- Grover Whalen
."
He was later appointed by
Fiorello La Guardia as New York's official greeter, succeedingWilliam Francis Deegan , and became a public celebrity easily recognized by his exquisitely groomed moustache and carnationboutonniere . In this capacity, in which he served until the early 1950s, he officially welcomed everyone fromCharles Lindbergh to AdmiralRichard Byrd toDouglas MacArthur to New York and became master of theticker tape parade .In 1935 he became president of the New York World Fair Corporation and put a familiar face on the
1939 New York World's Fair . In this capacity he graced the cover ofTime Magazine on May 1, 1939.He died in April 1962.
He is mentioned in the
Groucho Marx song,Lydia the Tattooed Lady , theCole Porter song "Let's Fly Away", as well as in the 1933 film "The Prizefighter and the Lady " starringMyrna Loy andMax Baer .External links
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,761184-1,00.html In Mr. Whalen's Image - Time Magazine article]
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