News and Information

  McClurg's In The News

  02/11/05 - Dawgbert Donates Hair To 'Locks Of Love' Charity

  McClurg's In History

  James McClurg - McCLURG, James, physician, born in Hampton, Virginia, in 1747: died in Richmond, Virginia, 9 July, 1825. He   was a fellow-student with Thomas Jefferson at William and Mary college, at which institution he was graduated in 1762. He took   his degree in medicine at Edinburgh in 1770, and subsequently pursued his studies in London and Paris. On returning to this   country in 1773 he settled in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he soon took high rank as a physician, but in 1783 he removed to   Richmond. He sat for many years in the Virginia council, and was a member of the convention that framed the constitution of the   United States. During his residence abroad he published an " Essay on the Human Bile" (London), which was translated into   several languages, lie is also the author of a paper on " Reasoning in Medicine" in the Philadelphia " Journal of the Medical   Physical Sciences." He had considerable skill as a writer of vers de societal, and his " Belles of Williamsburg" (1777), a few   stanzas of which were written by Judge St. George Tucker, is published in John Esten Cooke's " Virginia Comedians" (New York,   1854).

  James McClurg was born near Hampton, VA, in 1746. He attended the College of William and Mary and graduated in 1762.   McClurg then studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and received his degree in 1770. He pursued postgraduate medical   studies in Paris and London and published Experiments upon the Human Bile and Reflections on the Biliary Secretions (1772) in   London. His work and writings were well-received and respected by the medical community, and his article was translated into   several languages. In 1773 McClurg returned to Virginia and served as a surgeon in the state militia during the Revolution.

  Before the end of the war the College of William and Mary appointed McClurg its professor of anatomy and medicine. The same   year, 1779, he married Elizabeth Seldon. James McClurg's reputation continued to grow, and he was regarded as one of the most   eminent physicians in Virginia. In 1820 and 1821 he was president of the state medical society.

  In addition to his medical practice, McClurg pursued politics. In 1782 James Madison advocated McClurg's appointment as   secretary of foreign affairs for the United States but was unsuccessful. When Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry declined to   serve as representatives to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, McClurg was asked to join Virginia's delegation. In   Philadelphia McClurg advocated a life tenure for the President and argued for the ability of the federal government to override   state laws. Even as some at the convention expressed apprehension of the powers allotted to the presidency, McClurg   championed greater independence of the executive from the legislative branch. He left the convention in early August, however,   and did not sign the Constitution.

  James McClurg's political service did not end with the convention. During George Washington's administration McClurg served on   Virginia's executive council. He died in Richmond, VA, on July 9, 1823.

  Alexander Caldwell McClurg - McCLURG, Alexander Caldwell, publisher, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. about 1835. He   was graduated at Miami university, Oxford, Ohio, in 1853. He left the house of S. C. Griggs and Co., booksellers of Chicago, to   enter the National army as a private, 15 August, 1862, and was subsequently commissioned captain in the 88th Illinois   volunteers. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the adjutant-general's department, and chief of staff of the 14th army   corps, and brevetted colonel and brigadier-general. He served to the end of the war in the Army of the Cumberland, and   accompanied General Shermap in his march to the sea. After the war he returned to the book business in Chicago, becoming a   partner in the firm of Jansen, McClurg and Co., and the house is now widely known under the name of A. C. McClurg and Co.,   booksellers and publishers. General McClurg has been a frequent contributor to periodical literature.

  Wayside Excursion: Virginia McClurg - Concerned by the destruction of the ancient walls of the cities of Mesa Verde by   treasure-seeking profiteers, Virginia McClurg spent almost 20 years of her life working to save the cliff dwellings. From 1887 to   1906 McClurg engaged in a political campaign to inform the American public and members of Congress about the need to   preserve this important window to the past.

  McClurg traveled the country making speeches, wrote poetry, and gained the support of 250,000 women on behalf of the   preservation of Mesa Verde. She founded the Colorado Cliff Dwellers Association whose purpose it was to restore and preserve   the cliff and pueblo ruins in the state of Colorado, disseminate knowledge about prehistoric peoples, collect relics, and acquire   property as was necessary to attain the objects. McClurg also lectured in Europe and spoke on behalf of Mesa Verde to many   scientific organizations.

  When Congressional support was finally secured, it was discovered that the major ruins of Mesa Verde were not included in the   lands withdrawn for the park. The bill was quickly amended to include any ruins within five miles of the park and was passed on   June 23, 1906. With President Roosevelt's signature, Mesa Verde National Park was created on June 29, 1906, and Virginia   McClurg's persistence was finally rewarded

  McClurg's In Show Biz

  Edie McClurg began her performing career at age five with the oxymoronic Kansas City Rhythm Kids. She retired when the   dance teacher was arrested on a morals charge for "dating" the tall and lithesome, yet underage star dancer in the troup. That   girl's big number culminated with a backbend where she drank a coca-cola backwards, of course.

  Edie has a Master of Science from Syracuse and taught radio at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for eight years. there she   re-entered the entertainment field as a D.J., newswoman, and producer for the National Public Radio affiliate KCUR-FM. Her   proudest moment was portraying John Erlichmann in Conversation 26 on the NPR national broadcast of the NIXON TAPE   TRANSCRIPTS. Thus did Edie contribute to the peaceful overthrow of the government of an unindicted co-conspirator.

  Her career-long devotion to satirical improvisation began with the Pischel Players in San Francisco and Los Angeles. It closed on   Saturday. Then she did a stint as one of the stand-up comediennes working for free at the Comedy Store. When she started, the   other two women were Shirley "What's Happening" Hemphill and a protege' of Redd Foxx's who had woven bells into her braids.  

  Edie made a lasting mark on LA Improvisation with "The Groundlings". From there she went on to write and perform her original     characters Mrs. Marv Mendenhall, Dot Duncan, Whirly June Pickens, Officer Jeanelle Archer, 105-year-old Edie, etc. on the     Daytime David Letterman Show. Television has been a home to many of Edie's characters on "The Richard Pryor Show" on NBC,   as Lucille Tarek on "WKRP in Cincinatti" and Mrs. Poole on "Valerie"", Valerie's Family", "The Hogan Family", and many other   series with and without Valerie Harper

  Her movie career growth paralleled her ten years with "The Groundlings". Her first film was the teen horror favorite "Carrie". She   did several John Hughes films including "Ferris Bueller's Day Off","Planes, Trains, and Automobiles", "She's Having A Baby", and   "Curly Sue". Offbeat cult favs are "Eating Raoul", "Elvira", HBO "Pee Wee Herman" Special, and Martin Mull's "History of White   Man in America". She has also had success in more mainstream films. She received a National Media Award for her portrayal of   a mentally disabled woman in "Bill: On His Own" starring Mickey Rooney. Plus she has acted for Director Robert Redford in "A   River Runs Through It" and Oliver Stone in "Natural Born Killers". She was named Best Actress of the Chicago Alternative Film   Festival for the role of Ted Kasczynski's Mother.

  In the late 80's Edie studied with the Mother-Creator of all Improv Comedy, Viola Spolin and continues to improvise satiric   comedy with the Second City Alumni at the Arcadia Restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier most Wednesday nights.

  Edie studies acting with Milton Katselas and through this work she has written and performed a one woman show "Whirly June: A   Midwestern Woman". She starred in "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" at Tim Busfield's "B" Street Theater in   Sacramento. She made her LA dramatic stage debut in the critically acclaimed "Never in My Lifetime" by Shirley Gee about the   troubles in Northern Ireland.

  Most recently on-camera Edie has appeared as an inept Irish maid on "Nash Bridges", a noisy parishioner Mrs. Beeker on   "Seventh Heaven", and Lea Thompson's mother on "Caroline in the City". Currently she is voicing characters on Nickelodeon in   the series "Kids on 402" and "Rocket Beach", on HBO's "Crashbox", and "Clifford, The Big Red Dog" for PBS.

  Her most recent animated voices were in "The Little Mermaid", "The Rugrats Movie", and as Dr. Flora in "A Bug's Life". She also   recently recorded a voice for Disney's "Atlantis" with Michael J. Fox.

  Representation: Agency: Pakula / King and Associates (310) 281-4868

  For More Information regarding Edie McClurg visit the Internet Movie Database