Remembering The Passed

Remembering Don Larsen, David Stern, Jack Sheldon

In the 1956 World Series Don Larsen accomplished the greatest feat in pitching history: a perfect game. While there have been a number of perfect games in the regular season and one other no-hitter - not a perfect game - in the playoffs, no one has come close to duplicating Larsen’s performance in the World Series. David Stern was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association for 30 years, from 1984 to 2014. He revolutionized the marketing of professional basketball and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. Jack Sheldon was a jazz trumpeter on the West Coast, as well as a singer and actor. He was the music director for The Merv Griffin Show (1962-1972) and a frequent voice on the children’s education series Schoolhouse Rock! (1973-2009).

Remembering Edd Byrnes, Buck Henry, Marie Fredriksson, Punta Ventana, Borden’s and Elsie

Edd Byrnes played the iconic character Kookie on the classic ABC detective show 77 Sunset Strip (1958-1964). Buck Henry was the writer, director and actor who was responsible for the movie The Graduate (1967) and along with Mel Brooks created the television sitcom Get Smart (1965-1970). Marie Fredriksson was the lead singer of the Swedish rock duo Roxette, the most popular rock group ever to come out of Sweden next to ABBA. Punta Ventana was a rock formation in Puerto Rico that was popular with tourists but was destroyed in the recent earthquakes that shook the island. Borden’s Dairy Company was one of America’s most popular dairy companies that declared bankruptcy after 163 years (the company may be allowed to continue business). The Borden’s mascot was the well-known cow, Elsie.

Remembering Sue Lyon, Don Imus, Gertrude Himmelfarb

Sue Lyon was the talented young actress who gave the legendary title performance opposite James Mason in the 1962 Stanley Kubrick film, Lolita. She was only 15 years old, playing a 12-year old, when the movie was released. Don Imus was one of the first shock jocks - radio disc jockeys known for their outrageous behavior. He was one of New York City’s most popular personalities for decades. Gertrude Himmelfarb was a leading conservative intellectual, whose specialty was the Victorian age. She was married to Irving Kristol, another one of the top intellectuals of our era.

Remembering Jerry Herman, Allie Willis, Ram Dass

Jerry Herman was one of Broadway’s most successful composer/lyricists with creation of Hello Dolly (1964), Mame (1966), and La Cage Aux Folles (1983). He was also one of the longest surviving patients with HIV, being one of the first persons to receive antiviral drugs on an experimental basis. Allie Willis was the songwriter who wrote for the group Earth, Wind & Fire. She also wrote the theme song for the popular television show Friends (1994-2004). Ram Dass, formerly Richard Alpert, was a Harvard professor who became Ram Dass, an American spiritual teacher and author.

Remembering Junior Johnson, Dr. John Robbins, Herman Boone, Kenny Lynch

Junior Johnson was the moonshiner turned stock car driver who became a NASCAR legend. He won 50 racers then turned to owning and promoting stock car racing and was famously profiled by Tom Wolfe in an article in Esquire entitled “The Last American Hero.” Dr. John Robbins was the co-developer of a vaccine that prevented meningitis in millions of infants and toddlers. Herman Boone was the African-American football coach, who was the subject of the 2000 movie, Remember the Titans, where he was played by Denzel Washington. Kenny Lynch was the British entertainer who, in 1963, recorded the first Lennon/McCartney tune done by someone other than The Beatles.

Remembering Peter Snell, Danny Aiello, Hayden Fry

Peter Snell was arguably the greatest middle distance runner of all time. Running for New Zealand, he won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and two more in 1964. He is considered the greatest athlete to ever come out of New Zealand. Danny Aiello was the actor best known for his portrayal of a pizza joint owner in the Spike Lee classic, Do the Right Thing (1989). Hayden Fry was the long-time football coach at the University of Iowa, best known for his folksy manner and success with the Hawkeyes. Before Iowa, he coached at SMU where his star, Jerry LeVias, was the first black in the Southwest Conference.

Remembering Caroll Spinney, Rene Auberjunois, Bump Elliott

Caroll Spinney was the puppeteer who portrayed both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the long-running PBS television show Sesame Street. Rene Auberjunois got a break as an actor in Robert Altman’s movie version of MASH (1970). He went on to star in other television series, notably Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999) and Benson (1980-1986), as well as many other acting and voice-over roles. Bump Elliott was a legend in the Big Ten, first as a running back and football coach at the University of Michigan and later as the longtime athletic director at the University of Iowa.

Remembering Paul Volcker, Dr. Margaret Lawrence, Pete Frates

Paul Volcker was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 to 1987. At a time when inflation was extremely high, he committed to raising interest rates to tame inflation. Although it brought on a mild recession, his strategy worked and he restored balance to the economy. Despite being denied admission to medical school by her alma mater Cornell, Dr. Margaret Lawrence graduated from Columbia and worked with Dr. Benjamin Spock. She became America’s first African-American child psychologist. Pete Frates was the Boston College baseball player who contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - Lou Gehrig’s disease- but he went on to devise the ice bucket challenge to raise awareness and funds to combat the disease.

Remembering Branko Lustig, Ron Leibman, Irving Burgie, Seymour Siwoff

Branko Lustig was the Croatian film producer who was a prisoner at Auschwitz as a boy. He survived and went on to become an acclaimed film producer who won an Academy Award along with Steven Spielberg in 1994 for Schindler’s List (1993). Ron Leibman was the film, television, and Broadway actor who won a 1993 Tony Award for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in Angels in America. Irving Burgie was the songwriter who wrote some of the most well-known Caribbean folk songs of the 1950’s for Harry Belafonte. As head of the Elias Sports Bureau for many decades, Seymour Siwoff was the guru of sports statistics in America.

Remembering Jonathan Miller, Alelia Murphy, the Arena Football League, Alelia Murphy

Jonathan Miller was the British intellectual and physician who started with the iconic group of young British comics, Beyond the Fringe. He went on, at various times, to be an acclaimed director of plays and operas. He was also a television personality with a gift for explaining complex subjects. Alelia Murphy was the oldest living American, born during the administration of Teddy Roosevelt. The Arena Football League was an indoor football league featuring lots of offense and fast action.