but Thelma remained unmoved and ordered her out of the house. Thelma let go of her animosity when she soon after learned that Ellen had been checked into the hospital for surgery (in reality, she had a mere fanny tuck). It was there that Thelma admitted to Ellen that she had always favored her the best of her three kids.

text: Ellen was chosen as Raytown Country Club's Woman of the Year, and was embarrassed when Thelma, Vint, and Naomi showed up at the awards ceremony. She has also dated a successful businessman named Glenn, who was so young that Thelma observed "She's old enough to have lived two of his lives."

text: However, in "The Family" sketches on the Carol Burnett Show, Ellen has no qualms about snapping back at her mother, when she is annoyed with her. In those sketches, she was also near gleeful whenever she got something that Eunice wanted, like a Tiffany lampshade, or a box of fine china. She also tended to rub it into Eunice's face that she was favored, and Eunice was not.

text: In The Family sketches, her husband's name was Arthur and they had two spoiled daughters, named Mary Beth and Debbie.

text: Ed Higgins[edit]

text: Ed Higgins is a character in "The Family" sketches on The Carol Burnett Show and, to a lesser extent, on the sitcom spinoff Mama's Family. In both cases, he was played by Harvey Korman.

text: Among other things, Ed is a fiercely ill-tempered, slovenly, unsuccessful buffoon in The Family sketches. In his appearances on Mama's Family, however, the intensity of the character is toned down and he is more of an affable, buffoonish dolt. Ed is the owner of Central Hardware store in Raytown. He was married to the most trying of women, Eunice Harper Higgins. They eloped, much against her mother Thelma Harper's wishes, and that set up years of contention. In his wife's eyes, he was an inconsiderate, worthless goon. At the Hardware store, he had an assistant named Mickey Hart (Tim Conway), but he was only seen on The Carol Burnett Show.

text: He had a lot of troubles, some would say more than his share, married to a woman who was not only always thinking she was better than everyone else, but she also felt she could do no wrong when in reality, she always managed to ruin everything.

text: Ed was asked by his brother in-law's soon-to-be wife, Naomi Harper to give her away at her wedding. This earned him the wrath of Eunice, who wanted to do some singing at the wedding, but was told by everyone, no.

text: During said wedding, Eunice, typically, decided to destroy the festivities, by railing and ranting at every member of her family, because once again, she was overshadowed by them, and the spotlight was never on her.

text: However, it is possible Ed has some relief from Eunice, in the form of prostitutes. We know this from the episode where Thelma and Eunice are in jail together, with a prostitute who sets them both straight (briefly). When Ed comes to bail the women out, he and the prostitute recognize each other suggestively.

text: The couple, for all their contention, had a son, Bubba, but had abandoned Bubba while he was in juvenile hall, and they moved to Florida, without even telling him.

text: Bubba Higgins[edit]

text:
Bubba Higgins

First appearance
"Farewell Frannie"

Last appearance
"Bye Bye Baby"

Created by
Dick Clair

Portrayed by
Allan Kayser

Information

Occupation
College student

Family
Eunice Higgins (mother)
Ed Higgins (father)
Billy Joe Higgins (brother)

Relatives
Thelma Harper, neé Crowley (grandmother)
Carl Harper (grandfather; deceased)
Vint Harper (uncle)
Naomi Harper (aunt)
Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. (cousin)
Sonja Harper (cousin)
Tiffany Thelma Harper (cousin)
Ellen Jackson (aunt)
Bruce Jackson (former uncle)
Fran Crowley (great-aunt; deceased)

text: Bubba Higgins is a fictional character in the television situation comedy, Mama's Family. He was played by Allan Kayser.

text: Character overview

text: Bubba Higgins born October 24th was the son of Ed and Eunice Higgins. Some time prior to his first appearance, he had stolen a car, and was sent to juvenile hall. Which was no surprise, given that his mother was often contentious and very selfish.

text: He was released early from juvie on good behavior, only to return home and find that it was locked up tight. Then he was told that his parents had basically left him in Raytown while they went off to Florida. This characteristically selfish act of Eunice's was enough to incur the wrath of her mother, Thelma Harper, who swore that she would kill Eunice for leaving Bubba in Raytown, and also for missing her own son's graduation.

text: Bubba was quite a switch from Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr., his cousin. Whereas Buzz was patient, and easy to get along with, Bubba was a lot like his mother. He wasn't as selfish as she was, but he was temperamental and stubborn. He was also very girl-crazy, something that his grandmother couldn't understand. One time, she found a porno magazine in his bedroom, and she formed MOP (Mothers Opposing Pornography) to quash that.

text: Bubba's two best friends were a duo named Dwayne and T-Boy, obviously guys he knew from his days in Juvenile Hall. Thelma thoroughly disliked the two from the outset, and often forbade Bubba from hanging out with them, but he usually wound up doing so and angering her in the process.

text: When he first arrived, he didn't win any favor with his uncle Vinton and aunt Naomi Harper, when he got the prized bedroom that was left open when Thelma's sister, Fran Crowley died. Thelma had indeed promised him his own room. They had wanted that room, and were angered that Bubba got it, promise or no promise. They remained, under protest, in the basement.

text: Bubba nearly caused a serious breach in his relationship with his grandmother, when he came home drunk on a few beers. It hurt Thelma to see Bubba drunk and it reminded her all too clearly of the first time Eunice drank. During a mother-daughter banquet, where Eunice and Thelma were supposed to sing "MOTHER," they instead got into a violent argument about all the things that her mother had thought she had done, and wrecked. That was why Thelma was so strident against drinking. Iola had told Bubba, Vint, and Naomi the story the day after Bubba's drinking incident and he tearfully apologized to Thelma, telling her she was the last person in the world he ever wanted to hurt. Thelma happily accepted and Bubba swore off drinking from that point on. During a sarcastic remark, Thelma tells Bubba that the only beer he'll be drinking is root beer.

text: Although he regularly drives his family crazy, they truly do love Bubba. He got through his probation, and started to attend junior college. By this time, he did break away from Dwayne and T-Boy. He was also instrumental in saving his grandmother's home, when he discovered that the house was a former brothel that the founder of Raytown had died in it. This made the house a Raytown historical landmark.

text: Aunt Fran Crowley[edit]

text:
Frances Marie Crowley

First appearance
"Vint and the Kids Move In" (January 1983)

Last appearance
"A Grave Mistake" (April 1984)

Created by
Dick Clair

Portrayed by
Rue McClanahan

Information

Nickname(s)
"Aunt Fran" (nickname)
"Fran" (nickname)
"Frannie" (nickname)

Occupation
Newspaper reporter
Freelance writer

Title
Miss Crowley

Family
Grandma Crowley (mother; deceased)
Grandpa Crowley (father; deceased)
Thelma Harper (sister)
Clyde Crowley (brother; lives in Amarillo, Texas)
Ellen Jackson (niece)
Eunice Higgins (niece)
Ed Higgins (nephew-in-law)
Vint Harper (nephew)
Naomi Harper (niece-in-law)
Sonja Harper (great-niece)
Buzz Harper (great-nephew)
Bubba Higgins (great-nephew)
Billy Joe Higgins (great-nephew)
Tiffany Thelma Harper (great-niece)

Relatives
Ina (aunt; deceased)
Gert Corey (cousin)
Don (uncle)
Lorraine (aunt)
Leroy (cousin; deceased)

text: Frances Marie Crowley, commonly known as "Aunt Fran", is a fictional character on the television series, Mama's Family. She was portrayed by Rue McClanahan during the show's first two seasons.

text: Fran is the uptight spinster younger sister of acid-tongued Thelma Harper. At first, she was the only one living with Thelma, until the arrival of her nephew, Vinton Harper and his children, Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. and Sonja Harper. She was a reporter for one of Raytown's newspapers, "The Bugle". She was also a budding author, and had her own writing studio, which had been yanked from her by Thelma who needed the room for Sonja. (The room had originally belonged to Ellen Harper and Eunice Harper Higgins, Vinton's older sisters.)

text: At times, Fran had felt that her privacy had been invaded because of Vint and his family moving in, namely because Sonja had read her manuscript. Another particular cross was that she had to share a bathroom with the kids. At least Buzz kept his things in an orderly fashion and for this won favor from Fran, while Sonja was a typical teenager, messy and therefore more frustrating to Fran.

text: Fran always looked like that she was one step away from a nervous breakdown, and she often stood up to her opinionated sister. At times though, she would unbend, and let her hair down and have some fun. She showed this side of herself when she indulged in some wine at the wedding preparations for Vint and Naomi Oates. Also, when she chaperoned Sonja's slumber party when Thelma was out of town.

text: However, after two years, (and because Rue McClanahan and Betty White, who played Ellen, had been asked to join the cast of The Golden Girls), Fran had died as a result of swallowing a toothpick in the ladies room at the local bar and grill, The Bigger Jigger. Her room eventually went to her great nephew, Bubba Higgins, which caused Vint and Naomi great consternation, since they had been angling for that room. McClanahan was actually unhappy with the role and was happy to leave.[2]

text: Frances Crowley's Last Will and Testament[edit]

text: After Fran's funeral in "Farewell Frannie", it was later revealed in "Where There's a Will" that she left a last will and testament and Thelma contacted the executor of Fran's last will and testament, Larwin P. Finstadler. According to Finstadler, Aunt Fran was worth an estimated $35,000 dollars through six bank accounts, stock and land holdings.

text:
10% of her estate is set aside for her favorite charity, the Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls. ($3,500)
To her sister Thelma Harper, she is bequeathed half of the remainder of her estate. ($15,750)
To her nephew Vint Harper and niece-in-law Naomi Harper, they are bequeathed half of the remainder of her estate. ($15,750)

tag: ul

text: There is one stipulation that Thelma must fill out Fran's one final wish: which is to not lose her temper for a period of 2 weeks. If she fails, which she did, the entire estate goes to the Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls.

text: Iola Boylen[edit]

text:
Iola Lucille Boylen

First appearance
Farewell, Frannie

Last appearance
Bye Bye Baby

Information

Nickname(s)
Miss Boylen

Gender
Female

Title
Miss Boylen

Family
Tommy Boylen (unknown relative)

Verne Boylen (brother)

Relatives
Vernilia Boylen (cousin)
Vernette Boylen (niece)

text: Iola Lucille Boylen, born on July 7th in Raytown a character on Mama's Family, was played by Beverly Archer during the series' syndicated run (1986-1990).

text: During the NBC years (1983-1984), there was no mention of Iola by name; however, various references to the Boylen family were made, including a "Tommy Boylen" and "Ms. Boylen," the latter who appeared briefly as a neighbor living across the street from Thelma Harper and her family. After Iola's introduction in season three, she was portrayed as having lived across the street from and knowing the Harper family for all of her life. With the exception of her niece, Vernette (played by Penelope Sudrow), the rest of her family members and the inside of her home were unseen. References were made throughout the series to her father and morbidly obese and disabled mother, Mr. and Mrs. Boylen, her brother Verne, and her cousin Vernelia, who worked at an adoption agency in the neighboring town of Hinckley. Thelma's daughter Ellen had limited interaction with Iola in the syndicated version of the series, and through flashbacks, it is revealed that Thelma's daughter Eunice disliked her. Thelma's grandson Bubba always referred to her as "Miss Boylen," and Iola's catchphrase was a friendly "Knock, knock!" whenever she entered the Harpers' house, usually around dinner time.

text: Iola would often be the only other person whom Thelma would spend time with, outside of her family. They would often be involved in civic work together, most notably the Church Ladies' League (CLL). Although the two women were best friends, multiple episodes and story lines would depict conflicts that would arise between the two when fighting over the same things (e.g., a position as president of the CLL; a rose-growing contest; a chili cook-off; a winning lottery ticket, etc.). When first introduced, the character of Iola seemed to be an antagonist for Mama, but this role was quickly dropped and most episodes depicted Iola as a second banana to Thelma in her schemes throughout the series' run.

text: From the character's introduction at the beginning of season three until the middle of season four, the Iola character was infatuated with Vinton, a crush that was revealed to have existed since they were children. Her open flirtatiousness around Vinton and her disdain of Naomi led to an acrimonious and somewhat formal relationship between the two women. However, after a season four episode ("I Do, I Don't") in which various characters fantasized about married life with the objects of their affections, Iola's attitude towards Vinton changed from that point forward in the series. With Iola no longer displaying any overt interest in Vinton, relations between her and Naomi greatly improved, with episodes in seasons five and six depicting the two women spending time together at the theater and the mall.

text: Iola was depicted as mobile, having the ability to drive a car and the church van, which were both never seen. As a home economics major, she was frequently portrayed as an excellent cook, baker, gardener, housekeeper, and sewer of clothes, drapes, and slipcovers. However, she was also a frequent maker of handicrafts that ranged from the impractical to the ridiculous; she would bestow these unwanted items regularly upon the Harper family, much to their chagrin. It was never explained if Iola ever had a job outside of her house, or if she was a full-time caregiver for her parents; in several episodes, Iola alluded to selling her handicrafts at events, and one episode had her almost getting a job as an inventor.

text: In every episode in which Iola appeared, her character wore pink gingham shirtwaist dresses. However, depending on the plot lines, she would also change from her everyday dress into pink overalls (when working in the garden), black gingham shirtwaist dresses (while in mourning for characters who had died, including her cat), and during dream sequences, a pink off-the-shoulder dress (in the style of Naomi) and a vixen dress (in film-noir femme-fatale style).

text: Lloyd Meechum[edit]

text: Rev. Lloyd Meechum is a fictional character on the television sitcom, Mama's Family. He was played by Earl Boen.

text: Lloyd Meechum is the reverend for the church (unnamed) that Thelma Harper and her family attend. He is married to the often overbearing Alberta Meechum and has a grandson named Eugene. Reverend Meechum, in fact, married Vinton "Vint" Harper and Naomi Harper and officiated at Fran Crowley's funeral.

text: In fact, it was an incident with little Eugene that warranted him the most time on the show. During one Sunday in church, Eugene carved initials into the pews; and ran up and down, screaming and throwing paper airplanes at the choir. While the Harpers behavior wasn't sterling; Mrs. Meechum was sitting there with a smile which butter wouldn't melt, to coin the sarcastic phrase of Iola Boylan. Then, while the Meechums were visiting the shut-ins, the Harpers were saddled with Eugene.

text: To say that he was a holy terror would be a grievous understatement. He doctored Thelma's stew with a bottle of hot sauce; locked Vinton and his nephew, Bubba Higgins in the garage; and tormented Naomi, Thelma and Iola. There was no respite for the Harpers, since Lloyd was injured in the hospital.

text: Eugene was still a terror. He tied up Thelma, and it took Lloyd and Alberta to untie the thoroughly livid Thelma. While she held Eugene down, Lloyd spanked him, for kicking his sore leg. The milquetoast finally grew a spine.

text: Alberta Meechum[edit]

text: Alberta Meechum is a fictional character on the television sitcom, Mama's Family. She was played by Anne Haney.

text: Alberta is the catty, judgmental, and gossipy wife of the reverend Lloyd Meechum. As a church leader, she was well known in her parish. She was a former president of the Church Ladies League, or the CLL. She was also stuck-up by virtue of her strong position in the church. This allowed her to somewhat control her husband. Because of her nature, she was considered Thelma Harper's nemesis.

text: They had a very bratty grandson named Eugene (aka Little Eugene), whom she spoiled unabashedly, and allowed to misbehave so dreadfully. Whenever he did anything wrong, she would simply sit there and smile a smile "like butter wouldn't melt". During one Sunday, she decided to foist the unwilling Eugene on the even more unwilling Harpers. She said that he wouldn't be no trouble. Grammatically she was more than right; he indeed wasn't no trouble; in fact he was ALL trouble! And the trouble he unleashed on them was terrible.

text: Among his crimes, he doctored Thelma's stew with a whole bottle of Hot Sauce, then tried to deny his wrongdoing when caught; locked Vinton "Vint" Harper and Bubba Higgins in the garage; tormented Vint's wife, Naomi Harper; ruined Thelma's best tablecloth by coloring on it with crayons; wrecked a gift of Iola Boylan's; ruined Thelma's downstairs bathroom by spraying a whole can of Vint's shaving cream; and tying up Thelma during the night.

text: Even with all the proof of the crimes he committed, Alberta refused to do anything about Eugene, thinking that anything he did was perfect. In short, she tried to turn things around on Thelma by trying to blame her for all that happened, even though the idea of the Harpers babysitting Eugene had been Alberta's idea at the outset.

text: When Eugene kicked Lloyd in his broken leg, that was the final straw. While Thelma grabbed him when he tried to run for it, and held him in place; Lloyd finally spanked the unruly child as he deserved, to Alberta's horror.

text: When Thelma made an attempt at an unprecedented second term as president of the Church Ladies League, the conniving Alberta, presumably in retaliation for Thelma helping her husband punish their grandson, did everything in her power to stop her, by putting up Iola as a candidate, and nearly destroying Thelma and Iola's friendship. As it turned out, neither of them won, both defeated by Lolly Perdue, the only member of the CLL big enough to separate the two squabbling combatants.

text: Alvin Tutweiler[edit]

text: Alvin Tutweiler is a fictional character in the television series Mama's Family. He was played by Alan Oppenheimer.

text: Tutweiler was the mayor of the fictitious community of Raytown, where Thelma Harper lived for many years. Despite his often pompous ways and tendency to rub his constituents the wrong way, he was a somewhat decent mayor.

text: He had met Ellen Harper not long after she had divorced her husband, Bruce Jackson, and the two bonded. To the snobbish and very conniving Ellen, she saw him as a step to becoming possibly the first lady of the state. Her claim to this was "it worked for Nancy Reagan!"

text: As always, trouble began when, during a senior citizen's group meeting at Thelma's house, she challenged the usually unopposed Mayor in his next election. This was a shock to Ellen, who refused to have any part of it, and fought her own family to try to stop it. Obviously her heart was set for Alvin to win, but in the end, despite Ellen's machinations, Thelma defeated him by a shocking landslide.

text: However, she discovered that campaigning for mayor, and actually running a city are two very different things, and Thelma realized that she couldn't run Raytown, so she resigned and handed the reins of the city back to Alvin, who remained mayor all during the rest of the show's run.

text: Another time where the mayor made things tough for Thelma was when he was about to demolish the neighborhood she lived in to put in another landfill. Making Raytown distinguished by having two landfills! However, her neighborhood (and her house in particular) was a former house of ill-repute where the founder of Raytown, James A. Ray, had died. It was located at Number One Old Decatur Road, and although the street system had changed, the house that she lived in was purchased back when it was Number One Old Decatur Road, and so the house was saved, to Tutweiler's chagrin, by making it a historical landmark. The neighbors were furious about this because they were hoping for a ton of money, and also to be rid of Thelma as a neighbor.