Remembering Merle Haggard, Mother Angelica, E.M. Nathanson

Merle Haggard was one of the great country singers of our generation. Together with Buck Owens he started the Bakersfield Sound in country music. He was a prolific writer and performer, on his own and with artists including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Marty Robbins. He is best known for his 1969 country classic, Okie From Muskogee. Mother Angelica was the most successful nun to use television as her pulpit. Her Eternal Word Television Network is heard by millions daily in over 140 countries. E. M. Nathanson was the author who wrote the World War II novel The Dirty Dozen in 1965. The book was made into the great 1967 ensemble movie starring Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine and Jim Brown.

Remembering Imre Kertesz, Ronnie Corbett, Chief Joe Medicine Crow

Imre Kertesz was a young Hungarian boy who was placed in a concentration camp by the Nazis during World War II. He came out to write of his experiences and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2002. Among his works were Fatelessness (1975) and Kaddish for an Unborn Child (1990). Ronnie Corbett was the diminutive British comedian, who is best know for his work with Ronnie Barker. Together they entertained British audiences for years as “The Two Ronnies”. Chief Joe Medicine Crow was the historian and elder of the Crow Nation, as well as the last living link to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. As a result of his service during World War II, he became a Chief of the Crow Nation.

Remembering The Nixon-Khrushchev Kitchen Debate, Joe Garagiola, Ken Howard, Johan Cruyff, 6th Street Bridge

In 1959, Jack Masey was the Chief of Design for the 1959 American exhibition in Moscow that became the site of the famous “kitchen debate” between Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and Vice-President Richard Nixon. It was one of the seminal interchanges of the Cold War. Joe Garagiola was the catcher turned announcer turned television personality who became an NBC mainstay for decades. Ken Howard was the actor who portrayed the basketball coach in the 1970’s television series “The White Shadow” (1978-1981). Johan Cruyff was the Dutch soccer player and coach, generally regarded as one of the best players to ever come out of Europe.

Remembering Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia

Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia won the Medal of Honor for valor displayed during a 1969 search-and-clear mission near Tam Ky in South Vietnam. His award was not presented to him until a Pentagon review demonstrated he had been the victim of discrimination. He was finally awarded the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony in March of 2014, 45 years after his heroic action during the Vietnam War.

Remembering Garry Shandling, Earl Hamner Jr.

Garry Shandling was one of the top stand-up comedians of his generation who went on to create a new comedy form by mimicking real-life, while satirizing it at the same time. His “The Larry Sanders Show” (1992-1998), in which he starred, was a groundbreaking art form that had a profound influence on 21st Century television. Earl Hamner Jr. was a writer and television producer who is best known for his creation of the family drama “The Waltons” (1972-1981), based on his own family’s experiences during the Depression

Remembering Patty Duke

Patty Duke was one of the great actresses of her generation. When she was sixteen, she won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Helen Keller in “The Miracle Worker” (1962), the youngest actress to win a competitive Academy Award at the time. She starred in a dual role in an iconic 1960’s sitcom “The Patty Duke Show” and went on to several memorable television and film roles. But her story was marred by a childhood where she was abused by the people managing her career, and later in life by her bouts with bipolar affective disorder, which she wrote about in her gripping 1987 autobiography “Call Me Anna”. Later in life, she was a tireless worker for greater awareness and support for the mentally ill.

Remembering Lloyd Shapley, Clyde Lovellette, Bill Wade, Rudy Bukich, Bill Gadsby, Keith Emerson

Lloyd Shapley shared the 2012 Nobel Prize for Economics with Alvin Roth., despite being a mathematician who never took a course in economics. He is generally considered one of the fathers of game theory and his work has been developed in to all sorts of practical applications. Clyde Lovellette was one of basketball’s first great big men, and he guided the University of Kansas to their first NCAA Championship in 1952. Bill Wade and Rudy Bukich were the Chicago Bears quarterback tandem during the mid-1960‘s, and Wade scored the Bears two touchdowns in their 14-10 victory over the New York Giants in the 1963 NFL Championship game. Bill Gadsby was one of the great Detroit Red Wing players, and one of the top defensemen of his era. Keith Emerson was a founder and the keyboard player for the 1970’s supergroup Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

Remembering Frank Sinatra Jr. and the 1963 Kidnapping, Gogi Grant, Robert Horton, Joe Santos, Larry Drake

In December of 1963, three men kidnapped Frank Sinatra Jr., the son of the country’s most popular singer. He was later returned unharmed and lived in this father’s shadow the rest of his life. Gogi Gran sang one of the most famous songs of the 1950’s “The Wayward Wind”, which knocked Elvis Presley form the top of the charts. Robert Horton was a recurring regular on Wagon Train, the early 1960’s Western known for its famous guest stars. Joe Santos was a veteran character actor who played opposite James Garner in the 1970’s Rockford Files. Larry Drake played a mentally impaired office worker in a regular role in the 1980’s television drama, L.A. Law.

Remembering George Martin, Ray Tomlinson

George Martin was the record producer who not only signed The Beatles to their recording contract at EMI/Parlophone, he guided them through most of their career together. In every project from their early rock and roll recordings to their more progressive and psychedelic later period Martin was always at the board to advise them. He was also one of Britain’s best producers of jazz and comedy records, and his comic instincts are present in The Beatles recordings. Ray Tomlinson was the man who could be said to have invented email he sent the first email message between two computers in 1971. He also had the inspired idea to use the @ sign for email addresses.

Remembering Pat Conroy, Nancy Reagan, Bud Collins

Pat Conroy was the award winning Southern novelist who wrote about his family, especially his domineering father. His best-known books were made into movies including “The Great Santini” (1979) and “Prince of Tides” (1986). Nancy Reagan was the wife of President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989). She was known for her devotion to her husband over the long years of their marriage and time in politics. Bud Collins was America’s most famous and well-respected tennis announcer.