Major The Hon. John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed known as John Steed, is a fictional character and the central protagonist on the popular 1960s British spy series The Avengers and its 1970s sequel The New Avengers, played by Patrick Macnee in both. Steed is a secret agent working for an unnamed branch of British intelligence, he was teamed with a variety of partners, including Dr. David Keel, Dr. Martin King, Venus Smith, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel, Tara King, Lady Diana Forbes-Blakeney and Mike Gambit. Steed was born John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed sometime between 1922 and 1925. A scion of a noble family, Steed attended Eton, where he once got into a fight with the school bully, James Bond, was expelled. Steed's best friend was Mark Crayford who followed him into British Intelligence; however Crayford was always secretly jealous of Steed and defected to the Soviet Union and attempted to destroy Steed and his legacy He was a distinguished veteran of World War II, training with the Coldstream Guards and transferring to the Intelligence Corps.

He spent the early part of his war service posted at RAF Camp 472 Hamelin, a jumping-off point for British spies on the continent. He received the Military Cross for single-handedly taking a German machine-gun post. Before leaving the British Army to join "The Ministry" in 1945, Steed achieved the rank of Major, he maintained a modest mews flat in London during the 1960s and drove a variety of elaborate, old-fashioned cars, including a Rolls Royce and several different models of Bentley, one of which he calls Fido. In one episode a Vauxhall 30/98 can be seen. There are no further details regarding his family, although he does refer to an Aunt Penelope in "Dead Man's Treasure" and a 13-year-old nephew in "Legacy of Death". By The New Avengers, Steed had moved out to the country, to a manor house known as "Steed's Stud", was no longer driving vintage cars, but contemporary Jaguars instead. During the first season Steed's character was a more rough-and-tumble operative than the suave, sophisticated gentleman he became during the Gale and Peel eras.

His most common style of dress as Dr. Keel's sidekick was a trenchcoat and suit, though the famous bowler hat and umbrella appeared as early as "The Frighteners", the 15th episode to be aired. Most of the first-season episodes are lost, but Macnee hints in his memoir that they appeared earlier. During the show's budget-strained first season, Macnee supplemented his on-screen wardrobe with numerous items from his own wardrobe, including the bowler and umbrella. By the second season, Steed had dispensed with the trenchcoat and was found wearing the familiar three-piece suits with which he is afterward identified, he was shown answering to several different superiors such as "One-Ten" and "Charles". During most of the Gale-Peel era the source of his orders was left a mystery. For the final season of the original series Steed was shown taking his orders from an obese man called "Mother" who used a wheelchair. In The New Avengers, Steed was shown working on his own, it was suggested that he had moved into an administrative role in British intelligence, although that did not stop him from directly participating in missions.

Out of all his partners, he was closest to Mrs Peel. Regarding the question of whether they had a sexual relationship at any time, Macnee thought they went to bed on a regular basis, Rigg thought they were engaged in a enjoyable extended flirtation that went nowhere, Brian Clemens said he wrote them with the idea they'd had an affair before Emma's first appearance in the series. One of Steed's trademarks was his impeccable dress consisting of a three-piece suit with bowler hat and ever-present umbrella, his bowler and umbrella were in fact his favourite weapons. Steed's umbrella, with its distinctive whangee handle, was known for containing a concealed sword, though he actually drew the blade, more using the umbrella itself as a striking and hooking weapon. Other specially-equipped umbrellas included one that featured a sound recorder, one with a tip that could emit knock out gas, one with a camera hidden under the handle for covert photography, one that contained measures of whisky; the bowler had a metal plate concealed in its lining and was hard, it could stop bullets and knock down opponents.

Although he was witty and sagacious, he was a suave and ruthless spy. In combat, he is an excellent swordsman and adept at unarmed combat. A bon vivant, he seemed to be something of an oenophile, having an impeccable palate and a love for champagne; when meeting Tara King, Emma Peel informed her. The professional footballer, Steed Malbranque is reported to have been named after John Steed on account of his parents having seen their child as the epitome of Britishnes

Larry V. Parman is an American attorney whose practice centers on business succession and transaction planning and estate planning, he serves as a business coach and consultant to CEOs and business owners through a strategic affiliate. He is the author of'Above The Fray: Leading Yourself, Your Business and Others During Turbulent Times', published in January, 2013. In addition, Parman has authored other books and numerous articles on estate planning, business succession challenges and preparing a business for sale. Parman served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, having been appointed by Governor Mary Fallin in October, 2013 to commence on November 1, 2013. Prior to being named Secretary of Commerce, Parman was the 32nd Oklahoma Secretary of State having been appointed by Governor Mary Fallin, he served from March 1, 2011 until he resigned effective November 1, 2013 to assume his duties at Commerce. Parman serves on the board of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce, the Committee of 100 in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs.

OCPA is an independent public policy organization that formulates and promotes public policy research and analysis consistent with the principles of free enterprise and limited government. In October 2016, he was selected as Chairman of the OCPA Board of Trustees, he is an active member of the largest Rotary club in the world. Past board memberships include the Oklahoma City chapter of Junior Achievement and the Research Institute for Economic Development. Mr. Parman received his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri, where he was selected as a member of the prestigious Mystical 7 Organization honoring seven outstanding seniors for their leadership and service to the campus and community, he earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City

Pagliacci Pizza is a Seattle-based restaurant chain. The first Pagliacci Pizza location opened on February 19, 1979, at 4529 University Ave NE in Seattle's University District. Over the years, this location underwent many face-lifts and remodeling changes until that location's closure in July 2018. Since the original pizzeria opened, Pagliacci Pizza has grown to 24 locations across the greater Seattle and Bellevue area, most of which offer delivery, sit-down dining and pizza by the slice bars. An interior decor staple for the local chain is Italian-language movie posters. On November 1, 2012, Pagliacci Pizza opened Seattle's first stand-alone LEED-certified pizzeria in the Madison Park neighborhood. In recent years, Pagliacci Pizza has made an effort to be more eco-friendly, using compostable boxes and packaging, purchasing green-power offsets from Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Energy. Since 2011, Pagliacci Pizza's boxes have been made using materials from Forest Stewardship Council-certified local forests and post-consumer recycled fiber.

The chain's Wallingford, Madison Park and Old Bellevue locations were built using sustainably-sourced materials. Pagliacci Pizza menus and boxes were used as props in the movie Singles; this film was set in Seattle. Pagliacci Pizza box and menu were used as props in the movie 50/50; this movie was filmed in areas outside Seattle, but set in Seattle. Author Kevin O'Brien mentions a Pagliacci Pizza delivery driver and pizza in his 2012 novel Killing Spree. Official website