Corpus Obscurum dead at 1

I'll be leaving City Pages next Tuesday. I'd like to thank everyone who dropped by the site and those who were moved to add comments. Special thanks to Rex Sorgatz and Yahoo for acknowledging Corpus Obscurum. Maybe this is the end, maybe Corpus Obscurum will continue on without me. Check back once in a while for a resurrection.

Posted by Corey Anderson at August 10, 2007 8:55 AM | Comments (5)

 

Epidemiologist who battled tuberculosis dead at 92

Dr. George Wills Comstock died Sunday, July 15, of prostate cancer, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For four years, beginning in 1947, Comstock, an epidemiologist, conducted the first trials of the BCG vaccine for tuberculosis in Georgia and Alabama. The studies found the vaccine largely ineffective, prompting the U.S. government to discontinue vaccinating children with it. In a 1957 trial in 29 villages near Bethel, Alaska, Comstock discovered the drug isoniazid (INH) was effective in preventing TB. Five years later, he founded the Johns Hopkins Training Center for Public Health Research and Prevention in Hagerstown. During the following 30 years, he oversaw community-based research studies on diseases including cancer, heart disease, and an eye disease known as histoplasmosis. Comstock spent 20 working for the U.S. Public Health Service and over 40 years teaching at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. Comstock was 92.

Sources: Associated Press, NYTimes.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 27, 2007 9:47 AM | Comments (0)

 

Umpire who called more than 3,000 baseball games dead at 90

Longtime major league umpire Henry Charles "Shag" Crawford died Wednesday, July 11, at an assisted living facility in a Philadelphia suburb. He was born in Philly in 1916, and served in World War II. Crawford began as a minor league umpire in 1950. He became a National League umpire in 1956, officiating in 3,082 baseball games, including three World Series, three All-Star Games, and two NL Championships. Crawford retired in 1975. During the 1969 World Series, Crawford ejected Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver during an argument in Game 4. Crawford officiated at the first game at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, and was a co-founder of the umpire's union. His son Jerry became an umpire in 1976, and another son, Joey, became an NBA official in 1977. Crawford was 90.

Sources: Associated Press, worldumpires.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 25, 2007 2:34 PM | Comments (0)

 

Co-founder of Matchbox Toys dead at 87

Jack Odell, who died on Saturday, July 7, in London, was an engineer when he joined a British die-casting company in the late 1940's that had begun producing toys. Odell was inspired to create a tiny toy car when, in 1952, his daughter stated her school allowed only personal items that would fit into a matchbox. The tiny steamroller he created for his daughter would be the forerunner of the Matchbox Toy empire. With business partner and fellow World War II veteran Leslie Smith, Odell created a line of miniature vehicles in 1953, with Queen Elizabeth's coronation coach an early favorite with over one million copies sold. At its peak, Matchbox sold more than one million cars a day, more than the number of real ones the world's automakers were producing. "We produce more Rolls-Royces in a single day than the Rolls-Royce company has made in its entire history," Odell told the New York Times in 1962. In the late 1960's, Mattel Incorporated began their own line of miniature toy cars called Hot Wheels. In 1982, Matchbox was sold to Universal Toys, then later to Tyco Toys, which was acquired by Mattel in 1997. Matchbox cars are still sold today through Mattel. Odell was 87.

Sources: BBC News, NYTimes.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 19, 2007 11:41 AM | Comments (0)

 

Background music composer for Hogan's Heroes, The Tonight Show, and The Flintstones, et al. dead at 78

Composer Will H. Schaefer died of cancer Saturday, June 30, in a nursing home in Cathedral City near Palm Springs, California. Schaefer was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and was the arranger and assistant conductor with the U.S. Fifth Army Band during the Korean War. During his service he wrote music for "Radio Free Europe" and "The Voice of America." During his prolific career, Schaefer composed and recorded music for over 700 commercials, earning three Clio Awards for his work. Schaefer also created background music for TV shows, including Super Friends, Hogan's Heroes, The Jetsons, The Tonight Show, The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, and The Flying Nun. His music for the Disney TV movie The Skytrap earned Schaefer an Emmy Award nomination, and his concert piece for the 1976 Bicentennial celebration, "The Sound of America," earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination. Schaefer was 78.

Sources: imdb.com, Associated Press, Variety.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 18, 2007 4:20 PM | Comments (0)

 

"Unchained Melody" lyricist dead at 99

Hy Zaret died at his home Monday, July 2, about a month shy of his 100th birthday. "Unchained Melody" was written for the 1955 film called Unchained, and the song earned Zaret and composer Alex North Academy Award nominations for best song. The song has been recorded over 300 times by performers such as Elvis Presley, U2, and Lena Horne. The most famous version is by the Righteous Brothers, who, with Phil Spector producing, recorded the tune in 1965. It hit No. 4 on the Billboard charts, and became a hit again 25 years later when it appeared on the soundtrack to Ghost. According to the American Society of Composers, "Unchained Melody" became one of the 25 most-performed musical works of the 20th century. Zaret was 99.

Sources: Associated Press, oscars.org, IMDB.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 13, 2007 8:47 AM | Comments (0)

 

Founder of Amsterdam Red Light District "goodwill" center dead at 94

Alida Margaretha Bosshardt died Monday, June 25, of old age, according to Salvation Army spokeswoman Hella van der Schoot. Boddhardt joined the Salvation Army in 1934 and established a "goodwill" center in Amsterdam's Red Light District following World War II. The shelter assisted prostitutes and their children, the homeless, and drug addicts. Bosshardt spent more than 50 years in the Salvation Army, retiring in 1978 at age 65, but continued to volunteer and attend meetings until recently. In 2004, she received a knighthood in the Netherlands' Order of Oranje Naussau and the Israeli Holocaust museum gave her a "Righteous Among the Nations" award for helping Jewish children during the war. Bosshardt was 94.

Sources: Yahoo! News, Wikipedia

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 6, 2007 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

 

Defender of religious freedom in landmark 1961 case dead at 96

Roy R. Torcaso died Saturday, June 9 at the Himalayan Elderly Care assisted living home in Silver Spring, Maryland. Torcaso, an athiest, was working for a construction company in 1959 when his boss encouraged him to become a notary public. At the courthouse, Torcaso refused to take the state oath given to notaries, part of which included professing the existence of God. He was disqualified and the state barred his commission. In the case of Torcaso vs. Watkins, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Torcaso's favor, declaring the Maryland test for public office unconstitutionally invaded one's freedom of belief and religion guaranteed by the First Amendment and protected by the Fourth Amendment. In a quote from a recent Washington Post obituary, Torcaso stated at the time, "The point at issue is not whether I believe in a Supreme Being, but whether the state has a right to inquire into my beliefs." Torcaso was 96.

Sources: about.com, Washington Post, supremecourtus.gov, law.cornell.edu

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 5, 2007 2:03 PM | Comments (0)

 

Man who popularized bratwurst in the United States dead at 92

Ralph F. Stayer died Sunday, June 24, in his sleep at a Florida nursing home. Stayer was born in Ely, Minnesota, on March 15, 1915, and moved to Milwaukee as a teenager. He dropped out of school one month before graduation to support his parents and five younger siblings in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Stayer bought a butcher shop in 1945 and drew upon the Austrian and Slovenian heritage of he and his wife, Alice, to create a better-tasting bratwurst. Stayer built his butcher shop into the Johnsonville Sausage Co. Over the next 40 years, Johsonville grew into a multi-million dollar company, selling brats in over 40 countries and seasonally at 4,000 McDonald's restaurants and 16 NFL stadiums. Stayer was 92.

Sources: latimes.com, johnsonville.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 2, 2007 10:03 AM | Comments (0)

 

Janis Joplin's keyboardist dead at 61

Keyboardist and songwriter Richard Bell died Friday, June 15, after a long battle with multiple myeloma. The son of Canadian conductor, musician, and educator, Dr. Leslie Bell, Richard began playing piano at age four, and studied at Canada's Royal Conservatory of Music. Bell joined Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band in 1970 and appeared on her posthumously-released album Pearl which featured "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Mercedes Benz." Later he joined The Band and performed on three of their albums. As a studio musician, Bell played with artists such as Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Walsh, and the Cowboy Junkies on over 400 albums. He played on John Sebastian's album Welcome Back, which included the hit theme song for the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. Bell recently played with the Toronto jazz/blues/roots group Pork Belly Futures and on the Burrito Deluxe comeback album this spring. He was 61.

Sources: theglobeandmail.com, Yahoo! News, thestar.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at June 27, 2007 11:08 AM | Comments (0)

 

Swiss expedition member who forged path for Hillary's Mt. Everest ascent dead at 95

Ernest Hofstetter died at his French chalet on Friday, June 1. In 1952, Hofstetter and his climbing friends, meeting for their weekly gathering in a Geneva square, hatched a plan climb Mt. Everest. With legendary Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the friends made their way 23,620 feet up the mountain. Tenzing and another climber, Raymond Lambert, continued to climb, with Hofstetter and others remaining at camp, ready to attempt the rest of the journey if the pair failed. Tenzing and Lambert camped at 27,560 feet without sleeping bags, and reached 28,380 feet when fatigue and bad weather forced them back down the mountain. They had climbed to within 650 feet of the summit without the use of oxygen, as their Swiss-designed devices had failed. The following year, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay followed the path forged by Hofstetter and his group to successfully reach the 29,035-foot peak. Hillary's telegram to the Swiss friends stated "To you goes half the glory." The same path to the peak is still used today. Hofstetter was 95.

Sources: Associated Press, tenzing-norgay.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at June 26, 2007 5:58 AM | Comments (1)

 

First poet to write Arabic poetry in free verse dead at 85

Iraqi poet Nazek al-Malaika died Wednesday, June 20, of old age at a hospital in Cairo, where she had lived in self-imposed exile since 1990. Al-Malaika was born in Baghdad in 1922 and wrote her first poem at age 10. She graduated from the College of Arts in Baghdad in 1944 and received a master's degree in comparative literature from the University of Wisconsin. Influenced by William Shakespeare and Percy Bysshe Shelley, al-Malaika published her first book of poetry entitled Night's Lover in 1947. Between 1949 and 1968, al-Malaika published three more volumes of her work. After 40 years of teaching Arabic and literature in Iraqi schools and universities, she left Iraq in 1970 after spending two years under Saddam Hussein's oppressive regime. Al-Malaika lived in Kuwait until Saddam's 1990 invasion drove her to Cairo, Egypt. A group of Iraqi intellectuals recently wrote the government, protesting the negligence of "Iraq's greatest surviving symbol of literature." Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has released a statement expressing his condolences to "the family of the late poet, the dear daughter of Iraq, and all Iraqi poets and intellectuals." Al-Malaika was 85.

Sources: gulfnews.com, Associated Press, jehat.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at June 25, 2007 4:14 PM | Comments (0)

 

Choreographer of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," "Nine," and "My Favorite Year" dead at 57

Thommie Walsh died Saturday, June 16, after a long battle with lymphoma. Walsh enrolled at the Irma Baker School of Dance when he was five years old. He made his Broadway debut in 1973 dancing in the chorus of the musical "Seesaw." The show also featured Tommy Tune, with whom he'd collaborate on numerous occasions. Walsh created the role of Bobby in hit musical "A Chorus Line" in 1975. Walsh and Tune co-choreographed "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" in 1978 and won Tony Awards and Drama Desk Awards for their work in 1980's "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine." The pair also worked together on "Nine," and "My One and Only" which starred Tune and Twiggy. Walsh's résumé also includes staging for "The 1940s Radio Hour" (1979), "Do Patent Leather Shoes Reflect Up?" (1982) and "My Favorite Year" (1992). Walsh was 57.

sources: Yahoo! News, thommiewalsh.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at June 22, 2007 3:45 PM | Comments (0)

 

First man to cross the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean on foot dead at 72

Sir Wally Herbert died at a hospital in Inverness, Scotland, on Tuesday, June 12, having suffered from diabetes and heart trouble. Herbert was born in York, England, on Oct. 24, 1934 and served with the Royal Engineers in the Middle East from 1951-54 where he developed his surveying skills. While exploring the Antarctic in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Herbert mapped on foot approximately 45,000 square miles of new country and came within 200 miles of reaching the South Pole. He's retraced the routes of famed explorers Shackleton, Scott, Cook, and Amundsen in the Antarctic, and Peary and Sverdrup in the Arctic. Over 16 months during 1968-69, Herbert traveled on foot from Alaska to the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, covering 3,720 miles, reaching the North Pole on April 6, 1969. This was the first surface crossing of the Arctic Ocean. Herbert's exploring career spanned almost 50 years, 15 of which spent travelling over 23,000 miles in the wilderness regions of the polar world. He was 72.

Sources: channel4.com, Associated Press, sirwallyherbert.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at June 21, 2007 2:13 PM | Comments (0)

 

British air force's most decorated gunner in World War II dead at 87

Wallace McIntosh died Monday, June 4, at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary of lung cancer. McIntosh, born in 1920 at Tarves, Aberdeenshire, flew in the Royal Air Force from February 1943 to June 1944. Initially turned down by the RAF, McIntosh joined the air force in a junior capacity and trained as an air gunner. The Scotsman flew 55 sorties as a rear gunner and is believed to hold the record for most enemy kills (eight confirmed and one "probable"). On June 7, 1944, McIntosh was credited with downing three German fighter planes in his Lancaster bomber during a single D-Day advance mission. For his achievement, McIntosh received one of only three congratulatory telegrams ever sent by Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris. McIntosh was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal after 32 missions and twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the RAF's most vaunted medal for bravery. He was 87.

Sources: Yahoo! News, news.scotsman.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at June 20, 2007 11:04 AM | Comments (0)