The Meteoric Rise and Fall of Tammy

Social Security Administration Popular Baby Names

Tammy made her first appearance on the top 1000 in 1947, at #958, and struggled to remain on the chart for the next four years.   According to Think Baby Names, Tammy is a shortened form of Thomasina, which made only one appearance on the Popular Baby Names chart -- in 1932 at #969.

From a Turner Classic Movies description.    In a perhaps ironic twist of fate, Debbie Reynolds was 25, married to singer Eddie Fisher, and pregnant with her daughter Carrie when she played the innocent, backwoods 17-year-old Tambley "Tammy" Tyree in Tammy and the Bachelor (1957). It was a Cinderella story with a dash of hokum and more than a dash of the "bright as a new copper penny" personality of Debbie Reynolds. The combination added up to a gold record for Reynolds, a box office hit, and a franchise for Universal.

Not to mention a 476-point boost for Tammy on the 1957 list of popular baby names.



Tammy went on to spend 11 years among the top 15 names (1963-1973) before beginning her abrupt fall from grace.  By 1991, she had slid past 500, falling off the chart after 1998.



"Tammy", the single, made her debut on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending July 22, 1957.  She held the #1 spot for 5 weeks.  All told, she spent an incredible 31 weeks on the chart.

"That cute little Debbie Reynolds" did quite the baby name sales job with Tammy.

Other baby name posts:
Anita and Wanda: When you're hot, you're hot, when you're not, you're not. (12/15/2013) 
Autumn's child has it all over Spring Byington.  (12/12/2013)
Are you a boy or are you a girl?  (12/7/2013)
April, May, and June:  The baby names of spring.  (12/4/2013)
[Nose tinkle] Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle clue: 7 down, Daughter in "Bewitched".  (12/1/2013)
Anna, a model of consistency through the years.  (11/30/2013)
Rubies and Pearls.  (11/29/2013)
The Lucy and Ethel synchronized dive.  (11/28/2013)
The George Burns and Gracie Allen line graph.  (11/27/2013)
Rick, Dick & Rich -- but above all, Richard.  (11/26/2013)
When Jennifers rules the world.  (11/24/2013)
Ralph and Alice part ways in 1988. (11/23/2013)
Now Appearing in a Colorful Line Graph -- The 6 Jans.  (11/23/2013)
Which Do You Prefer: Catherine/Cathy or Katherine/Kathy?  (11/22/2013)
Just when you thought he was going, going, gone, Eugene bounces back.  (11/21/2013)
Sidney swings both ways.  (11/21/2013)
Popular baby names:  Nancy (1880-2012).  (11/17/2013
Madge: Off the chart even when she was an advertising icon.  (11/16/2013)
Cindy: Not Always a Nickname for Cynthia (Since 1938).  (11/15/2013)
Lizabeth:  There's only one reason why this name made the list.  (11/14/2013)
Paul and Paula:  1954 was their very best year together.  (11/14/2013)
Bonnie and Clyde take a dive together.  (11/13/2013)
Joseph demonstrates more staying power than Mary.  (11/12/2013)
The popularity of Elizabeth as a baby name:  1880-2012.  (11/12/2013)
The popularity of William as a baby name.  (11/12/2013)
The popularity of Thomas as a baby name.  (11/11/2013)
Susan is losin' popularity.  (11/11/2013)
The popularity of Robert as a baby name: 1880-2012.  (11/10/2013)
The popularity of Denise as a baby name:  1926-2012.  (11/10/2013)
The popularity of John as a baby name:  1880-2012.  (11/9/2013)
The popularity of Sheila as a baby name:  1917-2002, 2003-2004.  (11/9/2013)
The popularity of James as a baby name: 1880-2012.  (11/7/2013)
The popularity of Michael as a baby name: 1880-2012.  (11/7/2013)
The popularity of Sherry as a baby name:  1926-1995.  (11/7/2013)
Friends choose 15th and 16th most popular baby names for their unexpected twin boys.  (11/3/2013) 
Destiny Hope Cyrus's impact on popular baby names for girls.  (10/15/2013)
There really was something about Mary.  (9/22/2013)
"Gone With the Wind" and baby names.  (11/27/2011)
The baby names list, 1900-1999.  (5/11/2010)

Christmas Greetings from the Family Scrapbooks: The Sandgrens

With no first names to guide me, I can only guess that this Christmas photo features the Carl H. Sandgren family.

Rev. Sandgren served as pastor of First Lutheran Church in Rock Island, Illinois, from 1932-1936.   His final year would have overlapped with my dad's freshman year at Augustana College. The church is located about 1 mile from the campus and may have very likely been the one he chose to attend during his college and seminary years.  (Brings to mind a song:  "Hello Central, Give Me Heaven".)

Rev. Sandgren is mentioned in this 3/14/1959 article in the Miami Herald, "Prayer Key to Fundraising in Building".

That's the conviction of a man who specializes in church fund-raising, the Rev. Carl H. Sandgren of Minneapolis. The Rev. Mr. Sandgren is director of the Department of Church Architecture and Building Finance of the national Augustana Lutheran Church. He has directed some 150 church funds appeals in the last seven years, and most of them have gone over the mark.

Other Christmas greetings posts:
The Mystery of Gen.  (12/15/2013)
The Hendricksons.  (12/14/2013)

Scott Walker's "Unintimidated": 4 Weeks of Tepid Rankings and Opposing Viewpoints on Amazon

It hasn't been a particularly impressive ride for Scott Walker and Mark Thiessen.   Like a baby name that everyone's grown tired of, the book is on the verge of dropping out of the top 1000.

The Amazon bombing missions have now been reduced to a daily trickle of 5-star puff pieces.

Huffington Post

Other Unintimidated posts:
It's been a roller-coaster sales ride since Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" peaked on its 3rd day of publication.  (12/10/2013) 
Dear V S, Thanks for your fake review of Scott Walker's "Unintimidated".  (12/6/2013)
Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" book review parties seem to be over.  (12/6/2013)
"Unintimidated" book reviewers running out of steam?  (12/5/2013)
A variation on a theme: Like little Mighty Mice coming to their hero's rescue.  (12/4/2013)
In one day: Fans of Scott Walker "Unintimidated" to post 115 five-star reviews on Amazon.  (12/3/2013)
Scott Walker's Fans Accuse "Union Thugs" of Writing Fake Reviews of "Unintimidated", Then Do Likewise.  (12/2/2013)
Scott Walker "Unintimidated" by roller coaster ride on Amazon.  (11/28/2013)
Scott Walker "Unintimidated" to peak early on Amazon during first week of book's publication.  (11/26)
On day 6, Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" reverses course, but the bad reviews keep rolling in.  (11/24/2013)
Day 5: Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" experiences that overnight sinking feeling. (11/24/2013) 
Day 4: Scott Walker Unintimidated As his book slowly slip slides away.  (11/23/2013)
On day 3, Scott Walker Unintimidated to tread water.  (11/22/2013)
On day 2, "Unintimidated" Shows Sales Momentum, but Reviews Still Split.  (11/21/2013)
Day one:  Amazon's best-selling books "Unintimidated" by Scott Walker.  (11/19/2013)
Once again, Scott Walker is unintimidated by the facts.  (11/2/2013)
Unintimidated by the facts.  (10/28/2013)