Remembering The Passed

Remembering Michael J. Pollard, Fred Cox, Gahan Wilson, Jake Burton Carpenter

Michael J. Pollard was the pie-faced actor best known for his Academy Award nominated role as C.W. Moss, the fictional member of the Bonnie and Clyde gang in the classic 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. Fred Cox was the longtime placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings, and he also invented the NERF football, one of America’s favorite toys. Gahan Wilson was a cartoonist for a number of publications including Playboy and The New Yorker. His cartoons are known for their morbid subjects and macabre drawings. Jake Burton Carpenter was the inventor of the snowboard and was responsible in the main for snowboarding becoming an Olympic sport.

Remembering John Simon, Clive James, Barbara Hillary, Nick Clifford

John Simon was the acerbic critic for a number of publications, and he reviewed plays, movies, and films. He was one of America’s top critics for decades, known for his well-written but frequently acerbic reviews and insults. Clive James was one of Great Britain’s top critics in a mold similar to that of John Simon. James was erudite and comfortable on television, reviewing and participating in both high and low culture. Barbara Hillary was the first African-American woman to reach both the North and South Poles. She accomplished both of these goals after her 75th birthday. Nick Clifford was the last surviving stone carver who worked on Mount Rushmore.

Remembering Harrison Dillard, Vera Clemente, Dr. C. Wayne Bardin, Werner Doehner, Klees Golf Shop

Harrison Dillard came out of Cleveland’s East Tech High School, the same high school as Jesse Owens, and like Owens he won four gold medals, two in 1948 and two in 1952. He is the only man to win gold as a sprinter and a hurdler. Vera Clemente was the wife of baseball great Roberto Clemente and she helped keep his legacy alive with her humanitarian activities. Dr. C. Wayne Bardin was one of America’s leading endocrinologists, and he developed several methods of hormonal birth control. Werner Doehner was an eight-year old boy in 1937 when his parents brought him to America on the Hindenburg. He was the last survivor of the ill-fated hydrogen airship. The family-run Klees Golf Shop was a fixture on the South Side of Chicago for more than a century.

Remembering Peter Collier, Zeke Bratkowski, Maria Perego, Robert Freeman, Bob Norris

Peter Collier was the activist turned author who began his life as a radical and then converted to an anti-radical stance. Along with his colleague David Horowitz, he wrote about the destructive consequences of the 1960’s as well as biographies of the Fords, Kennedys, and Rockefellers. Zeke Bratkowski was the back-up quarterback to Bart Starr on the legendary green Bay Packer teams of the 1960’s. Maria Perego was the Italian puppeteer who created Topo Gigio, the mouse who enchanted millions on The Ed Sullivan Show. Robert Freeman was the photographer who created the memorable photo that served as the cover of “Meet The Beatles”, the group’s introductory album in the United States in 1964. Bob Norris was the model for one of the most successful advertising campaigns in history, “The Marlboro Man.”

Remembering Willie Brown, Robert Evans, John Conyers, Bernie Parrish

Willie Brown was the Hall of Fame cornerback who spent most of his career with the Oakland Raiders. He originated the “bump and run” style of coverage, which is a staple of football today. Robert Evans was the flamboyant movie producer and Hollywood personality known for hi slavish lifestyle. He produced some of the best-known and successful movies of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s including Love Story (1970), The Godfather (1972), and Chinatown (1974). He saved Paramount from bankruptcy and made it into Hollywood’s most successful studio of the era. John Conyers was the long-time member of The House of Representatives for fifty years, the sixth-longest membership in history and the longest membership for an African-American in the House. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, he presided over two presidential impeachment hearings. Bernie Parrish was the cornerback for the Cleveland Browns, who spent his post-football career working for better benefits for NFL players.

Remembering Alexei Leonov, Ginger Baker, Karen Pendleton

In March of 1965, the Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first man to walk in space, traveling in the space capsule Voskhod 2. Leonov went on to become one of the most respected space travellers in the Soviet Union and in the United States as well. Ginger Baker was the tempestuous British rock drummer best known for his work in Cream, the first rock supergroup. In Cream, Baker teamed with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce. He went on to play in other groups including Blind Faith with Stevie Winwood. Karen Pendleton was one of the original Mouseketeers in the Walt Disney’s television series The Mickey Mouse Club. She was also one of the youngest Mouseketeers and she stayed during the entire run of the series.

Remembering Ron Fairly, Ernest Gaines, Gert Boyle, Bernard Slade

Ron Fairly was a Major League outfielder for 20 years and then he went on to be a broadcaster for another three-plus decades. With experience in more than 7,000 games, he was a prolific storyteller. Some of his best stories were about LA Dodger teammate Sandy Koufax and World Series rival Mickey Mantle. Ernest Gaines was the Louisiana novelist whose work was turned into television movies. His most notable work was The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, which starred Cicely Tyson in the 1974 television version. Gert Boyle was the longtime president of Columbia sportswear. She became one of Oregon’s leading philanthropists. Bernard Slade was the writer who created The Flying Nun (1967-1970) and The Partridge Family (1970-1974) for television and Same Time, Next Year (1975) for Broadway.

Remembering Ellie the Beagle, Harold Bloom, Dr. Bernard Fisher, Robert Forster

Ellie the Beagle, who died at age 18, was the most loving loyal beagle in the world. She had a hearty appetite and a gregarious nature, and she was loved by all who met her. Harold Bloom was a literary intellectual and critic at Yale for six decades. He was said to be able to recite all of Shakespeare by memory. Dr. Bernard Fisher was the Pittsburgh surgeon who revolutionized breast cancer treatment with his adherence to data and his organization of large studies that debunked aggressive surgery. Robert Forster was the dependable actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor opposite Pam Grier in the Quentin Tarantino/Elmore Leonard collaboration Jackie Brown (1997).

Remembering Sgt. Francis Currey

As a private first class, Francis Currey was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in defending a strong point near Malmedy, Belgium, on December21, 1944. At Malmedy, four days before that, German SS troops committed a massacre of between 80 and 88 captured American prisoners of war by shooting the unarmed prisoners in an open field. This action was during the opening phase of the Battle of the Bulge, the last German offensive of the Western front in their unsuccessful attempt to surround Allied forces. Pvt. First Class Currey, later promoted to sergeant, helped delay German troop movements until the weather cleared and American air forces were able to halt the German offensive a week later.

Remembering Jessye Norman, Diahann Carroll

Jessye Norman was the American opera singer who emerged from Georgia to become one of the world’s foremost operatic sopranos. She specialized in German operas, but later branched out into other operatic forms and then into popular music. She won several Grammys for her recording of Wagner. Diahann Carroll was the beautiful and talented actress who starred in movies, Broadway and television. She was originally a singer but branched out into acting and was the star of the groundbreaking sitcom “Julia” (1968-1971), where she played a single working mother. She later went on to a widely acclaimed role in “Dynasty” 1984-1987