Shell Has a Plan, But It's Not Available

At Saturday afternoon’s news briefing, Richard Mauer of the Anchorage Daily News asked Shell’s Alaska Operations Manager whether a copy of the Shell’s plan for the recovery of the Kulluk was available.  Sean Churchfield has been using phrases like "the plans are dynamic" and “subject to operational constraints” to explain why a plan wouldn’t be made available. 

I suspect others are thinking what I was thinking:  Do they really have a plan?  Then I remembered that somewhere on my computer I had a copy of their Ice Management Plan.  So I pulled it up.

Shell’s definition of a plan is probably a lot different from the everyday notion of a plan.  Most of us think of a plan as a series of steps that need to be taken to achieve a goal.

But, if the Ice Management Plan (IMP) is what Shell means by a plan, then their concept is not quite what most of us think of as a plan.  Here's one of the more concrete parts of that plan:


Shell Ice Management Plan Roles and Responsibilities Charts

This is only part of the IMP, but it was the part that actually said something somewhat concrete.  A lot of it is just description of their vessels and their 'philosophy' and such things that use up space but don't really give you anything you can get hold of or could hold them to. And there's also the COCP - (Critical Operations and Curtailment Plan).  I did a couple of posts on these plans last September.  So if you want to know what Shell means by a plan here are two posts that go into some detail about them:

As Shell Is About to Drill, What Do We Know About Arctic Sea Ice? 

Started with some UAF videos on Sea Ice Research that took me to Shell's Plans and went into some detail on the COCP and the IMP.

Become An Arctic Oil Expert in Just Ten Minutes a Day

More in depth on the IMP.  




What are some of the reasons they wouldn’t want to show their plan?

There isn’t anything written down that most people would recognize as a plan.
There is a plan but it’s pretty sketchy.
They don’t want to show anything that might expose them to any legal liability.

Any of those and all of those are good possibilities.  I’m guessing the last one plays a significant role in their decision not to share their plans.  Overall, the three news briefings I’ve heard (one on tape, one in person, and one by phone)  might be better described as damage control public relations.  Go out there and deal with the media, because you have to, but say as little as you can get away with.  And what you say should focus on how well the recovery is going.

All this leads me to start pondering what actually does the public need to know?  Let me think about that for a while and get back to you.


This is a crazy new world.  We landed in Seattle.  We ate some lunch and then I reluctantly plugged in the computer and checked the email only to find out there was a Kulluk news conference going on that very minute and I could call in.

So there at the airport I listened in.  Having been in the room Thursday made it a little easier to figure out who was talking. 

We're in LA now visiting my mom. 

Kulluk Unified Command PIO Explains How Stakeholders Can Connect

At Thursday's news briefing, there was discussion about wanting to be sure all stakeholders had access to the Unified Command structure working to safely recover the Kulluk from where it is grounded off Kodiak Island.

So afterward I asked Public Information Officer Amy Midgett how one would do this.  Below is the video in which she answers this.  She also clarified that although people from different agencies may use their agency title - such as PIO - she is THE PIO for the Unified Command. 
Sorry about the camera angle, I was holding it toward Amy, but not looking at the screen as we chatted. That's the State On-Scene Coordinator Steven Russell from the Department of Environmental Conservation to the right at the beginning.



If you are a stakeholder - someone who has an interested in this area - I'd encourage you to try to use their process to connect.  Amy sounds sincere enough in the video.  And if you can't connect, let me know.  But fisherfolk, people working on environmental issues in the area, birders, boaters, anyone with a stake in the area, should at least try their system.

That said, it doesn't look easy.  Despite what Amy said on the video, I can't find any telephone numbers on the website itself.  There was a list of tweets and in one of the tweets, I found this:

• Toll-free community number is 1-866-771-7910

Ask for a liaison and see if it works.

On the "Questions or Comments" page, there is a way to make contact, but you have to give them your first and last name, your email address, and perhaps other information.  (When I signed up for email alerts the other day, 'affiliation' didn't have an asterisk indicating it was required, but when I submitted it, it spit it back because I hadn't filled out affiliation.)

This is a very limited sharing of information to the public.  The public has to give up more information if they want to ask a question.  In comparison, the Alaska Redistricting Website was much more accessible. 

They tell us there are over 500 people working on this operation.  That's a lot more than the Redistricting Board had.  If they wanted better communication, or if they thought it was important, they could have it. 

Almost 65,000 Alaskans Have Already Applied For Their Permanent Fund Dividend Checks

It's only January 4, 2012.  The fourth day that Alaskans can apply for their 2012 Permanent Fund Checks. 

That's a little less than 10% of Alaska's residents signed up in less than four days.  Part of the population doesn't procrastinate when it comes to free money from the state.  I wonder who many will sign up during the last four days? 

The oil money that keeps Alaska thriving is one of the reasons that most people - not immediately affected - are relatively complacent about the Kulluk resting in the surf off Kodiak.  Personally (through the PFD and those working for oil related businesses or state jobs funded by oil revenues) and collectively (through oil revenues paying covering most of our state revenues) all Alaskans have a financial stake in those oil dollars.   

Some older posts on different aspects of the Alaska Permanent Fund are here.

Kulluk News Briefing 2: Video of the Q&A

This is the second part of the briefing - about 20 minutes of questions from the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch, AP, New York Times, Fisherman's News, local Fox TV, Kodiak Daily Mirror, some I didn't quite catch, and even GQ.  The video of the first part - the presentations - is here.





Hearing people's names wasn't always easy, especially when it was from the phone connections.  This is a brief overview of the questions and responses.  Numbers are approximate times on the video.

0:15 Daniel Joel, AP:  What's your greatest concern?

Mehler:  Safety.  No mention whether there were concerns about oil leaking, or the rig breaking up, or if the rig will be ok for next summer.  Just worried about the safety of the workers.   Churchfield agreed.

1:06 Alan Bailey (Petroleum News?),   What work is involved, timeline, until you have a decision on how to salvage this vessel?
Churchfield:  Currently in the assessment stage.  Don't want to speculate on what they'll find.  We have no timeline.

2:00 Susanna Caldwell (I think) of the Alaska Dispatch asked about the sucking noise that was reported in the hull yesterday, but Sean Churchfield insisted it was a breathing noise, that he didn't want to go into any detail, but they were trying to determine if it was a breach or just natural venting of the tank.

2:40  Mark ??? on the phone:  Hard to hear over the phone.  Any time line about when it might be towed from the shoreline.
Churchfield summarized findings from yesterday.  Some wave damage.  Some hatches breached.  Generators damaged.  Salvage team on board assessing.  No timeline yet.

4:08 Margie Bauman, Fisherman's News:  First she asked if Churchfield and Mehler's remarks could be posted because they were so hard to hear.  Why won't Shell's investigation be made public?
Churchfield said they would collaborate completely with the Coast Guard.  Mehler said there's would of course be public.  Their statements will be put on line.

5:30 Channel 2:  When does the rig have to be out of there so it won't impact the 2013 drilling season?
Churchfield:  I'll defer that, my focus is on the response.  Call Shell's public affairs office.

6:10 Natalie Travis, KTVA Fox:  What were the main concerns of the local Communities?
Duane Dvorak:  Work for Kodiak Island Borough, connecting the Unified Command to the community and bringing their concerns back.  Local knowledge is our biggest contribtution.
Travis:  Has there been one piece of local knowledge that really helped?
Dvorak:  Direct contact with communities.  Native organizations.  Culturally significant geographical places that the responders need to be sensitive to.  How this could disrupt subsistence life style.

8:40 Steve Heimel, KSKA:  What about Refuge Rock?
Dvorak:  Discussed massacre of Old Harbor Natives when Russian colonization occurred.

9:59  Rich Mauer, Anchorage Daily News:  How far is the ship from Refuge Rock and could the fuel if it leaked reach the rock?
Steven Russell:  It's a ways off and should be protected.  The locations aren't too public.
[Later Ty, also from DEC, clarified to me that the location of sacred Native sites were kept from the public.  This was not related to the spill.]

10:40 Tim Bradner, Alaska Journal of Commerce - What is the hold thickness? I heard about 3 inches?
Travis:  Have to get to the naval architect to respond.  It is a well designed ship.

11:40 James Brooks Kodiak Daily Mirror?:How is this going to affect the CG resources that normally work with the fishing fleet?
Mehler:  Commitment and obligation to Alaskans.  We have other air assets, Shell has been chartering various air assets.  We have to maintain search and rescue resources.  Heavy lift, but not beyond what we can do.

13:00 ? McKenzie, GQ:  How many are preexisting Shell resources and how many are new and how many total?
Churchfield:  We had oil spill response assets in Seward, contracted other sources, we are providing what we had and contracting.

14:50 Henry Fountain, NY Times:  Could you clarify, did you have salvage teams both yesterday AND today?  And how does damaged electrical affect salvaging?
Churchfield:  Five salvors on board yesterday.  Six today, and bringing another six.  Damage to the electrical systems means the salvage teams have to find another way or bring in generators.   

15:35 Rich Mauer, ADN:  Related to that.  Does that mean pumps on board Kulluk now can't be used?  How do the hatches become unsealed?  Didn't the crew seal the hatches before they left?
Tommy Travis:  Issue about electrical, that's a salvage issue, talk to them.  I haven't interviewed the crew yet so I can't say.

16:59  I even asked a question.  You can tell I'm the closest to my mic.  Since they were being very circumspect about what they said, I was wondering how they decide what to say.  I thought that Duane Dvorak, the Kodiak Island Borough official who's just joined the Unified Command, had said something about deciding what to make public.  Actually, when I saw the video, it turned out to be the guy from DEC, Steven Russell.  The answer from Captain Mehler was they don't tell us stuff they can't validate.  No standard operating procedures that this will be released and this won't I assure you.  Is this accurate?  Is this the correct information?   I should have followed up about whether attorneys play any role in what they say.  Are there considerations about future lawsuits?

19:17 ? Argus Media:   Can you tell us the extent of the damage?  I can't tell if the vessel is seaworthy or not.
Churchfield:  Second day with salvage team. Still gathering data.  I do not have a completed assessment to pass back to you.

Video of Presentations At Kulluk News Briefing Today In Anchorage

Here's the video of today's news briefing in Anchorage. I have previous post with photos.

The presenters are:

Sean Churchfield, Shell Alaska Operations Manager  and Incident Commander
Coast Guard Captain Paul Mehler, Federal On-Scene Coordinator
Steve Russel*, State On-Scene Coordinator (Dept. of Environmental Conservation)
Duane Dvorak, Liaison Consult, Kodiak Island Borough
Tommy Travis, Noble Drilling




 I'll put up the Q&A portion of the briefing as soon as I have it ready later tonight.  

[UPDATE:  Here's the Q&A video.]

Kulluk News Briefing - Anchorage January 3, 2013 - Video Soon

[UPDATE 8:05 - The first video is up here.][And the Q&A Video is here]

 I went to the Kulluk News briefing this afternoon at the Denaina Center in Anchorage.   Here's the announcement from my computer screen:
 








Here are the media gathered before it started in the Kahtnu meeting room.

There were also people listening via phone.  That was problematic because the mic was short and some of the speakers were tall.  They had to repeat two of the presentations because the people listening in couldn't hear.

This diagram of the Kulluk was up on an easel, but it was never used. 

This is Shell's Alaska Operations Manager Sean Churchfield.  He thanked the team and praised the work they are doing. 

Since I videoed the meeting, I didn't take notes and right now the video of the presentation is uploading so I can't listen to it.

I'll post it soon.  I didn't catch anything significant.

• More salvers [salvors] went on board today.  
• No one speculated on what could happen.  
• The rig is still upright and no sheen was spotted.  
• The electricity is out on the rig. 

A representative of Kodiak Island Borough, Duane Dvorak, is now on the Unified Command Team and spoke about the involvement of the people of Old Harbor Village.  They've agreed to operations to remove the rig.  There is also concern about sacred sites, including  Refuge Rock where many of their ancestors were slaughtered by Russians.

SITKALIDAK ISLAND, Alaska — In 208 years, a lot of history can be forgotten--the Russian cannon fire, the cries of women and children hurling themselves 100 feet into the sea, the defeat of a proud people.
All of these things happened at a small, raised buttress known as Refuge Rock near the village of Old Harbor. A Russian force, led by fur traders, conquered the Alutiiq of Kodiak Island, leaving hundreds dead.

If you look at the map closely, you'll see the Kulluk is off that same island - Sitkalidak Island.

The pin marks the spot of the Kulluk now. (Actually, no one said that.  I'm just guessing that's why it is there on the map.)

 Here's that same map, not quite as close showing the location of the Kulluk in relation to the City of Kodiak. 


The first video is still uploading.  I should get it up between 7pm and 8pm tonight.  Then I'll get the Q&A session done in a separate video. 

Airport Parking Attitude Surprise

 This is a slightly edited version of an email I sent to the Anchorage Airport Manager a couple of weeks ago after I got charged $15 for losing my parking ticket.  (People in Chicago might think that is cheap, but the issue wasn't the money.  It was the attitude.)


Dear Airport Manager:

Yesterday I picked my wife up at the airport. I got my parking ticket at about 8:20 pm.  On the way out, when I got to the parking payment kiosk, I couldn't find my ticket. I went back to where I had waited and looked to see if I could find it.  Maybe it had fallen out when  I'd pulled some notes out of my shirt pocket that had the ticket.

But it was not to be found. I understand the policy that says $15 - the max for 24 hours - for a lost ticket. Everyone who loses a ticket would claim they were there for just a short time. But in my case, I had been to Costco before picking up my wife. (I'd gone home and dropped things off and waited at home because the plane was delayed.) I had the receipt in my pocket.  I'd used my credit card, so it had my identity on it and the check out  time: 7:05pm. This clearly showed that I couldn't have been at the airport for more than two hours. (It took at least 15 minutes to go through the transaction at the airport exit and it was 9pm when someone finally came and opened the arm.)

 I understood that the woman in the ticket booth didn't have the authority to waive any part of the fee. But she kindly gave me a receipt after I requested one and she signed  my Costco receipt to show that she had seen it at that time. The next morning I called the Anchorage Airport Parking. I understand that verifying things like this is difficult and may lead to endless requests. But I also know that any organization can make exceptions to their rules.

The woman I first talked to said it couldn't be changed, there could be no refund without a ticket.  I understood she didn't have discretion to change it either. But her supervisor, who I talked to next, repeated this in a condescending way. "It's your responsibility to keep possession of your card," in a tone of voice you use with a naughty child who has repeatedly done something wrong. I can afford the $9 difference between the two hours I would have been charged if the two hours had been accepted as the most I could have been there. My real complaint was the attitude that I got. "We charge $15 if you lose your ticket and if you are irresponsible enough to lose your ticket, that's tough. Even if you can prove you couldn't have been there more than two hours, we don't care. Cause that's our rule and we don't have to be nice to you."

I assumed this was a company with a private contract with the Airport. This is a business that I would not return to if it didn't have a monopoly on a public service I have to use because I live in Anchorage. But I don't have any choice. Any good business that wants to keep customers, treats them with respect and doesn't ignore their polite and reasonable requests. At the very least he could have asked me to send in all the evidence I had. A responsible business with customers that have a choice on where to do business would do that or they would lose their customers.

 The issue here is not the money - I probably would have gotten free parking if I had had my ticket at the kiosk.  The issue is the attitude I got from the supervisor on the phone. All companies can waive the rules if they wish. It would be interesting to know how many lost card payments the airport parking gets in a day and if the company keeps all the revenue from them or shares it with the Airport.

I'd hope that you talk to them about customer service and about reasonable requests for waivers of the policy if someone has readily available evidence of the maximum time they could have been parked. The point of the policy is that anyone can say they were only there a short time. I accept that. And if I didn't happen to have that receipt, I wouldn't be writing this email. I just think this was unreasonable and their response was inappropriate for a company that has a monopoly on a public service.  I know you have much more serious issues to deal with, but I wanted you to know what's going on.

Sincerely,

 SA



OK, I got it out of my system. 

But today I got a call from Republic Parking saying that had $15 for me.  I'd forgotten about it and I almost hung up on them.   And then I remembered.  Whoa!  Are you kidding me? 

Since I'd paid cash - that was the night my credit card was canceled because they didn't have my wife's social security number (that's another story) and the first time it was rejected was at the ticket booth - they were refunding the money in cash which I had to pick up.  My wife was out running errands and called.  I told her about the $15 and she went to pick it up.  When she got home, she said they were incredibly polite. 

My thanks to the Airport Manager for following up on this. 

I do still wonder who gets the penalty money and if that encourages them to be so hard-nosed about lost tickets.  But it's better to keep your ticket safe.  I look at this as totally found money that is waiting to passed on to someone who needs it more than I. 

Shell's Kulluk Response: Look How Great We Are!

Shell has a huge oil rig adrift near Kodiak Island, Alaska being battered by high winds and waves. (NOTE - this is not unusual weather for Alaska in the winter.)  But Shell's response is like being at the funeral and talking only about how nice the flowers look.

Here's a press release from Shell yesterday (Jan. 1, 2013)

1.  "We deeply appreciate the professional and effective response of the responders from the U.S. Coast Guard, Shell, Noble, Edison Chouest and many other organizations who worked together seamlessly at sea and under extreme weather conditions to control the vessel, rescue the crew on board, and prevent injury and environmental impact.

The gist of paragraph 1: We were successful!

• "professional and effective response"
• "worked together seamlessly"
• "to control the vessel, rescue the crew on board, and prevent injury and environmental impact"

2.  "In the circumstances we faced over the last 4 days, we cannot underscore enough how significant it is to have weathered fierce winds and high seas with no more than two first aid cases."

The gist of paragraph 2:  We did great under terrible conditions

• In terrible conditions we only had two "first aid cases"

Note:  in the press conferece they said there were three people injured.  Also note that the weather in winter in Alaskan waters is more likely to be terrible than not.  This is NOT unusual weather.  Author Brian Garfield, writing in 1969 about World War II in the Aleutians:

"The conditions were war conditions - war with the enemy, war with the perpetual enemies of weather, water, and terrain." [Thousand Mile War p. 106]

Back to the press release:

3.  "The Kulluk successfully completed its role in supporting our 2012 Alaska exploration program several weeks ago and was en route to winter harbor, through waters off the southern coast of Alaska, when this incident occurred.   We have already begun a review - working with our marine experts, partners and suppliers – of how this sequence of events, including the failure of multiple engines on the MV Aiviq (towing vessel) led to this incident.  We intend to use lessons from that review to strengthen our maritime fleet operations, globally.    

The gist of paragraph 3:  Kulluk was a success and this is merely a learning experience so we can be more successful. 

• successfully completed its role
• headed to winter harbor
• incident occurred
• Review has begun
• with experts, partners, and suppliers
• sequence of events -including multiple engine failures on towing vessel - led to this incident
• Will use lessons from review to make our fleet stronger
•  

4.  "The incident did not involve our drilling operations, nor does it involve any possibility of crude oil release.  Through our role in the Unified Incident Command, we quickly mobilized experts to respond to this situation.  And, we can confidently say that the Shell emergency response assets and contingences that were deployed over the last four days represent the best available in the world."

The gist of paragraph 4:  This wasn't about drilling and we've got the world's best working on this.  We're confident!

• It wasn't our drilling operations
• No chance of crude oil release
• We quickly got the world's best experts

Could you tell from this that:

• Their drilling rig Kulluk broke loose from its towing vessels and had run aground on rocks south of Kodiak Island?
• That this was one more mishap in a series starting last year that delayed drilling for Shell?
• That there's  roughly 143,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 12,000 gallons of "other petroleum products on this now crewless oil rig being battered by winds and waves?
• 
  

Here's the Anchorage Daily News description.

Keeping Track of the Kulluk - SEACOR Owns The Communications System

From what I can gather online - there is basically one place to keep track of what is happening with the Kulluk: 

Kullukresponse.com  takes you to:  https://www.piersystem.com/go/site/5507* 

This is the site for the "united command" working on the rescuing the rig.  The four entities listed are:  

• Shell
• US Coast Guard
• Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and 
• Noble Drilling. 

They also seem to have a collective Twitter account:  https://twitter.com/kullukresponse

I mentioned that Kullukresponse.com takes you to a url from piersystems. 

Who is Pier? 

The PIER System is an all-in-one, secured web-based solution for crisis preparedness, communications management, public and media relations, employee communications, business continuity and more.
PIER provides flexible solutions for handling internal and external communications, making it easier to deliver messages, streamline processes, automate tedious tasks and prevent inaccuracy during routine events, minor incidents and major catastrophes.

One Solution for All Your Needs

Unlike other products which offer only individual capabilities, PIER has it all—in one fully integrated system. Every feature of PIER works as a stand-alone or partnered with other functions. This efficiency saves you time, money and resources while making management simple and easy.

Two-Way Communication

PIER enables two-way conversations with stakeholders, helping you to determine trending topics, mitigate rumors and strategically assess the best way forward. By listening to your stakeholders, you can get the right information to the right people when it matters most.

Improve the Way You Deliver Information

Expand the possibilities for improved communication management. Automatic updates keep people informed, allowing communicators to strategically and effectively target their audiences and stakeholders to receive and respond to critical messages quickly and efficiently.

Mobile and Remotely Available

PIER is easily accessible from Internet-enabled computers and mobile devices, allowing businesses and organizations to provide information with minimal interruption in the event of disaster or disruption.

It also mentions that Pier was acquired by O'Brien's Response Management.

And O'Brien's is owned by SEACOR:

SEACOR Holdings Inc. (SEACOR) is a diversified, multinational company that owns and operates marine and aviation assets primarily servicing the oil and gas, industrial aviation, and marine transportation industries. SEACOR also owns and operates bulk commodity barges along the U.S. Inland River Waterways; specializes in the purchase, storage, transportation, and sale of agricultural and energy commodities; and provides emergency preparedness and crisis services to governments and industry.

SEACOR is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol CKH.

The New York Times notes in its page on SEACOR Holdings that:

On March 19, 2012, J.F. Lehman & Company acquired National Response Corporation and its affiliated businesses NRC Environmental Services, SEACOR Response, and SEACOR Environmental Products (collectively NRC) from the Company.

I can't tell for sure if this acquisition included the unit that has O'Brien's, but I'm guessing, since O'Brien's still shows up on SEACOR's website, that it doesn't.  


I think it is good that the private companies and the government agencies can work cooperatively in this rescue.  But such cooperation also raises issues of cooptation of the government agencies.  Here are some questions I'd raise:

• If they work closely and cooperatively, what happens to the agencies' responsibilities to monitor the companies and keep them accountable?  
• How will working closely with the people from the companies as a team affect their impartiality and judgment when assessing responsibility and corrective measures?
• What happens when all the information is posted on a site owned by a company that is in the oil support industry and is active in marine drilling and safety?  

At first glance we can appreciate that they are specialized in emergency communication systems - including this website design.

• But what control does the government have of this website?  
• What if the governmental agencies have disputes with Shell and Noble about what should go up?
• Or worse, what if they have no disputes at all?
• What obligations are there for this website to stay operational after the event? 
• Why do media, government, and the public have to fill in information boxes before they can ask questions, but there are no names of people to contact on the website?

This feels a bit like Diebold running the voting machines. 

I don't think the industry that has caused the problem should be the one running the information system the public and the media have to use to get information about what's going on. 

I understand that government salary levels don't allow them to compete with the private sector for the best and brightest computer folks.  But when they contract out for private companies to run the website for something like this, they should get a company that has no interest in the content of the website.  I suspect though that Shell and Noble suggested, and maybe are even paying for, the website.  But there's no such thing as a free website. 

Famous People Born 1913 Part II: 2 Still Alive And The List

These posts looking back back to see who was born 100 years ago (1908  1909  1910  1911 skipped 1912)  have been fun to do, though they take a lot of time (that's why 1912 never got finished.)  This time I'm doing it in several parts, since each will offer lots to read.  Three things I've found particularly interesting:

1. Seeing the people, born the same year,  in the same cohort, who would have been in the same class at school if they'd lived in the same place, and had the same world events shape their lives.  Yet they have different talents and different interests and they become known for different things.
2. Contemplating mortality.  I order their bios in order of death.  Even though they were all born they same year, they lived from 46 years to, well, two are still alive.  The life lottery beguiles me.  Why do some people only get a short time on earth and others longer? (And, of course, a human lifetime is is just a moment in the history of the world.)
3. Looking into their backgrounds, their family lives, their failures and triumphs.  It raises questions for me about what we think of as important and unimportant in the greater scheme of things.  Unfortunately, this year, it has been hard to find details of early upbringing and personal lives of many of the subjects. 

So, the first post gave a background on the year 1913, including a link to an interesting video with a panel talking about the cultural situation of 1913.  It was very much a time of change.  

This post has video of the two that appear to still be alive, both opera singers, Risë Stevens and Licia Albanese.   You can listen to them as you go through the table with the list in birth order.  When you think about it, as kids, six months age difference means a lot, so for the first 20 years or so, the age difference among them might have been significant. And then, it means nothing.  Especially as those who were older die and their age freezes in time and the younger ones go on living and getting older. 

Finally, I'll have two or three more posts with more information about each person. Looking at their lives, trying to find commonalities and seeing the differences, hopefully finding some insights.  As always, these lists tend to be heavy with white, Western, males, reflecting who has had power and fame - certainly during the lifetime of these folks - in the west. 

This list seems to have more unsavory characters than past lists. 


Two people on the list appear to still be alive:

Risë Stevens



And Licia Albanese






The Chart

People Born 1913 From Oldest to Youngest
Jan-June			June-December
Jan 4	Rosa Parks	Civil Rights	June 14	Gerald Ford	US President
Jan 6	Loretta Young	Actor	June 18	Sammy Cahn	Songwriter
Jan 6	Mary Leaky	Anthropologist	June 18	Red Skelton	Comic
Jan 9	Richard Nixon	US President	July 22	Licia Albanese*	Soprano
Jan 13	Mel Allen	Sportscaster	Aug 16	Menachem Begin	Israeli PM
Jan 14	Woody Hayes	Football Coach	Aug 25	Walt Kelly	Cartoonist
Jan 14	Jimmy Hoffa	Teamsters Boss	Sep 3	Alan Ladd	Actor
Jan 18	Danny Kaye	Actor	Sep 9	Bear Bryant	Football Coach
Feb 25	Jim Backus	Mr. Magoo	Sep 12	Jesse Owens	Track Star
Mar 13	William Casey	CIA Head	Sep 27	Albert Ellis	Psychologist
Mar 22	Lew Wasserman	Film Exec	Sep 29	Stanley Kramer	Film Director
Mar 26	Paul Erdos	Nobel Prize Math	Oct 10	Klaus Barbie	Nazi War Criminal
Mar 30	Richard Helms	CIA Head	Nov 2	Burt Lancaster	Actor
Apr 11	Oleg Cassini	Fashion Designer	Nov 5	Vivien Leigh	Actor
May3	William Inge	Playwright	Nov 7	Albert Camus	Novelist
May 16	Woody Herman	Jazz Clarinet	Nov 9	Hedy Lamarr	Actor
May 20	William Hewlett	Tech Exec	Nov 22	Benjamin Britten	Composer
June 11	Vince Lombardi	Football Coach	Dec 1	Mary Martin	Actor
June 11	Risë Stevens	Mezzo-Soprano	Dec 12	Delmore Schwartz	Poet
June 12	Willis Lamb	Physicist	Dec 18	Willy Brandt	German PM
June 13	Maersk McKinny Møller	Shipping Exec

HTML Tables

Part 3:  The list, with bios and pics, starting with the youngest one to die - Albert Camus.