Rosalynn Carter

Rosalynn Carter, 1/2 of the longest married Presidential couple in American history, died today at the age of 96. 

The Carter Administration was the first that I have memories of, and I think it's telling that it even as a child of a democratic household the bits and pieces that came down to me at the time were negatives: the Iran hostage situation, a troubled economy , and the defeat to Reagan in 1980.In the histories I've read, she was often far more attuned to what was needed, and what consequences were to follow, than her husband. 

I have of course watched Mrs Carter spend the last 42 years alongside her husband as he salvaged his personal reputation through personal service to communities across the nation. I've always been impressed by her stature and her obvious intelligence. 

With her death the 77 year marriage comes to an end, and I can't help but fear that Jimmy himself will long to meet her again soon.

RIP

Bobby Knight

Bobby Knight, the temperamental, controversial - and successful -  basketball coach at Indiana for much of my youth, has died at 83.

RIP

Frank Howard

Frank Howard, the 6'7" outfielder known as "Hondo," died on October 30th at age 87.

While he never reached the level of fame as some of his contemporaries, Howard hit 382 home runs and knocked in 1,119 RBI over a 16 year career. He led the league in home runs twice, once hit 48 in a summer, and notched 40 or more dingers in three consecutive seasons. 

In the mid-80's he would serve as a coach in Milwaukee, but what I remember him for isn't that, or his playing record: I know him from his mentions as a test subject  in The Science of Hitting, the epic hitting manual written by Howard's one time manager, Ted Williams. 

RIP Hondo.

Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry, the wonderful actor who brought Chandler to light on Friends, has passed away of an apparent drowning. He was 54 

I loved Chandler, and Perry, and Friends, and frankly I am in shock.  I cannot fathom this right now.

Rest in peace sir. I don't think you had much of that in life, but you deserved it 

Richard Moll

Richard Moll, who played the role of Bull to perfection on 80's sitcom Night Court, has passed away at 80. 

Night Court was, and is, one of my favorite sitcoms, and it wouldn't have been the same without the zany antics of the giant bailiff.  Now, only John Larroquette and Marsha Warfield remain from the ensemble cast. 

RIP. 

 

 

 

Pete Ladd

Pete Ladd had an unassuming major league career, notching 17 wins, 39 saves and 23 losses in 205 games, with a 4.14 ERA. Take away a very solid 1983 campaign and those number go from "ho hum" to "less than respectable."  

In 1982 however, with closer Rollie Fingers injured, Ladd was on the mound for arguably the greatest moment in Brewers history: it was his pitch that Angel Rod Carew grounded to short for the final out of the ALCS, giving Milwaukee its only penant in the last 65 years. 

I watched that happen live on TV, and it's one of my favorite moments with my Grandpa.

Ladd died Friday at age 67 after a short bout with cancer. 

RIP

Suzanne Somers

Suzanne Somers, who played Chrissy Snow on Three's Company and later starred in She's the Sheriff and Step by Step, has died of cancer at 76. 

Three's Company was a favorite of my family and a hugely popular show in my childhood. I confess I was more of a Teri than a Chrissy guy - but I think for most people her run on the show defined its best years. After season 5 she took the advice of her husband and made a play for a vast pay increase and instead found herself replaced. She went on to star in a couple other sitcoms and was the spokesperson for the Thighmaster, although she never again reached the same level of fame. 

Odd, in recent months Three's Company has become an occasional viewing choice here in our home, and I even follow a fan site on Facebook. 

Of the three original show roommates, only Joyce Dewitt remains. 

RIP. 

Tim Wakefield

 

I am no Red Sox fan - may the baseball gods kindly grant them another 86 year championship drought - but I was a fan of Tim Wakefield. 

Originally an eighth round draft choice by Pittsburgh as a position player, he learned to throw a knuckleball when told he would never make the bigs with his bat. 

Despite a strong showing on the mound for the Pirates in their ill-fated 1992 playoff run, Wakefield began to struggle the next year. After being released by the Pirates, he was picked up by Boston, where he would retire 17 years later, the longest tenured player on the team and the oldest active player in the major leagues. 

During his career, he recorded 200 career victories, won two rings, threw more innings than any Red Sox pitcher in history, won the second-most games at Fenway in history, and notched the third-most career wins of anyone in a Red Sox uniform, trailing only Roger Clemens and the immortal Cy Young. 

And by all accounts, he did it while being a pretty darn good human being. 

Wakefield died today of cancer at the age of 57. 

RIP Tim, RIP. 

Dianne Feinstein

 

Diane Feinstein, the longest serving Senator from California and the oldest member of the Senate, has died. She was 90. 

A centrist by her state's standards, in 1992 she became the first California woman to be elected to the Senate, after previously serving as Mayor of San Francisco. 

That centrist reputation served her well through the first three decades of her Senate career, but put her at odds with her constituents as California moved further Left in recent years. 

You might remember recent questions about her mental acuity - even from party members - as her age began to affect her work. Partly if not fully in response to that criticism, she had announced she would not seek re-election after her current term, which was to end next year. 

RIP 

David McCallum

David McCallum, the American actor who gained fame playing Russian agent Illya Kuryakin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E  in the '60's, and found fame again on NCIS this century, has died. He was 90.

Buckle your seatbelts folks because this is dorky as heck, but as a kid around middle school or freshman year of high school I started watching The Man From U.N.C.L.E in reruns. At the time for whatever reason I wasn't interested in college or in grades at all, although I believe that was probably just a spell I would have grown out of on my own. 

Enter that TV show. Within a very short time I became obsessed with the idea of becoming a secret agent. I even went so far in those pre-internet days as to call the library's Ready Reference line and ask if U.N.C.L.E was a real agency. As I recall they couldn't give me a definitive answer (it's fictional) but all the same I figured at the very least I would need a college degree and good grades to be qualified for the job.

So in a way, David McCallum greatly influenced my future LOL.

RiP 

Brooks Robinson

Brooks Robinson, the 18th time All-Star and 16 time Gold Glove MVP, Hall of Famer,  and mainstay of a great decade of Baltimore baseball, has died. He was 86.

Robinson's era predates my arrival into  baseball fandom, but I'm very aware of his epic defense at the Hot Corner.  He's often ranked as one of, if not the, greatest third baseman in history.

I personally give that honor to Mike Schmidt, but I wouldn't fault you for naming Brooks.

RIP sir. 

Roger Whittaker

 I try to restrict my memorial posts to public figures who had some impact on my life, even if its a secondary connection to a memory I hold dear. 

Roger Whittaker, who died on the 13th at age 87, meets that definition by the slimmest of margins. The folk singers' name and face echo strongly in my memory but for the life of me I can't think why; was he popular with my parents or grandparents? Did I see a concert of his on TV? I'm drawing a blank. 

None-the-less: RIP

Inga Swenson

Time and again I've meant to memorialize Inga Swenson, and each time I have dropped the ball. She deserved better. 

Swenson, age 90, passed away July 23rd, with her husband of 70 years at her side. 

I knew her as Gretchen Kraus, the sharp tongued German housekeeper on Benson, whose battles of wit with the titular character eventually grew into mutual respect and friendship. By the end of show's run Kraus had become the state budget director, and Swenson herself had received 3 Emmy nominations. 

Swenson also played Hoss's late mother on Bonanza.  

RIP

Jimmy Buffet

Jimmy Buffet might have had only one top ten hit (Margaritaville, which topped out in the 8th spot), but he turned his laid back, sing along friendly music into an empire Forbes said was worth $500 million by 2016.

He passed away yesterday at age 76.

I was introduced to Jimmy's music by my friend Ervin, and his aptly named greatest hits compilation Songs You Know By Heart deserves its place in your music library.

RIP sir. You did your part to make this world a more joyful place.

Bob Barker

If you grew up in America from 1972 to 2007, and this man's face wasn't synonymous with your television viewing on a sick or snow day from school, then you were flat out raised wrong. 

Bob Barker, the host of The Price is Right, has died at 99.

RIP sir 

Paul Reubens

Paul Reubens, best known as his character Pee Wee Herman, has died at age 70. I wasn't a fan of the Pee Wee character, and best remember him for his unfortunate arrest in an X rated theater. I don't hold that against,him, even as stupid as it was, and respect the fact that he didn't just disappear into the shadows after that embarrassment. 

RIP

Sinead O'Connor

 

Sinead O'Connor, the Irish singer who seemed to court controversy as much as fame, has died at age 56 of yet to be disclosed causes. 

By her own admission, drugs and mental illness ruled over much of her life, and that puts some of her actions in a different life. But at the height of her career, I doubt it was either that caused her to court drama - tearing up a picture of the Pope on SNL (and John Paul II no less!), getting into a beef with Frank Sinatra, etc. 

Regardless:  the power and sorrow in her cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" rights a lot of wrongs, it is a version that will still be played in the decades to come. 

RIP

Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett, the last of the great mid-20th century crooners, died today at 96. 

Bennett's signature song may have been I Left My Heart in San Francisco,  but that was but a miniscule part of a legacy that includes 70 - SEVENTY - albums and 19 competitive Grammy Awards. 

Late in life, he drew in  a new generation of fans as he mentored Amy Winehouse, befriended and worked with Lady Gaga, and became the oldest performer to have a number one record on the Billboard 200 at the age of 88. 

What a life. 

Thanks for letting us tag along Mr. Bennett. 

RIP

Milan Kundera

Milan Kundera, the Czech novelist driven into exile in France in the '70's after being declared an enemy of the state, has died in Paris at age 94.

Kundera was eventually granted French citizenship and considered himself a French writer, but both his life and his work are intrinsically tied to his Communist homeland.  Here in the West he is perhaps best known for his novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being," which was later made into a movie. 

My knowledge of him, however, comes from my collegiate focus on Central Europe. In at least one of my courses he was highlighted as an important voice of the Prague Spring, a short-lived era of relaxed authoritarianism and heightened freedom - all of which was snuffed out by the Soviet invasion of 1968. 

My memory is unclear, but I might have read his work "The Joke" at that time. 

RIP

Alan Arkin

Talented Oscar and Tony winning actor Alan Arkin has died at 89.

RIP