the 1966 "nine yards" audience listed

[Stephen Goranson]

I neglected to mention a possibly useful resource of the 1966 Society of
Experimental Test Pilots meeting publication: it includes a list of "Symposium
Attendees," 18 pages, nearly 800 names, most with their affiliation listed,
plus 2 pages, about 90 names, of "Unconfirmed Registrants." These are
the people expected to follow the quoted discourse.

They include all the service branches; and about an equal (perhaps greater)
number from defense contractors, including Genral Dynamics, the company Admiral
Emory S. Land (of the 1942 quotation at an intensely-attended hearing, "for the
whole nine yards") worked for then, after heading the Air Transport Association
of America. "Shepard, Alan B., Jr., Capt." is listed as "USN," even though he
was the first U.S. astronaut to go up (in 1961). At least 28 attendees are
identified as from "NASA," which is interesting given the 1964 Space/NASA slang
article. Of course the 1964 NASA slang citation does not prove that the phrase
*originated* in NASA, only that it was used there; much less does the 1968 Air
Academy Slang citation prove that it started at the Academy nor in the Air
Force. None of the three uses, filtered through Elaine Shepard, ftom Smash
Crandell (real name, if I recall correctly, Frank "Smash" Chandler) involved
the Air Force, but a Saigon (not DaNang) barbering, marriage, and sex. Other
early uses, e.g., come from the Army (1967) and Marines (1972, 1974)--and from
defense contracting.

Also attending, along with (apparently) a couple of Congress staff people, Rep.
Otis Pike (D-NY), who served on the House Armed Services Committee, and chaired
its Intelligence Subcommittee; of course the phrase appears in Congress Defense
hearings. Also there, William P. Lear.

Here's another citation, probably nothing crucial, but it may save someone else
from decoding google books:

1978 Nov. Phi Delta Kappan "The External Doctorate in Education: Growing
Criticism and Crisis," by H. G. Vonk and Robert G. Brown, 176-9. P. 178: "In
Florida, for example, it is now possible to get a batchelor's, master's, and
doctorate all through the external route--barely having to step foot on a
campus.  As one person put it, 'I can get the whole nine yards in fast service
academic Seven-Elevens.'"

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

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