Remembering Nancy Wilson, Evelyn Berezin, Melvin Dummar

Nancy Wilson was one of the top female jazz singers of this generation. Her style was distinctive, combining an ethereal voice and a story-telling interpretation of great song material. Her incandescent personality contributed to her song delivery. Evelyn Berezin was one of the tech industry’s first software designers and among the most successful women in tech in the second half of the 20th Century. Among her creations was one of the first word processors and an early computer-controlled system for airline reservations. Melvin Dummar gained national attention when he claimed to have picked up a scraggly Howard Hughes late on night on a deserted Nevada road. He claimed that Hughes left him $156 million in his will, and while Dummar never received any money, his story was told in the well-received 1980 film Melvin and Howard.

Remembering Stephen Hillenburg, Laszlo Lorand, Ken Berry, Pete Shelley

Stephen Hillenburg was a marine biology teacher, who turned his attention to animation and created SpongeBob SquarePants, one of the most successful cartoon characters in history. SpongeBob has been featured in television, movies and in a Broadway show. Laszlo Lorand was the Hungarian-American biochemist who was a co-discoverer of Factor XIII, a critical enzyme in the coagulation of blood. Ken Berry was the dancer turned actor best known for his role as Captain Wilton Parmenter in the ABC sitcom F Troop (1965-1967). Pete Shelley was the founder and lead singer of Buzzcocks, an influential early punk rock group.

Remembering Dr. Riccardo Giacconi

Dr. Riccardo Giacconi was awarded one-half of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work in discovering x-ray sources in distant space. To learn about cosmic x-rays, Dr. Giacconi was intimately involved in the construction of huge telescopes in satellites. His discoveries indicated that the universe was far more complex than previously imagined and expanded the field of astronomy by demonstrating how important physics was to the field. More than any other person he is responsible for the physics-oriented mentality of x-ray astronomers.

Remembering Dr. Aaron Klug

Dr. Aaron Klug was awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in outlining the structure and function of viruses and nucleic acid-protein complexes. His work involved electron microscopy, x-ray crystallography, and mathematics, all used to provide a three-dimensional profile of complex molecular structures. This, in turn, provided clues to practical problems like cell differentiation and organelle function. Much of his work was stimulated by the work in the 1950’s of the legendary Rosalind Franklin, with whom he worked before her death.

Remembering William Goldman, Olivia Hooker, Irvin Williams

William Goldman was the Hollywood screenwriter responsible for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), All the President’s Men (1976), and The Princess Bride (1987). Some of the quotes in his movies are legendary, and many consider his books on the Hollywood screen trade definitive. Olivia Hooker was the first African-American woman to join the U.S. Coast Guard as well as being one of the last known survivors of the Tulsa Race Riots. Irvin Williams was the head White House gardener from the Kennedy Administration through the George Bush Administration. He was responsible for the current design of the Rose Garden.

Remembering Ricky Jay, Bernardo Bertolucci, Nicolas Roeg

Ricky Jay was the card magician and magic expert who amazed audiences with his technical ability matched with a captivating stage presence. Other magicians regarded his card tricks as among the best in the profession. He also wrote books about the history of magic, performed in movies, and on Broadway. Bernardo Bertolucci was he award-winning Italian film director best known for Last Tango in Paris (1972), 1900 (1976), and The Last Emperor (1987). Nicolas Roeg was the English film director who liked to cast rock stars including Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Art Garfunkel in his movies.

Remembering President George H.W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush was the 41st president of the United States from 1989-1993. A member of the greatest generation, he came from a prestigious Eastern family, but signed up to become one of the Navy’s youngest fighter pilots during World War II.

He was shot down in the South Pacific but survived and went on to Yale after the War. He was a first baseman/captain for Yale and Babe Ruth presented his memoirs to Bush on the Yale baseball diamond. After becoming a successful oilman in Houston he went into politics. Before becoming Ronald Reagan’s vice-president, bush served as chairman of the Republican National Committee and Director of the CIA. He defeated Michael Dukakis in 1988 to become president, but he was defeated in 1992 by Bill Clinton. His son, George W. Bush, succeeded Clinton as president. He and his wife Barbara were married for 73 years, the longest marriage in presidential history.

Remembering Roy Clark, Zhores Medvedev and the Lysenko Affair

Roy Clark is best known for being one of the hosts of Hee Haw, the countrified television variety show (1968-1997). This overshadowed his genius as a guitar player, banjo player and violinist (although in his case it is more accurately called a fiddle). He was among the world’s top guitar players and banjo players, and he was good enough to play violin at Carnegie Hall. Considering all the instruments he could play at a virtuoso level he was probably the world’s greatest string musician. Zhores Medvedev was the Soviet biologist and historian who documented some of the Soviet regime’s most closely held secrets. He was branded a dissident, imprisoned, and declared insane before having his reputation partially restored. His most notable revelations were about Trofim Lysenko, the Soviet biologist whose unscientific theories were championed by the Stalin regime but caused millions to die of starvation and set back Soviet biology for decades.

Remembering Stan Lee, David Pearson, Douglas Rain

Stan Lee was the comic book writer who helped develop Marvel Comics. He revolutionized the comic book genre with his humanized superheroes including The Hulk and Spiderman. David Pearson was one of the 20th Century’s great NASCAR drivers, second only to Richard Petty in NASCAR wins. Douglas Rain was the memorable voice in Stanley Kubrick’s classic movie 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Remembering Wally Triplett, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, Tom Jago, Ron Johnson, Francis Lai

Wally Triplett was the first African-American starter for the Penn State Football team and the first African-American player drafted to play in the NFL. His story is part of the Penn State cheer “We Are Penn State.” Christopher Lehmann-Haupt was the book reviewer for The New York Times for three decades. Tom Jago was the British liquor executive who developed Bailey’s Irish Cream. Ron Johnson was the All-American halfback for the Michigan Wolverines and New York Giants. Francis Lai was the composer who won an Academy Award for the theme to Love Story.