The Blog of Death

Carl Fontana

Carl Charles Fontana, a jazz trombonist who played with Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington, died on Oct. 9 from Alzheimer's disease. He was 75.

Born in Monroe, La., Fontana first picked up the trombone when he was six years old. He played in a dance band lead by his father, Collie Fontana, then worked to obtain a master's degree at Louisiana State University.

Two years before graduation, however, jazz master Woody Herman invited Fontana to join the group, Third Herd. Fontana postponed college, joined the band and toured all over the country, performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City and on the "Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1957, "The Captain" moved to Las Vegas and delved into its music scene. He lent his horn skills to numerous collaborations, including performances with Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Paul Anka and Frank Sinatra. He also gave workshops at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

• Sound Clips of Fontana's Trombone Work

Madame Chiang Kai-shek

Madame Chiang Kai-shek, the "eternal first lady" of Taiwan, died in her sleep on Oct. 23. She was 105.

Born Soong Mei-Ling, she was the youngest of three daughters known for their beauty and fine marriages. The eldest daughter, Ai-Ling, married finance minister H.H. Kung. Ching-Ling wed Sun Yat-sen, the leader of the Nationalist revolution that overthrew China's last emperor in 1911. Educated in America, Mei-Ling graduated with honors from Wellesley College then returned to China to marry Chiang Kai-shek, a top military man.

One of the world's most famous couples, Madame and President Chiang Kai-shek had a tumultuous marriage. Chiang cheated on her numerous times; Mei-Ling gave him no children. Still, Time Magazine named them the "Man and Woman of the Year" in 1937.

In 1943, Madame Chiang became the first Chinese national, and the second woman, to address a joint session of the U.S. House and Senate. Her efforts convinced America to send millions in aid to China to pay for its war with Japan.

Six years later, the Communists forced the couple into exile in Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek became Taiwan's ruthless leader, and Mei-Ling presided by his side as the grande dame of Nationalist politics.

Despite their personal differences, she continued to serve as her husband's diplomatic force until he died in 1975. The government's leadership then passed to Chiang Ching-kuo, one of his two sons by a previous marriage, and Madame Chiang's influence quickly faded. She spent the rest of her life living in New York City.

Franco Corelli

Franco Corelli, one of the top opera stars of the 20th century, died. Cause of death was not released. He was 82.

Born in Ancona, Italy, Corelli was only 30 years old when he won the Maggio Musicale competition in Florence. That same year, he made his debut as Don Jose in "Carmen" at Spoleto.

Hundreds of singing engagements followed as Corelli appeared at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, The Royal Opera in London and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. The Met was his favorite venue; he performed there every season from 1961 to 1976.

Corelli sang with many of opera's greatest voices, including Maria Callas and Birgit Nilsson. A handsome man, he was often cast as the romantic lead in "Don Carlo," "Aida" and " La Boheme."

• Sound Clips of Corelli Performances

Johnny Boyd

Johnny Boyd, a race car driver who once finished third in the Indianapolis 500, died on Oct. 26. Cause of death was not released. He was 77.

A native of Fresno, Calif., Boyd followed his idol -- racing champion Bill Vukovich Sr. -- to Indianapolis, only to be involved in the crash that took Vukovich's life.

Vukovich was attempting to race his way into a third straight win at Indy in 1955. In lap 57, Rodger Ward's axel broke, causing his car to spin out of control and overturn. As Boyd tried to avoid Ward's overturned car, he drove right into Vukovich's path. Vukovich hit him broadside, sheered off Boyd's rear wheel then sailed over the wall. Vukovich's car flipped once, smashed nose-first into the ground and exploded.

Boyd continued racing after the accident, and eventually finished in the top 10 in five of his 12 Indianapolis 500 starts. His career ended in 1967 when he failed to qualify at Indianapolis and Milwaukee.

Boyd received numerous honors, including the prestigious Oldtimers Club Louie Meyer Award for service to racing. He was inducted into the Fresno Hall of Fame, the Bay Cities Racing Association Hall of Fame and the Motor Sports Press Association Hall of Fame.

• Boyd's Career Stats

Frank Boudewyns

Frank Boudewyns, the co-founder and CEO of Alternatives Inc., a substance abuse program for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, died on Oct. 26 from complications of hepatitis C. He was 56.

Boudewyns and his partner, Michael Ralke, organized Christopher Street, a state-funded treatment center for gays in Minneapolis, in 1973. The two-year program was a success and helped several hundred people find sobriety in an environment of social acceptance for their sexual preferences.

When Boudewyns and Ralke moved to California in the late 1970s, they continued to help gays and lesbians deal with their substance abuse problems. During the 1980s, the couple co-founded a chemical dependency clinic at Los Angeles Midway Hospital, which eventually expanded to help gays afflicted with HIV and AIDS.

In 1993, they established Alternatives Inc., the only gay-owned and operated alcohol, drug and mental health program in the United States.

Hal Clement

Harry Clement Stubbs, an award-winning science fiction author who wrote under the name Hal Clement, died on Oct. 29. Cause of death was not released. He was 81.

Clement earned a degree in astronomy from Harvard in 1943 then served as a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps Reserve during World War II. He flew 35 combat missions either as a copilot or pilot with the 8th Air Force.

Using the G.I. Bill, Clement was able to obtain a master's degree in education from Boston University and a master's in chemistry from Simmons College. He taught science for 38 years at the Milton Academy in Milton, Mass., and wrote hard science fiction stories and novels in his spare time.

His first short story, "Proof," was published in the June 1942 issue of Astounding Science Fiction Magazine. Seven years later, Clement published "Needle," a novel Astounding also serialized. Numerous short story collections and 14 novels followed, including "Noise," which was published this year by Tor.

Clement received a Retro-Hugo Award in 1996 for his 1945 story, "Uncommon Sense." The Science Fiction Writers of America also named him a Grand Master in 1999 for a lifetime of achievement in the field of science fiction writing.

"He was a man of wit and intellect, of warmth and kindness, and he saw wonder in the world long after others grew jaded and cynical," said science fiction writer Bud Webster. "It's a hideous understatement to say that he'll be missed."

Takashi Sonobe

Takashi Sonobe, the chairman of the Mitsubishi Motors Corp., died on Oct. 28 from heart failure. He was 62.

Sonobe graduated with an economics degree from Keio University in 1964, then joined Shin Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries Ltd. When Mitsubishi Motors was spun off in 1970, Sonobe transferred to the new company and spent the next three decades working in the office of international business.

He was working as the managing director and corporate general manager in the automaker's office of North American Car Operations in 2000 when the company's president resigned in disgrace. Sonobe replaced him, served for two years, then was promoted to chairman of the board.

Manuel Vazquez Montalban

Manuel Vazquez Montalban, a poet, playwright and best-selling Spanish mystery novelist, died on Oct. 17 from heart failure. He was 64. Montalban was on his way back to Madrid from Sydney, Australia, when he collapsed during a stopover in Bangkok.

Montalban's youth was spent in opposition of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco. His political writings and commitment to liberal politics landed him in jail for three years during the 1960s.

When he was released, Montalban wrote his first collection of poetry. For the next four decades, he published numerous articles, books and poems. His 1990 novel, "Galindez," won Spain's National Literature Award and the European Literature Award. It was also adapted into the film, "The Galindez Mystery," starring Saffron Burrows and Harvey Keitel.

Montalban was best known for creating Barcelona detective Pepe Carvalho, a private eye with gourmet tastes who appeared in 23 books. For this series, Montalban won the Raymond Chandler Prize and the French Grand Prix for Detective Fiction.

Earl Peyroux

Earl Peyroux, the former host of the nationally syndicated TV show, "Gourmet Cooking," died on Oct. 23. Cause of death was not released. He was 78.

Born in New Orleans, Peyroux graduated from Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. He studied under Julia Child and Paul Prudhomme and wrote seven cookbooks featuring Creole and French-inspired dishes.

Peyroux was teaching culinary arts at Pensacola Junior College in Florida when the campus public television station asked him to serve as the host of a cooking show in 1977. The show, "Gourmet Cooking," was eventually picked up by PBS. It aired for 18 years and 600 episodes.

"People liked that he cooked an entire meal, made a mess and didn't care; that he just seems so natural -- he came across as a regular person," said Liz Watkins, his producer and director.

Although he gave up the show about seven years ago, Peyroux had planned to produce a series of cooking tips for PBS in 2004.

Eugene Istomin

Eugene George Istomin, a classical pianist who gave more than 4,000 concerts, died on Oct. 10 from liver cancer. He was 77.

Istomin began playing the piano as a child and made his concert debut at the age of six. By the time he was 12, he was studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

At 18, Istomin made two professional debuts in the same week -- playing Johannes Brahms' "Second Piano Concerto" with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.

In 1951, Istomin began a 20-year relationship with violinist Alexander Schneider and cellist Pablo Casals. A year and a half after Pablo died in 1973, Istomin married the cellist's widow, Marta. At the time, she was the director of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; she's now president of the Manhattan School of Music.

One of the first great classical pianists born in America, Istomin also collaborated with violinist Isaac Stern and cellist Leonard Rose. The trio of musicians worked together to record numerous albums of Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Mozart.

Rod Roddy

Robert Ray Roddy, "The Price Is Right" announcer who beckoned audience members to "Come on Down!" died on Oct. 27 from colon and breast cancer. He was believed to have been 66.

Roddy graduated from Texas Christian University and became a popular radio disc jockey. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s and was working as a voice-over artist for commercials when Casey Kasem, the announcer on the TV show, "Soap," decided to step down. Roddy replaced Kasem, and his career took off.

In the 1980s, Roddy worked as an announcer for several TV game shows, including "Love Connection," "The $25,000 Pyramid," "The Newlywed Game" and "Press Your Luck." But he was best known for being the flamboyantly dressed announcer on "The Price Is Right." Roddy worked as Bob Barker's sidekick for 17 years. He taped his last show two months ago.

His favorite "Price Is Right" game? Plinko.

Walter Washington

Walter Edward Washington, the first elected mayor of Washington D.C. since the Civil War, died on Oct. 27 from kidney failure and cardiopulmonary arrest. He was 88.

Born in Dawson, Ga., Washington moved to D.C. to earn a bachelor's and law degree from Howard University. He became head of the New York City Housing Authority in 1966 and was named mayor-commissioner of the District of Columbia in 1967 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Five months after his appointment, the city exploded in violence following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Washington was credited with diffusing racial tensions and peacefully dealing with rioting citizens.

When Congress approved home rule for the district in 1973, Washington ran for mayor. He won the following year and became the city's first elected mayor in 104 years and the first black man to run a major U.S. city. The District had a $40 million surplus when he left office.

After leaving city government, Washington became a partner in the law office of Burns, Jackson, Miller, Summit & Jacoby. He also worked to establish the City Museum of Washington, D.C.

Clarita Bright

Clarita Heath Bright, a member of the first U.S. Women's Ski Team, died on Oct. 13. Cause of death was not released. She was 87.

Born in Pasadena, Calif., Bright learned to ski while vacationing with her family in Austria. She was only 18 when she was named to the four-member Olympic ski team. She raced in the 1936 Winter Olympics at Garmisch, and placed 27th. After suffering knee injuries, Bright went on to win the U.S. combined championship in 1942.

Bright's first husband, William Reiter, was a Navy pilot who died in World War II. She met her second husband, Olympic skier Alexander H. Bright, at the '36 games. He was elected into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1959; she was inducted in 1968.

In her later years, Bright became one of the first female ski instructors to work in Sun Valley, Idaho. She coached actress Ingrid Bergman for the ski scenes in the film, "Spellbound," and appeared in the documentary, "Thrills and Spills (History of Skiing in New England)." Bright continued to ski into her 80s.

Jim Albrecht

James W. Albrecht, the former tournament director of the World Series of Poker, died on Oct. 16. Cause of death was not released. He was 53.

Albrecht studied math and engineering at Florida State University. He moved to Las Vegas in 1971 and attended dealer's school in order to get a job dealing blackjack at the Carousel Casino. He later worked as a dealer at the Jackpot Casino and at the Golden Nugget, then became poker room manager at the Mint.

In 1988, when the Mint merged with the Horseshoe, Albrecht was named director of the World Series of Poker. He held that position for a decade and helped popularize the game by having the series aired on television.

The founder of Poker Consultants Inc., Albrecht also directed the United States Poker Championship in Atlantic City and Jack Binion's World Poker Open in Tunica, Miss. He later served as a consultant on the films, "Rounders" and "Maverick," and for the Discovery Channel show, "High Rollers."

Rosey Nix Adams

Rosey Nix Adams, a country music singer, died on Oct. 24. Cause of death is still under investigation. She was 45.

Adams, who was the daughter of the late country music singer June Carter Cash and Edwin ''Rip'' Nix, was found dead with bluegrass fiddle player Jimmy Campbell, 40, inside a parked bus in Clarksville, Tenn. Officials said they may have died from carbon monoxide emanating from six heaters on the bus. Drug paraphernalia, including needles and pipes, were also located near the bodies.

A singer/songwriter, Adams performed as a back-up singer for David Grey and Slim Whitman.

Pete Howell

Horace Pettit "Pete" Howell, an Army pilot and war hero, died on Oct. 5. Cause of death was not released. He was 81.

Howell graduated from the Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute of Aeronautics in California, then joined the Army Air Corps. During World War II, he served as an aviator in England and flew 65 combat missions. For his efforts, Howell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal.

When he returned to the states, Howell took a job working at Piasecki Helicopter Corp. in Essington, Penn. He remained with the company for 37 years.

In his spare time, Howell volunteered for Red Cross blood drives, recorded publications for the blind and dyslexic and spoke to school children about his wartime experiences. On Memorial Day each year, he read the names of those who died in combat.

Joan Kroc

Joan B. Kroc, the billionaire philanthropist, died on Oct. 12 from brain cancer. She was 75.

Joan was a professional musician and music teacher when she married Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds Corp., in 1969. For the past three decades, she made a name for herself as a major contributor to organizations that promote world peace and social aid.

Through the Joan B. Kroc Foundation, she gave money to the St. Vincent de Paul Joan Kroc Center for the Homeless, helped the San Diego Hospice build an inpatient facility for the terminally ill and established the Institute for Peace and Justice. In 2002, the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center in San Diego opened after Joan donated more than $90 million to the Salvation Army. Her $17 million in donations to the University of Notre Dame also endowed The Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.

For her philanthropic nature, Kroc received The Salvation Army's "Order of Distinguished Auxiliary Service" award in 2002.

Otto Guensche

Otto Guensche, an aide to Adolf Hitler who burned the Nazi dictator's body, died on Oct. 2 from heart failure. He was 86.

Guensche joined the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Germany, and rose to the rank of SS major. He became a member of Hitler's inner circle and spent the last hours with the Nazi leader in the Fuehrer bunker in Berlin. On April 30, 1945, Hitler and his companion, Eva Braun, committed suicide. Their bodies were placed in the garden of the Reich chancellery and burned. Guensche started the fire.

After World War II ended, Guensche was captured by Red Army troops and spent several years in Soviet captivity. He lived the rest of his life as a successful businessman in West Germany.

Ethel Ortmann Rueter

Ethel Ortmann Rueter, a dancer and former Radio City Rockette, died on Oct 3. Cause of death was not released. She was 91.

Born in Chicago, Rueter suffered from rheumatic fever as a child. Her doctor recommended that she take dancing lessons to strengthen her heart, so she began studying ballet at the Sherwood School of Music.

During the Depression, she moved to New York to find a job that would help her support her widowed mother and two brothers. She began dancing with the old Metropolitan Opera Ballet under choreographer George Balanchine, but switched to tap and jazz to land a prized spot with the Radio City Rockettes. She also performed in the chorus of several Broadway shows, including "Of Thee I Sing," the first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize for playwriting.

In the late 1930s, Rueter returned to Chicago to dance in productions at the Chicago Theatre and to run a boarding house with her mother. In 1940, she married one of her boarders and became a wife and homemaker.

Don Lanphere

Don Lanphere, a saxophone player who was known as the "grandpop" of jazz in Seattle, died on Oct. 12 of hepatitis C. He was 75.

Lanphere began playing the tenor and soprano sax as a teenager. He toured with bands in Seattle and studied music at Northwestern University in Illinois. In the 1950s, he moved to New York City where he became captivated by post-World War II bebop -- and heroin.

Lanphere played with many jazz greats, including Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro and Max Roach, but his drug and alcohol addictions hurt him professionally and personally. By 1960, he had returned to Washington to run his father's music store.

Lanphere started playing again in 1969 when he and his wife Midge became born-again Christians. He gave up drugs, became a music teacher and recorded 13 albums under his own name. For the past few years, he made Monday morning appearances on "The Don and Bud Show" on KBCS, 91.3 FM. He also played lead tenor in the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.

Yod Sangrungruang

Yod Sangrungruang, Thailand's last World War I veteran, died on Oct. 9 from natural causes. He was 106.

Sangrungruang was conscripted into the Thai army when he was 20 years old. He volunteered to fight with Allied forces in France during World War I and served for 15 months.

The "Good Man of Phitsanulok" returned to Thailand in 1919 as the sole surviving member of the 1,284 Thai soldiers who fought in Europe as part of the Royal Thai Expeditionary Force. He received a medal from King Rama V then returned to Phitsanulok where he was elected village leader.

Eighty years after he left the service, Yod was given an honorary promotion to the rank of second lieutenant. In 1999, he became the first Thai to receive the Legion d'Honneur, the highest decoration given by the French government.

Sangrungruang is survived by his wife, Somporn, 101, and eight of their nine children.

Bob Thomson

Robert B. Thomson, the former host of America's longest-running garden series, died on Oct. 2 from the effects of Alzheimer's disease. He was 74.

Thomson served in the Army's security agency during the Korean War, then moved to Danvers, Mass. There he and his wife Betty ran Thomson's Nursery and Garden Center from 1954 to 1988.

His interest in gardening extended beyond his business engagements. He wrote a garden column for the Boston Herald and was a well-known gardening radio personality for three decades before he was tapped to host "The Victory Garden," a popular how-to show with a sense of humor. Thompson hosted the show on WGBH in Boston for 12 years.

"Bob took 'The Victory Garden' in a new direction: landscape gardening -- a trend that today dominates gardening on TV -- at a time when no one else was doing it," said Russell Morash, the show's producer and creator.

Thompson also published two gardening books, one for adults and one for children. His favorite plant? Tomatoes.

Bob Mills

Bob Mills, an AIDS activist, died from the disease on Oct. 8. He was 50.

Mills was working as a teacher when he became one of the first people in Edmonton, Canada, to become infected and speak openly about it. A tireless advocate, Mills served as the prairie regional director on the Global Network of People Living With HIV, and as a board member with HIV Edmonton and Living Positive.

He was one of two Canadian representatives to speak before the United Nations general assembly about HIV and AIDS, and lobbied to make medicine affordable to AIDS patients in poor countries. He was also appointed to the Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS.

This past year, Mills received an International Year of the Volunteer Medal of Merit from Anne McLellan, Minister of Health, and the Queen's 50th Jubilee Medal for his efforts in the HIV/AIDS community.

Shirley Glass

Shirley Politzer Glass, a psychologist known as "the godmother of infidelity research," died on Oct. 8 from breast cancer. She was 67.

Glass graduated with an education degree from the University of Maryland. She worked as a math teacher and school psychologist in the Baltimore City Public School system before receiving her doctorate in clinical-counseling psychology from Catholic University.

A licensed psychologist and marriage and family therapist, Glass spent the past 25 years treating couples for relationship issues. She wrote an advice column for Electra/Oxygen, appeared on numerous television and radio shows and gave seminars on the trauma of infidelity. But she was best known for co-writing the 2003 book, "NOT Just Friends: Protect Your Relationship From Infidelity and Heal the Trauma of Betrayal," with Jean C. Staeheli. She and Staeheli argued that "good" people in "good" marriages could be swept into an affair, and encouraged couples to talk about their infidelities as a way to get past the betrayal.

She is survived by her husband of 48 years, Barry S. Glass, and three children.

• Glass's 7 Tips for Preventing Infidelity

Tony Renna

Indy Racing League driver Tony Renna died on Oct. 22 after crashing into the outside wall at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Renna was driving his G Force-Toyota close to 220 mph when the accident ended his promising career. He was 26.

Renna started racing when he was only six years old. His entire childhood was spent racing go-karts, micro-sprints and quarter-midgets in hundreds of competitions. A two-time national quarter-midget champion, Renna was named rookie of the year in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 1996.

He joined Indy Lights, the developmental series for CART, in 1998, and spent two years driving in the series before he debuted in IRL in 2002 as a substitute driver for Al Unser Jr. Renna competed in seven IndyCar Series races with Kelley Racing, finishing in the top 10 five times. He finished seventh in the Indianapolis 500 last May, and joined the elite Target/Chip Ganassi Racing team this month.

Renna, who was to be married in a few weeks, was the 67th person killed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since it opened in 1909.

Fred Berry

Fred Berry, the actor famous for playing "Rerun" Stubbs on the TV sitcom, "What's Happening!" died on Oct. 21 from natural causes. He was 52.

Like his TV counterpart, Berry wore a red beret and suspenders in real life. He appeared on "What's Happening!" from 1976 to 1979, and on its mid-1980s revival series, "What's Happening Now!" Berry found his success hampered, however, by heavy marijuana and cocaine use. He said that by the time the first series ended, he had spent more than $1 million on drugs, cars, homes and other luxuries. To make ends meet, he charged to appear at shopping malls.

Berry says he abandoned drugs in 1986 to become a public speaker and minister at the New Shiloh Church Ministry in Alabama. His final acting job was in a cameo role in the David Spade comedy, "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star."

Alija Izetbegovic

Alija Izetbegovic, the former president of Bosnia Herzegovina, died on Oct. 19 from heart disease. He was 78.

Born in northern Bosnia, Izetbegovic joined the Young Muslims, a group torn between siding with the Nazi-sponsored Handzar divisions and the Yugoslav Communist party (Izetbegovic supported the Handzars). After a Communist government was established in 1946, a military court sentenced Izetbegovic to prison for three years for his political affiliations. Upon his release, he graduated with a law degree from Sarajevo University and took a job as a legal adviser to two large Bosnian companies.

In 1970, he published the book, "Islamic Declaration: A Program for the Islamization of the Muslims and the Muslim Peoples." In it Izetbegovic called for a political and religious revolution. The work offended the Communist government, and Izetbegovic was arrested on charges of conspiring to create a Muslim state. He was convicted and received a 14-year prison sentence but was released in 1988.

Backed by the Muslim-based Party of Democratic Action, Izetbegovic won his country's first free parliamentary elections in 1990, and was named Bosnia's leader. Although he had a reputation as a moderate, Bosnian Serbs were suspicious of his religious background and accused him of trying to establish an Islamic republic in Europe.

When Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia declared their independence, Izetbegovic decided to support the idea of an independent Bosnia. The country's Serbian population wanted to remain within a Serb-dominated Yugoslavia. Unable to come to a resolution on this issue, the Serb rebels, led by Slobodan Milosevic, began an ethnic cleansing campaign that left 260,000 people dead or missing.

Although Izetbegovic rejected many of the peace accords suggested by the United Nations, the Dayton peace treaty was signed in 1995. It ended Europe's worst conflict since World War II and split Bosnia into a Muslim-Croat federation and a Serb Republic. Izetbegovic resigned in 2000.

Jack Elam

Jack Elam, a character actor who spent six decades playing villains in westerns and gangster films, died on Oct. 20. Cause of death was not released. He was 84.

Elam had a gruff, cockeyed look that was disconcerting but memorable. He obtained it during a childhood fight when a fellow Boy Scout stabbed him in the left eye with a pencil, blinding him.

Originally an accountant, Elam started landing small parts in feature films during the 1940s and 1950s. He helped arrange financing for the movie, "The Sundowners," in exchange for a decent role in the film. But it was his appearance in the 1951 film, "Rawhide," that made Elan a star.

One of the most sought-after supporting actors in Hollywood, Elam appeared in over 100 films, including "The Man From Laramie," "Sonora," "High Noon" and "Gunfight at the OK Corral." He also acted in two TV reunion shows for the western, "Bonanza."

Elam was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1994.

Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith, a singer/songwriter who received an Academy Award nomination in 1998, died on Oct. 22 at the age of 34. According to earlier news reports, cause of death was a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest. However, further tests by the coroner were inconclusive.

Smith studied the piano and guitar when he was a child. During middle school, he changed his named to Elliott, and began composing his first songs. He graduated from Hampshire College in Massachusetts, and performed in the bands, A Murder of Crows and Heatmiser. But it was his solo albums -- "Roman Candle,'' "Elliott Smith'' and "Either/Or" -- that earned Smith his underground fan base.

In 1997, he was approached by director Gus Van Sant with a request to use six of his songs on the "Good Will Hunting" soundtrack. The exposure brought Smith a recording deal with DreamWorks Records and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for "Miss Misery." His sixth and final album, "From a Basement on the Hill," will be released on Oct. 19, 2004.

• Watch the Elliott Smith Video, "Son of Sam"

Florence Stanley

Florence Schwartz Stanley, an actress known for her gravelly voice, died on Oct. 3 from a stroke. She was 79.

Born in Chicago, Stanley graduated from Northwestern University then moved to New York City to make a name for herself on stage. She launched her career in the Studio One production of "The Taming of the Shrew," and was a member of the original Broadway cast of Neil Simon's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue."

In the mid-1970s, she became a regular on the hit TV sitcom, "Barney Miller," and its spin-off, "Fish," as Det. Fish's wife. She was also a cast member on the TV shows "Dark Shadows" and "My Two Dads." Stanley's distinctive voice landed her roles in several animated films, including "Dinosaurs," "Family Guy" and "Atlantis: The Lost Empire." Her final movie was the Ewan McGregor/Renée Zellweger romantic comedy, "Down With Love."

John O'Brien

John Joseph Patrick O'Brien, an author and Pulitzer Prize-winning crime reporter for the Chicago Tribune, died on Oct. 18 from a brain tumor. He was 66.

O'Brien served in Chicago's 9th Infantry battalion, doing media relations and publishing the troop's newsletter. He graduated from Wilson Junior College in 1959 then took reporting jobs at the Daily Calumet and the Southtown Economist.

In 1962, O'Brien was hired by the Chicago Tribune to work as a copy editor and federal building reporter. He wrote about the 1982 Tylenol killings, the disappearance of candy heiress Helen Brach and serial killer John Wayne Gacy. He was also one of the first reporters at the scene of the Southeast Side nursing school dorm where serial killer Richard Speck murdered eight women.

O'Brien co-authored five true crime books with journalist Ed Baumann, including "Getting Away With Murder: 57 Unsolved Murders With Reward Information." His sixth book, co-authored with former FBI agent Elaine Smith, was just completed and focuses on the case of Kenny Ito, a man who turned state's witness after surviving a mob hit.

He won an American Bar Association Silver Gavel award in 1972 for exposing cronyism in the criminal justice system, and was part of the investigative team that won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for its investigation of voter fraud. Last month, O'Brien was honored with the Chicago Headline Club's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Luis Ferré

Luis A. Ferré, the former governor of Puerto Rico, died on Oct. 21 from respiratory failure. He was 99.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Ferré traveled to the U.S. to study engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and music at the New England Conservatory of Music. It was during his university years that Ferré developed a passion for the "American way of democracy" and decided to campaign for his country to become the 51st U.S. state.

Known as "Don Luis," Ferré helped produced Puerto Rico's constitution and founded the pro-statehood New Progressive Party in 1967. He won the governorship the following year then named the first woman to serve in the cabinet. From 1977 to 1980, Ferré was Senate president.

He and his brothers transformed his father's cement company in Ponce into a successful industrial enterprise. The company became the source of his family's wealth, and allowed Ferré to found the city's library, open the Ponce Museum of Art and purchase the local newspaper, El Dia.

Ferré is one of only four Puerto Ricans to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is survived by his second wife, Tiody de Jesus, and two children. His daughter, Rosario, was a National Book Award finalist in 1995.

Mardy Murie

Margaret Thomas Murie, the grandmother of the modern conservation movement, died on Oct. 19. Cause of death was not released. She was 101.

Murie grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, and became the first woman to graduate from the state university. She married Olaus Murie in 1924, enjoyed a dog sled honeymoon, then embarked on a life of travel and environmental conservation.

Olaus's work exploring unmapped areas and studying wildlife led the couple through Alaska and deep into the mountains of Wyoming. There they bought a dude ranch and converted it into a conservation and wilderness center.

Murie and her husband were instrumental in the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the greatest land preservation act in U.S. history. The bill banned development in millions of acres of national forests and parks, and eventually led to the creation of the 19-million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Olaus died in 1963, just months before the passage of the Wilderness Act, but Murie attended the signing in the Rose Garden of the White House in 1964.

Murie received numerous honors, including the Audubon Medal and the Sierra Club's John Muir Award. In 1998, President Bill Clinton presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her life story was the focus of the book, "Two in the Far North," and the documentary, "Arctic Dance: The Mardy Murie Story."

• NPR Profile of Mardy Murie

Ernie Calverley

Ernie Calverley, a star basketball player and coach, died on Sept. 20. Cause of death was not released. He was 79.

The 5-foot 10-inch All-American guard was best known as the player who threw ''the shot heard round the world." The toss from beyond midcourt at Madison Square Garden tied the University of Rhode Island's first-round match-up against Bowling Green in 1946. The Rams won the game in overtime, but eventually lost the National Invitation Tournament to Kentucky.

Calverley coached the Rams from 1958 to 1968, and twice led them to the NCAA tournament. He was inducted into the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island and New England sports halls of fame.

Sek Yi

Sek Yi, who may have been the oldest person in the world, died in his sleep on Oct. 19. He was 122.

A tiger hunter and martial arts expert, Sek Yi was unable to provide world record officials with proof of his birth. During the 1970s, he survived the "Killing Fields," but his identification papers were destroyed by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrillas.

Sek Yi, who was buried Monday by his bamboo hut in the tiny village of Tuk Young near the border with Vietnam, is survived by his 108-year-old wife, Long Ouk. He attributed his longevity to Buddhist convictions, tobacco and a vegetarian diet.

Rosalie Allen

Rosalie Allen, a disc jockey known as the "queen of the yodelers," died on Sept. 23 from congestive heart failure. She was 79.

Allen taught herself to sing and play her brother's guitar as a child. During World War II, she earned $15 a week as a professional yodeler. When she moved to New York and landed a job on the "Swing Billies" radio show, her pay increased to $300 a week.

In 1944, Allen took a brief break from singing to become one of the first female disc jockeys. Her half-hour program, "Prairie Stars" on WOV in New York was so popular that Country Music magazine named her the most famous country music personality in Manhattan. She also produced her own local television show on NBC, and opened one of New York's first country music record stores, the Rosalie Allen's Hillbilly Music Center.

Allen returned to singing in the late 1940s, performed at Carnegie Hall and recorded several hits, including "I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" and "Guitar Polka." In 1999, she became the first woman inducted into the Country Radio Broadcasters: Country DJ Hall of Fame.

Lyle Bettger

Lyle Bettger, a veteran stage and screen actor known for playing the heavy, died on Sept. 24. Cause of death was not released. He was 88.

Born in 1915, Bettger was the son of Franklin Bettger, a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. He graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1937 and made his Broadway debut in the play "The Flying Gerardos" when he was 25 years old. He acted in "The Moon Is Down," "Oh, Brother!" and "John Loves Mary," but his most successful stage role was as William Taylor in "Love Life," which was directed by Elia Kazan and ran for 252 performances.

Bettger moved to Hollywood in the 1950s and made his mark as the steely-eyed villain in a string of westerns. Before retiring to Hawaii in 1979, Bettger appeared in 30 films, including "The Greatest Show on Earth," "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" and "Destry."

Arthur Berger

Arthur Berger, a composer, teacher and critic, died on Oct. 7 of heart failure. He was 91.

Berger studied music at New York University and Harvard University, then moved to Paris to train with Nadia Boulanger and at the Sorbonne. When he returned to the states, Berger spent a decade working as a music writer for The New York Sun and The New York Herald Tribune.

During the 1940s, he received recognition for his own neo-classical compositions. Although he mostly wrote pieces for piano and chamber ensembles, Berger's "Ideas of Order" debuted in 1952 in a performance of the New York Philharmonic. The following year, Berger moved to Boston and took a teaching job at Brandeis University, where he remained for more than a quarter of a century. The composer then spent the next two decades teaching at the New England Conservatory.

His book, "Reflections of an American Composer," was published last year to mark his 90th birthday.

Laszlo Papp

Laszlo Papp, the first boxer to win three Olympic gold medals, died on Oct. 16. Cause of death was not released. He was 77.

Born in Budapest, Papp inherited a love of boxing from his father. After training with Zsigmond Adler, he outpointed Britain's John Wright to win his first Olympic gold medal in 1948. Four years later, Papp competed in the light heavyweight category and beat South Africa's Theunis van Schalkwyk at the Helsinki Games. He won a third gold medal at the Melbourne Games in 1956 when he outpointed Puerto Rican Jose Torres.

Papp received permission from the authorities to turn pro and in 1957 became the first professional boxer from a communist country. He quickly gained a reputation for his devastating left hook, which was particularly unique since he was right-handed. Although he won the European middleweight title in 1962, the Hungarian government refused to allow him to fight for the world title in 1965 because boxing for financial gain was "incompatible with socialist principles." Papp retired from the sport with an undefeated record of 27-0-2.

In 1989, the World Boxing Council named him an honorary world champion. Two years later, he was designated the world's best amateur and pro middleweight boxer of all time and inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Moktar Ould Daddah

Moktar Ould Daddah, the founding father of Mauritania, died on Oct. 14. Cause of death was not released. He was about 79.

Born into an aristocratic family of Muslim religious leaders, Daddah traveled to Paris to attend college classes. There he met and married the daughter of French President Charles de Gaulle. When he returned to Mauritania as the first citizen with a university degree, Daddah established the Mauritanian Regrouping Party, which won every seat in the National Assembly in popular elections.

Daddah became president of the West African nation once it gained its independence from France in 1960. After prevailing in single-party elections, he worked to achieve unity between the two racial groups of his country, the Moors and the blacks.

Daddah ruled until 1978 when he was ousted from power by a military junta. The rebels imprisoned Daddah for 15 months, but freed him in response to pressure from France. Once released, Daddah went into exile and did not return to his homeland until 2001.

Charles Seabrook

Without the Seabrook family, tasty frozen vegetables wouldn't have been possible.

Charles Courtney Seabrook was only 20 years old when he teamed up with his father and two brothers to develop a method of freezing fresh vegetables for mass distribution.

By packing veggies in wood boxes filled with dry ice, they found that the frozen contents tasted better when cooked days later. The family took their processing idea to Clarence Birdseye for refinement and mass production in 1930. The resulting frozen foodstuffs were so successful that the family expanded their New Jersey property into the largest irrigated vegetable farm in the world.

Despite the family's success, an internal dispute in the mid-1950s split control of the company. Seabrook eventually sold the business to Seeman Bros. Inc., a New York wholesale grocery business.

Seabrook died on Oct. 4. Cause of death was not released. He was 94.

Ned Breathitt

Edward Thompson Breathitt Jr., the former governor of Kentucky, died on Oct. 14 after collapsing during a speech at the University of Kentucky Lexington Community College last Friday night. Doctors said Breathitt suffered from an abnormal heart rhythm. He fell into a coma and did not regain consciousness. He was 78.

Breathitt spent three years in the Army Air Corps during World War II, then received his undergraduate and law degree from the University of Kentucky. After passing the bar, he spent eight years working as a lawyer in his hometown of Hopkinsville.

A liberal Democrat, Breathitt was elected to the Kentucky House in 1951. He spent seven years in office before leaving to aid in former Vice President Alben Barkley's Senate campaign.

In 1963, Breathitt was elected governor of Kentucky on a platform of prohibiting racial discrimination in public places. Racial harmony was a theme of his inaugural speech, and he used that moment to call on Kentuckians to embrace the civil rights movement and cast off "hate, bigotry and prejudice." During his four years in office, Breathitt urged the state to approve tough antidiscrimination laws and established the Kentucky Educational Television network.

Once he left office, Breathitt worked as the general counsel for the Southern Railway System and served as the company's top lobbyist in Washington, D.C. for two decades.

Butch Brickell

William ''Butch'' Brickell, one of Miami's best-known stuntmen, died on Oct. 13. Cause of death was not released. He was 46.

Brickell was the great-great-grandson of Miami pioneers William and Mary Brickell. A thrillseeker from a very young age, his life began on a rather ordinary path. After graduating from Ransom Everglades School, he took over the family's property management business, then opened his own shipping company.

When Hollywood began shooting several films in South Florida in 1993, Brickell's movie career took off. He appeared in the Hulk Hogan film, "The Nanny," then landed his first job as a stuntman in the Sylvester Stallone thriller, "The Specialist."

Brickell later did stunt jobs on "Fair Game," "2 Fast 2 Furious" and "Bad Boys." He also raced boats for a scene in the TV show, "CSI Miami."

Anne Ziegler

Anne Ziegler, who was half of one of Britain's most popular singing acts during World War II, died Oct. 13. Cause of death was not released. She was 93.

Born Irene Frances Eastwood in Liverpool, Ziegler trained as a classical pianist and singer. She changed her name, appeared in the musical, "Virginia," in New York and landed a role in the 1938 movie, "Faust." During the filming, the beautiful soprano met and married tenor Webster Booth. Together they formed a popular singing team and toured Britain performing popular ballads including, "Only a Rose" and "We'll Gather Lilacs."

When British tastes in music changed, the couple moved to South Africa so they could remain faithful to their original sound. Ziegler and Booth returned to Wales in 1978, where they taught singing and occasionally made public appearances.

Ned Riddle

Ned Riddle, a former Dallas Morning News artist who drew the syndicated cartoon, Mr. Tweedy, died on Oct. 14 from complications of a stroke. He was 81.

Riddle served in the Navy as a navigator's assistant aboard the submarine USS Piranha during World War II. To entertain the crew, he drew caricatures of his superiors for a weekly newsletter. After he returned to the states, Riddle graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and began painting in watercolors.

In the 1950s, the Dallas Morning News hired Riddle to work as a commercial artist. The editors at the paper were so impressed with his work that they suggested he syndicate his cartoons. Syndication executives in New York told him to focus on drawing a single character, and so Mr. Tweedy was born. For the next 34 years, Mr. Tweedy was published in newspapers in the United States, Canada, Australia and South America.

Wally George

George Walter Pearch, the conservative talk show host of "Hot Seat," died on Oct. 5 from pneumonia. He was 71.

George and his mother, a former vaudeville actress, moved to Hollywood when he was a teenager. His first job in broadcasting was as a disc jockey at KIEV-AM 870 in Glendale, Calif. By the time he was 22, he was working as an announcer and engineer at KUAM-TV.

In 1969, George launched "The Wally George Show" on KTYN-FM 95 in Inglewood, Calif. He also took a job as a producer and co-host of the TV show, "The Sam Yorty Show." That job gave him the opportunity to interview guests like President Gerald Ford, California Governor Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope and Desi Arnez.

His show, "Hot Seat," premiered in 1983 on KDOC-TV. George's brand of "combat TV" led him to invite "liberals, perverts and left-wing lunatics" onto his show so he could insult, berate and throw them off. "Hot Seat" has been on the air for 20 years; KDOC began airing reruns in June when George became ill.

George fathered three children, a son, Kerry, a daughter, Holly, and film actress Rebecca De Mornay. He also wrote the autobiography, "Wally George: The Father of Combat TV."

Denis Quilley

Denis Quilley, a British stage actor, died on Oct. 5 from liver cancer. He was 75.

Born in north London, Quilley won a scholarship to attend Bancroft's at Woodford Green in Essex. There he met Don Francombe, a professor who introduced him to "Shakespeare, Mozart, civilization and the meaning of democracy." Thanks to Francombe's influence, Quilley informed his parents that he planned to skip college and become an actor. They were less than pleased.

Quilley first performed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He had long runs on London's West End during the 1950s in "Wild Thyme'' and "Grab Me a Gondola," and won his first SWET Award (London's equivalent of the Tony) in 1977 playing camp soldier Terri Dennis in the play, "Privates on Parade." He also appeared in its film adaptation with John Cleese in 1982.

After performing in dozens of plays, including "Macbeth," "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "Deathtrap," "La Cage aux Folles"and "Hamlet," Quilley found his favorite role in the murderous barber in Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd." The part earned him another SWET Award.

Quilley was awarded an Officer of the British Empire in 2001. His final stage performance occurred last March in the National Theatre Company musical, "Anything Goes." He was writing his autobiography in the months before he died.

Roxana Cannon Arsht

Roxana Cannon Arsht, Delaware's first female judge, died on Oct. 3 from complications of a stroke. She was 88.

Arsht graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and math from Goucher College, then received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She was the fifth woman to be admitted to the Delaware Bar.

In 1961, Arsht became a master of the Family Court. In this position, she spent nine years hearing cases and handing down opinions -– for free. After receiving several recommendations, Arsht became a Family Court judge. She spent 12 years on the bench and was the only female judge in Delaware until her retirement in 1983. For her contributions to the community, Arsht received numerous awards, including the Trailblazer Award, the First State Distinguished Service Award and the Josiah Marvel Cup. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Delaware Women in 1986.

Arsht and her husband, Sam, also donated $2 million to the University of Delaware's Academy of Lifelong Learning, which helped the school build Arsht Hall. It was dedicated in their honor in 1991.

"We've lost an icon. She was a wonderful human being who was small in stature and large in heart," said Delaware Superior Court Judge Susan C. Del Pesco.

Bill Cayton

Bill Cayton, a boxing manager with one of the world's largest collections of vintage fight films, died on Oct. 4 from lung cancer. He was 85.

Born in New York City, Cayton earned a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland. His first job was as a technical writer for DuPont, but by 1945, he had built his own advertising agency.

Outside of work, Cayton's passion was boxing. He combined this interest with his day job by helping Chesebrough Manufacturing Co. advertise its Vaseline Brand Hair Tonic on television. At the time, ad agencies produced their own programs, so Cayton acquired the rights to air boxing matches. "The Greatest Fights of the Century," sponsored by Chesebrough, generated some of network television's highest ratings.

Cayton also spent 50 years collecting fight films. By the time he sold the film and tape library to Disney/ESPN in 1998, he had amassed more than 1,500 reels, including the famous 1936 bout between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium and the 15-round fight in 1949 when Sugar Ray Robinson successfully defended his welterweight title from Kid Gavilan.

In the 1970s, Cayton began managing fighters. He worked with Tommy Morrison, Vinny Pazienza, Jeremy Williams, Michael Grant, Wilfred Benitez, and Edwin Rosario. He and Jim Jacobs co-managed boxer Mike Tyson to a heavyweight championship in 1986. Two years later, Tyson fired his managers so he could join with Don King.

Cayton was named Manager of the Year 14 times in his career.

Joe Santoni

Joe Santoni, the Pennsylvania restaurant owner who named the Pittsburgh Steelers, died on Oct. 10 from complications of heart surgery. He was 82.

An avid sports fan, Santoni entered a contest in 1940 to rename the NFL team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. To differentiate itself from the city's baseball team, Santoni suggested the name "Steelers," and owner Art Rooney Sr. liked the name.

The prize? Season tickets for a year.

For three decades, Santoni ran Santoni's Restaurant, an establishment decorated in Pittsburgh Steelers photographs. He remained a season ticket holder until shortly before his death.

Bobby Cox

Robert deLafayette Cox, a former football star at the University of Minnesota, died on Oct. 3 from pancreatic cancer. He was 69.

Born in poverty, Cox ran away from his Los Angeles home at 14. He moved to Washington and stayed with several families so he could complete his education. At Walla Walla High School, he excelled at athletics, receiving all-state recognition in basketball, football and track.

Cox spent two years at the University of Washington before transferring to the University of Minnesota, where he led the Golden Gophers to a 6-1-2 record in 1956. For his efforts, Sports Illustrated pictured Cox on the cover of its Nov. 4, 1957 issue and named him the best college quarterback in the U.S. He was also a Heisman Trophy candidate during his senior season.

"I never had anybody who wanted to win more than he did. He was willing to pay the price to be successful," Gophers coach Murray Warmath said.

The Los Angeles Rams tapped Cox in the fourth round of the NFL draft. He attended the Rams' training camp in 1958, but didn't make the final roster. Instead he played in the Canadian Football League and for the Boston Patriots until three concussions forced him to retire. In his post-football years, Cox founded World Travel and Incentives, Inc., a $55 million travel management company.

Ian William Gore-Langton

Colonel Ian William Gore-Langton, the former commander of the Coldstream Guards, died. Cause of death and the exact day of his departure were not released. He was 89.

Gore-Langton was educated at Eton. He joined the British Army's Coldstream Guards in 1934 and was sent to India to serve the Governor of Bengal.

During World War II, Gore-Langton fought with the 3rd Battalion in the North African campaign. At the Battle of Salerno, his troops were bombed for two and a half hours as they tried to embark and take the nearby airfield. Gore-Langton was severely wounded, and because medical supplies were low, his right arm was amputated without the aid of anesthetics.

The military tried to send him home, but Gore-Langton refused to leave the fray. Instead, he returned to the battlefield as soon as he could stand and fight. He was awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE) honor for his bravery.

The "One-Armed Bandit" didn't let the handicap keep him from having a full military career. From 1950 to 1953, he commanded the 3rd Battalion. He served in Cyprus as the regimental lieutenant-colonel and was responsible for organizing the departure of the terrorist leader, Colonel Grivas.

Gore-Langton served as the commandant of the School of Infantry in Warminster before retiring from the Army in 1962. He spent the rest of his life fishing, hunting, painting and running an art gallery.

Norman Hoffman

Norman Hoffman, a champion skydiver, died on Sept. 22 from stomach cancer. He was 79.

Born in Dublin, Hoffman grew up with a keen interest in athletics. By the time he was 20, he had already competed in more than 400 Greco-Roman wrestling matches.

In 1948, Hoffman moved to Britain and joined The Royal Air Force. The RAF taught him how to skydive and he immediately began competing against other skydiving teams. In 1959, he perfected a freefalling method and became a British champion.

Hoffman set a number of altitude records (his highest drop was from 35,000 ft.), and developed a mechanism to help paratroopers grab their weapons before hitting the ground. The system is still used by RAF paratroopers today. In 1965, he set up a parachute school for the Kenyan Army. During an air display, his parachute failed to open and he fell 5,000 ft. to the ground. Although he fractured his spine in three places and broke his sternum, Hoffman returned to skydiving five months later.

He spent the early 1970s working as a flight sergeant and instructor in England and testing parachuting equipment for the Joint Air Transport Establishment. For training skydivers in the armed forces, Hoffman received a British Empire Medal. His son, Paul, has also written a book and a screenplay based on his life.

Ed Albright

Edward Charles Albright Jr., a veteran and American Red Cross volunteer, died on Sept. 24 from cancer. He was 52.

Albright graduated from Masuk High School in Connecticut. He joined the Army and served with the 18th Military Police Brigade in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971. When he returned to the states after the war, he joined the Connecticut Army National Guard.

In the 1980s, Albright moved to Escondido, Calif., where he worked for Advanced Safety Products, a company that distributes durable medical and access equipment. For the past eight years, however, he dedicated his off-hours to volunteering with the American Red Cross. His efforts included aiding the victims of forest fires and accidents, and serving the organization as a disaster action team leader and instructor.

Even when he was diagnosed with cancer and weakened by chemotherapy, Albright continued to respond to disasters. His efforts were rewarded in 2002 when he received the Red Cross Spirit of Volunteerism Award.

Alice Baum

Alice Baum, an author and social activist, died Sept. 23. Cause of death was not released. She was 66.

Baum graduated from Wellesley College and met Donald Burnes when she took a job at the National Institute of Education. They joined forces, politically and romantically, and spent three years aiding homeless people in Washington D.C.

In 1993, Baum and Burnes wrote the book, "Nation in Denial: The Truth About Homelessness." They concluded that at least 65 percent of homeless people suffered from mental illness or drug or alcohol addiction and were incapable of holding steady work. They also suggested an "aggressive outreach" approach to convert public shelters into places where the homeless could find long-term medical care and housing programs.

Izzy Asper

Israel Harold Asper, the multimillionaire founder of Canada's largest media empire, died on Oct. 7. Cause of death was not released. He was 71.

Asper was born in Minnedosa, Manitoba. His parents owned several local movie theatres, and he grew up working for them as an usher. After graduating from the University of Manitoba and passing the bar, Asper built CanWest Capital, western Canada's first merchant bank. He then founded the television station, CKND, and bought out Global Television, which he turned into a national network.

As executive chairman of CanWest Global Communications, Asper expanded its broadcasting interests internationally by acquiring TV networks in New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. In 2000, he purchased the Southam newspaper group; his company now owns 11 major metropolitan dailies including the National Post, Montreal Gazette and the Vancouver Sun.

A leader in the Manitoba Liberal party from 1970 to 1975, Asper also wrote the bestselling book, "The Benson Iceberg," and published a syndicated column in The Globe and Mail. His two philanthropic organizations -- the Asper Foundation and the CanWest Global Foundation -- gave millions to Canadian communities and civic organizations.

In 1992, Asper received the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Gold Ribbon Award for Broadcast Excellence. Three years later, he was inducted into the Broadcast Hall of Fame.

• Complete Coverage From Canada.com

Bill Shoemaker

William Lee Shoemaker, a 4-foot 11-inch, 95 lb. jockey who won more than 8,800 races, died on Oct. 12 of natural causes. He was 72.

As a teenager, Shoemaker won the Golden Gloves boxing championship in the 95-to-105-pound division, but dropped out of high school to become a jockey. He won his first race in 1949 on Shafter V at Golden Gate Fields, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1958.

During his four-decade career, "The Shoe" won 11 Triple Crowns, two Preakness Stakes, five Belmont Stakes and more than $123 million in purses. In 1986, he became the oldest jockey to win a Kentucky Derby; He was 54 years old, and it was his fourth Kentucky Derby victory. The following year, he and his horse, Ferdinand, won the Breeders' Cup Classic and captured Horse of the Year honors.

"Bill Shoemaker, pound-for-pound, was one of the best athletes of the 20th century with a rare combination of poise, grace and courage. He was an ambassador for our game and the entire sport will miss him," Tim Smith, commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said.

The second winningest jockey of all time retired from racing in 1990 with plans to become a horse trainer. Soon after he won his first race as a trainer with Tempest Cloud, Shoemaker became a quadriplegic in a drunk driving accident. He broke his neck when the Ford Bronco he was driving veered off a California highway and rolled down an embankment. He underwent six months of rehabilitation then returned to train horses for another six years -- from his wheelchair.

Marshall Rosenbluth

Marshall Nicholas Rosenbluth, a physicist who dedicated his life to understanding and taming nuclear fusion, died on Sept. 28 of pancreatic cancer. He was 76.

The "Pope of Plasma Physics" graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University. He received his doctorate from the University of Chicago when he was only 22. While teaching at Stanford University, he discovered a complex equation that determined how proton electrons move. It was later named the "Rosenbluth formula."

In 1950, he was recruited by Edward Teller to work on the hydrogen bomb project at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico. There he developed the Monte Carlo algorithm, a method of global illumination analysis.

Rosenbluth spent the next three decades teaching nuclear and plasma physics at the University of California, San Diego and at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J. From 1980 to 1987, he served as the director of the Institute for Fusion Studies at the University of Texas.

In the final years of his life, Rosenbluth served as the senior scientist in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project. His goal was to find a way to replicate fusion, the power source of the sun, and turn it into a more viable energy source. While fusion is a safe, inexhaustible energy source, large-scale fusion power has not yet proven to be economically or technologically feasible.

"I remain convinced that fusion will eventually prove to be essential for the continuance of our energy-based civilization," he once said.

Rosenbluth received numerous awards for his scientific contributions, including the Albert Einstein Award, the Enrico Fermi Award and the National Medal of Science, the highest scientific honor in the United States.

Carolyn Heilbrun

Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, a feminist scholar and mystery novelist, took her own life on Oct. 7. Cause of death was asphyxiation. She was 77.

As a child, Heilbrun was a voracious reader. She loved Nancy Drew and British mysteries, but also reveled in the more literary works of Virginia Woolf and Willa Cather. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1947 then earned a masters degree and a doctorate in English at Columbia University.

Two years later, she joined the faculty of Columbia as an English and comparative literature professor. She remained with the school for more than three decades and became the first director of its Institute for Research on Women and Gender. Her scholarly articles and nonfiction books mainly focused on interpreting women's literature from a feminist perspective.

When she was away from the ivory tower world of academia, Heilbrun wrote best-selling mystery novels. Her most famous heroine, Kate Fansler, was a feminist professor of literature who solved crimes. Writing under the pseudonym Amanda Cross, Heilbrun penned 12 Fansler books, including "Death in a Tenured Position," "Sweet Death, Kind Death" and "The James Joyce Murder."

In 1981, she won the prestigious Nero Wolfe Award for literary excellence in the mystery genre. Her autobiography, "Writing a Woman's Life," was published in 1988.

"The journey's over. Love to all. Carolyn," Heilbrun wrote in her suicide note.

Jackie Flosso

Jackie Flosso, the magician who owned the Flosso-Hornmann Magic Company in New York City, died on Sept. 28 of kidney and heart ailments. He was 77.

Flosso's grandfather was the famous magician, Louis "Pops" Kreiger, and his father was Al Flosso, a.k.a. the Coney Island Fakir. Al bought the magic shop from magician Frank Ducrot in 1939, and when he died in 1976, Jackie inherited the store. He ran the business until 2000.

The cluttered shop was opened in 1872 by Francis and Antonio Martinka. It was so popular with the illusionist community that the Society of American Magicians was founded there. Harry Houdini, the first president of the SAM, was once a part-owner of the store.

Charles Byrd

Charles Edward Byrd, the first elected black sheriff in California, died on Sept. 23. Cause of death was not released. He was 56.

Byrd was born and raised in Weed, Calif. He attended the College of the Siskiyous with hopes of becoming a civil engineer, but his plans changed when the chief of the Weed Police Department asked him to become a reserve officer. Byrd switched his major to criminal justice and joined the force two years later. In 1975, he became the town's police chief.

At 39, Byrd defeated Kenneth Jourdan in the sheriff's race, and became the first African American ever elected sheriff in California. He served four terms as the sheriff-coroner of Siskiyou County, which at the time of his election was only 1.5 percent black.

During his tenure, Byrd helped create the Siskiyou County Inter-Agency Narcotic Task Force, the Detective Unit and the department's K-9 program. He also served as the president of the California State Sheriff's Association.

Don Sider

Don Sider, a veteran journalist, died on Oct. 8 from heart disease. He was 70.

Sider began his journalism career at the St. Petersburg Times. After covering the Vietnam War, he helped found Money and People magazines.

Sider was named deputy bureau chief of Time's Washington bureau in 1975. He remained with the magazine for 12 years, then moved to West Palm Beach where he worked as a correspondent for People. Last month, he was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespassing for snooping on actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at their Georgia estate.

Sider's will calls for a sky diving party to mark his death. His estate plans to pay for his ashes to be dumped out of a plane at 12,500 feet. The sky divers who conduct the service will then be treated to four cases of beer.

Viola Burnham

Viola Burnham, former vice president and first lady of Guyana, died on Oct. 10 from cancer. She was 72.

A teacher by trade, Burnham was married to Forbes Burnham, the first executive president of Guyana. She served as the country's vice president and deputy prime minister from 1985 to 1991, and was the acting president when both the head of state and prime minister were out of the country.

Neil Postman

Neil Postman, a professor, media critic and author who spent a lifetime criticizing television, died on Oct. 5 of lung cancer. He was 72.

Postman graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1953. He received a master's degree and a doctorate in education from the Teachers College, Columbia, then joined the faculty at New York University. During his 40-year tenure, Postman founded the Steinhardt School of Education's program in media ecology and chaired the Department of Culture and Communication.

A contributing editor of The Nation and the author of 20 books, Postman was best known for writing "Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business," a book that claimed America's ability to think seriously had been diminished by TV. The book was translated into eight languages, sold 200,000 copies worldwide and became required reading in many communication schools. He also penned several hundred articles for The New York Times Magazine, Time Magazine, The Washington Post and Le Monde.

In 1986, Postman received the George Orwell Award for clarity in language from the National Council of Teachers of English. Two years later, NYU gave him the Distinguished Teacher Award.

John Orrell

John Overton Orrell, a historian who helped rebuild William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on the South Bank of the Thames in London, died on Sept. 16 from melanoma. He was 68.

Born in Maidstone, England, Orrell graduated with an English degree from Oxford University. He immigrated to Canada, earned his doctorate from the University of Toronto and spent most of his career teaching Shakespeare at the University of Alberta. When American actor Sam Wanamaker decided to rebuild The Globe, Orrell became the project's chief historical advisor.

The Globe was built in 1599 and destroyed in a fire in 1613. Almost 30 years later, it was rebuilt on the same foundation, only to be shut down by Oliver Cromwell's Puritans and destroyed.

In 1987, the theatre's reconstruction began. Orrell lent his expertise to the project by using the 17th-century etching, "The Long View of London" by Wenceslaus Hollar, as a template for the theatre's blueprints. He then did a mathematic analysis to determine the building's proportions. Construction was completed in 1997 and the 400th anniversary of the old Globe's opening was celebrated in 1999.

Orrell also published several books, including "The Quest for Shakespeare's Globe," "The Theatres of Inigo Jones and John Webb" and "The Human Stage: English Theatre Design 1567-1640."

J.D. Kimball

J.D. Kimball, the former lead singer of the 1980s heavy metal band, Omen, died on Oct. 3 from cancer. His age was not released.

Omen was formed in 1983 by guitarist Kenny Powell. Kimball signed on as Omen's lead singer, recorded four albums, then left the band in 1987. He was replaced by Coburn Pharr.

"He was a great writer, one of the true innovators in the early years of power metal. I am extremely proud of the records that we did together, 'Battle Cry,' 'Warning of Danger,' 'Nightmares' and 'The Curse.' I hope everyone will remember J.D. for all of his truly great contributions to the world of heavy metal," Powell said.

Norodom Narindrapong

Prince Norodom Narindrapong of Cambodia died on Oct. 7 from a heart attack. He was 49.

One of King Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk's 14 children, Narindrapong studied philosophy, criminology and law at the State University of Moscow, and spoke fluent French and Russian.

Although he was not formally involved in Cambodian politics, Narindrapong did spend the past two years as an advisor to the Khmer Unity Party.

Bert Nakano

Bert Nakano, an airline worker who fought for the rights of Japanese Americans, died on Sept. 27 from respiratory failure related to Parkinson's disease. He was 75.

Nakano was 14 and living in Hawaii when Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Shortly after the assault, Nakano's father and hundreds of other Japanese Americans were arrested and shipped off to an internment camp. The family reunited briefly, then were moved by the federal government to different segregation centers in Northern California and Texas. His pregnant mother gave birth while living at a center, and when she contracted pneumonia, Nakano took care of his infant sister.

After the war, Nakano's brother was so disgusted by the government's actions that he renounced his citizenship and moved to Japan. The rest of the family returned to Hawaii, but his mother died within the year. His father couldn't rebuild his once successful carpentry business and also moved to Japan where he died an alcoholic.

Nakano was bitter and angry about what happened to his family. He studied Zen Buddhism in Japan, but eventually returned to America to marry and spend 20 years working for Pan Am airlines. In 1980, Nakano and other activists founded the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations. As the organization's top spokesman, Nakano demanded that the government pay reparations for the way Japanese Americans were treated during the war.

"To people who would oppose reparations, I'd say, 'Give me back my three years, my mother's health, my father's business, my brother's ambition to become a doctor and they can keep their money. Can anyone return those things to us?" Nakano once said.

His efforts were rewarded in 1988 when President Reagan signed a bill offering a formal apology and giving $20,000 payments to each of the 65,000 surviving internees.

Hugo Young

Hugo John Smelter Young, a veteran British newspaper columnist and author, died on Sept. 22 from cancer. He was 64.

Young studied law at Balliol College, Oxford, then joined the Yorkshire Post as a reporter in 1961. He spent two years in America as a Harkness and Congressional Fellow before returning to Britain to work for The Sunday Times. The newspaper promoted Young to chief leader writer in his second year, a post he occupied until 1977, but he also served as its political editor, deputy editor and political columnist.

When the paper was taken over by Rupert Murdoch's News International, Young moved to The Guardian to write a twice-weekly column devoted to British politics. He was particularly interested in former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, so much so that he wrote several biographies on her life.

He also served as the chairman of the Scott Trust, the organization that owns the Guardian and its sister newspaper, the Observer. Young was voted columnist of the year in 1980, 1983 and 1985 in the British Press Awards.

"Hugo was, simply, a towering figure in British journalism," said Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger.

• Special Young Section From The Guardian

• Young's Column Archive

Stanley Fafara

Stanley Fafara, a child actor on the TV show, ''Leave It to Beaver," died on Sept. 20 from complications of hernia surgery. He was 54.

When he was four years old, Fafara's mother got him an agent who placed him in vitamin and milk commercials. After appearing in an episode of "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin," Fafara and his brother Tiger answered an open casting call for "Leave It to Beaver." They were both hired. From 1957 to 1969, Fafara played Hubert "Whitey" Whitney, and Tiger played the character, "Tooey."

After the show ended, Fafara attended North Hollywood High School, where he developed a drug and alcohol habit. He played music in Hollywood clubs and befriended members of the rock band, Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Drug addiction was eventually Fafara's downfall. In the 1980s, he was arrested and jailed for breaking into pharmacies. When he was released, he worked several odd jobs and then became a drug dealer to support his habit. Fafara finally got clean at a detox center in 1995 then spent the rest of his life in a Portland apartment, where he survived on Social Security checks.

Paul Burlison

David Paul Burlison, a rock guitarist who inspired many of the world's best musicians, died on Sept. 27 of cancer. He was 74.

When Burlison's family moved to Memphis in 1937, he developed a passion for music. At eight, he taught himself how to play the guitar, and eventually built his own homemade electric guitar. Burlison dropped out of high school, learned how to box, did a stint in the Navy then played with several hillbilly bands. In 1953, he teamed up with Johnny and Dorsey Burnette to form the Rock 'n' Roll Trio. The group produced more than a dozen records, including the rockabilly hits "Tear It Up," "Honey Hush," "Lonesome Train" and "Rock Therapy."

Burlison's impact on rock 'n' roll became apparent in the 1960s and 1970s. The Yardbirds, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith all played cover versions of his songs, which were known for their memorable guitar riffs and a primitive buzz sound.

For the past 20 years, Burlison has performed with the Sun Rhythm Section. He recently recorded the album, "Rock-A-Billy Country," with W.S. "Fluke" Holland and Jerry Lee "Smoochy" Smith.

Yuri Senkevich

Yuri Senkevich, a Russian documentary filmmaker and television host, died on Sept. 25 from heart failure. He was 66.

Senkevich was born in Mongolia and earned a medical degree from the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg. In 1962, he took a job monitoring the health of cosmonauts for a biomedical-research institute. He and two other doctors were then selected to fly into space aboard Voskhod 5. But when that mission was canceled, Senkevich quit the program and became a documentary filmmaker.

To study the effects of long-term isolation, Senkevich traveled to Antarctica in 1968 to document the topic. The project earned him a USSR State Prize. He achieved international fame in 1969 when Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl invited him to participate in a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean -- on a papyrus raft.

For the past four decades, however, Senkevich hosted "Traveler's Club," a travelogue that sent him on adventures around the world. It was Russia's longest running TV show.

Richard Robbins

Richard Robbins, a lawyer with a love of singing, died on Sept. 10 from a stroke. He was 69.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Robbins earned a law degree from the University of Wisconsin. He played piccolo in the school's marching band and sang with the barbershop quartet, Treble Shooters.

Robbins then moved to Chicago where he worked as a patent attorney and sang with several quartets, including the Windy City Four, Harmony First, the Ragtimers and the Good Old Days. In 1969, he won the Award for Barbershopping Excellence.

Dan Snyder

Dan Snyder, a center for the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team, died on Oct. 5, six days after sustaining severe brain injuries in an automobile accident in Buckhead, Ga. He was 25.

Snyder played four seasons of junior hockey for Owen Sound in the Ontario Hockey League, then signed with the Thrashers as an undrafted free agent in 1999. One of the most popular members of the Thrashers team, Snyder earned 10 goals and made four assists in 36 games last season.

"Dan Snyder was one of those people who gave others energy. Just being in his company made you feel good. His quick, crooked smile was infectious. His eyes twinkled -- somehow simultaneously emoting both kindness and a hint of good-natured mischief. Even while sitting idly locked in locker room banter with teammates, his unruly mop of curls gave him the essence of energy. There was nothing forced about Snyder -- he was genuine through and through," said Sports Illustrated columnist Darren Eliot.

Snyder was riding in teammate Dany Heatley's Ferrari on Sept. 29 when the car spun out of control, hit a wrought iron fence and split in half. Heatley, who was also injured in the crash, was charged with vehicular homicide.

Elisabeta Rizea

Elisabeta Rizea, a Romanian anti-communist resistance fighter, died on Sept. 6. Cause of death was not released. She was 91.

The communists came to power in Romania in 1945. In response, Rizea joined the resistance and spent four years providing the guerillas with food and money. She was eventually captured by the Romanian militia, sentenced to seven years in prison and branded "an enemy of the people." When anti-communist leader Gheorghe Arsenescu was arrested in 1961, Rizea's sentence was extended another 25 years.

During her incarceration, Rizea was tortured for her beliefs. She was hung up by her hair from a hook and beaten unconscious.

"After they took the table from under my feet, they started to beat me with a stick until I bled. They broke some ribs, and I fainted," Rizea once said.

Under terms of a general amnesty, Rizea was released from prison in 1964. Thirty-five years later, her story was published in Romanian newspapers and featured in documentaries about the communist era.

Dwain Weston

Dwain Weston, a daredevil BASE jumper and skydiver from Australia, died on Oct. 5 after one of his high-flying stunts went awry. He was 30.

Weston was a world-renowned athlete known for BASE jumping from towers, cliffs and buildings. He logged over 1,100 BASE jumps in 10 countries without injury, and served as the president of the Australian BASE Association.

Over the weekend, he participated in the Go Fast Games, where he jumped off the 1,053-foot-high Royal Gorge Bridge with 40 other BASE jumpers. After the competition ended, Weston parachuted out of a plane in Canon City, Colo., and miscalculated his distance from the bridge. Weston hit a railing and fell into the rocks below.

• BASE Jumping Articles Written by Weston

Elena Slough

Elena Rodenbaugh Proctor Slough, the oldest person in the U.S., died on Oct. 5. Cause of death was not released. She was either 114 or 115.

Slough was born in a log cabin in Horsham, Pa. Two forms of identification showed her date of birth as either 1888 or 1889. Despite this discrepancy, she was still the third-oldest living person in the world, The Gerontology Research Group reported.

Slough died in her sleep at the Victoria Manor Nursing Home, where she and her daughter, Wanda Allen, lived. Wanda died three days ago at 90.

Ephraim Oshry

Ephraim Oshry, a rabbi whose family was exterminated during the Holocaust, died on Sept. 28. Cause of death was not released. He was 89.

Oshry was a rabbinical scholar in Lithuania when the Nazis invaded in 1941. During the occupation, he held secret worship services for Jews and guarded a warehouse filled with books for a future exhibit of "artifacts of the extinct Jewish race."

After the war ended, Oshry used the knowledge he obtained from the exhibit to publish several volumes of religious analysis in which he interpreted Jewish law to answer questions of survival. For example, Oshry determined that even to save his own life, a Jew could not buy a Christian baptism certificate or commit suicide. Two of these volumes won National Jewish Book Awards.

Oshry also set up schools for religious instruction in Rome and Montreal. In 1952, he became rabbi at Beth Hamedrash Hagadol, one of the oldest synagogues in New York City.

Sid McMath

Sidney S. McMath, the former governor of Arkansas, died on Oct. 4. Cause of death was not released. He was 91.

McMath graduated from the University of Arkansas with a law degree in 1936. During World War II, he served with the Marines in the South Pacific, where he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Upon his return to the states, McMath began a career in public service. He became a prosecuting attorney in 1946 and was elected governor two years later. Although he modernized the state's roadways and extended electricity access, the Democratic leader was dogged by a scandal in the state Highway Department. He was never directly linked to any wrongdoing, but three members of his administration were indicted, then acquitted.

Leland F. Leatherman and Henry Woods co-founded a Little Rock law practice with McMath after his final term as governor ended. McMath published his autobiography, "Promises Kept," this year.

William Steig

William Steig, a best-selling children's author and illustrator, died on Oct. 3 of natural causes. He was 95.

Born in New York, Steig began drawing cartoons for his high school newspaper. After attending City College and the National Academy of Design, he planned to become a world traveler, but The Great Depression forced him to become a freelance artist to support his family.

In 1930, he sold his first cartoon to New Yorker editor Harold Ross. Over the next 70 years, the magazine would publish more than 1,600 Steig drawings, including 117 covers.

The "King of Cartoons" then turned his talents to writing. He published the book, "The Lonely Ones'' in 1942, a collection of psychological drawings that stayed in print for 25 years.

In his 60s, he started writing for youngsters. The prolific author penned more than 30 children's books, including "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble,'' which won the Caldecott Medal in 1970. The animated adaptation of his book, "Shrek," became a blockbuster film starring the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and John Lithgow. It won the first Oscar for best animated feature.

Joel Johnson

Joel Johnson, a Minnesota radio personality, died on Oct. 2 from a massive brain hemorrhage. He was 55.

Johnson was born and raised in Minneapolis. A rhythm guitarist, he moved to the city's west bank in the 1960s and became the songwriter and band leader of the Joel Johnson Band. The group released three albums -- "City Music," "Turnin' Heads" and "Blue Diamonds w/Grana' Louise." On Mondays and Tuesdays, Johnson hosted an acoustic set at Big Daddy's BBQ in St. Paul.

For the past 20 years, Johnson has hosted the "Lazy Bill Lucas Show" on KFAI FM in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In 2003, City Pages named him the Best Radio Personality on the FM dial.

Fred Tuttle

Fred Tuttle, a retired farmer, actor and U.S. Senate candidate, died on Oct. 4. Cause of death was not released. He was 84.

Tuttle quit school in the 10th grade to work as a dairy farmer. In his 70s, he became a local icon when he appeared in the low budget movie, "A Man With a Plan," a political spoof about a Vermont dairy farmer who runs for the U.S. Senate.

In 1998, filmmaker John O'Brien persuaded Tuttle to actually enter the GOP Senate primary as a publicity stunt. Tuttle's "campaign" was a grassroots effort; he capped his general election campaign spending at $16.

Amazingly, Tuttle won 54 percent of the vote. He then dropped out of the race and endorsed his Democratic opponent, Sen. Patrick Leahy.

• Tuttle Interview With NPR

Jack Dymond

Jack R. Dymond, an oceanographer who discovered exotic life forms at the bottom of the sea, drowned on Sept. 19. He was 64.

Born in Ohio, Dymond earned a bachelor's degree in geology from Miami University, and a doctorate from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego. He worked as a researcher at Columbia University before transferring to Oregon State University, where he taught until his retirement in 1997.

During his career, Dymond wrote nearly 100 scientific papers and traveled the world to explore underwater ecosystems. In 1977, he and a group of scientists found hot water vents spewing from the sea floor in the Galapagos Islands. Using the Alvin submersible to examine the vents, Dymond and his crew found an entire community of tube worms, clams and other previously unknown organisms living in the dark waters. It was the first ecosystem discovered on Earth that did not rely on the sun for energy.

"He was very inspiring in a way -- he knew how to excite the people around him with new ideas, and also sort of show them how those new ideas could be approached in a reasonable way. He was one of those people for whom the strength of his personal relationships are as memorable as the specific scientific nuts and bolts that he contributed," said friend and colleague Bob Collier.

Dymond, who was also the first person to explore the bottom of Crater Lake in Oregon, was fly-fishing on the Rogue River when he fell into the water and was pulled under by the current.

Lord Blake

Lord Robert Norman William Blake, an historian, educator and biographer, died on Sept. 20. Cause of death was not released. He was 86.

Blake graduated from Magdalen College in Oxford. He intended to become a lawyer when World War II began. Instead, Blake served with the 124th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, for two years before he was captured in north Africa. After spending 15 months as a prisoner of war, Blake escaped and joined the British intelligence service, MI6.

Once the war ended, Blake moved back to England to teach. He spent 21 years at Oxford University's Christ Church College, working as a politics professor, dean and pro-vice-chancellor. His Ford Lectures were collected into the textbook, "The Conservative Party, From Peel to John Major," which was taught to a generation of students.

Blake also took on various editorial projects. He edited the manuscripts, "The Private Papers of Douglas Haig" and "The Unknown Prime Minister," and spent a decade as the joint editor of Oxford University Press' Dictionary of National Biography. His greatest achievement, however, was in writing "Disraeli," one of the definitive biographies of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, a Conservative leader and unprincipled rake.

In 1971, Robert was appointed to the House of Lords and became Lord Blake of Braydeston. He was also an unofficial constitutional adviser to the Queen.

Mirta Pla

Mirta Pla, a Cuban ballerina, died on Sept. 21 from cancer. She was 63.

Born in Havana, Pla studied dance under Cuba's grand dame of ballet, Alicia Alonso. She joined several dance companies in the 1950s and toured the world as a professional performer. When she retired, Pla moved to Barcelona, Spain, to become a dance instructor.

Pla was awarded Cuba's National Dance Prize in 2003. She shared the honor with three other ballerinas -- Loipa Arajo, Aurora Bosh and Josefina Mendez; collectively, they were once known as "las cuatro joyas del Ballet Nacional de Cuba" (the four jewels of the National Ballet of Cuba).

Franco Modigliani

Franco Modigliani, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, died on Sept. 25. Cause of death was not released. He was 85.

Modigliani was born in Italy. He studied economics and law at the University of Rome, but was forced to immigrate to the United States at the beginning of World War II to avoid religious and political persecution.

He received a doctorate in social science at the New School for Social Research in New York, joined the Cowles Commission for Research in Economics, then taught at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. There he developed his best-known work, the life-cycle hypothesis.

He joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1961. During his three decades at the university, Modigliani developed a reputation as a world-class economist for his writings on inflation and public deficits.

In 1985, Modigliani won the Nobel Prize in economics for researching how people save for retirement and how the market value of businesses is determined. He was also the former president of the American Economic Association, and the author of the autobiography, "The Adventures of an Economist."

Sonora Webster Carver

Sonora Webster Carver, the famous horse diver of Atlantic City, died on Sept. 21. Cause of death was not released. She was 99.

Carver was born and raised in Georgia. At 20, she answered a want ad for a female rider to perform in Buffalo Bill's "Wild West" show. Intrigued by the possibility of fame and travel, Carver applied for the job.

In 1924, she became the first woman to fall 40 feet on horseback into a tank of water at Steel Pier in Atlantic City, and inspired the 1991 Disney movie, "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken," starring Gabrielle Anwar.

Seven years after her first jump, Carver and her horse, Red Lips, had an accident that left her blinded. When they hit the water off-balance, Carver suffered from detached retinas. Undaunted by her impaired vision, she continued to ride the high-diving horses until World War II. Then she moved to New Orleans and became a transcriptionist.

The diving horses attraction was discontinued in 1978 after animal-rights activists complained. In her autobiography, "A Girl and Five Brave Horses," Carver insisted the animals loved the dives and were not forced to jump.

John R. Feegel

John R. Feegel, a Florida medical examiner who became an award-winning novelist, died on Sept. 16. Cause of death was not released. He was 70.

The son of a police officer, Feegel grew up to become a forensic pathologist, a trial attorney and the chief medical examiner in Tampa. He performed thousands of autopsies; the death of Elvis Presley and Atlanta serial killer Wayne B. Williams were two of his most famous cases.

Feegel also wrote seven mystery novels. In 1976, he won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his first book, "Autopsy."

Robert Kardashian

Robert Kardashian, an attorney who represented O.J. Simpson during his infamous murder trial, died on Sept. 30 from cancer of the esophagus. He was 59.

On June 16, 1994, Simpson spent the night at Kardashian's home. In the morning, he was supposed to turn himself in to authorities and face charges of stabbing his wife, Nicole Brown, and waiter Ron Goldman, to death. Instead, Simpson and his friend Al Cowlings led police on a slow-speed chase that ended at Simpson's Brentwood home. He was eventually arrested and charged with the killings.

Kardashian served as one of the attorneys on Simpson's defense team, which won a "not guilty" verdict on Oct. 3, 1995. Simpson was found liable for the killings in a civil trial, and was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.

Kardashian later shared his doubts of Simpson's innocence on the ABCNews show "20/20," and in the book, "American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense" by Lawrence Schiller and James Willwerth. The book was also adapted into a TV mini-series.

Kardashian graduated from the University of Southern California in 1962. He earned a law degree from the University of San Diego and practiced law for about a decade before leaving the field to work in business. He and Simpson were friends for over 25 years. They lived together in the 1970s and started Juice Inc., a corporation that owned and operated several frozen yogurt shops.

Matthew Jay

Matthew Jay, a rising British singer/songwriter, died on Sept. 24 after falling out of a seventh-story window in London. He was 24.

"His act would appear to have been an impulsive gesture following a professionally difficult year and perhaps, a difficult day," said a statement from his record company, EMI.

Raised by folk musicians, Jay joined the family band when he was a child and started writing his own songs at 15. He released the demo, "Four Songs," in January 2000 and another CD titled, "Friendly Fire," six months later. Both were supported by local appearances.

Jay was signed by EMI, and released his debut album, "Draw," in 2001. It was a critical success and lead to tours with Dido, Starsailor and Stereophonics.

Jay had recently enrolled for college. He left no suicide note.

Brian Florence

Brian Florence, a Virginia man who became famous for taking part in a radio stunt, died on Sept. 25 of a heart attack. He was 38.

In 2002, Florence and his girlfriend, Loretta Lynn Harper, allegedly had sex inside St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, at the urging of the shock jocks on the "Opie and Anthony Show." Police heard the show and found the couple in the church vestibule, trying to win a prize for having sex in a public place.

Florence was scheduled to appear in court yesterday to face charges of obscenity and public lewdness. The couple's attorney said they were only simulating copulation.

WNEW-FM later fired DJs Greg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia for the stunt.

• Hear the Radio Broadcast

Wendy Wyland VanDerWoude

Wendy Wyland VanDerWoude, who won the bronze medal in platform diving at the 1984 Summer Olympics, died on Sept. 27. Cause of death was not released. She was 38.

VanDerWoude began her diving training when she was 14 years old. Three years later, she won the gold medal in the 10-meter platform diving at the 1982 Quayaquil World Championships. At 18, VanDerWoude took home a gold medal in platform and a silver medal in the 3-meter springboard diving events at the 1983 Pan American Games. She finished third in the platform diving competition at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Shoulder injuries forced her to take off most of the 1985 season, but when she returned the following year, VanDerWoulde won a bronze medal at the World Championships. She retired from competitive diving in the early 1990s, and has been coaching the Rochester Institute of Technology diving team for the past year.

In 2001, VanDerWoude was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. People Magazine also named her one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.