Remembering The Passed

Remembering Mickey Wright, A.E. Hotchner, Joseph ShabalalaMickey Wright was the leader on the women’s golf tour for over a decade in the 1950’s and 1960’s. She won more than 80 tournaments and Ben Hogan said she had the best swing of any golfer, man or woman, he had ever seen. A.E. Hotchner was the writer and bon vivant who served as a companion to Ernest Hemingway in Hemingway’s later years. Hotchner also went on to found a successful charity food company with his Connecticut neighbor, Paul Newman. Joseph Shabalala was the South African musician and singer who founded and led the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Remembering Orson Bean, Robert Conrad, Roger KahnOrson Bean was the quick-witted actor who starred on Broadway opposite Jayne Mansfield and Phyllis Newman and in the 1960 movie Anatomy of a Murder. He is best known for his television appearances on the Tonight Show and most notably on the game show To Tell the Truth (1956-1968). Robert Conrad was the handsome television actor who starred in three shows: Hawaiian Eye (1959-1963), Black Sheep Squadron (1976-1978), and his signature role The Wild, Wild West (1965-1969). Roger Kahn was the Brooklyn-born writer who penned one of the best books on baseball, The Summer Game (1972).

Remembering Stanley CohenStanley Cohen was awarded one half of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with Rita Levi-Montalcini, for the discovery of nerve growth factor. Dr. Cohen eventually went on to discover epidermal growth factor (EGF). By understanding the mechanism of how EGF works, he was in part responsible for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor revolution (tyrosine kinase being an enzyme involved in the mechanism), which brought a host of whole new pharmacologic treatments to diseases from cancer to autoimmune conditions.

Remembering Bob Shane, Fred Silverman, The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture Bob Shane was the last surviving member of the Kingston Trio, the most popular folk group of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Fred Silverman was the television executive and producer, who worked at the three major networks and helped engineer turnarounds at CBS and ABC. He was responsible for putting on some of the most memorable television shows of the 1970’s and 1980’s. The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture in Arizona taught students architecture and carried on the tradition of the namesake architect for more than 80 years.

Remembering Willie Wood, Jack Burns, Mary Higgins Clark, Peter SerkinWillie Wood was the Hall of Fame safety for the legendary Green Bay Packer teams of the 1960’s. His interception and long return in Super Bowl I remains one of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history. Jack Burns was the comedian and writer who was part of two great comedy duos – first with George Carlin and later with Avery Schreiber. Mary Higgins Clark was the novelist who specialized in suspense stories. She wrote over 50 best sellers in her career. Peter Serkin was the classical pianist who carried on in the family tradition of his father, Rudolf Serkin.

Remembering Kirk Douglas For seven decades, Kirk Douglas was a Hollywood fixture, and for the first half of that era, he was one of the motion picture industry’s biggest stars. He worked for some of Hollywood’s greatest directors including Stanley Kubrick, Billy Wilder, Vicente Minnelli and Lewis Milestone. His costars included Burt Lancaster in seven movies, Tony Curtis, Lana Turner, Barbara Stanwyck .His son, Michael Douglas, carried on his legacy and became one of the most important actors in Hollywood. Kirk Douglas was one of the last links to the earlier Hollywood of the star system.

Remembering Morgan Wootten, Jim Lehrer, Mr. PeanutMorgan Wootten was the basketball coach at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland for 46 years. He won five national championships and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the first high school coach to earn that honor. Jim Lehrer was the outstanding journalist and news anchor for the PBS NewsHour (1983-2011). His work with Robert MacNeil became a standard for television journalism. He was also a respected novelist and playwright. With his familiar monocle and top hat, Mr. Peanut was the familiar mascot for Planters for over a century.

Remembering Kobe Bryant, Gianni Bryant, Egil “Bud” KroghKobe Bryant was one of the greatest basketball players of this generation. A shooting guard, Bryant came out of high school to become the youngest player in NBA history. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers and guided them to five NBA championships, while amassing most of the Laker scoring records. Gianna “Gigi” Bryant was Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter who died alongside him and seven others in a helicopter crash. She was an emerging basketball star in her own right. Egil “Bud” Krogh was one of Richard Nixon’s operatives, who organized the plumbers and planned clandestine break-ins including at the Watergate Hotel and Dr. Daniel Ellsberg’s office. Krogh was also the man who invited Elvis Presley to meet Nixon in the White House for a famous photograph.

Remembering Terry Jones, Sir Roger Scruton, Barry Tuckwell, Norma TanegaTerry Jones was a member of the British comedy troupe, Monty Pythons Flying Circus. When the Pythons broke up, Jones went on to become a respected British historian. Sir Roger Scruton was a philosopher and leading conservative intellectual, who authored over 50 books on a variety of subjects. Barry Tuckwell was an Australian French horn player and is generally considered one of the world’s top horn players. Norma Tanega was a folk singer and songwriter out of California, best known for her 1966 hit “Walkin” My Cat Named Dog.”

Remembering Neil Peart, Gary Starkweather, Ken FusonNeil Peart was the Canadian drummer for the rock band Rush. Besides being the drummer he was the primary lyricist and spiritual heart of the band. He was considered one of the top drummers of the rock era. Gary Starkweather was the Michigan engineer who moved to Northern California where he developed the laser printer. He was an early part of the Silicon Valley tech revolution. Ken Fuson was the journalist who worked for The Baltimore Sun and Des Moines Register. He wrote a memorable obituary for himself.

Remembering Don Larsen, David Stern, Jack SheldonIn the 1956 World Series Don Larsen accomplished the greatest feat in pitching history: a perfect game. While there have been a number of perfect games in the regular season and one other no-hitter - not a perfect game - in the playoffs, no one has come close to duplicating Larsen’s performance in the World Series. David Stern was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association for 30 years, from 1984 to 2014. He revolutionized the marketing of professional basketball and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. Jack Sheldon was a jazz trumpeter on the West Coast, as well as a singer and actor. He was the music director for The Merv Griffin Show (1962-1972) and a frequent voice on the children’s education series Schoolhouse Rock! (1973-2009).

Remembering Edd Byrnes, Buck Henry, Marie Fredriksson, Punta Ventana, Borden’s and ElsieEdd Byrnes played the iconic character Kookie on the classic ABC detective show 77 Sunset Strip (1958-1964). Buck Henry was the writer, director and actor who was responsible for the movie The Graduate (1967) and along with Mel Brooks created the television sitcom Get Smart (1965-1970). Marie Fredriksson was the lead singer of the Swedish rock duo Roxette, the most popular rock group ever to come out of Sweden next to ABBA. Punta Ventana was a rock formation in Puerto Rico that was popular with tourists but was destroyed in the recent earthquakes that shook the island. Borden’s Dairy Company was one of America’s most popular dairy companies that declared bankruptcy after 163 years (the company may be allowed to continue business). The Borden’s mascot was the well-known cow, Elsie.

Remembering Sue Lyon, Don Imus, Gertrude Himmelfarb Sue Lyon was the talented young actress who gave the legendary title performance opposite James Mason in the 1962 Stanley Kubrick film, Lolita. She was only 15 years old, playing a 12-year old, when the movie was released. Don Imus was one of the first shock jocks - radio disc jockeys known for their outrageous behavior. He was one of New York City’s most popular personalities for decades. Gertrude Himmelfarb was a leading conservative intellectual, whose specialty was the Victorian age. She was married to Irving Kristol, another one of the top intellectuals of our era.

Remembering Jerry Herman, Allie Willis, Ram Dass Jerry Herman was one of Broadway’s most successful composer/lyricists with creation of Hello Dolly (1964), Mame (1966), and La Cage Aux Folles (1983). He was also one of the longest surviving patients with HIV, being one of the first persons to receive antiviral drugs on an experimental basis. Allie Willis was the songwriter who wrote for the group Earth, Wind & Fire. She also wrote the theme song for the popular television show Friends (1994-2004). Ram Dass, formerly Richard Alpert, was a Harvard professor who became Ram Dass, an American spiritual teacher and author.

Remembering Junior Johnson, Dr. John Robbins, Herman Boone, Kenny LynchJunior Johnson was the moonshiner turned stock car driver who became a NASCAR legend. He won 50 racers then turned to owning and promoting stock car racing and was famously profiled by Tom Wolfe in an article in Esquire entitled “The Last American Hero.” Dr. John Robbins was the co-developer of a vaccine that prevented meningitis in millions of infants and toddlers. Herman Boone was the African-American football coach, who was the subject of the 2000 movie, Remember the Titans, where he was played by Denzel Washington. Kenny Lynch was the British entertainer who, in 1963, recorded the first Lennon/McCartney tune done by someone other than The Beatles.

Remembering Peter Snell, Danny Aiello, Hayden FryPeter Snell was arguably the greatest middle distance runner of all time. Running for New Zealand, he won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and two more in 1964. He is considered the greatest athlete to ever come out of New Zealand. Danny Aiello was the actor best known for his portrayal of a pizza joint owner in the Spike Lee classic, Do the Right Thing (1989). Hayden Fry was the long-time football coach at the University of Iowa, best known for his folksy manner and success with the Hawkeyes. Before Iowa, he coached at SMU where his star, Jerry LeVias, was the first black in the Southwest Conference.

Remembering Caroll Spinney, Rene Auberjunois, Bump ElliottCaroll Spinney was the puppeteer who portrayed both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the long-running PBS television show Sesame Street. Rene Auberjunois got a break as an actor in Robert Altman’s movie version of MASH (1970). He went on to star in other television series, notably Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999) and Benson (1980-1986), as well as many other acting and voice-over roles. Bump Elliott was a legend in the Big Ten, first as a running back and football coach at the University of Michigan and later as the longtime athletic director at the University of Iowa.

Remembering Paul Volcker, Dr. Margaret Lawrence, Pete FratesPaul Volcker was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987. At a time when inflation was extremely high, he committed to raising interest rates to tame inflation. Although it brought on a mild recession, his strategy worked and he restored balance to the economy. Despite being denied admission to medical school by her alma mater Cornell, Dr. Margaret Lawrence graduated from Columbia and worked with Dr. Benjamin Spock. She became America’s first African-American child psychologist. Pete Frates was the Boston College baseball player who contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - Lou Gehrig’s disease- but he went on to devise the ice bucket challenge to raise awareness and funds to combat the disease.

Remembering Branko Lustig, Ron Leibman, Irving Burgie, Seymour SiwoffBranko Lustig was the Croatian film producer who was a prisoner at Auschwitz as a boy. He survived and went on to become an acclaimed film producer who won an Academy Award along with Steven Spielberg in 1994 for Schindler’s List (1993). Ron Leibman was the film, television, and Broadway actor who won a 1993 Tony Award for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in Angels in America. Irving Burgie was the songwriter who wrote some of the most well-known Caribbean folk songs of the 1950’s for Harry Belafonte. As head of the Elias Sports Bureau for many decades, Seymour Siwoff was the guru of sports statistics in America.

Remembering Jonathan Miller, Alelia Murphy, the Arena Football League, Alelia Murphy Jonathan Miller was the British intellectual and physician who started with the iconic group of young British comics, Beyond the Fringe. He went on, at various times, to be an acclaimed director of plays and operas. He was also a television personality with a gift for explaining complex subjects. Alelia Murphy was the oldest living American, born during the administration of Teddy Roosevelt. The Arena Football League was an indoor football league featuring lots of offense and fast action.