Sunday, December 5, 2010

Victor "Vic" Thomas

R & B keyboardist and last surviving member of Junior Walker & the All Stars -- via the Battle Creek Enquirer.

William Kenneth "Kenney" Haddock

Dobro player -- via dailyme.com.

Tom Behan

Socialist academic and writer -- via the Socialist Worker.

Idris Ali

Author -- via mideastposts.com.

R.C. Stevens

First baseman for the Pirates and the Senators -- via the Quad City Times.

Alojz Srebotnjak

Composer -- via Reuters.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Dashrath Patel

Artist, designer and photographer -- via the Bombay News.

Hugo Dixon

Photographer -- via the Guardian.

Frank W. Lewis

Cryptologist and puzzle-master -- via the New York Times.

Sri Daya Mata aka Faye Wright

Hindu leader -- via the New York Times.

Elaine Kaufman

Restaurateur -- via the New York Times.

From Obit Magazine: "A Death Notice for Obituaries?"

A lovely and thought-provoking piece by James M. Naughton on the art, business and significance of obituaries. I hope that The Obit Patrol contributes to the appreciation of this essential part of the journalism world.

Ron Santo

Iconic third baseman for the Chicago Cubs -- via ESPN. He later became a hugely popular broadcaster for the team, despite or because of his vociferous partiality.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

James Tyler

Lutenist -- via the Guardian.

William George "Bugs" Werle

Pitcher for the Pirates, Cardinals and Red Sox -- via Legacy.com.

Joyce Howard

Actress, writer and story editor -- via Variety.

Salvador Arias

Voice actor and teacher - via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Gene Polito

Cinematographer -- via Dignity Memorial. He did a lot of TV work, and helped create such memorable films as "Colossus: The Forbin Project," "Prime Cut" and Westworld."

Sally Stone Guy Worsing

Music educator -- via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Helen Strassburger Boatwright

Soprano -- via the Syracuse Post-Standard. She was a champion of new music, and was the first to record the songs of Charles Ives.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Peter Hofmann

Tenor who appeared frequently at the Metropolitan Opera in Wagner productions -- via the Baltimore Sun. He was equally at home with rock music and music theater.

Walter Soplata

A collector of vintage warplanes who kept and restored them in his backyard airplane graveyard/sanctuary -- via Jalopnik.com.

John William Steakley, Jr.

Science-fiction writer -- via the Dallas Morning News. His novel "Vampire$" was adapted for film by John Carpenter.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Vithal Umap

Poet, composer, singer and actor -- via the Times of India.

Alfred Balk

Journalist and editor -- via the L.A. Times

Irena Anders aka Iryna Jarosiewicz aka Renata Bogdanska

Actress and singer -- via Thenews.pl.

Bella Akhmadulina

Poet -- via the New York Times.

Caroline McNairn

Artist -- via the Guardian.

Maurice Murphy

Trumpeter -- via the Guardian.

Laura Hershey

Writer, poet and disability activist -- via the Denver Post.

Giorgos Foundas

Actor - via the Athens News Agency. He appeared in classic films such as "Zorba the Greek," "America, America," "Stella" and "Never on Sunday."

Eileen (Zimmer) Deneen Yaseen

Soprano and voice teacher who specialized in "mono-operas," which she adapted and in which she played all the parts -- via the Chicago Tribune.

Gil McDougald

Yankee baseball great -- via the New York Daily News. He made the All-Star team five times, at three different positions! His career was marred by the line drive he hit into the face of Indians pitcher Herb Score on May 7, 1957. Although Score recovered, his career was never the same; some say McDougald's wasn't, either. His last game was October 2, 1960 -- the day I was born!

Mario Monicelli

Screenwriter and director -- via the L.A. Times. His biggest hit was the hilarious "Big Deal on Madonna Street," but he also made the acclaimed "The Great War," "Casanova 70," "Brancaleone," and "Amici miei."

Irvin Kershner

Film director and educator -- via the L.A. Times. He will be best remembered for his direction of the best movie in the Star Wars series -- "The Empire Strikes Back." Yet he made a lot of interesting films. Roger Corman gave him his start with "Stakeout on Dope Street" in 1958. He created the Western TV series "The Rebel." He made the silly "S*P*Y*S," the strange "Eyes of Laura Mars," and Connery's final Bond outing, "Never Say Never Again."