Tag: Obituary

In Memoriam: Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017)

Actress and beloved icon Mary Tyler Moore passed away in a Connecticut hospital today. She was 80 years old. In her name sake 70’s TV , Ms. Moore change the image of women in America. Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, known for her roles in the …

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In Memoriam: Debbie Reynolds (1932 -2016)

One day after the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher, actress Debbie Reynolds has died at age 84. Ms. Reynolds was rushed by ambulance to Cedars Sinai Medical Center earlier on Wednesday after complaining of difficulty breathing. Her son Todd announced her passing saying that “she wanted to be with Carrie.” Reynolds began her rise …

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In Memoriam: Carrie Fisher (1956 -2016)

Actress, author and screenwriter Carrie Fisher died this morning in Los Angeles, California after a cardiac event she suffered on a flight from London, December 23. Best known for her role of Princess Leia Organa in the 1977 film “Star Wars,” Ms. Fisher also wrote seven books, the best known was “Postcards from the Edge” …

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In Memoriam: John Glenn (July 21, 1921 – December 8, 2016)

Another legend has passed. Astronaut, the last of the Mercury 7, and former Senator John Glenn died this afternoon at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. This is just a portion of the tribute to Sen. Glenn’s life from The Columbus Dispatch: Glenn lived a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! life. As …

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In Memoriam: Grant M. Haist 1922 – 2015

Last week, during the period of sparse posting, I attended the funeral of a friend’s great uncle. I never met Grant Haist, who passed away at 93 in Naples, Florida, but I feel like I have known him all my life. Grant held a PhD in chemical engineering, and worked for 33 years at Eastman …

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In Memoriam: Mohammad Ali 1942 – 2016

The world lost an icon on Friday June 3 with the death of boxing champion and legend Mohammad Ali. He died at the age of 74 from septic shock due to a respiratory illness in a Phoenix, Arizona hospital. He was buried today in Louisville, Kentucky. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. on January 17, 1942 …

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In Memoriam: Prince (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016)

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), known by his stage name Prince, died at his Paisley Park studio in Minnesota, the state where he was born and raised. He was well known for his innovation and eclectic, flamboyant stage presence and wrote hundreds of songs for himself and other artists. He …

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In Memoriam: Justice Antonin Scalia (1936 – 2016)

Associate Justice Antonin Scalia died this morning at a ranch in West Texas. He was 79. Scalia was appointed to the court in 1986, by President Ronald Reagan, as the first Italian American to serve on the high court. He was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1936 and brought up in New York City. …

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In Memoriam: David Bowie (1947 – 2016)

David Bowie, 69, died Sunday in New York City after a very private eighteen month battle with cancer. David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie was an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter and actor. He was a figure in popular music for over four …

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In Memoriam: Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra 1925 – 2015

Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra has left the stadium for the last time. The iconic Yankees catcher passed away early this morning.

He retired after 2,120 major league games with a batting average of .285, and hit 358 home runs in his career. He played in more World Series games than any other Major League Baseball player, was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972.

He won 10 World Series with the Yankees, and a further three after his playing career finished in coaching roles.

Berra also became well known for an array of colourful quotes, such as: “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else”; “When you come to a fork in the road … take it”; “It’s like deja vu, all over again”; and, reflecting on his reputation: “I never said most of the things I said.”

His “Yogi-isms” were repeated by presidents, businessmen, celebrities and anyone else who wanted to sound wise, funny, folksy, or all three. The cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after him, something he did not appreciate. “I don’t know why I say these things,” he once told Reuters. “But people understand me.”  [..]

Berra, survived by three sons – Larry, Tim and Dale – as well as 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, was once asked by Carmen: “Yogi, you are from St. Louis, we live in New Jersey, and you played ball in New York. If you go before I do, where would you like me to have you buried?”

Berra replied: “I don’t know, surprise me.”

On This Day In History September 14

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 108 days remaining until the end of the year.

On this Day in 1901, U.S. President William McKinley dies after being shot by a deranged anarchist during the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York.

President and Mrs. McKinley attended the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. He delivered a speech about his positions on tariffs and foreign trade on September 5, 1901. The following morning, McKinley visited Niagara Falls before returning to the Exposition. That afternoon McKinley had an engagement to greet the public at the Temple of Music. Standing in line, Leon Frank Czolgosz waited with a pistol in his right hand concealed by a handkerchief. At 4:07 p.m. Czolgosz fired twice at the president. The first bullet grazed the president’s shoulder. The second, however, went through McKinley’s stomach, pancreas, and kidney, and finally lodged in the muscles of his back. The president whispered to his secretary, George Cortelyou  “My wife, Cortelyou, be careful how you tell her, oh be careful.” Czolgosz would have fired again, but he was struck by a bystander and then subdued by an enraged crowd. The wounded McKinley even called out “Boys! Don’t let them hurt him!” because the angry crowd beat Czolgosz so severely it looked as if they might kill him on the spot.

One bullet was easily found and extracted, but doctors were unable to locate the second bullet. It was feared that the search for the bullet might cause more harm than good. In addition, McKinley appeared to be recovering, so doctors decided to leave the bullet where it was.

The newly developed x-ray machine was displayed at the fair, but doctors were reluctant to use it on McKinley to search for the bullet because they did not know what side effects it might have on him. The operating room at the exposition’s emergency hospital did not have any electric lighting, even though the exteriors of many of the buildings at the extravagant exposition were covered with thousands of light bulbs. The surgeons were unable to operate by candlelight because of the danger created by the flammable ether used to keep the president unconscious, so doctors were forced to use pans instead to reflect sunlight onto the operating table while they treated McKinley’s wounds.

McKinley’s doctors believed he would recover, and the President convalesced for more than a week in Buffalo at the home of the exposition’s director. On the morning of September 12, he felt strong enough to receive his first food orally since the shooting-toast and a small cup of coffee. However, by afternoon he began to experience discomfort and his condition rapidly worsened. McKinley began to go into shock. At 2:15 a.m. on September 14, 1901, eight days after he was shot, he died from gangrene surrounding his wounds. He was 58. His last words were “It is God’s way; His will be done, not ours.” He was originally buried in West Lawn Cemetery in Canton, Ohio, in the receiving vault. His remains were later reinterred in the McKinley Memorial, also in Canton.

Czolgosz was tried and found guilty of murder, and was executed by electric chair at Auburn Prison on October 29, 1901.

In Memoriam: Julian Bond 1940 – 2015

Civil Rights activist died August 15 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida due to complications of cardiovascular disease. He was 75. Mr. Bond is survived by his wife, Pam Horowitz; sons Horace Mann Bond II, Jeffrey and Michael Bond; daughters Phyllis Jane Bond McMillan and Julia Louise Bond; sister Jane; brother James; and eight grandchildren.

His family announced that he will be buried at sea according to his wishes:

“We are honoring his wishes that his body be cremated and his ashes be committed to the Gulf of Mexico,” the family said in a statement Tuesday. “This will be a private, family only service. The final request will be carried out at sea on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time.”

The statement went on to express that the family understands that many “loved and admired” Bond and invited the public to share in the ceremony.

“We invite you to gather at a body of water near your home and precisely at 2:00 p.m., CDT, spread flower petals on the water and join us in bidding farewell to Horace Julian Bond. This gesture will mean a great deal to us as a family and also provide some comfort in knowing that you share our loss.”

Democracy Now!‘s Amy Goodman was joined by Taylor Branch, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Benjamin Jealous and Richard Cohen to remember Mr. Bond.



Transcript can be read here

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