Remembering Mel Tillis, Bobby Baker, J.C. Caroline

Mel Tillis was the country singer best known for his stuttering speech. However, he never let that deter him and he went on to a memorable career as a singer and songwriter. His most notable composition was “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town”, a late 1960’s antiwar classic. It has been done by a number of singers, and was a million-seller for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition in 1969. Bobby Baker was a protégé of Lyndon Johnson, and was involved in a number of 1960’s scandals involving corruption in Washington D.C. J.C Caroline was the second greatest running back for the University of Illinois, next to only Red Grange. He led the nation in rushing in 1953, and went on to play defensive back for George Halas and the Chicago Bears. He was an instrumental part of the 1963 NFL Championship team.

Remembering Della Reese, Pancho Segura, Jana Novotna, Malcolm Young, Charles Manson

Della Resse was the witty, charming and talented singer and actress who starred in the television series Touched By An Angel (1994-2003). Before that she worked with her good friend Redd Foxx, hosted her own talk show and was a recording star, with a 1959 Top Five hit, “Don’t You Know”. Pancho Segura was the Ecuadorian tennis star, who was the top player in the world in the early 1950’s and went on to coach Jimmy Connors in the 1970’s. Jana Novotna was the Czech tennis star who won at Wimbledon in 1998. Malcolm Young was the Australian rock guitarist who founded the group AC/DC in 1973 with his brother, Angus. Charles Manson was the leader of a group of mass murderers.

Remembering David Cassidy, George Avakian

David Cassidy was the star of the television sitcom “The Partridge Family” (1970-1974), who parlayed his good looks and singing talent into superstardom. His story is a cautionary tale about success. For a brief time in the 1970’s he was the #1 teen idol in the world. Despite his talent and success, he succumbed to the trappings of fame and alcoholism, and died prematurely. George Avakian was the record company executive at various times for Decca, Columbia, and Warner Brothers. He had a keen eye for talent and was one of the country’s foremost experts on jazz. His recordings helped popularize jazz in the United States, especially in the years after World War II.

Remembering John Hillerman, Richard Gordon, Roy Halladay, Joe Fortunato, Robert Knight

John Hillerman was a veteran television and movie actor best known for his role as Higgins on the popular television series “Magnum, P.I.” (1980-1988), starring Tom Selleck. Although he was born in Texas, he played the role with a proper English accent. Richard Gordon was the NASA astronaut who was part of the Gemini 11 and Apollo 12 crews. He walked in space twice but never got to walk on the moon. Roy Halladay was the pitcher who won over 200 games for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies and pitched only the second post-season no-hitter. Joe Fortunato was the linebacker for the great Chicago Bears team of 1963, that featured one of the great defenses in NFL history. Robert Knight was the R&B singer who had a great crossover hit with “Everlasting Love” (1967)

Remembering Lt. Thomas Hudner Jr. and Ensign Jesse Brown

Lt. Thomas Hudner Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1951 by President Truman for his attempts to rescue his fellow pilot, Ensign Jesse Brown. Ensign Brown, the first African-American naval aviator, was shot down by the Chinese over the Chosen Reservoir in the winter of 1950. Braving extreme cold, darkness and Chinese forces, Lt. Hudner landed in extremely dangerous conditions and tried to extricate his flying mate unsuccessfully. The next day Lt. Hudner directed aircraft to locate the site of Ensign Brown’s body and set the area ablaze for a warrior’s funeral. In 2013, the aging Lt. Hudner went back to North Korea to locate the site of Ensign Brown’s body.

Remembering Sid Catlett Jr. and the 1965 DeMatha–Power Game, Dennis Banks, Henning Pontoppidan

Sid Catlett Jr. was a member of the Hyattsville Maryland DeMatha High School basketball team that took on the undefeated team from New York City, Power Memorial, led by Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Before over 12,000 people, DeMatha handed Alcindor the only defeat of his high school career, helped by Sid Catlett’s defense and late-game scoring. Dennis Banks was a Native-American activist and one of the founders of the American Indian Movement (AIM) that featured prominently in the 1973 takeover of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Henning Pontopiddan was the Danish anesthesiologist, who learned about the technique of positive-pressure ventilation during the 1952 Copenhagen polio epidemic and helped bring the technique to the United States, revolutionizing intensive care medicine

Remembering Skip Haynes and Lake Shore Drive, Robert Guillaume, Danielle Darrieux, Elwood Adams Hardware Store

Ship Haynes was the Chicago musician, who penned and sang the Chicago classic, “Lake Shore Drive” (1971), when he was part of the short-lived group Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah. Robert Guillaume was the versatile actor, best known for the character he created of Benson DuBois. The character first appeared in the groundbreaking sitcom Soap in 1979, and then he became star of the spin-off Benson in 1985. He also starred in the short-lived but underrated Aaron Sorkin creation Sports Night in 1998. In addition he was an accomplished theater actor. Danielle Darrieux was the legendary French actress, who worked in French cinema for 80 years. She rarely made films in the United States and only acted on Broadway once, taking over the role of Coco Chanel from Katherine Hepburn. However, her name is legend in France. The Elwood Adams Hardware Store in Worcester, Massachusetts, was the oldest hardware store in the United States. It first opened in 1782.

Remembering Fats Domino, Paul Weitz, George Young

Fats Domino was the Creole piano player from New Orleans who became a rock and roll legend. As much as any one person he turned the piano into a rock and roll instrument, brought the New Orleans sound to rock and roll, and integrated the listeners of the new sound. In addition, he sold more records in the 1950’s than any artist other than Elvis. Paul Weitz was the NASA astronaut who flew as part of the first Skylab mission and also as part of the first Challenger mission. George Young was the seminal Australian rock and roller, who helped found the Beatles-era group, The Easybeats and co-wrote their classic “Friday on My Mind” (1966), which is often called the greatest Australian rock and roll song.

Remembering Y.A. Tittle, Jim Landis, Bob Schiller, Jimmy Beaumont

Y. A. Tittle was the Hall of Fame quarterback for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He helped the giants to the NFC Championship Game three consecutive years from 1961-1963, but they were defeated in each of the three championship games. He was also the subject of one of the most famous photos in sports history. Jim Landis was the smooth fielding center fielder for the Chicago White Sox, and was a mainstay of the 1959 Go-go White Sox, the only team to win an American League pennant form 1955-1964 other than the Yankees. Bob Schiller was the veteran comedy writer for many shows but was best known for his work on “I Love Lucy”. Jimmy Beaumont was the lead singer for the Pittsburgh doo-wop group, The Skyliners. He sang and helped pen the 1958 classic “Since I Don’t Have You”.

Remembering Connie Hawkins, Liliane Bettencourt, The Tappan Zee Bridge

Connie Hawkins was the great basketball player out of Brooklyn, who lost a good deal of his career to a gambling scandal that he was only tangentially connected to. Known for his ability to palm the ball, his long wingspan, and his graceful moves, he ultimately made it to the NBA and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992. Liliane Bettencourt was the heiress to the L’Oreal fortune and was estimated to be the richest woman in the world. Ultimately, her life was plagued by scandal and squabbles involving politicians and her family. The Tappan Zee Bridge was opened in 1955 to cross the Hudson River, and was meant to carry traffic west of the Hudson and to New England. It is being replaced by a new bridge that is opening in 2017-2018