A little bit of history.   

1956.....Active Rainer Rich Jacobson was born we celebrated big on Active Rain...a Members Only entry, real estate professionals who are not members Join!   Word has it Rich was born December 22, 1956 in Klamath Falls, Oregon....

1956 Jessica Hughe's Lolita the Lammy was born in Italy (I covet that scooter!) 

1956 Colo was born at the Columbus Zoo   a baby gorilla, the first born in captivity.

1956 HER was born... not the man, Harley E. Rouda Sr. started his real estate company...in Columbus Ohio.. in 1956.  2006 has been a year of celebrating that birthday in Columbus Ohio, quietly, tastefully. 

HER Real Living's history starts out:

"The 1950s: ... economic expansion ... suburban development ... Elvis Presley ... Baby Boomers ... happy days ... boom times."

I wish I had old photos for this story, that is probably a photo from the 1990's.  HER REALTORS® had been the market leader in Central Ohio for decades when this photo of Harley E. Rouda was taken...

Back to the 50's InfoPlease.com says of 1956 entertainment:  "With many hit singles (including "Heartbreak Hotel"), Elvis Presley emerges as one of the world's first rock stars. The gyrating rocker enjoys fame on the stages of the Milton Berle, Steve Allen and Ed Sullivan shows, as well as in the first of his many movies, Love Me Tender."

InfoPlease.com provides these statistics:
 

World Series NY Yankees d. Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3)

US GDP (1998 dollars):   $438 billion
Federal spending:   $70.64 billion
Federal debt:   $272.7 billion
Consumer Price Index:   27.2
Unemployment:   4.4%
Cost of a first-class stamp:   $0.03

Wikipedia
March 12 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 500 for the first time rising 2.40 points, or 0.48%, to 500.24.

Time Magazine from December 31, 1956 has a story about the birth of a baby gorilla at the Columbus Zoo in December 1956:

"About 8:40 one morning last week, Warren Deane Thomas, a 26-year-old Ohio State University graduate student and employee of the Columbus Zoo, walked into the monkey house to feed the animals. When he reached the cage of Christina, a nine-year-old, 280-lb. gorilla, he found her squatting listlessly in a far corner, indifferent to the hard-boiled egg he held. Then he saw why: on the floor squirmed a baby gorilla-probably the first ever born in captivity."

Colo was called Cuddles at first according to the Zoo website. Time's December 31, 1956 story says of the baby gorilla "weighed in at 4½ lbs., and was given a fair chance to survive if she weathered the first few days. If she lives, the happy zoo officials will conduct a city-wide contest to choose a name for her."

                                                    I may be wrong but I think HER started out being known as Harley E. Rouda and Company.... then became HER Realty, then HER REALTORS® and HER Real Living since 2002. For those outside Columbus reading this it is pronounced H.E.R. not her as in him and her. 

Happy 50th HER Real Living, Colo the gorilla, Rich Jacobson, Lolita the Lammy (*pictured here, gorgeous... look at those lines) and anyone/anything else born in that magical year of  1956. 

Happy New Year! 

Photo used with permission, Copyright Jessica Hughes.