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User:Vaoverland

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Vaoverland (talk | contribs) at 20:58, 11 September 2005. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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 a "few" years ago
This rotating barnstar is in recognition of your constant and tireless work to countless articles on Wikipedia. brian0918™ 05:36, 27 Feb 2005 (UTC)
photo courtesy of Virginian Railway Enthusiasts on Yahoo


Welcome to the homepage for Vaoverland. I live in Virginia's Historic Triangle and am especially interested in land transportation and Virginia-related history and biographical topics. I have been a Wikipedian for about 3-4 years. 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.

Last updated Vaoverland 20:58, September 11, 2005 (UTC)


Who am I

My name is Mark Fisher, and I live in Virginia in the United States, although I was born in the mid-west portion of the country. The user name Vaoverland comes from Virginia Overland Transportation, a bus company my family owned where I was employed for 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. My career has been in transportation, and I have worked with bus sales and both government-operated and contract bus transportation in Virginia since 1968.

These days, in addition to working on Wikipedia articles, I do some other writing, and started and moderate several Yahoo Internet groups for bus and railway enthusiasts. I am especially proud of Virginian Railway Enthusiasts [1], which is in the top 5% of Yahoo railway groups with over 550 members. Members are actively involved in restoration and preservation activities in 2 states, and one group of retirees meets weekly to answer questions posed on the Internet from members on several continents.

I am currently a caregiver for an elderly parent and another family member with a disability. 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)

Shortcomings in my WP work

I have adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD), as well as mild forms of both an auditory processing disorder and a motor skills disorder. Wikipedia has helped me learn more about these and the coping skills (or "workarounds") for these include using closed captioning on television and spellcheckers to correct my frequent typing transposition errors, which resemble dyslexia (but aren't). (The free ieSpell program (recommended by other Wikipedians) has proved to be a big help for me in correcting transposition errors as well as spelling).

Fortunately, I also have the AADD attribute of hyperfocus, so working on WP projects at my own pace is ideal for me. When I am "in gear", people say that I get a lot done.

I am primarily focused on article content, and often working one one leads to another. I am aware that I have a tendency to duplicate material from one article to the next. Other Wikipedians have noted that this sometimes ends up being too much. I appreciate the editing of such infractions, as well as category improvements, another weak area for me. I am seldom offended by such edits, remembering that WP is all about collaboration. Of course, it is always am "up" to see an article improved.

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. Geographically, I generally like topics with an orientation fairly close to Richmond, the Historic Triangle, Hampton Roads, and Virginia.

For me writing for Wikipedia provides an opportunity to learn more about subjects which are interesting to me, including a few which have been part of my life. For example, I was in Washington, DC on January 13, 1982 working with a cold weather-related bus transportation problem when Air Florida Flight 90 crashed. I was also a franchised dealer for Wayne Corporation, a now-defunct bus manufacturer. The Virginian Railway has always been my favorite railroad. When I was a college student, I worked part time at several local radio and television stations such as WFMV. My work with charter buses and tours stimulated my continuing interest in the American Civil War as well as many historical sites. In the course of writing on subjects such as these, I have learned more and other writers in turn have been stimulated to contributing more, and so forth.

I know that Wikipedia articles are used by teachers as a basis for school projects and for our Standards of Learning program in Virginia. When composing and editing articles, I visualize school children of middle school or high school age, and I try to keep the content factual and interesting to read.

If 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 my contributions (my disclaimer)

I use this page are 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 five featured articles for which I was a major contributor, none were solely a work of mine.

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 admin and 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. I am very reluctant to edit or delete the work of others, but will revert vandalism whenever I see it, especially on pages on my WP watchlist.

Did You Know? new articles for the Main Page

I have been directly involved in 34 articles to date (31 of which I started) which have been featured on the Wikipedia Main Page in the Did You Know? (DYK) section (which presents short blurbs and links to new articles). Working for this feature of WP is a good area to practice getting the most impact out of the fewest words, a skill which has always challenged (and often eluded) me.

I especially enjoy working on the DYK section because the publicity during the time the blurb is presented draws readers and editors to the articles, which stimulates additional content, first-time WP contributors, factual corrections, and sometimes a bit of controversy!

Here is the list in the order they appeared on Wikipedia's Main page:

  • 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) 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 article, 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.
  • one-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. All of the students met in a single room, and one teacher taught reading, writing and arithmetic to seven or eight grade levels of boys and girls.
  • a kid hack was a horse-drawn vehicle used for transporting children to school in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States. This early form of school bus powered by both horses and mules, was usually loaded at the rear to avoid frightening the animals.
  • Project Exile was a federal program started in Richmond, Virginia in 1997? By prosecuting illegal gun offenses in federal court, Project Exile helped to reduce gun violence in Richmond by 40 percent.

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 five 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 a secondary writer on a fourth, and contributed substantial content to a fifth. 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 and Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains. 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!
  • SS Andrea Doria was featured on the main page on August 28, 2005. I was five years old when the famous passenger liner collided with another and capsized and sank in 1956. I read Collision Course by Alvin Moscow in the early 1960s, and have always maintained an interest in the years since. This article was started by another, but I contributed substantial content. It is a fascinating transportation-related subject, controversial to the present-day.

None at this time. Vaoverland 01:47, August 28, 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 For several years, I have been working on 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. As of a 1996 publication, he was considered one of the 25 most wealthy men of all-time in the United States. Although much has been written on this fascinating man, who was the Virginian Railway's co founder and financier, there has only been one true biography to-date. The more I learn about Henry Rogers, the more I want to learn (and perhaps write) more. While working on his article, 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. I have added Rogers related information to the articles on each of them.

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 lots 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 Virginia
aka vaoverland
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