Sunday, December 2, 2012

David Schwenderman

Last full-time taxidermist at the American Museum of Natural History -- via the New York Times.

Gray Foy

Artist and salonnier -- via the New York Times. Margalit Fox's obituary is impeccable.


Stella Angel

Grocer and Holocaust survivor -- via sheepsheadbites.com.

Pat Renella

Actor -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

Emily Matlack-Hodges

Athlete, mentor, and spokesperson with the Special Olympics -- via the Sacramento Bee.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Martin Richards aka Morton Richard Klein

Tony- and Oscar-winning Broadway producer; the guiding force behind the original production and revival and eventual massive success of Kander and Ebb's "Chicago" -- via the New York Times.

Jakes Gerwel aka Gert Johannes Gerwel

Academic and anti-apartheid activist -- via the Washington Post.

Ken Rowe

Former MLB pitcher and long-time coach -- via Bleacher Report.

Maria Susana Flores Gomez

Beauty queen who died in shoot out with police -- via the Telegraph. This is eerily similar to the plot of a recent popular Mexican film, Gerardo Naranjo's 2011 "Miss Bala."



Simeon ten Holt

Composer -- via Gramophone.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Hal Trosky Jr.

Former MLB pitcher -- via the Chicago Tribune.

Dann Cahn

Film and TV editor -- via the L.A. Times. Best known for his work on "I Love Lucy," the first three-camera, filmed TV sitcom.

Zenaida Silva

Journalist -- via CBS News.


Dinah Sheridan aka Dinah Nadyejda Ginsburg

Actress -- via the Guardian.

Stelios Votsis

Artist -- via the Guardian.


Diana Birkenfield

Emmy-winning TV and radio producer; an integral part of Jim Henson's creative team -- via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.


Antoinette Olympe Bradna

Dancer and actress -- via the New York Times.


Sammy Ayala

Singer and percussionist -- via latino.foxnews.com.



Robert Blasetti

Office manager, research assistant, gardener, Yankees fan -- via lohud.com. For years, he and his wife volunteered as clowns and balloon handlers in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade; he died in costume during the event this year. The grotesque circumstances of his death brought it to wide notice; however, he was a nice guy who gave back to people. So let's stay focused on that.

Elizabeth Squires

TV and film writer and director -- via Salon.


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Jan Trefulka

 Writer, translator, literary critic, publicist, and dissident -- via praguemonitor.com.

Serban Ionescu

Actor -- via foxcrawl.com.

Tom Harvey

Accompanist -- via news.drake.edu.

Michael Dunford

Composer and guitarist for Renaissance -- via Ultimate Classic Rock. In our young teens, this over-the-top symphonic prog-rock was just the ticket! Oh how we loved it . . . and then punk came in. Still, it's a fun listen --





Flora Martirosyan

Singer -- via the Armenian Weekly.

Spain Rodriguez aka Manuel Rodriguez

Underground cartoonist -- via the National Enquirer. Creator of Trashman and "Che: A Graphic Biography."



Boris Strugatsky

Science-fiction writer whose stories skewered contemporary Soviet life -- via the New York Times. His stoy "Roadside Picnic" was later adapted into Andrei Tarkovsky's great 1979 film "Stalker."

Miliki aka Emilio Aragon Bermudez

Clown, accordionist, and singer -- via Broadway World.

Arnaud Maggs

Photographer and artist -- via the CBC.

Freddy Schmidt

Former MLB pitcher -- via mlb.com.

Alcione Araujo

Writer, director, and educator -- via oglobo.com.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Mickey "Guitar" Baker aka MacHouston Baker

Guitarist -- via L'Express. (Here's a more complete writeup from the New York Times.) As half of Mickey and Sylvia, had his biggest hit with the novelty ballad "Love is Strange" in 1956.



However, he was a vital bridge between R & B and rock and roll, playing guitar on these key recordings:











Erazm Ciolek

Photojournalist -- via thenews.pl.


Bryce Bayer

Scientist and inventor; "the father of digital imaging" -- via the Philadelphia Inquirer.


Fernando Casanova aka Fernando Gutierrez Lopez aka Fred Canow

Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

John Hefin

TV director -- via the Telegraph.


Anne Sullivan

Stage manager -- via Broadway World.

Marvin Miller

Union official -- via the New York Daily News. As leader of the baseball players' union, and destroyer of the infamous reserve clause, either loved or hated depending on one's labor sympathies. A revolutionary figure!