Remembering Stan Brock, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Big Jay McNeely

Stan Brock was the British cowboy who co-starred in the wildlife series Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom (1963-1971) with Marlon Perkins. He went on to have a long career supervising medical care for the indigent with his company Remote Area Medical. Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza was one of the world’s leading population geneticists, who began his work before DNA was discovered. Big Jay McNeely was the Los Angeles saxophonist who bridged the styles of swing, jazz, and rock-and-roll.

Remembering Lincoln Towing, Henri Bendel, Bill Daily, Gloria Jean

Lincoln Towing was the notorious towing service located on the North Side of Chicago that has lost its business license after 58 years. It was made famous in a 1972 song “Lincoln Park Pirates” by folksinger Steve Goodman. Henri Bendel, closing after 123 years, was the upscale fashion store with its flagship on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Bill Daily was the sidekick extraordinaire in two classic sitcoms, “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965-1970) and “The Bob Newhart Show” (1972-1978). Gloria Jean was one of the last surviving child stars of the 1930’s and 40’s. She worked with Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx and most notably, W.C. Fields.

Remembering Sir V.S. Naipaul

V.S. Naipaul, the Trinidad- born writer, was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Literature. He wrote both fiction and nonfiction, often turning an eye toward colonialism and the Third World. Some criticized him for not adhering to a romantic view of the Third World, as many of his colleagues did. Among his best-known works are A House for Mr. Biswas (1961) based in part on his father, A Bend in the River (1979), and The Enigma of Arrival (1987). His literary feuds and tempestuous relationships with women were notorious in the literary community.

Remembering Sir James Mirrlees

James Mirrlees was the Scottish economist who was awarded half of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1996 along with William Vickery. Hos area of research concerned “optimal taxation” the rate at which government taxes would bring in the most income without providing a disincentive for labor or investment. He was also interested in “asymmetric information” transactions, where one party has more information than the other and this imbalance affects the nature of the transaction. He also took an interest in the politics and nature of Third World economies.

Remembering Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds went from playing football at Florida State to television, then to movies and became a box office smash and a celebrity. His most important role was in the 1972 classic Deliverance, where he carved out his unique persona. Along the way, he posed for a naked centerfold in Cosmopolitan, and starred in some movies good and bad, many of which were huge box office successes in the 1970’s and 1980’s. He made a cinema comeback of sorts in the 1997 movie Boogie Nights, which was set ironically in the 1970’s era in which he starred. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the film. He was also generally acknowledged to have the best mustache in Hollywood during his time.

Remembering Joseph Kobzon, Carole Shelley, Paul Taylor, Ed King

Joseph Kobzon was the popular Soviet singer, whose career mirrored that in many ways of Frank Sinatra. His distinctive voice, his popularity with audiences, his charitable activities, and his reported underworld associations all were reminiscent of Sinatra, albeit he was a communist. Carole Shelley is best known as Gwendolyn Pigeon, one of the Pigeon sisters introduced by Neil Simon in his play The Odd Couple. She played the role on the stage, in the film, and on television. She was also an accomplished Broadway actress and won a Tony in 1979 for The Elephant Man. Paul Taylor was a dancer and choreographer, generally acknowledged as the top choreographer of this generation. Ed King was a guitarist and songwriter, who contributed to a #1 hit in 1967, “Incense and Peppermints”. He then went on to play with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and co-wrote the 1974 Southern classic, “Sweet Home Alabama.”

Remembering Neil Simon

Neil Simon was the most popular playwright of our era, and certainly among the greatest artistically. He started as a comedy writer for television as part of the legendary team of writers assembled by Sid Caesar in the 1950’s. From there he moved to writing plays that were immensely successful starting with “Come Blow Your Horn” in 1961 extending to “Lost in Yonkers” in 1991, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. At one point in the 1960’s he had four plays running on Broadway at the same time. His best-known works are “The Eugene Trilogy”, three semiautobiographical plays and “The Odd Couple”, which has been adapted successfully for movies and television.

Remembering Kofi Annan, Morgana King, Anita Miller, Stephen Shapiro

Kofi Annan was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. Born in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) ,he rose through the ranks to become the Secretary General in 1997 and served for almost ten years. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with the UN in 2001. Morgana King was the jazz singer, who is best known for her turn as Marlon Brando’s wife in Godfather I (1972) and Godfather II (1974). Anita Miller was the founder, along with her husband Jordan, of the publishing house, Academy Chicago Press. Stephen Shapiro was the founder and senior member of the Supreme Court & Appellate practice at the Mayer Brown law firm.

Remembering Barbara Harris, Robin Leach, Don Cherry, Miriam Nelson

Barbara Harris was the brilliant actress who began at the University of Chicago with The Compass Players. She won the 1967 Tony Award for her role in The Apple Tree, and did a memorable turn as a country singer in Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975). Robin Leach was the host of the popular television series of the 1980’s and 1990’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Don Cherry was a top golfer who was better known for his top five 1955 hit “Band of Gold”. He also sang the theme song for Mr. Clean. Miriam Nelson was a dancer and choreographer who choreographed the memorable dance scene with Kim Novak and William Holden in Picnic (1955).

Remembering John McCain

John McCain was the son and grandson of Navy admirals, but he carved out his own career. After an indifferent college career at the Naval Academy, he became a fighter pilot. In 1967, he was shot down over North Vietnam and spent almost six years in the notorious Hanoi Hilton, two of them in solitary confinement, where he endured brutal torture. He went on to become a six-term senator from Arizona and was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for president in 2008. A controversial figure during his political career, he was nevertheless one of the most respected men in the Senate for over 30 years.