HISTORY

The MIP (Most Interesting President)

In Friday’s column, I recounted the time USC President John Hubbard went and ate dinner at a dorm with the students.

So I thought this is a good time to mention how colorful a life he lived, according to his memoir.

  • On a graduation trip (from UT, 1938) to Europe, he and his friend stumbled onto one of the Nuremberg Rallies and heard Hitler speak.
  • He witnessed the Hiroshima atomic explosion from the air while flying a reconnissiance mission that they thought was just a routine bombing raid.
  • He attended the 1952 Helsinki Olympics as a reporter for Harper’s magazine. But that was a cover. He working as a CIA agent and directly assisted in the defection of a Romanian shooter.
  • A few days after the Nuremburg rally,  he was later he was carousing with Luftwaffe pilots (returning from the Spanish Civil War) in a beer hall along the Rhine (this was particularly interesting to me because I visited the same little village, Bacharach, in 2008).
  • His first job out of college was an assistant at a government agency for one of Franklin Roosevelt’s close advisors. He rented a room in Virginia from the personal secretary to House Speaker Sam Rayburn.
  • He was commissioned as a WWII Naval pilot with ill-fated eldest Kennedy brother Joe, in a private ceremony attended by the whole Kennedy clan.
  •  His air squadron was among the first to rotate into Iwo Jima after the U.S. Invasion.

 

49 thoughts on “The MIP (Most Interesting President)”

  1. John Hubbard was a man….M-A-N. Not perfect —but always rose to the occasion.

    Thanks for the memories, Scott. Nice to recall a time when “interesting” people served as our University Presidents — unlike the parade of jackasses we’ve seen lately.

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  3. DONNY JUST SAID IF YOU’RE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRICE OF GAS YOU NEED TO DRIVE LESS OR WALK……WOW!!!!!!!!!

    MILLIONS REGRET VOTING FOR HIM…..

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    1. KAM: BREAKING: Just-declassified FBI/DOJ Clinton Foundation docs reveal the same inspector general, Democrat Michael Atkinson, who relaxed whistleblower rules and misled Congress re the Eric Ciaramella/Adam Schiff impeachment plot, was involved in the 2016 decision to scuttle the Clinton Foundation. investigation as a then-DOJ prosecutor.

      DON: Democrat Traitor Michael Atkinson should be indicted and brought up on charges for violating 18 U.S.C. § 201 (bribery), 18 U.S.C. § 208 (financial conflicts), and 5 CFR Part 2635 Subpart G (misuse of position).

      Investigate, indict, prosecute with a grand jury, and convict. There should be no delay, and IG’s across the entire Government Enterprise should be put on notice that if they violate ethics rules they are sworn to uphold; they themselves will face the appropriate consequences.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. The Dem Party should be forced to rename itself the Revolutionary Communist Party —-so voters know what they’re voting for….

        #There’sNothing”Democratic”AboutIt….

        Liked by 1 person

    1. KAM: BREAKING: Just-declassified DOJ documents reveal D e m o c r a t pro-C l i n t o n prosecutors misled Little Rock FBI agents into thinking the statute of limitations had expired on H i l l a r y ‘s Uranium One deal when in fact the Russian scandal and other alleged C l i n t o n Foundation crimes may still have been prosecutable under the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act.

      DON: There is a serious problem and national security threat at DOJ given the vast majority of employees are t r a i t o r o u s D e m o c r a t s like Cowardly Gabby who loathe T r u m p /M A G A /America First House Freedom Caucus/other conservatives) and will misuse their authority. This extreme imbalance is reflected in political donations.

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    1. KAM: The D e m o c r a t Party is the party of Cowardly Gabbys and Tranny Bruins who promote hate, violence, rioting, open borders and a s s a s s i n a t i o n s.

      DON: D e m o c r a t s “increase the temperature” until something excessively violent happens and then insist that R e p u b l i c a n s “lower the temperature” by giving D e m o c r a t s everything they want…lest more v i o l e n c e happens. It’s a political extortion racket.

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      1. KAM: D e m o c r a t Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman gets BOOED by her constituents! She tells them that its not a big deal to have homeless tents full of drugged out criminal zombie bums like Cowardly Gabby right next to a school.

        The audience boos in outrage. She then rolls her eyes at them.https://x.com/spencerpratt/status/2048915656385744911lol

        DON: D e m o c r a t s do not care about you, they hate you

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      1. Jill Saint John was one of the most beautiful Bond girls. I also liked the Spectre girl in Thunderbolt and the lead female in From Russia with Love. Scott should post these on the Friday Notes column.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Yes!

        ..But…isn’t it “Thunderballs”…or am I thinking of a blu-ray disc Sybil sent me as a birthday present?

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Yep…. now I remember: Thunderass was her stage name..

        #AteChile,Performed….. finished up cooling off with a popcycle…

        {I know no one wants me to go into details]

        Liked by 1 person

      5. I can’t help but surmise wolfman would have been the second best Bond after Sir Connery. of course due to Hollywood politics, never got the chance.

        #AnimalMagnetism

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  9. I wonder if some professor in the Black Studies department is trying to get Hubbard censored posthumously for attending a Nazi rally in 1938. Today he would be considered a Fascist or worst for that act alone. And watching the Hiroshima explosion from above would not go over well either. Very few in the press or academia are interested in the context of these events.

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  10. KAM: Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan Wolverines, just yanked 600 anti-crime signs citywide so the streets look more “inclusive” and “welcoming” to gangs and bums like Cowardly Gabby. Because nothing screams safety like Mainstream Moderate D e m o c r a t s pretending crime doesn’t exist.https://x.com/GustavNeale/status/2049468411017662694lol

    DON: Woke priorities over public safety again. Ann Arbor’s crime rate is higher than the national average, with 24 crimes per 1,000 residents, making the chance of becoming a victim 1 in 41. Violent crime is higher than in most U.S. communities, with a rate of 3 per 1,000 residents, while property crime stands at 21 per 1,000 resident.

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  11. Scott, thanks for the notes about President Hubbard. Dr. Norman Topping was President when I attended. Rufus von Kleinsmid was chancellor and a known Nazi sympathizer in the 1930’s when he was president. I believe that Zumberg was an admiral in the U.S. Navy…Scott correct me if I am wrong. By the way, the blog is supposed to be for USC sports. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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    1. The blog is entitled “Inside USC.” That category would include a post on past USC Presidents. I enjoy updates on what is happening on campus such as admissions policies, protests, board of directors meetings, ect.

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      1. KAM: This creep “ambi” shows up six months ago and now is telling us what the blog should be about?

        DON: That’s how you know it is Cowardly Gabby’s latest alias.

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      2. Pasadena, let me clarify. I have no problem with Scott’s historical notes about USC history or any comments about activities on campus in addition to sports. My comment was directed to the boring thread about presidential politics, left vs. right, conservative vs. liberal There are plenty of political leaning blogs for snarky political comments. Scott created this blog to be about USC sports primarily and USC as a school in general. If I am wrong, maybe I misjudged the intent of the blog. I enjoy hearing from fellow Trojans like MG, You, SoCal and others who have thoughts about our school. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Ambitious — I too respectfully disagree. But with a qualification. If a certain individual stops applauding attempts on the lives of people he disagrees with —then, yes, lets talk sports exclusively! But as long as that certain person types out crazy crap under my and other people’s names I think we need to respond. I don’t want anyone doing a search of my social media to think I’m the one behind all his/her batsh*t nonsense.

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      1. KAM: Notice that this “ambi” character has never once criticized Cowardly Gabby?

        DON: That’s how you know ambi is Cowardly Gabby.

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      3. Thanks for sharing your concern, MG. I wouldn’t expect you not to respond to salacious comments regardless of free speech protections. It is just disappointing that a fun blog about a school that most of us love intently is misused for non-USC isnarky comments. I love political discussions as much as anyone, but there is a time and place for every comment. I have learned a lot from you and others on this blog, and even from Scott when he isn’t being too negative. Best wishes always, and Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

        Liked by 1 person

      5. ambitious and Michael,

        Ambitious, I too wish that this could be about SC, its administration, history, coaches, players, events, and the whol ramification with SC without the politics. It was like that for many a year. However, this person who I call fake gabbbby came along a few years ago and started this political and personal poisining. We have asked Scott to block him. Scott won’t due to the board being a free nature type of board. This fake gabbbby has personally attacked Michael, Plow, Gabby, budda, me and others. We have asked him to leave and he won’t. The political stuff started with him and others probably including me have added to the jibberish. We don’t care for it, but trying to get rid of ghost take anything possible to do so.

        Even politics and religion can be discussed if it is respectful and polite. Hoping one day it can. Until then, I will take on this fake gabbby and put it in its place.

        Maybe we can tone down the discussion to where it is respecful. Maybe one one day when the fake gabbbbby stops.

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      6. PT: “others probably including me have added to the jibberish.”

        WHAT A DUMB—AZZZ….. GUILTY OF THE SAME SHlT YOU’RE WHINING AND CRYING ABOUT……THAT’S CALLED A “HYPOCRITE”

        LET’S NOT FORGET ABOUT ALL THE RACIST COMMENTS YOU HAVE MADE.  

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      1. KAM: Free Squeaky!

        Don: Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a former member of the Manson Family, was released from prison in 2009 after serving 34 years for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. She now lives a quiet life in upstate New York, described by neighbors as friendly and reclusive

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Okay!

        “The John Hubbard Story”, Starring Mel Gibson!

        […”With George Clooney as Benito Mussolini”]!

        #”ThisTimeIt’sPersonal!”

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  13. LOVE IT! CARL’s (crazee angrey reetardid laydee) idol, Chris Ostroushko and his loser daughter are being indicted!

    Lying sack of shxt actually tried to claim he & his family aren’t violent people.

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    1. Sybil: “I don’t see what’s so violent about a 250 pound man coming up behind a slight woman and throwing her to the ground with the full force of his body”…

      #”WhatAboutTheFirstAmendment?!”

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