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My name is Mark Fisher, and I live in [[Richmond, Virginia]]. My user name is Vaoverland, which derives from a family-owned [[bus]] company I managed for about 30 years. I have always loved and been fascinated by [[railroad|trains]], [[streetcar]]s, interurbans, [[trolley-bus]]es, [[school bus]]es, [[motorcoach]]es and all other types of buses, and [[automobile]]s. I retired in 2004 from over 30 years in the [[bus]] transportation business here in [[Virginia]]. I am currently a caregiver for an elderly parent and another family member with a disability. I have [[adult attention-deficit disorder]] (AADD). I am also a night owl.
My name is Mark Fisher, and I live in [[Richmond, Virginia]]. My user name is Vaoverland, which derives from a family-owned [[bus]] company I managed for about 30 years. I have always loved and been fascinated by [[railroad|trains]], [[streetcar]]s, interurbans, [[trolley-bus]]es, [[school bus]]es, [[motorcoach]]es and all other types of buses, and [[automobile]]s. I retired in 2004 from over 30 years in the [[bus]] transportation business here in [[Virginia]]. I am currently a caregiver for an elderly parent and another family member with a disability. I have [[adult attention-deficit disorder]] (AADD). I am also a night owl.

===Childhood, Education===

I lived in [[Downer's Grove, IL]] when small, and have visited family in the [[Chicago, IL]] area often since. We lived on the [[Chicago, Burlington & Quincy|Burlington Railroad]]'s famous 3-track main line into Chicago from Aurora. I can vividly remember the last of steam and [[Zephyr]] streamlined passenger trains, as well as the double-decked commuter trains.

We moved to [[Richmond, Virginia]] in [[1958]]. My next door neighbor's dad was with [[Seaboard Air Line Railroad]] (SAL), and he took us to the [[roundhouse]], where we saw a [[turntable]], and many things of the railroad. The SAL's arch-rival was the [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]] (ACL) (a.k.a. Coast Line) and when they merged in [[1967]] to form the [[Seaboard Coast Line Railroad]] (SCL), their family moved to [[Jacksonville, Florida]], where [[CSX Transportation]] has its' headquarters today. As I was growing up, another CSX predecessor, the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (C&O) operated its' eastbound coal trains along the former [[James River and Kanawha Canal]] across the [[James River]] from my home. On the south side of the river, a [[Norfolk Southern]] predecessor, the [[Southern Railway (US)|Southern Railway]] (SOU) was operating the former [[Richmond and Danville Railroad]] (R&D) through the former Victorian era resort town of [[Bon Air, Virginia|Bon Air]] near my home. My friends and I often hiked along these many tracks. At night, the sounds of the trains of the various railroads reminded me of the Burlington's [[Pioneer Zephyr|Zephyrs]] running into Chicago.

In [[1969]], I graduated from Huguenot High School in [[Chesterfield County, Virginia]] and attended some community college classes locally. However, while I was in the second year of community college, I was offered a promotion from school bus driver (part-time) at my local school district to Assistant Transportation Supervisor (full-time) with a specialty area of bus routing, a skill badly needed by the School District which came naturally to me. To quote a cliché, I was in the right place at the right time. I was only 19.

Dropping out of school was a tough decision, but this was my major career break as it turned out. I was promoted twice more in the next 4 years, and my experience (on the job education) laid the groundwork for a jump to the private business-side of bus transportation.

===Part-time Jobs, Volunteer Work===
It would be fair to say I am happiest when I stay busy, and especially when there is some variety while staying busy.

I have had many interesting various part-time jobs, both when in school, and at times during my career with buses. I began driving a [[school bus]] at age 16, and started transporting new school buses cross-country from several factories when I was 18, and I got to go to the factories for [[Thomas Built Buses, Inc.|Thomas]], [[Carpenter Body Works|Carpenter]], and [[Wayne Corporation|Wayne]]. I have transported rental cars (which tend to end up with too many in some cities and have to go back to other places), delivered [[newspaper]]s (both on a bicycle and on a long motor route), worked at [[WFMV]],a small FM [[radio station]], drove a tow truck-wrecker, delivered for a drug store, drove [[paratransit]] vans (wheelchairs), and I drove [[Emergency medical services|EMS]] (emergency [[ambulance]]s), mostly at night in a very violent urban setting for several years. I have also worked in many types of sales positions.

I've also done some interesting and fun volunteer work. This has included the God and Country program and other work at my church years ago, and at [[WCVE]], our local [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] [[television station]]. For many years, I helped lobby the [[Virginia General Assembly]] for several non-profit groups. I was one of the founding members of the Virginia Association for Pupil Transportation, and the Virginia Association of Bus Dealers, and a director of the Virginia Motorcoach Association. I was a [[National Safety Council]] Defensive Driving Course (DDC) Instructor for my local school district and a local rescue squad. More recently, I did all the bus routing and other-related duties for the local [[Head Start]] program from 1996 to 2004 as a volunteer.

In these jobs and volunteer activities, there was a combination of fun and learning and each proved were a good way for someone with ADD to stay busy, stimulated, and productive.

===A book that has impacted my life===
When I was a teenager, I first read ''The Virginian Railway'', written by rail historian and photographer [[H. Reid]], a Norfolk native. He combined the usual information about locomotives and rolling stock customarily found in railroad books with the business strategy of the two founders of the VGN, [[William N. Page|William Nelson Page]] and [[Henry H. Rogers|Henry Huttleston Rogers]], who were each fascinating men with seemingly endless ideas and energy. Had they loived in modern times, I believe that they may have been diagnosed with [[Adult attention-deficit disorder]]!

Reid's storytelling writing style included many stories told by former railroaders, who came to be very loyal to the VGN, which paid its employees and vendors a little better than absolutely necessary. The building of the railroad was a story of little business winning over big business. It was built to the highest possible engineering standards, was enormously profitable, and operated an amazingly wide range of innovative equipment.
''The Virginian Railway'' enthralled me and has impacted my life, career, and hobby interests greatly in the 40 years since I first read it. I have 3 copies of H. Reid's epoch book, including a rare first edition, which has the best quality photographs. I ''still'' enjoy re-reading it (as do many other Virginian Railway enthusiasts I have been told).

===Our family business and my career===
In our family's business, which was my career for about 30 years, I now realize that my parents and I attempted to duplicate many of the values and features of the [[Virginian Railway]], and we had a very loyal following of bus enthusiasts as employees who were attracted to our wide range of equipment types and operations.

In [[1973]], Mom, Dad, and I began doing school bus consulting work as a part-time venture while we all had employment elsewhere. Our business grew, and within 2 years, I was employed full-time at it. After their retirements from their other jobs, (Mom in school bus transportation and Dad in accounting with a large corporation), all three of us concentrated our efforts on what had became our family business of being both a dealership (new and used bused) and a [[school bus contractor]].

Our company, [[Virginia Overland Transportation]], served as a franchised bus dealer in Virginia for new buses and products of [[Wayne Corporation]], [[Champion Home Builders|Champion]], [[Mid-Bus, Inc.]], [[Braun|Braun Corporation]], and [[Ricon]]. Our major bus dealership franchise was with Wayne Corporation, which went out of business in [[1992]].

Beginning in 1976, our company also acquired and operated 3 small [[urban-suburban bus line|urban-suburban bus companies]], the oldest of which had roots back to 1915 as an interurban [[streetcar]] line, providing common carrier [[bus]] services such as local commuter service, public and private [[school bus]] transportation contract service, [[paratransit]] (wheelchair service), welfare-to-work vans, and [[motorcoach]] charters. At our peak, we had approximately 200 employees, and operated 150 vehicles, mostly [[school bus]]es in 3 cities in central Virginia.

One problem with family and community-based businesses in school transportation and related contract services versus larger contractors is that the former hopes to operate an stay in business indefinitely, while the latter can wind things up and close a division when a contract is lost.

Throughout the years, we considered ourselves innovative, and in the past few years, were the only private bus operator in Virginia to operate [[articulated bus|articulated commuter coaches]] on a heavy volume University route service. Ultimately, after surviving many crisis, including the the failure of [[Wayne Corporation]] (our principal bus dealership), and several lost major contracts over the years, usually replaced by other work, and downsizing substantially in the 1990s, our business was forced to close in June, 2004 when we lost our 2 biggest contracts at the same time.

On reflection, we placed over 2,000 Wayne Lifeguard buses into school divisions, and transported millions of rides without ever having a fatality or major catastrophic accident. Our company also provided many years of payrolls to our dedicated and energetic staff, drivers, and mechanics. I believe good [[church bus and school bus safety|safety record]] is a more important a measure of success as longevity. And, while we never got rich (like the owners of the Virginian Railway), and we worked very hard over the years, we also managed to have a lot of fun, too.

=== Disability: Adult Attention Deficit Disorder ===
I have a minor (?) mental disability: [[Adult attention-deficit disorder]] (AADD), which not diagnosed until I was already 44 years old. When I was a child in the 1950s and 1960s, the medical community hadn't come up with [[ADD]] (or ADHD as it is now known) yet. This is, of course, now known to be a common childhood disorder. And it was many more years later before they began to realize that about 30% of the kids didn't outgrow it; when the symptoms continue in some people, it is less noticeable in them as adults, who by then are generally calmer and have (hopefully) learned coping mechanisms.

When I did get diagnosed with AADD in 1995, my symptoms were rated at 93 percentile, which I am told is "heavy-duty". Of course, for a diagnosis, the symptoms have to be causing functional problems in your life. Mine were, and to some extent, still do. However, I have since benefited from some medication, some professional counseling and group-type help, and from reading, especially one book I will describe below.

When diagnosed, I was also told that I have several specific manifestations of AADD-related conditions which I'll cover briefly in the short sections which follow. Among general ADD aspects I experience are clutter and problems with time management.

I feel that, in addition to whatever medication and remedial help is available, developing and utilizing [[coping skill]]s (or work-arounds) are very important to deal with conditions such those I have. While few folks (or at least most) ) take pleasure in writing about their personal problems and such, I feel sharing what I am writing here may help others and it feels right to me at this stage of my life. Within reasonable limits, I will be glad to respond individually via email or on my talk page at [[User talk:Vaoverland]].

=====My ADD hallmarks=====

Certain aspects of ADD are called "hallmarks." Essentially, these are personality traits often noted in persons with ADD. Some of my ADD hallmarks are found in the things I have always especially liked:

*1. Moving things. Vehicles in particular.
*2. Colored and/or moving lights
*3. Christmas trees and Christmas lights.
*4. Big cities
*5. Maps
*6. Reading, libraries, books, magazines, websites
*7. Museums and amusement parks
*8. Things in quantity, IE multiple pets, cars, etc.

=====Coping skills and work-arounds=====

*1. Get other people to organize things for you.
*2. Use colors to help maintain order. (My ADD is very visual).
*3. Make "to do" lists, and try to follow them, checking off accomplishments, and updating frequently.
*4. Find personal distraction balance (IE, I work best with a TV going in the background, but not with music, people talking to me, or anything requiring a response from me)

==== Hyperfocus: a ''gift''? ====

I have what they call "[[hyperfocus]]", which can be a good thing, as you can get intensely into whatever you are paying attention to.

Most people with ADD have a tendency to "hyperfocus" - focus very very strongly on something which interests them. ADD is a neurological difference that makes it very difficult to attend to things which are not interesting to the person involved. Note, I didn't say "not important" but "not interesting." In fact, for a person with ADD, the harder he/she tries to concentrate/focus on something that is not interesting to that person, the harder it gets to do so! The part of the brain used for focusing shuts down! When that same person is working on something that is interesting, it can be almost impossible to get that person to switch attention elsewhere.

To me, hyperfocus is the best positive thing about ADD. When I am in gear, I can be very happy and, with all due modesty, very creative. Of course, like most things there is a downside. Being "lost" in hyperfocus could be a bad thing if the house is on fire and you fail to be aware of it.

==== Auditory processing disorder ====

On the downside, I have a form of [[Auditory processing disorder]] (APD). Also known as ''Central Auditory Processing Disorder'' (CAPD), from what I understand, for me, this is basically a delay in ''interpreting'' what you hear. Persons with this condition often have trouble paying attention to and remembering information presented orally, have problems carrying out multi step directions given orally, have poor listening skills, and need more time to process information. It appears to others as a problem with listening. A child with APD may be accused of ''not listening''.

My hearing is fine, but what I hear is often garbled initially by my brain. Shortly later, I often figure it out. In conversation, about the same time I say "huh?", I figure out what is was that I just heard. Like the three-legged dog, I am told that my visual skills in compensation are much stronger than normal. Bottom line: I do better with what I see than what I hear.

=====Coping skills and work-arounds=====

*1. Get directions and instructions in writing.
*2. Take notes when information comes from others orally.
*3. Watch people's faces when attempting to listen.
*4. Use [[closed captioning]] while watching television.

==== Motor coordination disorder====

Another manifestation has been more frustrating and difficult to overcome. This was diagnosed by the medical experts as [[motor coordination disorder]], known more recently as ''motor skills disorder''. Cause is unknown, but it is thought to originate with [[inner ear]] problems, possibly resultant from head injuries or childhood diseases.

Athletics were always especially difficult for me. In high school, a physical education coach called me ''''the most uncoordinated person to ever climb upon a trampoline in the history the school''" (in front of 60 other kids). Of course, it was humiliating then, and the words have stayed with me for more than 40 years, but I now realize he was on actually to something. Another early clue was my dismal performance in a high school touch-typing class. My solution, totally unacceptable to the teacher, was a single finger method, a variation of which works very well even today ''if I watch the finger(s)''. Not surprisingly, today's literature states that children with MSD often suffer low self-esteem resulting from poor ability at sports and teasing by other children.

These days, when touch typing, or even my single finger method, the disorder results in transposition of letters. This mimics a symptom of dyslexia, but is different in origin. To explain briefly, with a career in bus transportation, I know how to spell "fleet". (duh?). When I type, I can mentally envision F-L-E-E-T, but it will come out as FLETE or something like that.

EXAMPLE: This occurs every thrid to fuifth word on average, like this sentanec e I am typing right now, whcih i will refrain from cleaning up (sorry).

When I manually print, or watch my finger while I type, the problem doesn't happen. For years, at my job, I had help to do my typing (in the days before computers). I actually spell pretty well, but have to go back over every single word I ever type, even e-mail. Spell checkers on a computer were a godsend for me, and help enormously, although they don't catch it when I make another word by accident or when what I come out with is beyond the suggestions.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. I have tried working off-line in my word processor, but I am trained and used to an outdated one (Lotus Wordpro a.k.a. AmiPro) and it doesn't do very well with Wikipedia formatting. I someday will need to earn MS Word like the rest of the world, and have been doing that some. Copying previous text and editing it also is a workaround for me. I tried voice recognition stuff 8-10 years ago before I retired, but the results were poor. Expensive software or equipment is out of the question these days, as I am one of those seniors on a very fixed income. A question I have is whether there is any type of spell checker available when we are writing on Wikipedia pages.

I would like to spend more time on composing content and less on cleaning up my bad typing which results. I would appreciate some suggestions, as I am enjoying contributing to Wikipedia!

=====Coping skills and work-arounds=====

*1. Watching what I am doing seems to help me a lot when working with motor coordination things. (The example of watching my fingers on the keys when I am typing is a good example).
*2. Spellcheckers help fix my transposition errors.
*3. Some people say that using a program which takes oral commands is helpful on computers. That hasn't worked well for me, but that could be related to my APD which others may not also have.
*4. a [[computer mouse]] works much better than multiple keystrokes for me because I can see where it is going, and point at what I want.

UPDATE: On suggestion of another Wikipedia contributor, I have downloaded and started using a free program ieSpell. It is especially helpful with my Adult ADD disability. It works very well, and is greatly reducing the time I spend going back and fixing my transposition errors. I would say it catches about 90% of them, and offers a good alternative about 75% of the time after that. Thats better than any other spell checker I have used (and there have been a "few". <gr> It works with a simple right mouse click on any input box you have open. I highly recommend the ieSpell program. 07:45, 14 Nov 2004 (UTC)

==== Best ADD Book ====
I also want to say that anyone who thinks they have ADD or ADHD or whatever should read the book ''Driven To Distraction: Recognizing and Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood'' by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D, John J. Ratey, M.D. [http://user.cybrzn.com/~kenyonck/add/books/driven2distract_hrd_txt.html]
I would compare reading this book at age 44 to having a car and finding the owners manual in the glove box after you turn the first 100,000 miles!!! [[User:Vaoverland|Vaoverland]] 12:26, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)

==== Famous People ====

I find it helpful to think of some of the famous (and not-so-famous) people who either definitely have (or had) ADD/ADHD or it is likely. Only ''two'' of these people did not already have a Wikipedia article when I made my list from several sources.

*[[Abraham Lincoln]]
*[[Albert Einstein]]
*[[Alexander Graham Bell]]
*[[Andrew Carnegie ]]
*[[Ann Bancroft]]
*[[Babe Ruth]]
*[[Beethoven]]
*[[Bill Cosby]]
*[[Bruce Jenner]]
*[[Carl G. Fisher]]
*[[Dustin Hoffman]]
*[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]
*Dr. [[Edward M. Hallowell]]
*[[Eleanor Roosevelt]]
*[[Ernest Hemmingway]]
*[[Galileo]]
*[[General George Patton]]
*[[George Bernard Shaw]]
*[[George Burns]]
*[[Harry Belafonte]]
*[[Henry H. Rogers]]
*[[John D. Rockefeller]]
*[[John F. Kennedy]]
*[[John Lennon]]
*[[Leonardo DaVinci]]
*[[Lewis Carroll ]]
*[[Louis Pasteur]]
*[[Mariette Hartley]]
*[[Michael Jordan]]
*[[Mozart]]
*[[Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat]]
*[[Napoleon]]
*[[Nostradamus]]
*[[Pablo Picasso]]
*[[Salvador Dali]]
*[[Socrates]]
*[[Steven Spielberg]]
*[[Thomas Edison]]
*[[Whoopi Goldberg]]
*[[William Butler Yeats]]
*[[William Randolph Hearst]]
*[[Woodrow Wilson]]
*[[Wright Brothers]]

==== Favorite quotes ====
Here are a few of my favorite quotes about ADD (or ADHD):

*"The best non-pharmacological treatment for ADD is exercise, sex, and humor. &#8212; Dr. Ned Hallowell, Co-author of Driven to Distraction.

*"I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering." &#8212; Steven Wright, comedian

*"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to what I was thinking." &#8212; Shelley Curtiss

*I prefer to distinguish ADD as attention abundance disorder. Everything is just so interesting . . . remarkably at the same time.&#8221; &#8212; Frank Coppola, MA, ODC, ACG

*"The only problem with the world is a lot of people DON'T have ADD" &#8212; Andy Pakula, CEO Think! Interactive Marketing

*"Ah! the clock is always slow, it is later than you think." &#8212; Robert W. Service

*"Never do today what you can put off 'til tomorrow." &#8212; Matthew Browne

*"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." &#8212; [[Thomas Edison]]

*"It has been said that idleness is the parent of mischief, which is very true; but mischief itself is merely an attempt to escape from the dreary vacuum of idleness." &#8212; George Borrow

*"It's a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word!" &#8212; Andrew Jackson

*"ADD is like going through life carrying a one man band contraption, with a broken strap." &#8212; Julia Smith-Ruetz

*"My room may be a mess, but it's an organized mess. I know right where everything is." &#8212; Brandon Curtiss
*"Too much rest becomes a pain." &#8212; Homer

*"Sometimes a person with ADD feels as if their mind is moving as fast as a speeding train." -- Frank Coppola MA, ODC, ACG

*"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." &#8212; [[Henry David Thoreau]]

===Hobbies and Interests===
I am active in some rail and bus preservation and Internet forum activities, and have been gathering research information to possibly write several books someday (?!). I participate in about 100 Yahoo groups, mostly focused on rail, bus, and local and state history special interests.

I have also have founded and moderate Yahoo groups, 3 for rail enthusiasts and 1 for bus enthusiasts. 2 of my rail groups are very active, and some of the information I have used on Wikipedia has come from others in our groups with hands-on historical backgrounds.

Some of our efforts has been used in the Virginia Standards of Learning on-line stuff for publics school here! The [http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/VirginianRailwayEnthusiasts/ Virginian Railway Enthusiasts Group] is the most active for anyone who may be interested in what we are doing. This particular group has over 535 members and includes authors and historians, and is in top 5% of Yahoo Rail Enthusiasts groups.

The price of Yahoo groups is good (free). There is minimal advertising and no pop-ups.

I also enjoy searching the Internet, which is sort of a hobby, and works well with research for Wikipedia articles.


==About Writing for Wikipedia==
==About Writing for Wikipedia==
Line 248: Line 36:


I am still learning how to write for Wikipedia, and appreciate suggestions and/or edits by others.
I am still learning how to write for Wikipedia, and appreciate suggestions and/or edits by others.

===Outside group resources===

I belong to about 100 Yahoo railroad groups, most of which I only access occasionally. I also moderate 3 of these groups, two of which are very active and include historians, authors, and retirees. One group of retirees meets every Wednesday night. I also belong to the most active on-line bulletin board for school bus transportation folks. I have found it very helpful to go to those groups for information needed for articles in the respective subject areas, particularly when web searches don't lead to good sources. Its a 2-way street, as I have been able to take stuff learned through WP work and other users back to the group folks as well.


===Listing of articles on my user page===
===Listing of articles on my user page===

Revision as of 16:01, 11 April 2005

This barnstar is awarded in recognition of your outstanding contributions to William N. Page and its related rail company and biography articles. - Niteowlneils
a photo of me at work before I retired
This rotating barnstar is in recognition of your constant and tireless work to countless articles on Wikipedia. brian0918&#153; 05:36, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)

My disclaimer: While many users only list articles which they have started, please be aware that my user page is a method of organizing WP articles I have been involved with including current and some pending articles. Listing here does not necessarily mean that I started the article, although it is a pretty good indication I have contributed to it. While I take pride in some articles I started, I firmly believe that the best thing about writing for Wikipedia is collaboration. Of the four featured articles for which I was a major contributor, none were solely a work of mine.

I am a Wikipedia administrator (sysop). I try to be helpful to other contributors, and appreciate comments and communications which should be left on my Talk page (User Talk:Vaoverland).


I try to check for new messages frequently. Mark in Richmond. Last updated Vaoverland 09:20, Apr 6, 2005 (UTC)


Who am I

My name is Mark Fisher, and I live in Richmond, Virginia. My user name is Vaoverland, which derives from a family-owned bus company I managed for about 30 years. I have always loved and been fascinated by trains, streetcars, interurbans, trolley-buses, school buses, motorcoaches and all other types of buses, and automobiles. I retired in 2004 from over 30 years in the bus transportation business here in Virginia. I am currently a caregiver for an elderly parent and another family member with a disability. I have adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD). I am also a night owl.

About Writing for Wikipedia

While I do some original writing from my personal knowledge and recollection, most of what I write for Wikipedia is compiled from multiple sources, including other Wikipedia articles, books, magazines and periodicals, special collections, information including some special collections held by organizations such as Virginia Historical Society, Library of Virginia, West Virginia Historical Society, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, and many others. I also do a lot of web searches looking for specific information. Depending upon my perception of the veracity of the information source, I try to verify something from more than a single source before including it in an article. I also look further when I find conflicting information, which usually amounts to misspelling or incorrect dates, particularly on older subjects and sources. I am grateful for the access I have to the writing of others.

I agree to multi-license all my contributions, with the exception of my user pages, as described below:

Multi-licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License versions 1.0 and 2.0
I agree to multi-license my text contributions, unless otherwise stated, under Wikipedia's copyright terms and the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license version 1.0 and version 2.0. Please be aware that other contributors might not do the same, so if you want to use my contributions under the Creative Commons terms, please check the CC dual-license and Multi-licensing guides.

Vaoverland 21:48, 9 Dec 2004 (UTC)

My WP Interests and Contributions

For my Wikipedia interests and contributions, I am mostly focused on history and people, places and transportation subjects including buses, streetcars and railroads, and highways, bridges, etc. Goegraphically, I generally like topics with an orientation fairly close to Richmond, the Historic Triangle, Hampton Roads, and Virginia.

I know that Wikipedia articles are used by teachers as a basis for school projects. When composing, I visualize school children of middle school or high school age, and I try to keep it factual and interesting to read.

It is an exciting and true story, and I would like the reader to be able to relate to some of the emotions the people involved experienced, if that is appropriate in the encyclopedia setting. However, I may have tend to overload articles with adjectives in my enthusiasm. I may need help or suggestions in that area if y'all think it is biased.

I also am more focused on content than format. I'm open to help or suggestions to make it a better article for Wikipedia. That is more important to me than the need to change anything from the way I have done it. In other words, please HELP if you can make it better, or guide me in doing so.

I am still learning how to write for Wikipedia, and appreciate suggestions and/or edits by others.

Listing of articles on my user page

Some WP users measure involvement by articles started. I haven't been keeping score or track that way. The listing of an article in this section does not necessarily mean that I created the article, or even contributed any major part of it. It just means I may have started it, have probably contributed to it, have been involved in it in some way, or I am planning to do so in the near future.

Red links of course mean a lack of articles (yet), and if they are on this page, that means that I plan to work on them soon. As WP grows by the minute, I have seen a few of my red links turn blue before I got to them, so I may not show up as a contributor on the page history at all.

Redirects and WP housekeeping

I generally do not list redirects which i may have created, or edits to articles I may do as part of housekeeping for WP outside of my fields of interests.

Featured Article Competition

I see the FA competition as sort of WP's Academy Awards. They are something you want to keep in mind in much of your work, and set the standards to measure by, but most good work still won't make it.

To quote from WP, "Wikipedia:Featured articles highlights Wikipedia articles judged to be particularly well-written and complete. They exemplify Wikipedia's very best work and represent what Wikipedia offers that is unique on the Internet. Before making the grade, a nominated article is subjected to a review and usually some enhancements and improvements from more than one writer. There are hundreds of thousands of articles on Wikipedia. Only about 1 in 900 achieves featured article status."

The Wikipedia featured article process is helping me improve my research and writing skills, as well as contributing to articles which I hope others will enjoy and learn from. I try to spend some time each week reviewing and critiquing the work of others, and I share suggestions and words of encouragement when I feel I can and should. I tend to withhold comments or votes unless I feel strongly.

My current score is 4-2 in FAC competition. I have not given up on my failed nominations, but will resubmit them only when I feel they are ready.

The four featured articles I have been involved substantially with were each collaborative efforts. I was the principal writer (but not the only contributor) for three, two of which I started, and I was the secondary writer on a fourth. Each would not have come up to FA standards without the work of multiple writers. They are:

  • William N. Page became a Wikipedia featured article in October, 2004. I have been working on research on Col. Page for several years. This remarkable man was co founder of the Deepwater Railway and Tidewater Railway, which were combined to form the Virginian Railway (VGN). While Page's partner, millionaire industrialist Henry Huttleston Rogers, has received most of the published attention for building the VGN over the years, and it was he who put up the money and obviously helped determine a winning strategy, I believe that other VGN Enthusiasts and I have come to realize that Page's role was a crucial portion of their partnership. As a featured article candidate, the William N. Page article had lots of help from other WP contributors, including one who went to a local library and got some great information to fill in some gaps, which also led me to new sources, It has been an exceptional pleasure to add this man's story (and that of the building of the Deepwater Railway, Tidewater Railway, and of course, the Virginian Railway) to Wikipedia. User:Niteowlneils contributed significantly.
  • Battle of Hampton Roads became a Wikipedia featured article in December, 2004. Like most Virginia school children, long ago I learned about the famous American Civil War "Battle of the Monitor and Merrimac" which took place in 1862. However, a number of more recent events and work researching the Virginian Railway (which topped the U.S. Eastern Continental Divide at Merrimac, Virginia) and all the news about the locating and raising portions of the USS Monitor combined to renew my interest. In the article, and the related one about the CSS Virginia, the naming confusion regarding the Confederate ironclad warship has also been discussed. User:Brian0918 did a lot of work on the article, especially the campaign box for the Peninsula Campaign, images, and a much better map than the one I had found earlier. This article is much more about the ships and their innovative equipment than the north vs. south aspects of many Civil War subjects. It a timely Wikipedia article with the preservation efforts and display activity regarding the Monitor very much current events.
  • Carl G. Fisher became a Wikipedia featured article in March, 2005. This is an article I started when I came across a red link while working on another WP project. Carl Fisher was a child in Indiana with a severe a sight-impairment disability who got into bicycle and auto racing, who helped and promote sealed beam headlights, opened what is believed to be the first automobile dealership, and caused the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to became paved for safety reasons. He was the driving force behind the Lincoln Highway (the first U.S. transcontinental paved roadway), and the north-south Dixie Highway which led to Florida where he became a real estate developer and helped turn a barren and isolated beach area into the resort city of Miami Beach, Florida. Although he lost his fortune in the U.S. Stock Market Crash of 1929, and died in modest conditions while fighting alcoholism, considering himself a failure, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential in Florida history. As I believe seems true with better Wikipedia articles, this article benefited especially well from collaboration, with some good tweaking by User:Niteowlneils, help from User:slambo, and assistance with factual review and additional image sources by User:SPUI. The public domain images are from the U.S. Library of Congress and the Florida Photographic Collection.
  • Pioneer Zephyr became a Wikipedia featured article in March, 2005. This is an article created by User:Slambo with whom I collaborate on a number of railroad articles. I contributed some content, images, and started articles for some of the red links. However, my role was secondary to his efforts on this one, which also had a minor tune-up from User:Niteowlneils. The story is about the train that was the original "Silver Streak", which was the forerunner of streamlined Burlington Zephyr passengers trains, and the source of the name for two films (1934) and (1976). A fun article to write and read. The PZ and several related historic trains are on display for Wikipedia readers who want to go see them. I've seen the PZ in Chicago, and I really enjoyed the exhibit. Working on the article made me want to visit there again. Hope you also enjoy it!

None at this time. Vaoverland 07:20, Mar 24, 2005 (UTC)

I was the principal writer (but not the only contributor) for two featured article candidates which did not achieve that status (yet). They are:

  • Auto Train which lacked written reference sources (all my research came from Internet sources only).
  • Virginian Railway article which was too much about building the railroad in comparison with its years of operation and later. The article was also too long as submitted. I am working to follow WP guidelines to break it into a major article with links to sub-articles, thereby making room to expand to cover the whole story of the railroad with better balance. I recently finished the work to create the first new sub-article, Building the Virginian Railway.

The following are articles which I had identified as having future potential to be candidates to become Featured Articles. They have not yet been submitted.

  • Henry H. Rogers I am working on a major expansion of the article on industrialist and millionaire Henry Huttleston Rogers (1840-1909), a working class youth born and raised in Fairhaven, Massachusetts (a whaling town). In the spirit of Horatio Alger, he struck out with a small savings to find his fortune, worked hard and sacrificed, and became one of the principals of Standard Oil. He is considered one of the 30 most wealthy men of all-time in the United States. Much was been written on this fascinating man, who was the Virginian Railway's co founder and financier. The current WP article, mostly written by me, is very insufficient in my opinion. This fellow was very complex, and doing the re-write to a high standard is taking some time. Anyone who can help, please refer to Talk:Henry H. Rogers/Draft for this work-in-progress. While working on his article (in draft), I created a new one on his wife, Abbie G. Rogers, which ended up being more complete than the current on the more famous husband. I learned a lot about the woman behind the man. After Abbie died, he cultivated friendships and financially mentored Mark Twain, Helen Keller, and did tremendous behind-the-scenes work with Dr. Booker T. Washington. The more I learn about Henry Rogers, the more I want to include in the revised article about him.

Did You Know? new articles

I have been directly involved in 11 articles to date which have been featured on the Wikipedia main page in the Did You Know? section, which presents short blurbs and links to new articles:

  • Pioneer Zephyr later became a featured article. It was created by User:Slambo with whom I collaborate on railroad articles. I contributed some content, images, and started articles for some of the red links.
  • Adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD) is an article I started. AADD affects an estimated 30% of children who had Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including me. This DYK blurb led many readers to the article and the ADHD artiicle, and there has been healthy new dialog on the Talk pages and new edits with more information from other contributors for both the articles as well.

WikiProjects

I participate in:

Transportation

CSX and Norfolk Southern are the big railroads in Virginia. Therefore, I am organizing these articles by passenger rail (anywhere), CSX and its predecessors, NS and its predecessors, and miscellaneous (anywhere).

Passenger rail (intercity and commuter)
CSXT and predecessors
Norfolk Southern and predecessors

In 1980, Southern Railway Company changed its name to Norfolk Southern Railway, and joined Norfolk and Western in creation of today's Norfolk Southern Corporation. part of Conrail was added in 1998.

Southern Railway roots: These NS predecessors date to around 1830. the earliest became part of the Richmond and Danville Railroad system which by 1890, covered 3,300 miles of track in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. In 1892, the R&D and subsidiaries entered receivership. Reorganized by J.P. Morgan and his New York banking firm of Drexel, Morgan and Company, they emerged in 1894 as the Southern Railway Company (SOU), which controlled over 4,000 miles of line at its inception.

Norfolk and Western roots: The earliest portion was the City Point Railroad completed in 1838. It became part of the South Side Railroad, which in 1870, was combined with the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad and the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad to form the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad (AM&O), a 408-mile long system created by General also see William Mahone across much of southside Virginia. Due largely to the Financial Panic of 1873, a fourth planned line of the AM&O, the proposed Virginia and Kentucky Railroad was never built. the AM&O went into default and was sold to new owners who renamed it the Norfolk and Western (N&W). The N&W system expanded greatly in the next 100 years to a system of 7,000 miles of track by 1980. Its notable mergers and acquisitions included the Virginian Railway in 1959, and the Nickel Plate Road and Wabash Railway in 1964.

NOTE: This is a partial list.

Streetcars, interurbans, and light rail
Buses
Highways, bridges, tunnels, bridge-tunnels, ferries, and road features

Famous (and not-so-famous) People

Real People

Fictional Characters

While working on biographies of famous (and not-so-famous) people for Wikipedia, I created an article List of fictional television sitcom characters after realizing how much they have become part of our culture. These fictional characters from television situation comedy shows include persons, as well as animals and inanimate objects. That list includes many (but not all) of the fictional characters I am interested in, which are listed below.

Note: this is an incomplete list, and also includes lost of red links for articles not yet written.

Fictional Persons
Fictional Animals
Fictional characters of unknown nature
Fictional inanimate objects

Disasters and Events in History

I mostly like to work on articles with which I have some special interest. For example, I was in Washington, DC working with a frozen (literally) motorcoach, and a few hours earlier, had crossed the same bridge that was involved in the terrible crash of Air Florida Flight 90 on January 13, 1982. It makes you think "There but for the grace of God was me..." In Richmond, we endured the Beltway Sniper Attacks terrorism in 2002, and suffered both emotionally and financially, especially after school children and public bus drivers were struck down.

In date order:

History, historical sites, museums and attractions (mostly Virginia)

Virginia state & local features, government, and communities

In this section, I intend to only list articles I either started, or was able to contribute significant content. As in other sections, red linked articles named serve as a to/do list.

U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA)s in Virginia

Current independent cities in Virginia

Current counties in Virginia

Current incorporated towns in Virginia

Other local features, government, and communities in Virginia

"Lost" counties, cities and towns of Virginia

For a long time, I have had some fascination with the many places which are no longer in Virginia, for whatever reason. The lead article for my WP work on this regard is Lost counties, cities and towns of Virginia. My goal is to capture a comprehensive list and present some interesting factually accurate information about some of these, and I have attempted to include any that might be of interest, including some very obscure ones. Individual articles are listed below, but many I found are only listed in the lead article. I hope that others will find more, and include on my list, as well as add to existing articles and/or correct any incorrect information.

As a general convention, if the subject existed primarily or only before the State of Virginia existed, as in the colonial period, I use a article title that does not include Virginia. If it was later, or if clarity is needed, I use Virginia in the name of the article. (IE New Norfolk County, vs Norfolk County, Virginia.

Lead article and Talk page:
List of individual articles:

Non-Virginia Local features, government, and communities

Business and Corporations

Broadcasting

AM and FM Radio and Television stations

ADD, ADHD, AADD

Despite the multiple acronyms of ADD, ADHD, and AADD, it all basically the same thing. A subject close to my heart, even closer to my brain. <gr>

Miscellaneous

My Wikipedia Articles To/Do List

Listing of other WP articles which I am researching, working on, and/or intend to work on.

Summary

I am enjoying the Wikipedia writing, and welcome suggestions. Please leave any messages at User talk:Vaoverland.

Thanks to all,
Mark Fisher in Richmond, VA
aka vaoverland
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