We will miss them: Green Dragon's obits

I don't know if we need a fresh thread every time a person of note dies so I thought we might try an old fashioned newspaper approach and just have a page where we note the passing of someone we consider note worthy.

RIP Harry Morgan: He was wonderful in M.A.S.H. and many other movies of note. His presence always warmed my heart.


harry morgan pics on Sodahead

I wish I knew more about how to snag and post pictures but the above link will give you one image.

I'm still mourning Anne McCaffrey.

Me, too. I just finished Ring of Fear by her.

I saw the first two Talent books by McCaffrey in a used bookshop on the weekend, To Ride Pegasus and Pegasus in Flight. I haven't read them in ages but used to reread them quite a bit. I was quite excited to find these and am looking forward to another reread.

Dammit, Colonel Potter.

eta: I know it's morbid, but sometimes the thought crosses my mind that, one day, there won't be any Beatles.

yup, keeps happening to me. All these folks who have populated my life since about 1950 seem to be "shuffling off this mortal coil"... Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Anne McCaffrey, Harry Morgan... and friends, too. And I guess, judging from what my grandmother told me, it just keeps going on like this.

Either they're going to die before we do or we're going to die before they do...or we're all going to go at once...

We still have all four Monkees, so all is not lost.

Several friends and the thanatologist at my university got a kick out of this.



I'm still sad that Steve Jobs is no longer with us. I was on my road trip when I found out about him. My travel buddy was using my laptop and she had this incredulous look on her face. She turned the screen to show me the source of this expression, and I kinda squawked and fell to my knees. Did I mention that we were only a day from Palo Alto? ~_~

Rozax, I'm sorry for my memory not being better, but who is the last guy on your panel? I know all the other three and I probably know the fourth, but I can't place his name right now.

Kevin Bacon.

Please Kev, don't die.

Russell Hoban Who passed away on Wednesday. Guardian obit

Ridley Walker was a stunning book, one that I'll need to re-read again.

Also of course Christopher Hitchins who has died this morning. Whether you agreed with his views or not, he brought a lot of needed debate into the mainstream

Hitch is gone? Sad day, indeed.

I think reading_fox expresses pretty much my thoughts on hearing of Christopher Hitchins death. Plus, he died way too young, from my point of view. So sorry.

I don't know of many people who will miss him, but the headlines read North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il Dies At 69.
Not to toe the line on this group's rules; just keeping it current.

#15 - I'm guessing his hairdresser will miss him. And his hairspray manufacturer...

Hmm, how was it even possible for Kim Jong Il to die? Maybe it's a lie spread by western imperialists.

A stroke isn't too surprising for someone who's under a lot of stress and enjoys cigars and gourmet foods.

"Weʻll miss him" may not be as crazy as it sounds. After all, thereʻve been writings on the theme of "I miss the Cold War!"
(including a Thread ;some months ago in L T.)

And, in the way that you can "miss" the Cold War, I suppose you could miss a figure from its extended life.

I have a feeling that this event might be good for North Korea and bad for the rest of the world. But thatʻs speculative, depending on the stance of his succesor(s), about which I know nothing as yet.

Bon Jovi?

Bon Jovi is dead? I don't like the guy's music and while I do wish him silenced, I don't wish him dead. Smarm metal was never my thing.

Oh never mind...I just now saw the hairspray manufacturer thing....I think Jon was more a dealer, don't you? Enabler anyway.

The Bon Jovi thing is a hoax. He posted a picture last night with a sign that said, "If this is Heaven, it looks a lot like New Jersey!"

19: I hope the whole thing is mutually beneficial, but I don't know anything about his successor, either.

I saw this and felt sad for all his fans, even those who did not know they were fans. My great nephew (age 10) has all sorts of fencing moves down pat, and he doesn't even know what fencing is.

Adding Etta James to this list, courtesy ErisofDiscord's thread.

Born Jamesetta Hawkins on 25 January 1938, she was an American singer whose style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. (thank you, wikipedia!)

A beautiful voice, and a fine soul, is at rest.

I did not follow this man's career, but it seems evident that he had a very positive influence over many, many people. It is tragic that such a sad ending arrived to him and his family.

Legendary Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Dies At 85

I can hear Whitney Houston's voice, as it fades away. Sorry she died so young, and perhaps in a good deal of pain.

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/02/11/whitney-houston-dead-at-age-48/

unbelievable :(

Oh my goodness. That's unexpected and so sad.

Whitney's gone? I did not expect that.

Sigh. We will always love you, Whitney.

Wow. I did not see that coming. :/

+ Gary Carter + All Star New York Mets catcher
1954 (?) -- 2012

author of The Gamer and The Dream Season*

*This could be 1986, in which he had the winning hit in the 6th WS game to keep the Mets alive and on to a 7th game victory.

#34 - I feel a lot worse about Gary than I do about Whitney, that's for sure. (Though I do feel sorry for her.)

Gary Carter was my first (and biggest) baseball crush.

I like to imagine death is harder on those of us "left behind" than it is on the deceased.

So true, Maggie. So true. Sigh.

+Dmitri Nabokov +, age 77
editor, essayist, translator of his fatherʻs Kafkaesque Invitaion to a Beheading

NBC News just announced that Jan Berenstain died today.

I only recently came to know the Berenstain Bears and I tip my hat to the Berenstains' talent. Nicely done and socially positive childrens literature! Hip hip hooray!

I am so sad to hear about Ms Berenstain. Not only did my daughter love the books, but so did my many many students. My heart goes out to Stan.

Oh no! This is so sad!

Stan Berenstain died in 2005. According to some sources I've read, sons Michael Berenstain and Leo will continue the series.

Hey, hey we're the Monkeys! Davy Jones died. There are some fun memories there.

:o(

The first LP record I ever got was the Monkees. I loved them then and even now when I hear them they make me smile. Davy Jones wasn't all that old, either. Only 66, I think.

Not sure if it's true, but someone on Twitter said Davy Jones was the reason another David Jones changed his name to David Bowie - there could be only one :)

And the music fades away...

will be missed. It is sad as I think he died way too young.

This is so sad. I had a major crush on Davy Jones. :) Still love The Monkees!

I loved them too, especially Davy! Very sad, I'll have to listen to some Monkees tunes in his memory.

"Here we come Walking down the street We get the funniest looks from Everyone we meet."

I have very nice memories of watching their show with my dad, of all people. He liked it, even though his taste usually ran more to Bonanza and The Gunslinger. I just loved those adorable boys.

Just saw this over on Facebook. :'( I hadn't been born yet when The Monkees craze hit (I think), but I do remember watching reruns of the show on some cable channel here...

sweet.

+ Mary Sayre Haverstock +
ca. 1934 -- 2012

author on art, incl. books on Catlin, Bellows

Ralph McQuarrie, the artist who designed Darth Vader and C-3PO, passed away on March 3rd at the age of 82.

http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/

RIP Captain Carrol LeFon, United States Navy, Ret. Also known as Neptunus Lex in the blog world. I know that nobody here on LibraryThing knows him, but he was famous in the military blogging world. He had hundreds of readers and I was lucky enough to be one of them for the longest time. Capt. LeFon died doing what he loved - flying airplanes.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/contract-pilot-killed-in-crash-of-israeli...

Please, if you have any time today, raise your glass to the men and women who fight to defend your freedom, and please remember one of the most eloquent, humorous, insightful and dedicated bloggers: http://www.neptunuslex.com/

*raising my glass*

this is to the aforementioned, and to all the men and women who have spent their blood and treasure to keep the rest of us safe and secure

Robert Sherman. With his brother, he wrote the music to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, and other movies. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, dude.

Oh, I just saw a documentary about the Sherman brothers. I love everything they've written.

Mary Poppins: You know, you *can* say it backwards, which is "docious-ali-expi-istic-fragil-cali-rupus" - but that's going a bit too far, don't you think?

Bert: Indubitably!

I sang this for weeks after I saw the movie Mary Poppins

Sister Suffragette

"We're clearly soldiers in petticoats
Dauntless crusaders for women's votes!"

Evidently they wrote that while Disney and Glynis Johns were at lunch.

"Take heart, for Mrs. Pankhurst
Has been clapped in irons again!"

60: And it was set to the tune of scrapped song "Practically Perfect". I think "Sister Suffragette" works better.

R I P
+ King Siaosi Tupou V + *
of Tonga -- at age 63,
after a reign of about 6 years.

*aka George Tupou V

+ Earl Scruggs + 1924 -- 2012

Oh, I heard them talking about Earl Scruggs on NPR this morning, but I didn't realize he had died.

Allen Dale June, one of the 29 original Navajo Code Talkers who confounded the Japanese during World War II by transmitting messages in their native language, dies at 91.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39089436/ns/us_news-life/#.T37IRr9STWo

:o(

R.I.P. Jimmy Little.

#66 - Semper Fi, sir, and Godspeed.

Re 66: It's still sad, but I'm glad he lived to be such an age. War ends too many young lives.

An article in the 4/7 issue (online) of the L.A. Times is reporting the sudden death of artist Thomas Kinkade, "Painter of Light" on Friday 4/6. I will miss his beautiful work.

On the one hand, sad for the passing of a war hero and a gifted artist.

On the other hand, the world was blessed with their contributions and their presence and they lived full lives and were well loved. Would that we all could say as much.

I am unfamiliar with Jimmy Little, but I am sure his fans feel the same about him as well.

I just read that Mike Wallace has died. He lived a long life and it certainly was full of drama and excitement. I've enjoyed watching and listening to him, and I will miss his unique style.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/08/famed-cbs-journalist-mike-wallace-dies-at-3...

#73 - Very sad, but he lived a long, productive and fulfilling life.

73: Wow, that's one of the people you never expect to disappear.

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 -- 3:54 PM EDT
-----

Dick Clark, TV Impresario, Is Dead at 82

The television legend Dick Clark, who originated “American Bandstand” and the perennial New Year’s Eve celebration on ABC, died Wednesday morning, his representative Paul Shefrin said.

Mr. Shefrin said that Mr. Clark, 82, had suffered a massive heart attack.

I just heard about this! There goes another legendary figure. :/

I always wondered if there were a portrait of him locked in a closet somewhere, quietly aging.

I do feel badly. His weekly countdown was a big part of my early teens.
:o(

So, I know the whole 'celebrity deaths come in threes' thing is a crock, but I'm still wondering if there will be a third soon.

I was never what one might call a "fan" of Mr. Clark's but he clearly was an icon during most of my life. I certainly can remember the afternoons of American Bandstand.

An very interesting part of getting "older" is the accelerated rate at which people who you think of as part of your life, suddenly aren't any more.

Condolences to fan, friends and family.

I enjoyed American Bandstand when I was a kid. I know my parents are sad tonight. They really liked him.

#78 - :) My husband said the world truly will end this year, Dick Clark won't be here to count down the New Year. His weekly countdown used to be a big part of my life, too.

:( Just saw this:
http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=722167

Jonathan Frid of Dark Shadows, Barnabas Collins fame has died. Apparently he did a cameo in the new movie, which may tip the scales and make me go see it.

#83 - :o(

> 82, I agree w/ your hubby...in a sense he's right, the world will end w/ DC's passing; NYE will not be the same w/o DC to do the honors.

>83 MrsLee:, I vaguely recall watching the show Dark Shadows; I know some of my friends from that time used to swoon over the show, and I watched it with them, but at that time, I never really "got it" lol; I didn't watch/appreciate daytime/soaps till many years later. Sadly, I remember the character's name, Barnabas Collins, more than I remember the actor; the person I really remember most from that show is David Selby (who I think is still around), who played Quentin Collins (I loved the 45rpm record of "Quentin's Theme" and its flip side, "At the Blue Whale" lol). I doubt I will see the movie.

RIP Levon Helm. I remember seeing him on Elvis Costello's show a year or two ago, jamming with Elvis and Richard Thompson, still drumming even though he could no longer sing. I wasn't crazy about everything that The Band did, but they were a nice alternative to a lot of the weirder stuff that was happening back then. And he was wonderfully laconic in Coal Miner's Daughter.

Okay, so we have four deaths so far.

Oh, Sunday Morning just did a great tribute to Levon Helm. Google it and see it if you can! It will make you happy for Rock and Roll, once again!

or see if this gets you there: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7406194n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Alas, Maurice Sendak has died - http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/books/maurice-sendak-childrens-author-dies-at-...

Just saw that. :o( His books were a huge part of my children's early years. Very sad. :o(

Strangely I remember Alligators All Around much more than Where the Wild Things Are, which I don't recall at all from when I was a kid. Ah well.

Oh, that is sad news. His books are unique and wonderful.

Bummed, again. Another fine talent, one less star.

Stephen Colbert interviews Maurice Sendak. Don't miss part 2 - there's a link on the right hand side of this page.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/406796/january-24-2012/gr...

It is sad to see such a Star wink out. Happy Journeys, friend!

I never much cared for Where the Wild Things Are, but I love/adore/cherish The Nutshell Library. Tiny books with great big stories inside.

#96 - Yes, that's what we had! Loved them so. They are all pretty ragged now, but I saved them. I also loved Carol King's score for them. Our kindergarteners perform Chicken Soup with Rice and the rest of the songs every Spring. I can still see my son up there on stage in his little chef's hat. (Even though it was more than a decade ago.)

Saw in an interview on PBS last night that Maurice admitted he didn't feel too comfortable around children himself, and that he also never really felt like an adult!

#97 - When my children had friends over, I often had to get Pierre down and read it to them. Oh how I hate the phrase, "I don't care!"

Yes, I think Pierre was my least favorite of the bunch!

Jean Craighead George died today. My favorite book as a child was My Side of the Mountain. Which was crazy, as I would never have run away to live in the woods.

Oh, I am so sorry. I enjoyed so many of her books.

Donna Summer is gone, too. :o(

Donna Summer! Donna Summer! Donna Summer!

I hope she is dueting with MJ now *sniff*

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, apostrophised by BBC3 as "the greatest baritone of the century", died yesterday. His Papageno in "Die Zauberflöte" was one of the first pieces of Mozart I learned to enjoy.

Fischer-Dieskau was one of the first serious singers that I learned to appreciate also. The world has lost a wonderful voice.

*bows* Thank you, Karen. I was at least mildly surprised when the lassie on the radio said he was 86. Icons like that don't age.

RIP Robin Gibb, one of the Bee Gees. He died today at the age of 62.

I love to make fun of disco, but for some reason I can't stop listening to the Bee Gees. Thanks for making music, Robin.

I guess that leaves just Barry left, doesn't it?
:o(

RIP Robin - I decided to watch Saturday Night Fever tonight in his honour.

Such good harmony! It must have been fun to be a fly on the wall in their home while they were growing up.

#100 Wow didn't actually realise she was still alive. One of my favourite books from childhood and both my boys have read and enjoyed it. It was only when I bought My side of the Mountain for my oldest son that I realised there were 2 more books.

104, 105: I heard this on the news while on the road returning from Scotland. Truly an amazing voice and a great influence to many.

Is everybody going to be mad at me for saying this? I loved Anne McCaffrey's books, but I wish I could come to this thread without confronting that huge picture of her staring out at me every time. It's got so that I close my eyes after clicking, hoping to scroll to the bottom before I see it.

I wonder if the link could be replaced after all these months with a link to a smaller version.

Sorry if I've upset anyone's feelings.

If you click on the item that has the number of unread messages, it will take you to the first unread message. Don't click the main message title.

#113 & #114 - Yes, that's what I always do. Try that Meredy. (I'd prefer threads to stay intact for those who are visiting them for the first time.)

Crap. Leo Dillon has passed.

Leo and Diane Dillon's fabulous collaborative illustrations have graced many many gorgeous childrens' books.

That's half of another great....imagining an artist's party over the rainbow bridge, though I am saddened by the news.

Me too, Janny. I have fond memories of a number of their collaborations. Possibly my favorite is To Everything There is a Season

I met Leo and Diane briefly at ConText '89. So sad for Diane's loss and for the loss to the world of illustration. I've always loved their work and I still treasure the limited edition print that they did for the con.

Doc Watson.... lovely replay of Terry Gross interview with him on NPR today

Re: Leo Dillon. A couple of years ago, my husband and I were in Nacagdoches Texas, and wandering downtown, we happened upon a gallery which was showing the Dillons' art. I was thrilled to see original illustrations for so many of their classic works. I have no idea why the collection was in Nacagdoches of all places, but am so glad I had the chance to see it. My husband, bless him, had no idea why this was such a Big Deal to me. :)

RIP Ray Bradbury... Just saw this on FB and verified through news sources... One of the best SF authors out there.

#121 - He earned his own thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/138085

Goodbye Nora Ephron. :o(

Oh, no. So sorry to hear.

All the articles I'm seeing right now only say that she's "gravely ill", not that it's anything to sniff at.

ABC news reports her death
http://abcnews.go.com/US/writer-director-nora-ephron-dead-71/story?id=16656032
and it's already made it to Wikipedia.

Her great sense of humor will be sorely missed in a world which needs as many laughs, especially belly laughs, as we can get. "I'll have what she's having" is certainly one of the best movie lines, ever!

I loved her movies, When Harry Met Sally and Heartburn especially. Her later writings didn't do much for me. Ironic that she was so horrified about growing older and then she didn't get to do much of it.

Bub eye, Ernest Borgnine.
:o/

A big bear of a man with a heart of pure marshmallow...

I wonder if anyone remembers Bob Welch. His song "Sentimental Lady" from the 1970s seems never to have disappeared from radio (or TV). In June Bob Welch shot himself in the chest. He left a note, but I know no more than that.

Welch was one of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac, playing guitar and singing on standouts like Hypnotized and Sentimental Lady. In the mid 70s he struck out on a solo career that fizzled out in the early 80s. From there his music went missing from the public eye. In later years, he sued Fleetwood Mac for past royalties and they in turn omitted him from their entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These songs remind me of car trips with my family long ago, staring outside and listening to the radio which my sister always insisted we have on. I always liked his smooth vocals.

Hypnotized --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yA2i60AVIw&feature=plcp

Sentimental Lady --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE9CW-QHoUo&feature=plcp

Ebony Eyes --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnJOsfalSYs

Precious Love --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJaK5Pak7RI&feature=plcp

I think we've missed Eduard Anatolyevich Khil, also known by his internet meme, Trololo Man. He was born on the 4th of September in 1934 and passed on June 4th, this year.

I remember Bob Welch. :(

Adios, Sally Ride. :o/
*sigh*
She was much much too young.

A "sentimental (CW) lady", whoʻll
be missed:
+ Kitty Wells + 1919 --2012

Just read that Sally Ride died today.

Oh and Jon Lord died a week ago or so. He always seemed so bad ass to me and Deep Purple was one of the first bands I came to on my own.

#136 - *psst* See #134.

This really bothers me. She was only 61. :o/

#137 - And I read that too quickly and thought 'who is Lord Jon?' :o/

ThinkGeek honors Sally Ride on G+.

Ride, Sally. To the stars.

#139 - Very touching.

I was sorry to see Maeve Binchy had died. It has been a very long time since I've read any of her work, but I did enjoy what I read, when I read it, I recall.

http://www.librarything.com/author/binchymaeve

awww, Maeve. It's been a long time for me, too, but whenever I want something light and gossipy where everything turns our all right in the end, she does the trick.

#142 - Awww. :o/ I enjoyed what I read as well. Her books always made me feel closer to my roots. :o(

Edited to add: #143 - We almost simul-posted!

Great minds, Clam...always the great minds!

Just found this nugget of wisdom from Maeve here:

‘‘Suddenly they asked me, as only the French would, ‘Madame, what is your philosophy of life?’ What a cosmic question, but I had to answer, and answer quickly, because it was live.
‘‘So I said, in French, ‘I think that you've got to play the hand that you’re dealt and stop wishing for another hand.'’’

That's a lesson I need to relearn daily.

Good quote, Clam. Thanks.

I just bought a copy of Minding Frankie a couple of days ago. I'll have to read it this month in her honor.

#148 ~~ I read Minding Frankie a while back, and enjoyed it. There are some folks in there that carry over from some of her other books.

Goodbye to Gore Vidal. I own a couple of his books, but never got around to reading them.

I always had a lot of respect for Gore Vidal, sometimes even more so when he took an approach I didn't like. It put an interesting sense of the vagueries of history into his books.

I enjoyed watching him on talk shows. Fascinating man.

I know I've read something of his, and liked it, I just can't remember what. Damn old memory cells... they go into hiding!

I'm surprised that no one mentioned that Donald J. Sobol passed away on July 11... We'll all miss Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown.

"I never got around to reading (the two Vidal books that I own). . ." 150

If the two titles were
Kalki and Live from Golgotha, you have not (i m h o) been missing much.
My favorite Vidal is one I donʻt
even remember the name of:
the "Smithsonian Institute" one.
Iʻd say he was a great writer
on the strength of his work, overall, but one lackng a great book.

LOL, one of them is Kalki! Apparently I own three of his. The other two are Empire and 1876. I think the only one of his I really want to read is Lincoln.

#156 I'll save you the time: Lincoln was a brilliant, yet publicly stoic man, who privately had a complexity which, when uncovered, revealed he had both amazing strengths, and very human weaknesses. He cared about his wife, but their life was not perfect. In the end, he was a man who made tough choices in tough times, with as much grace as any man could bring forth. In how we remember him, some idolize him, and some demonize him, but at the end of the day: he was simply a decent man, more decent than most.

I wrote it this way so you can replace "Lincoln" with another name right in the front, and save yourself the trouble of reading 95% of the biographies on the market.

#157 - :oP~

On 154--156:

I changed my mind. I think
Duluth is the best of Gore Vidal that Iʻve read, and the
only one that I would consider re-reading. It and Lincoln are high on my TBR (or would be if it were a physical "pile" and not
just in my head.) Empire and 1876 are lower in the "pile".

Pioneering astronomer and physicist Sir Bernard Lovell has died aged 98.

Sir Bernard, who was born near Bristol and studied in the city, was the founder of University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory. Jodrell Bank and the surrounding Cheshire countryside is dominated by the Lovell Radio Telescope, which was conceived by Sir Bernard.

If you've never been to this part of the world, it's very impressive. I'm sure it's on google streetview somewhere.

I wonder if he knew there was Curiosity on Mars?

Art critic Robert Hughes, most famous for The Shock of the New, died on 6th August.

August 13th: Helen Gurley Brown, long-time editor of Cosmopolitan and famous for her use of italics (and a lot of other things). Now, there was a landmark, especially for those of us who remember the sexual revolution. The NY Times story includes this marvelous line: "She was 90, though parts of her were considerably younger. "

I just read this on Yahoo news: The actor best known as the nerdy high-school student Arnold Horshack on "Welcome Back, Kotter," has died in Florida.

Ron Palillo was 63.

I'd say that's about as far from Helen Gurley Brown as you can get.

OldSarge posted on FB that Harry Harrison has passed away.

He wrote my favourite SF comedy - The Stainless Steel Rat - and was the one (not JRRT, like with many) who got me into conlangs. His linguistic in-jokes were great!

#165 - Oh, I have one of his books, which was recommended by another SciFi lover at last year's book sale.

#164 - Sorry to hear about Ron Palillo dying so young. :o(

#163 - She had a good long run! Read her magazine occasionally when I was in college, but lost all interest in it as I matured.

French SciFi author and musician Roland C. Wagner died a few days ago. While not a very high profile figure he was still very much part of the local landscape of the genre.

#167 - He was only 52! :o(

Re #154 janiera, thanks for mentioning Sobol. I missed his obit, which probably didn't attract notice commensurate with the fondness some of us felt for his books. Each month when we got the flyer from Scholastic Book Services, Encyclopedia Brown was the first series I looked for.

Johnny Pesky AL infielder, 1940--50s; Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers; briefly Red Sox manager; sports commentator.

He and Sibby Sisti, Boston Braves infielder
were long remembered (though still affectionately) around Boston as World Series "goats" (1946 and 1948) --
but unjustly so considered in Peskyʻs case, according to the late Dom DiMaggio who said that Red Sox rf Leon Culberson was really at fault, but Dom didnʻt want to say so until after Culberonʻs death some years ago.

Phylllis Diller died today. I always liked her laugh, and enjoyed her jokes about her husband, "Fang."

Aw, I always liked her laugh and her hair. She reminded me of one of my mother's friends. Very funny.

She definitely was a unique comedienne! I laughed with her, at her, and all around her! She lived a long life, and I hope she was able to laugh as much as her audiences did.

Very sad. I know, she had a long full life. It's still sad. :o/

It is sad, but wow, did she make a contribution to society. Where would women in comedy be without her.

RIP Neil Armstrong. Long may his footprints remain on the moon and in our memories.

RIP indeed :(

This makes me feel old that I can remember where I was and how the news that made him famous came to us. How many Dragoneers can remember hearing or watching his moon landing, by the way?

I sure can, hfglen. I was living in a funky little apartment in Boston's North End at the time and didn't have a TV. My boyfriend and I walked into a neighborhood mom'n'pop shop and watched it on the little black and white TV mounted on their wall. We were in a, hm, highly impressionable state at the time and got pretty excited over how cool it was.

Tried staying in my college town to work one summer, instead of going home. Went to a friend's house to watch the landing. I remember feeling amazed, and small, and lonely, and overwhelmed.

It seems that anyone who was an adult when I was a kid is passing....not that moderen US lifespans are not longer than ever..

I was only 8 when I was glued to the TV set broadcasting the Apollo moon landing...

At four, I wasn't quite old enough to remember it.

All you lucky people who had TV! There was no TV in South Africa then, so we listened on the steam radio -- I think SABC took a feed from Voice of America for the event. I listened at a farm near Thomas River (flyspeck on the map of Eastern Cape) on my way home from field work in my 3rd year of undergraduate studies. Came home to major ructions between Witwatersrand University and the government: Wits had acquired videotape footage of the event and wanted to show it at the Planetarium. Dept of Posts and Telegraphs wouldn't issue the necessary licence because they didn't want the rural farmers to know that TV actually worked (apparently). This was the start of winkling Albert Hertzog and his flat-earthist right-wingers out of the then-ruling party, and any more in this vein will contravene the sign in the vestibule of our pub.

I was 8 years old and remember watching the landing at home. It could have been a rebroadcast. I do remember how incredible I thought it was. I've been fascinated with space travel ever since.

I watched it on a small black and white set in our kitchen. My mother had given birth to my youngest sister two weeks before, and I was so disappointed that she hadn't waited to have Missy on the same day that we landed on the moon. Curiously, my mother did not share that sentiment.

Seriously though, I consider the scientific breakthroughs that have occurred in my lifetime and I am amazed. The moon landing, the development of the Internet, ubiquitous computing -- I can't even begin to express my wonder.

I came along a few months later. However, I know what a great achievement the landing was.

Oh, and I have a friend who was born on the same day. He's always been a bit proud of that fact.

I remember watching those first steps, and as tardis said, it is nice to think those footprints are still there. Neil Armstrong was a big part of a world-changing time. I'll raise a glass in his memory tonight.

I was 1 and totally ruined it for my parents by choosing that very moment to take my first steps. They didn't see much of it. Lol.

"The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go into space--each discovered, studied, and remembered by the ones who made the irrational decision."

Just in cas you want to watch it: The Moon Landing

Strangely, I watched The Impossible Astronaut and The Day of the Moon (Doctor Who) just last night, so the quote "You should kill us all on sight" is appropriate to all who get it, here. Thanks for saving the world, Neil.

>187 Bookmarque:
It shows you have good timing. :)

I was in bootcamp that summer and one of the guys talked the D.I.'s into letting those who were interested come over to company headquarters to watch the landing on a small black and white TV. There were about 6 of us, along with one D.I., who watched it. Every time I think of that landing I can conjure up the oppressive heat and humidity of that evening, the odor of the room in the headquarters building, and the thrill of watching Neil step onto the Moon. It's hard to believe it was that long ago and it is hard to believe Neil is gone.

I was a University Student and quite "over the moon" about it. We were so optimistic! I still am, sometimes.

It was summer school at my fairly lax prep school between my Junior & Senior year... we were engrossed in both the moon landing and our (depending on ones preference) booze/reefer... and we saw the walk on the moon....
Now Neil is walking in a different dimension.

I was about six. I only have "told" memories of it. We didn't have a TV until about 1975, but every time NASA did something, if it was being shown on TV, no matter what time, my parents bundled us kids up in blankets and took us to my grandparents to watch it. No matter if we protested, we went and we watched. My grandpa and grandma watched as well. They were born in the 1800s, and were always in awe of the changes they saw in their lifetime.

I was about 4 months old, and, of course, don't remember it. I wish I had been old enough to remember the actual landing.

R.I.P. Neil Armstrong... The world will be a little less bright with you not in it. You still gave us hope that mankind would travel the stars someday.

"One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong

We were stationed on an army base in Japan...I'm sure it was aired on Armed Forces Radio as well as Japanese TV, but I don't recall. I was 10. I feel like I missed out on an important part of history.

I feel like I missed out on an important part of history.

Precisely. You are far from alone in that, as i implied im my post above.

We saw it on a small tv that a friend insisted on lending us....we were anti-tv for some reason!

Michael Clarke Duncan Dead: 'Green Mile' Actor Dies At 54
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/03/michael-clarke-duncan-dead-green-mile-d...

I was so engrossed by that movie that I didn't realize the actor survived his character!

Very young, he will be missed.

He was one of the few believable actors, in my opinion. And he seemed like such a nice person. This is a shame.

I was shocked when I heard this yesterday. Very sad. :o(

It's definitely one of those "Wait-what? No way!" moments.

I saw the news when he had the heart attack back in July so it wasn't a total surprise, but still sad. I always liked him.

Terry Nutkins. RIP. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19520824

Won't mean a lot to USians I suspect, but he was a big children's TV/Wildlife presenter. One of the few that I remember from being a child.

>204 reading_fox:: Oh, that is sad. He and Johnny Morris are largely responsible for my love of wildlife and nature.

Very sorry to hear about Michael Clarke Duncan. I fell in love with his beautiful deep voice, and he had such a lovely impish smile.

Andy Williams 1927-2012 (yet another Andy...)

Aww... I loved Moon River.

Thomas Szasz
1920--2012
maverick psychiatrist, the
arch-foe of the "Insanity"*
concept in Law and Medicine.

*and also of the "Mental Illness" concept, judging by the title of a work by him: The Myth of Mental Illness. . ..

Any Sons of Anarchy fans?  Johnny Lewis is trending on G+ right now.  He was only 28 years old, but it sounds like he wasn't too stable. :/

>210 justjukka: Wow! Shades of Crime and Punishment.

Several teachers at school had no idea who Andy Williams was. Did I mention I'm pretty much the oldest one there? Although, one of them is older than me, and she only vaguely knew "Moon River".

Fondly remember his show b/c we were living in Japan. There was no English language TV--a few dubbed shows (Misision Impossible and Bonanza come to mind); but the Andy Williams Show was in English. They were several years old, but we watched everytime it was on. And when we were back stateside, we always watched his Christmas specials.

>212 theretiredlibrarian:

young kids.....no sense of TV history...

I enjoyed him when I was very young, and when looking at a full moon said "It must be wonderful to be in love". The adult with me, unfortunately, discouraged me with some off hand comment about "don't count on it" or something like that. Sad.

Michael O'Hare (AKA Commander Sinclair on Babylon 5) has passed away, according to io9.com. He was a favourite of mine from the series.

John R. Silber ca. 1926--2012
D.D., Ph.D.

Texas-born# Neo-Conservative university administrator; politician*; long term President (later Chancellor) of Boston University

# One of the few favorable things I ever heard said about him by a student was that he"would have been retained by U. of Texas were it not
for a crony of Lyndon Johnson who regarded him as "too Liberal"(!)

*Silber defeated AG John Belotti in a Democratic primary for governor, quite an upset, if you're familiar with the Massachusetts party's partiality to attorney generals
as gubernatorial candidates. He then lost in November to William Weld

216: I was a student at B.U. during Silber's presidency. I recall his being controversial in some ways, but I pretty much had my nose in my books and wasn't especially aware of any difference he made to my education. I certainly didn't find B.U. overly conservative in the early seventies. How would that have flown in Boston?

British author Nina Bawden, best known for the children’s novel Carrie's War, died on August 22 at her home in London. She was 87.

Jean Merrill, the children’s author best known for her 1964 title "The Pushcart War," died from cancer on August 2 at her home in Randolph, Vt., at age 87.

"The Pushcart War" is one of my all-time favorites. Please look for it at library and read-along-wlth-me if you do not have it on your shelves.

"I certainly didn't find B. U. overly conservative in the early seventies. . ."

No, in fact, it is said that
Ted Kennedy (D, MA) told Silber, "You're taking over the toughest campus in the country."

Well, in 216, I didn't mean that Boston was conservative,
only that Texas was. Silber, I think was a dean at Texas,
and allegedly pressured to leave at the insistence of a
Texan "crony of Lyndon Johnson"*

"How would ...(Silber's neo-conservatism) have flown in
Boston?"
It was pretty much a flop. I know of a minuscule number Silber fans, like the left winger I mentioned who forwarded the "cronyism" story (216).
Most of the faculty and
nearly all of the students disliked him, but he did retain the support of a conservative faction of the Trustees, and so was able to stay in office.

*To complicate it, Johnson WAS a liberal -- in domestic policy(!) but by the time of
the Vietnam War, he was regarded as ultra-conservative.

Eric Hobsbawm, Marxist historian, died on Monday. There are some tributes on BBC Radio 4.

Nina Bawden and Jean Merrill in the same week. I mourn.

219 > oh, I love The Pushcart War! I should temporarily abandon Mt. TBR and re-read it. Sad to hear that Jean Merrill is gone.

Barry Commoner (May 28, 1917 – September 30, 2012) was an American biologist, college professor, and politician. He ran for president of the United States in the 1980 U.S. presidential election on the Citizens Party ticket. He served as editor of Science Illustrated magazine (from Wikipedia).

#225 - Sorry, but that is inappropriate for this group.
No religion.
No politics.

I will start a new thread for remembering notable people who have died and of whom we wish to talk.