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Olajuwon, Hakeem

(Encyclopedia)Olajuwon, Hakeem häkēmˈ ōlīˈjəwŏnˌ [key], 1963–, Nigerian-American basketball player, b. Lagos. Introduced to basketball at age 15, when he stood 6 ft 9 in. (206 cm) tall, he soon became th...

West, Jerry

(Encyclopedia)West, Jerry (Jerome Alan West), 1938–, American basketball player, b. Cheylan, W.Va. One of the game's great shooting guards, he led West Virginia Univ. to the 1959 National Collegiate Athletic Asso...

Wagner, Robert Ferdinand

(Encyclopedia)Wagner, Robert Ferdinand wăgˈnər [key], 1877–1953, American legislator, b. Germany. He arrived with his family in the United States in 1885 and grew up in poor surroundings in New York City. Afte...

SLM Corporation

(Encyclopedia)SLM Corporation, foremost provider of funding for higher education to American students; commonly known as Sallie Mae. The company, which also offers information and resources to assist students and o...

amortization

(Encyclopedia)amortization ămˌərtəzāˈshən, əmôrˈ– [key], reduction, liquidation, or satisfaction of a debt. The term amortization may also refer to the sum used for that purpose. The term is commonly us...

Kundla, John Albert

(Encyclopedia)Kundla, John Albert, 1916–, American basketball coach, b. Star Junction, Pa. A star player at the Univ. of Minnesota, he served in the navy during World War II, then coached (1946–47) at the Colle...

United Service Organizations

(Encyclopedia)United Service Organizations (USO), organization that supplies social, recreational, welfare, and spiritual facilities to members of the armed services. The USO was organized in 1941, originally to co...

pressure group

(Encyclopedia)pressure group, body, organized or unorganized, that actively seeks to promote its particular interests within a society by exerting pressure on public officials and agencies. Pressure groups direct t...

Suitland

(Encyclopedia)Suitland, uninc. city (1990 pop. 35,400 including Silver Hill), Prince Georges co., central Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C. The Suitland Federal Center houses offices of the U.S. Census Bureau, Nati...

Homeland Security, United States Department of

(Encyclopedia)Homeland Security, United States Department of (DHS), executive department of the federal government charged with protecting the security of the American homeland as its main responsibility. Its prima...