This day in history: This Oscar-winning songwriter had ‘high hopes’ his donation to Gonzaga would be appreciated

From 1975: Songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen, a four-time Oscar winner, donated many of his musical manuscripts to Gonzaga University’s Crosby Library.

Why Gonzaga?

Because Van Heusen had been closely associated with Bing Crosby throughout his career. He wrote the music for 18 out of the 20 musicals Crosby made .

The donated manuscripts included what Van Heusen called his all-time favorite song, “Going My Way.” Others included “Swingin’ on a Star,” “Moonlight Becomes You” and “Road to Morocco.”

Van Heusen’s other top songs included “Come Fly with Me,” “All the Way,” “Call Me Irresponsible” and “High Hopes.”

Gonzaga had given Van Heusen an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in June.

“That Gonzaga has honored me, a plain old Methodist, is something,” Van Heusen joked.

From 1925: The Spokesman-Review reported that Spokane now had 129,588 persons – but there was a catch.

This number was not from an official U.S. Census. It came from the new edition of the R.L. Polk City Directory, which was the era’s equivalent of a phone book. It covered “all persons living in the territory covered by the directory,” which meant Greater Spokane, including the outlying suburbs.

The 129,588 figure was touted as an all-time high. But the actual population of Spokane proper was undoubtedly lower: The 1920 census showed Spokane at 104,437, and the 1930 census would show 115,514

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1975: President Gerald Ford signs Education for All Handicapped Children Act, requiring free education for children with disabilities.