diff --git a/STATUS.html b/STATUS.html
index 8b1131d51..dd230a370 100644
--- a/STATUS.html
+++ b/STATUS.html
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 <div align="center">
 <h1>The Jakarta Commons <em>Lang</em> Component</h1>
-$Id: STATUS.html,v 1.22 2002/10/04 03:22:47 bayard Exp $<br />
+$Id: STATUS.html,v 1.23 2002/10/27 19:42:04 bayard Exp $<br />
 <a href="#Introduction">[Introduction]</a>
 <a href="#Dependencies">[Dependencies]</a>
 <a href="#Release Info">[Release Info]</a>
@@ -91,8 +91,6 @@ still under discussion, so please mail the list before actioning.</p>
 <li>StringUtils parseBoolean method - This method is in OSCore's TextUtils and seems very reusable. It could go in a BooleanUtils if such a need was seen. [CODED]</li>
 <li>StringUtils uncapitaliseAllWords method - String Taglib has shown that this method is missing from StringUtils. [CODED]</li>
 <li>StringUtils unescape method - String Taglib has shown that this method is missing from StringUtils. It would take a String with "\n" in and convert it to the Java character. unescape and escape should be symmetric. </li>
-<li>StringUtils defaultStirng(Object) method - simliar behavior to defaultString(String), returns obj.toString() if obj != null, "" otherwise
-<li>StringUtils defaultString(Object, String) method - similar behavior to defaultString(String, String), returns obj.toString() if obj != null, specified string otherwise
 <li>ArrayUtils - opinion seems to be that this belongs with [lang] and not [collections]
 <li>GUID and other Identifier generators - these may belong in [util], some code exists in [pattern] at the moment
 <li>CharUtils - Utilities to work on a char[] in the same way as a String
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/StringUtils.java b/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/StringUtils.java
index c2c763938..fce14cb54 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/StringUtils.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/StringUtils.java
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ import java.util.Iterator;
  * @author <a href="mailto:rand_mcneely@yahoo.com">Rand McNeely</a>
  * @author <a href="mailto:scolebourne@joda.org">Stephen Colebourne</a>
  * @author <a href="mailto:fredrik@westermarck.com">Fredrik Westermarck</a>
- * @version $Id: StringUtils.java,v 1.19 2002/10/19 17:18:49 bayard Exp $
+ * @version $Id: StringUtils.java,v 1.20 2002/10/27 19:42:04 bayard Exp $
  */
 public class StringUtils {
 
@@ -1453,26 +1453,26 @@ public class StringUtils {
     //--------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
     /**
-     * Return either the passed in String, or if it is <code>null</code>,
+     * Return either the passed in Object, or if it is <code>null</code>,
      * then an empty String.
      * 
-     * @param str the String to check
-     * @return the passed in String, or blank if it was null
+     * @param str the Object to check
+     * @return the passed in Object's toString, or blank if it was null
      */
-    public static String defaultString(String str) {
-        return defaultString(str, "");
+    public static String defaultString(Object obj) {
+        return defaultString(obj, "");
     }
 
     /**
-     * Return either the passed in String, or if it is <code>null</code>,
+     * Return either the passed in Object, or if it is <code>null</code>,
      * then a passed in default String.
      * 
-     * @param str the String to check
-     * @param defaultString  the default String to return is str is null
+     * @param obj the Object to check
+     * @param defaultString  the default String to return if str is null
      * @return the passed in string, or the default if it was null
      */
-    public static String defaultString(String str, String defaultString) {
-        return (str == null) ? defaultString : str;
+    public static String defaultString(Object obj, String defaultString) {
+        return (obj == null) ? defaultString : obj.toString();
     }
 
     // Reversing