The Blog of Death

Fanny Goldstein

Fanny Goldstein was the first mother to pass the Pennsylvania bar exam.

The Ukrainian-born trailblazer moved to South Philadelphia in 1905. She earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania at a time when few women attended college. She married real estate developer Isaac Goldstein a year later, and gave birth to a daughter, Lois.

Goldstein earned a law degree from Temple University in 1932. She was the only woman in her class. Specializing in real estate law, she worked with her husband until the 1950s then focused on family mediation. Goldstein later toured the country, giving lectures that promoted social equality for women and civil rights. She was also a leader in the World Jewish Congress on Zionism.

Goldstein died on June 6 from complications of a hip injury. She was 102.

Jack Favier

Jack Favier, a TV chef and author, died on June 25 of cancer. He was 78.

Born in Leiden, Holland, Favier studied the culinary arts at the Hotel College in Lucerne, Switzerland. After immigrating to America in 1953, he opened the Silver Wings Restaurant in Nashville, Tenn. The popular eatery, which was known for its lunchtime buffet of Southern foods, was named Restaurant of the Year in 1978 by the Tennessee Restaurant Association.

Favier spent 18 years as the owner/operator/executive chef of Silver Wings and nine years as the executive chef at the Baptist Hospital complex. He also participated in the weekly cooking segment on WSM-TV Channel 4's "Noon" show, hosted by Teddy Bart, and authored two cooking books.

Seymour Britchky

Seymour Britchky's keen eye and acerbic wit made many Manhattan chefs tremble in fear.

For three decades, Britchky dined at some of the best and worst eateries in New York City. His biting reviews then appeared in "The Restaurant Reporter," a monthly newsletter he launched in 1971. It ceased publication five years later, but his interest in culinary critique led to the 1980 premiere of a second publication: "Seymour Britchky's Restaurant Letter."

"He used to say his main qualification as a restaurant critic was eating three meals a day. He just hung out his shingle and did it," said his wife, photographer Nancy Crampton.

The former marketing executive compiled his reviews into 16 annual anthologies. He also co-wrote "The Lutece Cookbook," with Andre Soltner, the chef and former owner of the exclusive restaurant.

Britchky died on June 19 of pancreatic cancer. He was 73.

Keith MacDonald

Keith MacDonald was 55 years old when he got his first big break in show business.

The jazz and classical pianist was performing at a memorial service for his lifelong friend, jazz artist Bill Evans, when Evans' manager Helen Keane recognized MacDonald's talent. Five years later, he recorded his debut album, "This Is Keith MacDonald." His second, and final record, "Waiting," was released in 1986. Both received positive reviews in major newspapers.

Born in Plainfield, N.J., MacDonald studied music at The Juilliard School in New York. Unable to make a living as a musician, however, he spent the majority of his life struggling financially. In later years, he moved to Boulder, Colo., and gave jazz piano lessons to area students.

MacDonald died on June 1. Cause of death was not released. He was 79.

Warrenell F. Lester

Warrenell Franklin "Boom Boom" Lester, a retired professional boxer, died on June 5 of complications from cancer. He was 73.

Born in Havre de Grace, Md., Lester started boxing as a teenager. He enlisted in the Army in 1952 and joined the special services unit boxing team. Lester won the light heavyweight and heavyweight Golden Gloves championships in Washington and the All Army Crown, then defeated the Navy, Air Force and Marine boxers in the interservice boxing championship.

After winning 112 amateur fights, "Boom Boom" Lester turned professional in 1954. He fought in 32 heavyweight and light heavyweight contests before retiring from the ring in the early 1960s. In the final years of his life, Lester worked as a truck driver and forklift operator at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

Bill Sterett Jr.

Bill Sterett Jr., a champion hydroplane driver, was killed in a boating accident on June 27. He was 57.

Sterett was piloting his hydroplane on the Ohio River near Owensboro, Ky., when he hit rough water. Going about 130 mph, his watercraft nose-dived and broke apart. Sterett was pulled from the water, but he died on the way to the hospital.

Hydroplane racing was in Sterett's blood. His brother Terry, who died in 2002, raced hydroplanes professionally. His father, Bill Sterett Sr., retired from the sport in 1969 after capturing three world championships and setting a world speed record. Sterett Sr. died in 1992, but a replica of his boat, Miss Crazy Thing, is featured in the SpeedZeum, a motorsports museum in Kentucky. The family also owns the Sterett Crane and Rigging Co., which uses large cranes to lift boats in and out of water.

Sterett Jr., an Owensboro resident, followed in his dad's footsteps and won the 1972 President's Cup.

Darrell Russell

Drag racer Darrell Russell had just crossed the finish line in the second round of eliminations at the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals on June 27 when his car spun out of control and began to fall apart.

Going 300 mph on the Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., Russell deployed his parachute in order to slow down. The 2,200-pound dragster rolled to a stop near the guard wall, then burst into flames.

Russell was unconscious when he was removed from the wreckage and loaded onto a backboard. A helicopter transferred him to St. Louis University Medical Center, but he died two hours later. He was 35.

Before becoming a professional driver, the Hockley, Texas native was a computer technician. He also raised mini-donkeys with his wife and served as the road manager for country music singer Clay Walker. In 2001, Russell decided to follow his dream and race full-time.

He made a stunning debut that year, becoming the third driver in National Hot Rod Association history to win his first starting event. Russell was named the 2001 NHRA rookie of the year, and went on to achieve six Top Fuel victories, including the Pontiac Excitement Nationals two weeks ago.

Benjamin Krass

In the middle of the night, Philadelphia channel surfers would often see Benjamin Krass hawking polyester suits.

The corny commercials for Krass Bros., his family's menswear business, featured Krass in diapers, dressed as a thief or surrounded by beautiful women. In one popular ad, he popped out of a coffin (that he kept in his store) and declared, "If you gotta go, go in a Krass Bros. suit."

On June 7, he followed his own advice. Krass died of heart failure at the age of 85. He was buried in a blue polyester suit, a white shirt and a white tie.

Krass was drafted into the Army during World War II and stationed in Calcutta, India. When he returned to the states, he moved to Philadelphia and joined forces with his brothers, Jack and Harry, to launch a retail empire.

For five decades, Krass sold menswear to Philadelphia residents. He eventually became the company's frontman, earning the nickname: "The King of Polyester." The store also outfitted visiting celebrities, such as Muhammad Ali, Frankie Avalon, Chubby Checker, Sammy Davis Jr. and Redd Foxx. Krass ran several retail outlets until the late 1990s when sales dropped off. The store declared bankruptcy in 1999 and closed its doors three years later.

Danny Dark

Danny Dark's face was not famous, but his distinctive voice enticed millions to purchase everything from Keebler Cookies to Armorall.

Born Daniel Melville Croskery, he was raised in Tulsa, Okla. Dark attended Drury University in Springfield, Mo., then offered his vocal talents to radio stations in Cleveland, Miami, New Orleans, St. Louis and Los Angeles.

In the mid-1960s, Dark launched his voice-over career. For nearly four decades, he embedded pop culture with memorable lines in advertisements for Budweiser ("This Bud's for you"), Raid Ant & Roach Killer ("Raid kills bugs dead") and StarKist Tuna ("Sorry, Charlie"). Dark was the voice of NBC and the long-running TV western "Bonanza." In the "Super Friends" cartoon series, he voiced several characters, including the Man of Steel.

Dark died on June 13 from bleeding in the lungs. He was 65.

Mike Clausen Jr.

For rescuing a platoon of Marines trapped in a minefield during the Vietnam War, Raymond Michael Clausen Jr. received the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for valor. He also earned a Purple Heart and the Air Medal.

A bit of a rebel, Clausen was demoted after every one of his promotions. But the perpetual private was willing to risk his life to help his brothers in arms. On Jan. 31, 1970, he was serving with Medium Helicopter Squadron 263 when his unit was given a dangerous mission: the extraction of a Marine platoon near Da Nang that had wandered into a minefield during battle.

As crew chief of a CH-46 helicopter, Clausen guided his pilot to a landing spot that had been cleared by a mine explosion. He then disobeyed several orders to wait by the chopper. Instead, Clausen marched back and forth through the minefield to carry six Marines to safety.

Born in New Orleans, Clausen spent six months in college before enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1966. After flying 1,960 combat missions in Vietnam, Clausen returned to America in 1970. A short while later, he was involved in a serious car accident that left him comatose for months. When he regained consciousness, he was nearly blind in one eye and could barely walk. Clausen suffered from health problems for the rest of his life, but he still took the time to speak with veterans groups.

Clausen died on May 30 from complications of liver failure. He was 56.

Arthur Bischoff

During his four decades on the force, Lt. Arthur R. Bischoff arrested many criminals and delivered several babies.

The Chicago native enlisted in the Air Force at the start of the Korean War. He trained as a mechanic and played football at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida before shipping off to Japan and Korea. Upon his return to the states in 1957, he joined the Chicago Police Department.

As a rookie, Bischoff worked the patrol wagon, transporting criminals and handling standard police calls. It was during those early years that he helped deliver five babies, either at their homes or in the back of the wagon, when the mothers couldn't get to the hospital in time.

In the 1960s, Bischoff joined the city's first tactical unit as a plainclothes officer. He arrested pickpockets and robbers downtown, stopped jumpers from committing suicide and helped maintain order during the demonstrations outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention. When the protests turned violent, the police began tossing tear gas into the streets and beating protestors and reporters. Bischoff was charged with hitting Chicago Sun-Times photographer Duane R. Hall, but a jury later acquitted him. Before retiring in 1996, he escorted dignitaries as part of the traffic division and served as the acting commander of the mass transit unit.

Bischoff died on June 18 of a blood clot on the brain. He was 72.

Francisco Ortiz

Francisco Javier Ortiz Franco, an editor and co-founder of Zeta, a weekly newsmagazine in Tijuana, was assassinated on June 22. He was 47.

Ortiz was sitting in his car with his two young children when a masked gunman approached the vehicle and fired four bullets into his face and neck. The children were not wounded.

Ortiz helped launch Zeta in 1980, and was a member of its editorial board for the past 16 years. A practicing attorney, he wrote the legal affairs column "To Start With," and edited articles about drug trafficking, people smuggling and political corruption that were written by the paper's top editor, J. Jesús Blancornelas.

Seven years ago, Blancornelas barely survived a machine-gun assault by suspected drug traffickers; he currently has round-the-clock protection. Hector Felix Miranda, another founder of Zeta, was murdered in 1988.

Journalists all over the world have condemned the slaying of Ortiz. On June 24, dozens of reporters and editors demonstrated in Tijuana, demanding that authorities solve the case, make an arrest and prevent future acts of intimidation on members of the media.

Bob Bemer

Working at IBM Corp. in the late 1950s, Robert W. "Bob" Bemer helped develop the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII), which translates computer binary code into a language consisting of readable numbers and letters. The computer pioneer was so proud of his work on the coding system that he ordered an "ASCII" vanity license plate. It was attached to his car by a silver frame that noted: "Yes, I am the father of ASCII."

Bemer also coined the term "COBOL," developed the technology behind the Escape (ESC) key, which rests in the top left corner of most computer keyboards, and created the coding concept behind hyperlinks. In 1971, he was the first computer scientist to warn the government about the impending Y2K phenomenon. In two separate articles, Bemer theorized the potential problems that could arise from using two digits to represent years in computer code.

As the year 2000 approached, many people in power panicked, thinking the computers that run nuclear reactors, banks and electrical grids would crash when the date switched from '99 to '00. Mostly ignored for three decades, the "millennium bug" ended up costing the United States approximately $122 billion.

Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Bemer earned a music scholarship to Albion College. Although he was a skilled cellist and trumpet player, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a certificate of aeronautical engineering from the Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute. For his contributions to science and technology, he received the 2002 Computer Pioneer Award from the IEEE Computer Society.

Bemer died on June 22 of cancer. He was 84.

Rabbi Bill

William Mordecai Kramer, a theologian and scholar who was featured in the documentary "Beyond the Pulpit: Facets of a Rabbi," died on June 8 of complications of diabetes and congestive heart failure. He was 84.

The Cleveland native was ordained in 1944. A lover of knowledge, he earned seven university degrees, including two doctorates from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

During his 63 years in the rabbinate, Kramer serviced temples in Pittsfield, Mass., Cleveland, St. Louis and Los Angeles, then dedicated more than three decades to the Temple Beth Emet in Burbank, Calif. Although the Reform Jewish leader did bar mitzvahs and funerals, his specialty was weddings; it was reported that he lost count after officiating at his 10,000th one.

Kramer was a licensed family therapist, the editor of the Western States Jewish History magazine and a lecturer at Hebrew Union College, the University of Judaism, the University of Southern California, UCLA, Los Angeles City College and California State, Northridge. He occasionally worked as an actor, playing rabbi roles in TV episodes of "Sisters" and "L.A. Law," and in the 1988 film "The Seventh Sign."

In his "spare" time, the renaissance rabbi wrote for a variety of journals and hosted numerous radio and TV programs. His final project was a book on Albert Einstein's life in Southern California during the early 1930s.

Dan Denton

Dan Carlton Denton, a war hero and conservationist, died on June 4 of multiple myeloma. He was 61.

Denton graduated from Mississippi State University with a master's degree in wildlife biology. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and served as a combat pilot in Vietnam. For his service overseas, Denton received the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air medals.

Back in the states, Denton considered becoming an airline pilot, but decided to put his advanced degree to good use instead. So he took a job with Ducks Unlimited, a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving wetland habitats for North America's waterfowl. During his 32 years with DU, Denton raised millions of dollars in funding and helped establish more than 300 chapters in nine southeastern states.

In a cooperative project between DU and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Denton helped the state improve its migratory wintering habitat. For his participation, a section of the Oconee River was designated a waterfowl management area and named in his honor.

Graeme Kelling

Graeme Hunter Kelling, the guitarist of Deacon Blue, died on June 10 of pancreatic cancer. He was 47.

Born in Paisley, Scotland, Kelling always had a passion for music. A self-taught guitarist, he joined his first band, Tune Cookies, in the early 1980s. Kelling developed his technique while working as a session musician. He performed with numerous groups before auditioning for Deacon Blue in 1986.

Deacon Blue became one of Scotland's biggest acts in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Taking its name from a Steely Dan song, the band consisted of Kelling, Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh, Dougie Vipond, Jim Prime and Ewan Vernall. Deacon Blue topped the U.K. rock charts with hits like "Dignity," "Fergus Sings the Blues" and "Real Gone Kid," before breaking up in 1994. The group reunited five years later and released the album, "Walking Back Home." In the interim, Kelling wrote and produced theme music for television.

Although he was diagnosed with cancer four years ago, Kelling continued performing with the band. His final appearance with Deacon Blue took place on March 26 at the Glasgow Academy.

Mattie Stepanek

Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek, a talented young poet, died on June 22 of complications from a rare form of muscular dystrophy.

The 13-year-old Maryland native was born with dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy (DMM), a genetic neuromuscular disease that impaired his small body's major functions. DMM affects the mitochondria, which creates much of the energy a body needs to live and grow. Most patients experience muscular weakness, difficulty in breathing and digesting food, seizures, heart failure and dementia. His mother, Jeni Stepanek, has the adult-onset form of DMM, and three of his older siblings died of the disease in early childhood.

Mattie's cognitive skills remained intact for most of his life. He started writing poetry when he was only three years old to cope with the death of his brother. Mattie developed an international reputation for his words of peace and faith when his five poetry collections became best-sellers. This success led to television appearances on "Good Morning America," "Larry King Live" and "Book TV."

Thin and bespectacled, Mattie greeted everyone he met with a wide, dimpled smile. He attended public school through the fourth grade, often lugging around an oxygen canister to breathe, then continued his studies at home. When he wasn't writing verse, collecting rocks from all over the world or training to become a black belt in martial arts, Mattie worked as a peace advocate and as a National Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Mattie made three wishes during his lifetime, all of which came true: publishing a book, meeting Oprah Winfrey and befriending former President Jimmy Carter, who wrote the foreword to Mattie's second poetry collection, "Journey Through Heartsongs." In his final years, Mattie received regular blood transfusions and used a power wheelchair and ventilator to stay alive. He is survived by his mother and his service dog, Micah.

• Listen to Mattie Give a Poetry Reading

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Ben Shabalala

Ben Shabalala, a former Ladysmith Black Mambazo singer, was murdered on June 16. Shabalala was shot and killed while dropping his children off at school. He was in his late 40s.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, South Africa's most famous a cappella ensemble, was founded by Shabalala's brother Joseph, who still leads the group. Ben joined Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 1979, and spent the next 14 years recording traditional music known as isicathamiya, a gospel/pop mixture born in the mines of South Africa. Ben sang on Paul Simon's "Graceland" album and on the group's record, "Shaka Zulu," which won a Grammy Award in 1987 for best traditional folk album.

Ben retired from the band in 1993 to spend more time with his family. He was shot and killed last Wednesday in Durban, South Africa; the case is currently under investigation. The Shabalala family has faced tragedy before. In 2002, Joseph Shabalala's wife Nellie was murdered by a masked gunman. No one was ever convicted of the crime.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is currently on tour to promote the CD "Raise Your Spirit Higher." The group has announced plans to continue its world tour to honor Ben's memory.

Download Songs From "Shaka Zulu"

[Update - Nov. 22, 2004: Seven prisoners awaiting trials escaped from their Cato Manor police cells on Nov. 21. Among them were Gcolo Zuma and Themba Shazi, two men suspected in the killing of Ben Shabalala. Hijacking was alleged to be the motive for the murder.]

Howard Swindle

In the late 1980s, Clinton Howard Swindle led The Dallas Morning News to three Pulitzer Prizes. The investigative journalist and hands-on editor oversaw the paper's project on racial segregation in public housing, guided its analysis of a plane crash investigation and assigned reporters to analyze police abuse of power throughout the state of Texas.

Swindle was well respected by his readers and colleagues for his honesty, integrity and masterful storytelling skills. Over the course of his writing career, he also published several books, including mystery novels ("Jitter Joint," "Doin' Dirty") and nonfiction texts ("Trespasses: Portrait of a Serial Rapist," "Deliberate Indifference: A Story of Murder and Racial Injustice").

Even as a young journalist, Swindle covered stories with dogged determination. After attending North Texas State University, he landed a reporting job at the Lubbock (Tex.) Avalanche-Journal. One of his first investigative pieces solved a murder that had previously stumped the authorities.

Swindle served in the Navy as a signal intelligence communications specialist during the Vietnam War, then returned to the states to embark on a lifetime of journalistic achievement. He worked for a Chicago tabloid and the Dallas Times Herald before joining The Dallas Morning News in 1979. There he climbed up the ranks, from reporter to assistant metropolitan editor to assistant managing editor for projects.

Swindle died on June 9 after a five-year battle with cancer. He was 58.

[Update: On Oct. 1, 2004, The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas presented its James Madison Award to the late Howard Swindle. The James Madison Award honors those whose "appreciation and respect for the First Amendment and open government have been demonstrated by exemplary actions, words or deeds."]

Bob Schmitz

Robert J. Schmitz, who spent 33 years as an NFL scout, died on June 8 of an apparent heart attack. He was 65.

In the late 1950s, Schmitz played football at Montana State. A 14th round draft pick, he moved up to the NFL and played in 51 games with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1961 to 1966. The burly linebacker was named the NFL Player of the Week on Nov. 10, 1963 when he tackled Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown in the end zone for a safety that gave the Steelers a 9-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

After playing a season with the Minnesota Vikings, Schmitz launched a full-time scouting career. He spent two decades seeking out defensive players for the Steelers then joined the New York Jets in 1996. Schmitz retired after the draft last April.

Charlene Singh

Charlene Singh, who is believed to be the only U.S. resident with the human form of mad cow disease, died in her sleep on June 20. She was 25.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is the human strain of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, a brain-wasting disease found in cows. People who eat meat from infected cows may develop vCJD. Younger people are more likely to develop the disease, which has an incubation period of 10 to 15 years. There is no cure.

Singh likely contracted vCJD in Britain, where she was born and raised. She and her family moved to the United States in 1992.

Singh was once a vibrant young woman. The Ft. Lauderdale resident earned a business degree from the University of Miami in May 2001. Six months later, she began to experience memory loss and changes in her behavior. American doctors prescribed antidepressants, but her health continued to decline. Soon she had difficulty walking and using fine motor skills.

Singh's family sent her to Britain for a second opinion, and the doctors there diagnosed her as a probable vCJD case. Medical workers attempted several experimental treatments, but her health eventually deteriorated to the point where she couldn't speak, eat or move.

An autopsy has been scheduled to obtain a definitive diagnosis of her brain-wasting illness.

Al Lapin Jr.

For entrepreneur Al Lapin Jr., the sweet smell of success came in blueberry, boysenberry and maple flavors.

In 1958, Lapin and his brother Jerry pooled together $25,000 and founded the International House of Pancakes. The blue-roofed chain of 24-hour restaurants offered breakfast staples like bacon and eggs paired with buttermilk, silver dollar or "Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity" pancakes.

Lapin turned that one IHOP in Toluca Lake, Calif., into a franchising empire of more than 1,100 restaurants throughout the United States and Canada. In the 1960s, IHOP acquired smaller eateries like Orange Julius and The Original House of Pies.

Occasionally, Lapin's business sense went awry. The former president of the International Franchise Association lost money on ventures like Pizza Playhouse, a service that delivered pizza and videos; he declared bankruptcy in 1989.

The New York native studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California. In recent years, he served as the executive producer on the 2001 movie, "Race to Space," starring James Woods and Annabeth Gish.

Lapin died on June 16 of cancer. He was 76.

Charles Kelman

Dr. Charles D. Kelman, an ophthalmic surgeon who developed an outpatient cataract operation that's helped over 100 million people, died on June 1 of lung cancer. He was 74.

Born in New York City, Kelman earned a bachelor's degree at Tufts University and graduated from the medical school at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. He interned at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn and did his residency in ophthalmology at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia before opening a private practice in New York City in 1960.

Kelman was sitting in a dentist's chair having his teeth cleaned with an ultrasonic device when the idea for a new cataract procedure came to him. Known as phacoemulsification, the surgery involves using a vibrating, ultrasonic tip to break up the cataract and suction it out with a small needle during an outpatient operation.

Kelman introduced the technique in 1967; it is now the preferred form of cataract removal. Prior to his invention, cataract patients suffered through a painful operation and spent up to 10 days in the hospital. Neurosurgeons have also improved upon the technique in order to remove tumors from the brain and spinal cord in children.

A professor at New York Medical College, Kelman received the American Academy of Achievement Award and the National Medal of Technology. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Outside of medicine, Kelman was a helicopter pilot, musician and playwright. He produced two Broadway shows, "Triumph of Love" and "Sound of Music," and wrote the musical, "The Right Pair of Shoes," which was scheduled to premiere at the Caldwell Theatre in Boca Raton later this year. His autobiography, "Through My Eyes: The Story of a Surgeon Who Dared to Take on the Medical World," was published in 1985.

Dean Peterson

Dean M. Peterson, the engineer who designed the world's most popular camera, died on June 14 of cancer. He was 72.

Born in Wessington, S.D., Peterson graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a bachelor's degree in general engineering. He was hired by Eastman Kodak Co. in Rochester, N.Y., but took a leave of absence when the U.S. Army drafted him.

Peterson returned to Kodak after two years of stateside duty. At night, he studied for a master's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Rochester; during the day, he developed the Kodak Instamatic camera. The first Instamatic was released in 1963 and became an instant hit with the public. During its first seven years on the market, the camera reached $50 million in sales.

In 1968, Peterson moved to Denver to work on optic technology for Honeywell Inc. There he helped create a camera that included automatic focus, automatic film advance and a built-in electronic flash. Ten years later, he accepted a position with Fisher-Price Toys in San Diego to design child-friendly audiocassette players.

Peterson's final invention, patented in 1996, was a single action fly fishing reel with an infinitely variable silent drag.

Max Rosenberg

Fans of supernatural, horror and suspense movies are mourning the loss of Max Rosenberg, a Hollywood filmmaker who specialized in creepy cinema.

For over half a century, Rosenberg produced dozens of movies, including "The Curse of Frankenstein," "The City of the Dead," "The House That Dripped Blood," "Cat People" and "Tales From the Crypt." Most of these features were low- or modestly-budgeted, yet fostered the careers of young actors like Donald Sutherland and Terrance Stamp.

Before he delved into the dark and mysterious, Rosenberg produced the early rock 'n' roll movie, "Rock, Rock, Rock," which featured an appearance by disc jockey Alan Freed. He and his partner, Milton Subotsky, also created "Junior Science," an award-winning TV series for children.

A New York native, Rosenberg graduated from City College of New York and St. John Law School. He worked as a lawyer before entering the film business in 1939 as a distributor of foreign films. In the mid-1950s, Rosenberg switched to producing and eventually formed his own company, Rearguard Productions.

Rosenberg died on June 14. Cause of death was not released. He was 89.

Gerry McNeil

Gerard "Gerry" McNeil, a former goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens, died on June 17. Cause of death was not released. He was 78.

The Quebec City native was only 17 when he attended his first training camp in 1943. Starting with the Cincinnati Mohawks and the Montreal Royals, he honed his skills during six minor league seasons, and was named the most valuable player three years in a row.

McNeil replaced Canadiens' Hall of Famer Bill Durnan in the midst of the 1950 playoffs and backstopped the team to the Stanley Cup finals in 1951 and 1952. During the 1952-53 season, he led Montreal to a Stanley Cup win.

One of hockey's last ambidextrous goalies, McNeil lost his starting position at the end of the 1953-54 season to Jacques Plante, a young superstar who became the first goalie to don a face mask and skate behind the net to stop a puck. During the Stanley Cup finals against Detroit that year, Plante was pulled and veteran McNeil was placed on the ice to help the team win the next two games and force a seventh.

The seventh game would bring about McNeil's downfall. In overtime, he allowed an easy shot to get past him. The missed goal, which earned Detroit the Stanley Cup, crushed McNeil's confidence. He bailed out of the sport for a season to teach junior hockey, but eventually returned to Montreal as Plante's back-up.

Although McNeil was part of the Canadiens when the team won the Stanley Cup in the 1956-57 season, he never again played as an NHL starter. After retiring from hockey, McNeil spent 20 years working at the Seagram Distilleries.

• Career Statistics From the Internet Hockey Database

Betty Hallanan

Elizabeth Virginia Hallanan, the first female judge in West Virginia, died on June 8 of complications related to emphysema. She was 79.

Hallanan earned a bachelor's degree from Morris Harvey College, and a law degree from West Virginia University law school. After eight years in private practice, she served one term on the West Virginia State Board of Education and two years in the West Virginia House of Delegates.

In 1959, Hallanan became the first woman to be appointed to a judgeship in West Virginia when she was named to Juvenile Court in Kanawha County. She also was the first chairwoman of the state's Public Service Commission.

President Ronald Reagan called Hallanan in 1983, and appointed her to the federal bench. Until her death, she worked as a U.S. District Court judge for the Southern District of West Virginia. A controversial jurist, Hallanan made headlines when she threw out the state's mandatory school prayer law in 1984, stating that "a hoax, conceived in political expediency, has been perpetrated upon those sincere citizens of West Virginia." She received more than 1,000 letters protesting her ruling.

In honor of her dedication to public service, the Sunday Gazette-Mail chose Hallanan as its West Virginian of the Year in 1997.

Ralph Wiley

Ralph Wiley, a sportswriter for ESPN.com, died on June 13 of heart failure. He was 52.

The Memphis native originally planned to enjoy a career in football, but a knee injury dashed those dreams. Instead he earned a degree in business management from Knoxville College and landed a job as a copy boy for The Oakland Tribune. Within in a year, he was writing for the city desk and covering boxing for the sports department.

Sports Illustrated hired Wiley in 1982 to cover baseball, boxing and football. He spent nine years at the magazine, and penned 28 cover stories. When ESPN launched its online presence, Wiley was one of the first columnists hired to provide regular commentary. He wrote more than 240 columns for its Page 2 section and contributed to the "Sports Reporters" and "SportsCenter" shows.

"At a time when the business gets dumber all the time, Ralph Wiley tried to make everything smarter. This he did with his idea and his fine prose, with anger and humor and strut and sass. And fearlessness," ESPN commentator Mike Lupica said.

Outside of sports, Wiley enjoyed writing biographies and essay collections. His three books on race in America -- "Why Black People Tend to Shout: Cold Facts and Wry Views From a Black Man's World," "What Black People Should Do Now: Dispatches From Near the Vanguard" and "Dark Witness: When Black People Should Be Sacrificed (Again)" -- were well-reviewed by critics and fans alike. He also wrote or co-wrote several biographies, including Dexter Scott King's memoir, "Growing Up King." At the time of his death, Wiley and director Spike Lee were collaborating on a script for a sequel to the film, "He Got Game."

• Read Wiley's Most Recent Columns

Donny Houser-Richerme

Donald Houser-Richerme risked his life to save a playmate from drowning.

On June 7, Donny and his 4-year-old brother were exploring their Chicago Ridge apartment complex with Karah Moran, a 5-year-old neighbor. According to witnesses, the boys moved into the complex last month and Karah was showing them around.

The trio noticed the door to the pool area was unlocked and went inside. They were investigating the half-empty pool when Karah fell into the water.

Despite the fact that he couldn't swim, Donny didn't even hesitate a moment to take off his clothes. He just jumped into the murky, debris-filled rainwater to save her. But once he got Karah to the ladder, Donny started to drown. Karah immediately ran to a nearby adult, who called 9-1-1. Firefighters arrived a few minutes later, pulled the unconscious boy out of the water and transported him to the hospital.

After spending a week in critical condition, Donny died on June 14. He was six years old.

Jack McClelland

Unlike other publishers, John G. McClelland was willing to lose money on talented writers. He often said his company, McClelland & Stewart, published "authors not books."

Born in Toronto, McClelland served as a torpedo boat captain in the Royal Navy during World War II. When he returned to Canada in 1946, he began working for his father's publishing business. McClelland became president 15 years later and transformed McClelland & Stewart into a prestigious literary house by publishing and marketing Canadian authors like Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatje, Mordecai Richler, Pierre Berton and Margaret Atwood. He also established a first novel contest in 1977 that offered an annual $50,000 prize.

"Jack McClelland was daring, innovative, unconventional, smart and savvy, and a publisher extraordinaire. He put Canadian authors and Canadian publishing on the map. In a way, he set the stage for so much of what Canadian publishing is today," said Ellen Seligman, publisher and vice president of McClelland & Stewart.

Despite its publishing successes, the company struggled financially against the giant American and European houses. In the late 1960s, McClelland & Stewart had to accept financial aid from the Ontario provincial government just to stay afloat. He sold the company in 1985 and launched a small literary agency, which foundered.

McClelland died on June 14 of heart failure. He was 81.

Jim Grigson

Dr. James Paul Grigson, a forensic psychiatrist who testified about the mental health of murderers, died on June 3 of lung cancer. He was 72.

Born in Texarkana, Texas, Grigson graduated from Texas A&M University and Southwestern Medical School. He originally practiced medicine in emergency rooms, delivering more than 300 babies, then focused on psychiatry so he could spend more time with his own family.

For the next four decades, Grigson provided paid expert testimony on whether people charged with homicide should go to prison or were legally insane and needed hospitalization. Hired by both prosecutors and defense attorneys, he was nicknamed "Dr. Death" for his contributions to 150 capital murder trials. In a majority of those cases, Grigson determined the defendants were sociopaths who would likely kill again.

Grigson was reviled and revered for his medical opinions, charming demeanor on the stand and absolute judgments. His reputation was tarnished in 1995, however, when he predicted a felon's potential threat to society without actually interviewing him. Grigson was later expelled from the American Psychiatric Association and the Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians. In recent years, he stopped testifying in death penalty cases, but continued to work on civil cases and mental-competency reviews.

Kala Chakov Beitchman

Kala Chakov Beitchman found happiness in helping others. For more than a decade, she crocheted hundreds of blankets then donated them to members of the community.

The daughter of Russian immigrants, Beitchman first learned to crochet as a child. She maintained her weaving skills throughout her life, often working on three blankets at a time.

When Beitchman moved from her native Philadelphia to Miami Beach in the mid-1980s, she joined the Merry Mummers, a musical group that performs in area nursing homes. Beitchman was playing the tambourine when she spotted an elderly woman sitting in a wheelchair, huddling inside a tablecloth to keep warm.

That day, Beitchman decided to donate her elegantly crocheted blankets to people who needed them. Patients at the VA Hospital, residents of local rest homes and visitors to Camillus House, a shelter for the homeless and indigent, all benefited from her charity.

Beitchman died on May 24 of heart failure. She was 92.

Joe Niagara

Joe Niagara, a fixture on Philadelphia radio for more than four decades, died on June 4 of heart failure. He was 76.

Born Joseph F. Nigro Jr., the South Philadelphia native served in the U.S. Army for one year. He was only 20 when he landed his first job on the radio at WDAS-AM.

The fast-talking broadcaster joined WIBG-AM as a disk jockey in 1956 and spent more than 13,000 days at the microphone. Known as The Rockin' Bird, he built a reputation for mixing Perry Como and Doris Day music with upstart genres like R&B and rock 'n roll. Teens adored these new tunes and boosted the station's ratings by becoming devoted Niagara listeners. They also crammed into high school sock hops to hear him spin songs like "The Bristol Stomp" and "You Send Me."

In 1959, disc jockeys all over the country lost their jobs for taking under-the-table payoffs to play certain songs on the radio. Known as "payola," the practice sparked an investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives and caused Niagara to resign from WIBG. He moved to Los Angeles for a couple years, did a bit part in the Elvis Presley movie "Blue Hawaii," then returned to Philadelphia -- and his old job. He also worked for WFIL-AM, WCAU-AM, WCAU-FM, WDAS-AM and WIFI-FM before ending his career in 2002 at WPEN-AM.

Niagara was listed in the 1980 Guinness Book of World Records for playing the most consecutive different versions of "Stardust"; he aired more than 500 covers of the song. Niagara also received a star on the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame.

• Listen to a 1957 Broadcast

Ulrich Inderbinen

For seven decades, Ulrich Inderbinen led mountaineers up Switzerland's highest peaks.

The famed Alpine guide tackled the 14,700-foot Matterhorn when he was 21 years old. He became a mountain guide four years later. At first, business was slow and Inderbinen was forced to support himself by shoveling snow and working as a carpenter, electrician and lumberjack. But after World War II ended, his hometown of Zermatt, Switzerland became a popular destination for winter tourism, and he was able to develop a reputation for offering safe and reliable service.

Known as the "King of the Alps," Inderbinen reached the Matterhorn's summit 370 times. He called it "the most beautiful mountain in the world," and scaled its peak one final time at the age of 90.

In his later years, Inderbinen also took up competitive skiing; as the only competitor in his age group, he always won. His exploits were featured in the biography, "Ulrich Inderbinen: As Old as the Century" by Heidi Lanz and Liliane De Meester.

Inderbinen died on June 14. Cause of death was not released. He was 103.

Alexander Skutch

Alexander F. Skutch devoted his life to birdwatching.

After earning a doctorate in botany from Johns Hopkins University, the Baltimore native sailed to Panama to work for the United Fruit Company. He spent two years in Guatemala studying birds and collecting plants, then moved to Costa Rica to pursue a career in ornithology research.

In 1941, he purchased 178 acres of tropical rain forest in Costa Rica and built a farm called Finca Los Cusingos. For more than six decades, Skutch lived in a house he built himself, gazed at the birds that nested in the rain forest and penned more than two dozen books.

Skutch filled his avian texts with histories and personal observations of neotropical birds. He also shared his experiences with deforestation, revolution and natural disasters. His greatest accomplishment was the discovery of brown jays exhibiting "cooperative brooding," a phenomenon where several adult birds will join forces to raise nesting chicks.

Skutch's farm later became the Los Cusingos Neotropical Bird Sanctuary, a public nature preserve. In 1998, the National Aviary in Pittsburgh sponsored the "Alexander Skutch Exhibit" to honor the dedicated bird enthusiast. His life was also the subject of a documentary titled "A Naturalist in the Rainforest."

Skutch died on May 12. Cause of death was not released. He was 99.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Derek Frigo

Derek Frigo, the former guitarist for Enuff Z'Nuff, died on May 28 of an apparent drug overdose. He was 37.

The son of singer/actress Brittney Browne and violinist/songwriter Johnny Frigo, Derek originally planned on pursuing a career in plastic surgery. But the influence of musicians like Kris Kristofferson and Eddie Van Halen soon inspired him to become a professional guitarist.

Frigo released his debut album, "LeMans," when he was only 19 years old. In 1988, he joined the Chicago-based glam rock band, Enuff Z'Nuff. The group scored two hit singles, "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle," off its self-titled album and was named the "hot new band" of 1991 by Rolling Stone magazine.

Frigo played with the band until 1992, then moved to Los Angeles to work on new material and learn how to produce and engineer music. He recently reunited with Enuff Z'Nuff to perform on the upcoming album, "?" and planned to tour with the band overseas.

The energetic guitarist also spent more than a decade battling drug and alcohol addiction. Seven months ago, he sent his family a letter that vowed sobriety, but was unable to sustain a life of clean living.

• Listen to a Tribute From Donnie Vie

• Watch the "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle" Videos

Egon von Furstenberg

Egon von Furstenberg, an eccentric fashion designer and aristocrat, died on June 11. Cause of death was not released. He was 57.

Born in Switzerland, von Furstenberg was descended from a noble German family on his father's side, and from the Italian Agnelli family (owners of the Fiat automotive empire) on his mother's side. Although Egon planned to seek his fortunes in the banking industry, he changed his mind in the late 1960s and became a clothing designer.

Von Furstenberg learned the trade at the Fashion Institute of Technology and by working as a buyer for Macy's in New York City. After designing men's clothing and apparel for plus-sized women, he refined his focus to accentuate a stronger emphasis on color and glamour. Although he released a ready-to-wear line, von Furstenberg was best known for designing elegant outfits for the fashionable and wealthy.

Von Furstenberg was married to Lynn Marshall. His first marriage to fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg ended in divorce.

Prentice Marshall Sr.

Prentice H. Marshall Sr., a retired federal judge who fought for the rights of women and minorities, died on May 24. Cause of death was not released. He was 77.

The Oak Park, Ill., native joined the Navy right out of high school. He attended the University of Illinois College of Law on the G.I. Bill, clerked for Judge Walter C. Lindley of the U.S. Court of Appeals then joined the Chicago firm now known as Jenner & Block. There he launched the firm's pro bono program and earned a reputation as an excellent trial and appellate lawyer. In 1967, Marshall joined the faculty of his alma mater; a chair at the school was later endowed in his honor.

Despite his Democratic leanings, President Richard M. Nixon appointed Marshall to the federal bench in 1973. Wearing his trademark bowtie, he spent more than two decades as a U.S. District judge.

During the 1970s, Marshall ordered the Chicago Police Department to hire female police officers and to end discrimination against minority cops. In the 1980s, he permanently enjoined the Immigration and Naturalization Service from invading factories or homes in order to interrogate Hispanics about their citizenship status. Marshall also ordered the Stateville maximum security prison to provide medical care for its prisoners and halted the enforcement of abortion restrictions passed by the Illinois General Assembly. He retired in 1996.

Outside of the law, Marshall's passion was baseball -- particularly the Chicago Cubs. He even requested that mourners play "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at his funeral.

Joseph L. Gormley

Joseph L. Gormley, the retired chief of chemistry and toxicology for the FBI, died on June 6 from complications of cancer. He was 90.

Born in Clinton, Mass., Gormley received his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from Boston College. In 1940, he moved to Washington D.C. and joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Gormley continued his academic pursuits, earning a law degree from Georgetown University and a master's degree in forensic science from George Washington University.

He spent more than three decades with the FBI, investigating some of the agency's most famous cases, including the Great Brinks Robbery in 1950 and the 1964 murders of three young civil rights workers, which became known as the "Mississippi Burning" case. He served as an expert witness in numerous trials, testifying on his knowledge of chemistry, toxicology and arson. For more than 20 years, Gormley supervised a program that developed the use of lie detector tests for investigative purposes.

He retired from the FBI in 1973, then directed the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory and worked in the research and training divisions of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The former president of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, Gormley also taught at GW and the University of Maryland.

In his spare time, Gormley fathered nine children and built a small side business recreating well-known perfumes and fragrances. He used the perfumery profits to pay for his children's educations.

Rosey Brown

Roosevelt "Rosey" Brown, a former offensive lineman for the New York Giants, died on June 9. Cause of death was not released. He was 71.

Born in Charlottesville, Va., Brown was playing the trombone in his high school band when the football coach decided to turn the 180-pound, 13-year-old into an athlete. By the time he graduated, Brown had earned a football scholarship to Morgan State University in Baltimore.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound player was a 27th-round draft pick in 1953. Selected by the New York Giants, Brown started for 13 straight seasons and helped the team reach six NFL championship games. Hobbled by hip and knee injuries in 1966, Brown became a coach of the Giants' offensive line. In 1971, he hit the road as a professional scout.

Brown was voted to the All-NFL team for eight consecutive seasons, selected as the league's Lineman of the Year in 1956 and named to the NFL's 75th anniversary team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

Ray Charles

"Music's been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal," Charles once said in an interview with The Washington Post.

His mark was indelible.

Born Ray Charles Robinson, he saw his brother drown in a tub the family used for laundry. Two years later, Charles lost his eyesight; some say from glaucoma, but the actual illness was never discovered. He learned to read and write music in Braille at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind, and picked up several instruments, including the alto sax, clarinet, trumpet and the piano.

When his mother died, the 15-year-old supported himself by playing music in black dance halls. He moved to Seattle, dropped his last name and formed the McSon Trio to back R&B singer Ruth Brown. He also befriended a young man named Quincy Jones, and played with the future Grammy Award-winning producer/composer in small club and wedding gigs.

In the 1950s, Atlantic Records purchased his contract from Swingtime Records. His first cross-over hit was the song, "What'd I Say." It topped the charts and sold a million copies in 1959 despite the fact that the suggestive moans provided by female backup singers, the Raeletts, caused several U.S. radio stations to ban its broadcast. After signing with ABC-Paramount Records, Charles received higher royalties and ownership of his master recordings. He launched his own labels (Tangerine and Crossover), and soon earned the nickname "The Genius."

His deep, roughened voice and swayin' piano playin' appealed to several generations. He connected with audiences in the 1950s by infusing gospel with rock 'n roll rhythms. In the 1960s, Charles broke color barriers in the country music industry. His version of "Georgia on My Mind" was named the state's official song in 1979. Children of the 1980s admired his soulful stylings in the film, "The Blues Brothers," and the youth of today knew him for his jaunty pop TV commercials for Pepsi and appearances on "Sesame Street."

Charles won 12 Grammy Awards -- nine of them between 1960 and 1966. He transformed standards like "Makin' Whoopee," "America the Beautiful," "It Had to Be You" and "Come Rain or Come Shine" into classics. Charles was part of the first class of musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He received the Presidential Medal for the Arts, and was cited as "one of the most respected singers of his generation" at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986.

Charles recently recorded an album of duets with Norah Jones, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Michael McDonald and James Taylor that is due out in August. The biopic, "Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Story," starring Jamie Foxx, will be released this fall.

Outside of work, he lived a partying life, one that was chronicled in the 1978 autobiography, "Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story." Charles was married and divorced twice, fathered 12 children and developed quite a reputation as a womanizer. He also struggled with heroin addiction for nearly two decades before quitting in 1965.

Charles died on June 10 of acute liver disease. He was 73.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Mose Frink

Maurice "Mose" Frink, the founder of a national floral chain, died on June 1 of natural causes. He was 85.

Frink and his brother Herbert were born into the floral world -- their father, Warren, owned Rainbow Florists & Greenhouse. During World War II, Mose took a break from the family business to serve with the U.S. Army Air Corps.

After the war ended, the Frink brothers built a greenhouse of their own. In 1967, they founded Flowerama in Waterloo, Iowa. Within five years, the company began franchising into local malls and shopping centers. In the 1990s, Flowerama became a major presence in the floral industry by converting its mall stores into 100 freestanding shops in 27 states.

A member of the Society of Iowa Florists and Growers and the Society of American Florists, Mose Frink also spent many years helping Boy Scout troops with horticultural projects.

Salvatore Verdirome

For three decades, Salvatore Verdirome's 3-acre backyard provided solace and entertainment to thousands of visitors.

Known as the Sanctuary of Love, the terraced yard in Greeneville, Conn., was lavishly decorated with rows of sturdy white crosses and religious statues framed inside 47 upended, cast-iron bathtubs. Designed in 1971 by Verdirome, the shrine also included artistic renditions of the 10 Commandments, the Stations of the Cross and the Sea of Glass from the Book of Revelations.

Visitors to the shrine viewed the displays of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and various saints by walking on paths decorated with mosaics and religious sayings. When the Foxwoods Resort Casino opened in nearby Mashantucket, Conn., gamblers made a point of stopping by the shrine to pray for luck -- and returned when their prayers were denied. Although Verdirome never charged admission to the Sanctuary of Love, some guests donated money or old, claw-foot tubs. At the entrance to the shrine, he welcomed all visitors with a sign that read: "Your faith has brought you here."

A deeply religious man, Verdirome used to collect day-old doughnuts and give them to the needy. He also gathered recyclable bottles and cans, then used the deposit money to buy food for local homeless shelters. For many years, he allowed strangers to stay on his property at no charge. In 2000, city leaders foreclosed on Verdirome's home to recoup $100,000 in unpaid taxes and utility bills. The religious sanctuary was dismantled two years later, and all of the statues were auctioned off.

Verdirome died on May 15 of a stroke. He was 84.

Arnold Beckman

Arnold Orville Beckman, an educator, inventor and philanthropist, died on May 18. Cause of death was not released. He was 104.

Beckman's interest in science was sparked by the discovery of a chemistry book in his family's attic. He was only 10 years old when he built his first chemistry lab. As a teen, Beckman played the piano in silent theaters to help save money for college. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in physical chemistry from the University of Illinois. After receiving a doctorate in photochemistry from the California Institute of Technology, Beckman joined Caltech's faculty.

At a friend's request, Beckman devised a way to measure the acidity in lemons. Known as the acidimeter, or pH meter, the invention earned him a place in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He patented 13 other inventions, including the potentiometer, a variable resistor used to alter voltage, and the spectrophotometer, an instrument that measures the intensity of radiation absorbed at different wavelengths.

In 1935, Beckman founded National Technical Laboratories, which later became the multi-billion dollar enterprise Beckman Instruments Inc. Even before it acquired the Miami-based Coulter Corp. in 1997 and changed its name to Beckman Coulter, Inc., the company was the leading manufacturer of instruments to the clinical diagnostics and life sciences markets. Its success made Beckman incredibly wealthy, and provided him with the means to become one of the greatest philanthropists of the last century.

Through the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, Beckman contributed more than $400 million to the advancement of scientific research and education. He provided the funding for Caltech's Beckman Institute and the Beckman Auditorium, and for the interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Illinois. At least $24 million has been awarded to young scientists conducting research programs at prominent universities; another $14.5 million pays for science education programs in elementary schools.

Beckman co-founded the Instrument Society of America, which established the Arnold O. Beckman Founder Award for outstanding technological contribution to instrument design. He received the society's first Life Achievement Award, the Presidential Citizens Medal and the National Medal of Technology.

Nicolai Ghiaurov

"With the passing of Nicolai Ghiaurov, the world of music has lost a giant," singer and conductor Placido Domingo said.

Ghiaurov, a Bulgarian opera singer who specialized in late 19th-century works, died on June 2 of a heart attack. He was 74.

Ghiaurov's parents were poor, but they always encouraged him to sing. He learned to play the clarinet, violin and trombone on borrowed instruments. During his service in the Bulgarian Army, he formed a choir and conducted an orchestra.

Ghiaurov studied opera singing at the Sofia Musical Academy and the Moscow Conservatoire. After winning top prizes at opera festivals, the young singer returned to Bulgaria in 1955 and made his professional debut at the Sofia National Opera as Don Basilio in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville."

Over the next four decades, Ghiaurov would fill theatres from Milan to Chicago, Warsaw to Paris. He sang a total of 81 performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and was the guest of honor at a gala performance in 1991 to commemorate his 25th anniversary with the company. The operatic bass, who often performed with his wife, Italian soprano Mirella Freni, was best known for playing Mephistopheles in Charles Gounod's "Faust," Philip II in Verdi's "Don Carlo" and the title character in Mozart's "Don Giovanni."

Francis Brunn

For 50 years, Francis Brunn amazed audiences with his dazzling acrobatic and juggling feats.

The graceful gymnast and showman attended the Performing Arts School in Berlin. At 17, he and his sister Lotte began touring Europe as professional entertainers. In 1948, Brunn joined the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and became the first juggler to work the center ring as a solo headliner. There he combined the style of flamenco dancing with a wide variety of juggling accessories.

Over the next four decades, Brunn trained through accidents and injuries. He performed with smaller circuses and on television programs like "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Johnny Carson Show." Able to juggle up to 10 rings at once, Brunn is considered by many experts to be one of the world's best jugglers.

His most famous combination trick involved standing on one leg while simultaneously spinning two rings around the other; juggling three rings in his left hand; rotating two rings around his right arm while spinning a ball on the tip of his finger -- all while balancing a ball on a mouth stick and a ball on a stick atop his forehead.

Brunn died on May 28 from complications of heart surgery. He was 81.

• Watch Brunn Perform on "The Jack Benny Show"

Robert Quine

Robert Quine, one of punk rock's most talented and daring lead guitarists, died in New York over the Memorial Day weekend. The police found a note and suspect suicide as the cause of death. Close friend and guitar maker Rick Kelly, who discovered Quine’s body, said the musician died of a heroin overdose. Quine was 61.

The Akron, Ohio native always had a passion for music. As a child, he learned to play both the piano and the guitar, but was discouraged by the lack of music instructors willing to teach rock 'n roll. So he spent many years honing his skills and performing for an audience of one.

Quine delved into jazz and the blues at Earlham College in Indiana then earned a law degree from Washington University Law School in St. Louis. Upon graduation, he moved to San Francisco to revel in the sounds of The Velvet Underground. Quine taped hours of concert recordings at the band's Matrix shows, and in 2001, released a three-CD box set of bootleg Velvet Underground songs.

The law degree helped Quine land a job writing tax law for Prentice Hall Publishing, but after arriving in New York in the early 1970s, he decided to break into the burgeoning music scene instead. Quine quit the publishing gig and started working at a film memorabilia store. At night, he played lead guitar with the punk rock group, Richard Hell and the Voidoids. The band recorded two albums ("Blank Generation" and "Destiny Street") and opened for the Clash in England before it disbanded.

Over the next two decades, Quine enjoyed a career as a sought-after session guitarist. He toured and recorded with Lou Reed and accompanied a wide range of musicians -- from Tom Waits and Marianne Faithfull to Matthew Sweet and Lloyd Cole. In 1991, he and drummer Fred Maher recorded "Basic," an instrumental album that showcased Quine's guitar work.

• Discography

Doug Werner

Merle McDougald "Doug" Werner, who is believed to be the last surviving journalist to cover the D-Day landings, died on May 19. Cause of death was not released. He was 91.

Born in Bladen, Neb., Werner earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. He worked as a reporter for newspapers in Nebraska and Wyoming before joining the Des Moines office of United Press, a forerunner of United Press International.

Werner was transferred to UP's Washington bureau in 1941. Within a year, he was accredited as a war correspondent and transferred to the London bureau to cover the European theatre of World War II. His editor was Walter Cronkite.

Werner's front-line dispatches told American readers about the German bombing blitz of London, the liberation of Paris and the U.S. occupation of Berlin. On June 6, 1944, he was one of 20 journalists to land on the beaches of Normandy with British, Canadian and American troops.

Hitching a ride to Utah beach with the U.S. 9th Air Force Engineers, Werner jumped into the water and dodged artillery shells as he waded 100 feet to shore. Carrying a portable typewriter and an extra pair of eyeglasses, Werner hit land and immediately dug himself a small foxhole. There he observed the battle then typed up a dispatch that was taken back to London the next morning. It was one of the first eyewitness accounts of the invasion to appear in American newspapers.

After the war ended, Werner covered the Nuremberg trials and the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia. He joined the Foreign Service in 1952 and spent the next 18 years serving as a press attaché at U.S. embassies in Austria, Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sweden and Taiwan. Werner also wrote and edited stories for the Voice of America in Washington D.C., until his retirement in 1982.

• Read Werner's "First Wave" Dispatch

Larry Capune

Larry Capune, a legendary waterman, traveled 16,063 miles of American coastline -- on a paddleboard.

Capune was a 22-year-old lifeguard at Carpinteria State Beach in California when he set out on his first long-distance journey in 1963. For that trek, he paddleboarded from San Francisco to Newport Beach, a total of 542 miles.

Riding on an 18-foot-long, 18-inch-wide board made by surfing legend Hobie Alter, Capune could cover 20 to 25 miles in about 10 hours. He navigated by a compass embedded into the board and often survived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and 7-Up.

Over the years, Capune encountered several setbacks, including bad weather, bites from marine animals, boat collisions and directional mishaps. A New Jersey man once threw a Coke bottle at him for scaring away the fish; Capune was knocked unconscious in the assault and suffered a head wound that required 20 stitches. During his 1972 Maine-to-Miami trip, Capune got lost and came ashore in Massachusetts. When he knocked on Rose Kennedy's door in Hyannis Port, he was allowed to stay for two days.

Capune's longest solo paddleboard odyssey took almost a year to complete. From July 1975 to May 1976, he paddled 4,255 miles from Portland, Maine, to Corpus Christi, Texas. His final, long-distance trip made headlines in 1987 when he traveled 4,090 miles from Chicago to Washington, D.C., via the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, the Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. No other paddleboarder has ever matched the journey.

Capune continued to paddleboard four miles a day until his health failed. In 1999, he received the prestigious Gene "Tarzan" Smith Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in the sport of paddleboarding.

Capune died on May 26 of cancer. He was 61.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

• Read an Entry From Capune's Journal

Dom Moraes

Dominic Francis Moraes, a prestigious Indian journalist and poet, died on June 2 following a heart attack. He was 66.

The son of Frank Moraes, a famous Indian newspaper editor and author, Dom spent the majority of his childhood abroad. His mother, Dr. Beryl Moraes, was institutionalized for mental instability when he was a young boy, so Dom accompanied his father on jaunts to Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Britain.

Moraes was only 12 years old when he first starting writing poetry. At 19, he published "A Beginning," his debut book of poems. In 1958, the collection won Britain's Hawthornden Prize; Moraes was the youngest, and the first non-English person, to win the award. His second collection, "Poems," became the Autumn Choice of the Poetry Book Society.

For the next half-century, Moraes became one of India's leading literary figures. He published more than 30 books, including a biography of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, several travelogues, two memoirs and scripts for more than 20 documentaries, which aired on the BBC and Britain's ITV.

Moraes visited every country on the planet, except Antarctica (which he liked to note was not actually a country). As a journalist, he covered wars in Algeria, Israel and Vietnam; as an editor, he worked on magazines in London, Hong Kong and New York.

Recently, Moraes was diagnosed with cancer. Knowing that his remaining time was limited, he refused treatment and focused all his energy on completing his final books.

• Read the Poem, "Absences"

Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy, a prolific soprano saxophone player and educator, died on June 4 from cancer. He was 69.

Born Steven Lackritz, the New York native originally played the piano and clarinet. He switched to the soprano saxophone in the early 1940s after hearing Sidney Bechet play the straight instrument in the song, "The Mooche." In his 20s, Lacy performed at the Central Plaza in New York and the Newport Jazz Festival. He later played with Cecil Taylor, Mal Waldron and Thelonious Monk.

For the majority of his five-decade career, Lacy lived abroad. He traveled first to Argentina, then moved to Rome where his and his wife -- Swiss singer and violinist Irene Aebi -- worked with the Musica Elettronica Viva quartet. In 1970, the expatriate sax player known for his inventive brand of Dixieland, bebop and avant guard melodies, relocated to Paris and began his "post-free" period. This time of organic experimentation featured the addition of artistic and literary dimensions to his work.

Lacy recorded more than 20 solo saxophone albums, and played on 200 other records. After receiving the MacArthur Fellowship (Genius Grant) in 1992, he published the book, "Findings: My Experience With the Soprano Saxophone." He was also appointed the Chevalier and Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government's ministry of culture.

Lacy returned to America in 2002 and spent his final years teaching at the New England Conservatory of Music.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Loyd C. Sigmon

Drivers in Southern California owe Loyd C. Sigmon a debt of gratitude. He invented a broadcasting system that allows the police to warn drivers of freeway traffic jams and other emergencies.

While working as an engineer for KMPC-AM radio, Sigmon developed a $600 device that combined a tape recorder with a shortwave radio receiver. When a traffic emergency occurred, a police dispatcher activated the emergency beacon and recorded a message that could be broadcast on the air. Known as the SigAlert, the system was immediately adopted by six local radio stations.

The first SigAlert, which was broadcast on Sept. 5, 1955, requested the assistance of all area doctors and nurses to respond to a train derailment in downtown Los Angeles. The ensuing rush of medical personnel to the accident site actually caused a traffic jam. Future alerts were more successful, featuring reports of rabid dogs, boat collisions and car accidents. One SigAlert announced the news that a pharmacist had made a potentially fatal error while filling a prescription; the customer heard the alert in time and avoided an accidental poisoning.

Local governments and the National Safety Council honored Sigmon for his useful invention. Now computerized, SigAlerts are handled by the California Highway Patrol to report "any unplanned event that causes the closing of one lane of traffic for 30 minutes or more, as opposed to a planned event like road construction, which is planned separately."

Born in Stigler, Okla., Sigmon was always interested in electronics. He earned his ham radio license at 14, and helped build a radio station in Kansas City, Mo. During World War II, he monitored German radio broadcasts as the head of noncombat radio communications on Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's staff. Sigmon later became a partner in Golden West Broadcasting, but he was best known for his emergency broadcast invention. On his car, personalized license plates read: SIGALRT.

Sigmon died on June 2 of natural causes. He was 95.

Jerry Diskin

Francis Jerome "Jerry" Diskin, a federal prosecutor who handled terrorism, fraud and drug cases, died on June 1 from complications of brain surgery. He was 57.

A native of Mineola, N.Y., Diskin graduated from Catholic University in Washington D.C., and earned his law degree from Georgetown University. He clerked for Judge Harry E. Wood at the U.S. Court of Claims for a year, then spent three years with the Army Judge Advocate Corps at Fort Lewis Base in Washington.

Diskin launched a 30-year career with the U.S. Attorney's Office in 1976. Working out of the Western District of Washington branch, he served as chief of the criminal division, senior litigation counsel, supervisor of the drug unit and interim U.S. attorney.

In 2001, Diskin gained national attention for successfully prosecuting the "Millennium Bomber." Algerian terrorist Ahmed Ressam was arrested in 1999 as he tried to enter the U.S. from British Columbia through Port Angeles, Wash. In a truck filled with bomb-making materials, Ressam planned to drive down the West coast and blow up Los Angeles International Airport. Instead, he was apprehended by authorities and prosecuted by Diskin for plotting terrorist activities.

Ressam was convicted of conspiracy to commit international terrorism and on various explosives charges. In exchange for a reduced prison sentence, he has provided information to the government about Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan.

Diskin's superior performance as an assistant U.S. attorney was recognized in 2001 when he received a Director's Award from the United States Attorney General.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died on June 5 of pneumonia. He was 93.

Born in Tampico, Ill., Reagan earned a bachelor's degree in economics and sociology from Eureka College. He moved to Iowa after graduation to become a weekend sportscaster for WOC and WHO Radio. While covering spring training in California for the Chicago Cubs in 1937, Reagan took a screen test at Warner Bros. and landed a seven-year contract.

In his first film, "Love Is on the Air," he played a radio announcer. This small part sparked a 20-year career in Hollywood. Reagan acted in more than 50 films, including "Kings Row," "Bedtime for Bonzo" and "Hellcats of the Navy." In 1940, he married actress Jane Wyman and appeared in the picture "Knute Rockne, All-American." Playing the part of George Gipp, a legendary Notre Dame running back and Rockne's protege, Reagan earned the nickname "The Gipper."

During World War II, the 30-year-old Reagan volunteered for military service. A second lieutenant in the Army, he was eventually barred from combat for poor eyesight. Instead, he oversaw the loading of convoys and narrated flight training films for bomber pilots.

Reagan returned to Hollywood after the war and was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild. He testified as a friendly witness before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947, and became an FBI informant, providing the names of entertainers he said were involved in Communist activities.

Reagan and Wyman divorced in 1949; he remarried three years later to actress Nancy Davis. Nancy and Ron would remain a devoted and glamorous couple for more than half a century.

Reagan changed his political affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1962, and entered the political arena as the co-chairman of the California Republicans for Barry Goldwater. His 1964 television address for the GOP presidential candidate raised $8 million. With the help of his large network of political and Hollywood connections, Reagan was elected governor of California in 1966 with 51 percent of the vote. He served two terms in office then built a national audience for his political career by broadcasting a popular, syndicated radio show.

At 69, Reagan became the oldest man ever elected president of the United States. Known as "The Great Communicator," he served two terms in office, from 1981 to 1989, reshaped the Republican Party in his own conservative image, oversaw a period of economic growth and tripled the national debt to $3 trillion.

Reagan's presidential tenure began with a hostage crisis in Iran and concluded with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. He sought to achieve "peace through strength" by increasing defense spending by 35 percent and calling the U.S.S.R. the "evil empire." He again infuriated the Russians by announcing plans for "Star Wars," an outer space missile defense system. This animosity cooled, however, when Reagan and Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev formed a relationship that lead to the signing of the first Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

On March 30, 1981, Reagan was nearly assassinated outside a Washington hotel. A drifter named John Hinckley Jr., seeking to prove his love/obsession for actress Jodie Foster, fired six shots at the president. One bullet lodged an inch from Reagan's heart, but he recovered. The shooting also wounded a police officer, a Secret Service agent and Press Secretary James Brady.

In 1983, Reagan shocked the nation when he ordered U.S. troops to invade Grenada in response to a bloody military coup. In his second term in office, Reagan faced scandal after former aides revealed that he had authorized secret arms sales to Iran while seeking Iranian aid to gain release of American hostages held in Lebanon. He also ordered the funding of rebels fighting in Nicaragua -- in violation of a congressional ban. Despite months of Iran-contra hearings, Reagan faced no legal action and left office in 1989 with the highest approval rating of any president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Reagan was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People of the Century. He received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor from Congress, and was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. His final years were spent living in seclusion, tended by his wife, as he struggled with Alzheimer's disease, a condition he revealed to the public in 1994.

• Pictures From the Reagan Presidency

• Books About Reagan

Gerald Anthony

Gerald Anthony Bucchiarelli, the Emmy Award-winning actor who played the same character on two different soap operas, died on May 28. Cause of death was not released. He was 52.

Anthony grew up in Pittsburgh as the son of Italian immigrants. After graduating from high school, he traveled to the West Coast in what he once called a "late-'60s hippie exodus." Anthony discovered a passion for acting at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He formed his own theatre company, studied drama at the University of Washington and Temple University, then moved to New York to seek fame and fortune.

Anthony first played the shady Marco Dane in 1977 on the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live." A decade later, he jumped networks and appeared as Rick Madison on NBC's "Another World." In 1992, Anthony reprised the role of Marco -- this time on ABC's "General Hospital" -- a cross-over performance that earned him the 1993 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

Anthony wrote and directed "Twisted," a short movie that toured the film festival circuit. He also acted in several primetime TV shows, including "Moonlighting," "L.A. Law," "MacGyver," "Wiseguy," "Law & Order" and "Third Watch." Anthony was briefly married to actress Brynn Thayer.

"He was a superb human being, a great actor, so much fun to be around, so volcanic and mesmerizing in his choices as an actor, so daring, take-away-the-net in his choices as a man," actress Robin Strasser said on her telephone hotline.

Martin Plamondon II

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on a cross-country expedition of the Louisiana Territory. One hundred sixty-nine years later, cartographer Martin Plamondon II mapped their journey.

The Vancouver, Wash., native spent three decades researching and writing the historical atlas and travelogue of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Plamondon first became interested in their 7,400-mile trek in 1972 when he visited Fort Clatsop outside Astoria, Ore. He became interested in the promises Lewis and Clark made to American Indian tribes, and decided to chronicle the Corps of Discovery journey in a series of nonfiction books. Using old and new maps, Plamondon was able to follow the explorers' adventures and chart their route.

The first two volumes of "Lewis and Clark Trail Maps -- A Cartographic Reconstruction" featured selections from the explorers' journals and 336 maps. Another 200 maps will be included in the third volume, scheduled for publication in July.

When he wasn't writing, Plamondon worked as the chief mapmaker for Clark County, Wash. The former chairman of the Governor's Washington Lewis and Clark Trail Committee, he also took a fictional look at the Lewis and Clark expedition. "Promises Given," his novel based on their encounters with Native Americans, is being edited by his daughter, Monica.

Plamondon died on May 26. Cause of death was not released. He was 58.

Catherine Bedell

Catherine Dean May Bedell, the first woman elected to Congress from Washington state, died on May 28 of cardiorespiratory arrest. She was 90.

The Yakima, Wash., native earned a bachelor's degree in education at the University of Washington, and taught high school English for three years. She took a break from teaching to study speech at the University of Southern California and launch her broadcasting career.

Beginning in 1940, Bedell worked at KMO Radio in Tacoma and KOMO and KJR in Seattle. Bedell then moved to New York, landed a job as a writer and assistant commentator at NBC and produced the first Betty Crocker radio show. She returned to Washington in 1948 and was working at KIT as a women's editor when she decided to enter the political arena.

A Republican, Bedell served in the Washington State Legislature from 1952 to 1958. She won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and became one of only a few women elected to national office. At the time, most women were appointed to replace a deceased husband. During her six-term tenure, Bedell supported the Equal Rights Amendment and worked to include a prohibition against discrimination based on gender in the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

After Democrat Mike McCormack defeated her in 1970, Bedell went to work for the United States International Trade Commission. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed her to the 50 States Project. Her final years were spent running Bedell Associates, a trade consulting firm in Palm Desert, Calif.

Simon Nathan

Simon Morris Nathan, the author of the popular "Simon Sez" photography column, died on May 19. Cause of death was not released. He was 82.

The Westview, Pa., native graduated from the University of Dayton. His "Simon Sez" photography column debuted in the 1950s. Popular with professionals and hobbyists seeking up-to-date information on camera innovations, the column appeared in Popular Photography, Modern Photography and other magazines. Nathan also wrote several books, including "Camera in Paris," "Good Photography's 35mm Handbook" and "Good Photography's Darkroom Guide."

A talented shooter in his own right, Nathan specialized in panoramic photography. Although he spent most of his life living in the New York City area, Nathan also traveled extensively on writing and photography assignments. In 1962, he carried three different panoramic cameras to the South Pole.

Nathan also created still photography for nine James Bond films, and took the panoramic photo of the United Nations that appears on a U.N. postage stamp. While working for the Flying Tigers freight line, he developed a hand-held camera that was capable of producing undistorted, large-format photos.

Viola Krahn

Viola Hartman Cady Krahn, a former national diving champion, died on June 2. Cause of death was not released. She was 102.

The aquatic queen began swimming and diving in 1919 when her family moved from Arizona to California. Over the next eight decades, she won 17 masters world diving titles and set numerous national records, including one in 1922 for swimming the fastest pace for a female in a 220-meter competition.

One of the first female athletes to swim the Catalina Channel, Krahn was the subject of the biography, "Viola -- Diving Wonder & Aquatic Champion" by Margery Voyer Cole. When she was 100 years old, she dived into a pool on the set of NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." In 2004, Krahn was inducted into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame.

Viola married Fred Cady, her swim coach at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Fred, who later trained four U.S. Olympic teams, died in 1960 and was posthumously inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Viola wed Fred Krahn, her second husband, in the late 1960s; he died in 1986.

Evon Vogt

Evon Zartman Vogt Jr. studied the modern-day Maya Indians of Chiapas, Mexico for 40 years.

To immerse himself in the Maya culture, Vogt spent part of every year living in a small Mexican village with no running water. The anthropologist learned the local dialect and over time, became a leading authority of the indigenous tribe. He wrote 19 books and received numerous honors, including the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest award the Mexican government bestows on foreigners.

For an academic, Vogt lived an adventurous life. To pay for his education at the University of Chicago, the Gallup, N.M., native worked in the gold mines of Nevada and as a U.S. Forest Service ranger. During World War II, he served as a combat intelligence officer in the Navy. He also did research on the Navajo soldiers used by the military as "code talkers" in the South Pacific theatre.

After the war, Vogt returned to the University of Chicago, where he earned his master's and doctoral degrees in anthropology. In 1948, he joined the faculty of Harvard University. By the time he retired four decades later, Vogt had held a variety of positions, including chairman, in the school's anthropology department.

Vogt died on May 13 of pulmonary fibrosis. He was 85.

Nadia Khan

Nadia Khan, a British film director, was killed by a train on May 25. She was 27.

Khan was working as the second assistant director on the Bollywood film, "Mumbai Central," when the accident occurred. She was standing on track 6 at the Mahalakshmi railway station in Mumbai, talking on her cell phone, when a local train struck her from behind. Khan died minutes after arriving at the hospital.

Director Kaizad Gustad and other members of the film crew told authorities that Khan was run over by a truck and did not die on the movie set location. During the course of the investigation, the Government Railway Police realized the story was a lie. On June 2, authorities arrested Gustad, and charged him with filing a false complaint, negligence during shooting and fabrication of evidence. Another member of the film's crew and a transit police officer were also arrested in connection with the case.

Khan studied film and media at London University. After graduation, she traveled to India to assist Gustad in his filmmaking ventures.

Samuel Dash

Samuel Dash, the former chief counsel of the Senate Select Committee on Watergate, died on May 29 of heart failure. He was 79.

Dash studied at Temple University, but was forced to delay graduation in order to serve with the Army Air Corps in World War II. After he returned to the states, the New Jersey native completed his undergraduate work and received a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Over the course of his prestigious legal career, Dash cultivated a reputation for political independence. The ardent advocate for legal ethics taught criminal justice, constitutional law and professional responsibility courses at Georgetown University Law Center for nearly four decades, and directed the school's Institute for Criminal Law and Procedures.

A lifelong privacy activist, Dash conducted the first nationwide investigation of wiretapping in 1957. He wrote several books that examined Fourth Amendment issues, including "The Intruders: Unreasonable Searches and Seizures From King John to John Ashcroft," which was released this spring.

In 1973, the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities investigated the break-in at the Democratic campaign headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. As the committee's chief counsel, Dash questioned White House officials during the televised hearings about President Richard M. Nixon's secret White House taping system. The scandal eventually led to President Nixon's resignation in August 1974.

After Watergate, Dash helped draft the independent counsel law to assure impartial investigation of issues involving the executive branch. He also served on numerous governmental inquiries, including stints as a special investigator for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and as a special counsel to the president of the Senate of Puerto Rico.

Dash returned to the public arena in 1994 when he agreed to serve as the ethics adviser to independent counsel Kenneth Starr in the Whitewater investigation of President Bill Clinton. He resigned four years later, when Starr testified before the House Judiciary Committee and advocated that President Clinton be impeached.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Archibald Cox

Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor who was fired by President Richard M. Nixon for refusing to end his Watergate investigation, died on May 29 of natural causes. He was 92.

The New Jersey native graduated from Harvard University in 1934 and from its law school three years later. He clerked for Judge Learned Hand of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, became an expert in labor law and spent several years working with the National Defense Mediation Board and the Department of Labor.

In 1945, Cox began a long career teaching at his alma mater. In between lectures, he co-wrote the book, "Labor Law: Cases and Materials," and worked full-time on John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. After Kennedy was elected, Cox was named solicitor general in the new administration. He represented the government on several cases before the Supreme Court then returned to academia in 1965.

When Republican Party operatives broke into the Democratic campaign headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in 1972, Cox was asked to lead a special prosecution force investigating allegations of political misconduct. He would last only five months in the position. In October 1973, President Nixon ordered Cox's termination for his continued efforts to obtain audio tapes of Oval Office conversations. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy, William Ruckelshaus, both refused to fire Cox; they opted to resign in protest. Solicitor General Robert H. Bork, who would later lose a Supreme Court bid, carried out the president's order. The firing, and subsequent resignations, became known as "The Saturday Night Massacre," and was considered by many scholars to be the beginning of the end for the Nixon presidency. Nixon would eventually turn over the incriminating tapes and resign from office.

Once his role in Watergate ended, Cox headed the Massachusetts Select Committee on Judicial Needs, which drafted legislation to reform the state's judicial system. In 1980, he was elected national chairman of Common Cause, a lobby that advocates improvement of the political system.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Alberta Martin

Alberta Stewart Martin, one of the last known widows of a Civil War veteran, died on May 31 of complications from a heart attack she suffered three weeks ago. She was 97.

Born to Alabama sharecroppers in 1906, Alberta married three times. She was 18 when she wed a cab driver named Howard Farrow. While she was pregnant with their first child, Farrow abandoned his family. Six months after their son was born, her estranged husband died in a car accident.

Alberta, her father and her infant son moved to Opp, Ala., where she met Civil War veteran William Jasper Martin. An 81-year-old widower from Georgia, Martin received a $50/mo. pension for serving as a private in the 4th Alabama Infantry.

Alberta, 21, needed a husband to help raise her little boy; William didn't wish to spend his remaining years alone. So, for mutual companionship and support, they married in 1927. Despite the six-decade age difference, Alberta and her husband welcomed a son less than a year after exchanging their vows. William died on July 8, 1931, and two months later, Alberta wed Charlie Martin, her late husband's grandson. They were married for over 50 years, until his death in 1983.

After living in obscurity for most of her life, Alberta's final years were spent in the company of history buffs. The Sons of Confederate Veterans feted her at conventions and reenactments. In 1996, the group helped to persuade the state of Alabama to give Alberta a Confederate widow's pension of $2,500/mo.

Alberta will lie in state in the parlor of the first White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, Ala. Nineteenth-century period music will be played at her funeral by the 52nd Regimental String Band of Memphis, Tenn., and the Olde Towne Brass Band of Huntsville, Ala. A Confederate reenactor heritage funeral march and graveside service will be held at the New Ebenezer Baptist Church Cemetery in Curtis, Ala.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR