Obituaries for 2020

[GrouchoTex]

I loved listening to walter Williams when he filled in for rush.
Sad news....

[PeteS in CA]

https://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2020/12/02/walter-e-williams-19362020-n2580965

Walter E. Williams 1936-2020

Walter Williams loved teaching. Unlike too many other teachers today, he made it a point never to impose his opinions on his students. Those who read his syndicated newspaper columns know that he expressed his opinions boldly and unequivocally there. But not in the classroom.

Walter once said he hoped that, on the day he died, he would have taught a class that day. And that is just the way it was, when he died on Wednesday, December 2, 2020.

He was my best friend for half a century. There was no one I trusted more or whose integrity I respected more. Since he was younger than me, I chose him to be my literary executor, to take control of my books after I was gone.
...
As an economist, Walter Williams never got the credit he deserved. His book "Race and Economics" is a must-read introduction to the subject. Amazon has it ranked 5th in sales among civil rights books, 9 years after it was published.

Another book of his, on the effects of economics under the white supremacist apartheid regime in South Africa, was titled "South Africa's War Against Capitalism." He went to South Africa to study the situation directly. Many of the things he brought out have implications for racial discrimination in other places around the world.

I have had many occasions to cite Walter Williams' research in my own books. Most of what others say about higher prices in low income neighborhoods today has not yet caught up to what Walter said in his doctoral dissertation decades ago.

A Great eulogizing another Great.

ETA:

Holding a black belt in karate, Walter was a tough customer. One night three men jumped him -- and two of those men ended up in a hospital.

 

[EasyAce]

You didn't have to be in his classroom for Walter Williams to teach you economics or remind you why fearing freedom is the choice of a fool. You had only to read his columns and his books to be instructed, reminded, and delighted all at once.

RIP Dr. Williams. To the Elysian Fields you go to reunite happily with your Connie, but here on earth your work endures.

[rangerrebew]

Dr. Walter Williams, R.I.P.
By Craig Rucker |December 3rd, 2020|Civil Rights|1 Comment

CFACT mourns the loss of economist Dr. Walter Williams who passed away this week.   Dr. Williams was a wise and tireless advocate for freedom.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Williams once after I gave a presentation in Washington.  He was a delightful man.  He has on a number of occasions mentioned CFACT’s work in his nationally-syndicated columns, most recently citing the work of Paul Driessen in a column this past March.

CFACT’s Marc Morano was a former student of Dr. Williams at George Mason University (he got a C).  Marc posted detailed thoughts at Climate Depot and CFACT.org.

https://www.cfact.org/2020/12/03/dr-walter-williams-r-i-p/

[rangerrebew]

A great advocate of rights for ALL people, he will be badly missed.

[FeelNoPain]

A great advocate of rights for ALL people, he will be badly missed.

 

[jmyrlefuller]

David Lander
TV's "Squiggy" dies at 73

Lander (né Landau), a native Brooklynite, met his comic partner Michael McKean while attending college in Pittsburgh. Together, they created the comic greaser duo Lenny and Squiggy, among other roles. They traveled to the West Coast and joined the seminal comedy troupe The Credibility Gap before bringing their Lenny and Squiggy act, virtually intact, to television on the hit television series Laverne & Shirley. The duo split when McKean left the series in 1982.

Lander continued his career for the next two decades, becoming a fixture in bit parts and voice-acting roles, using his natural Brooklyn greaser accent to full effect as a character actor. One notable example of a non-Brooklynite role he voiced was one of his longest-running, the recurring role of farm-boy "Doc Boy" Arbuckle in the Garfield cartoons.

Lander, who had suffered from multiple sclerosis since the mid-1980s but only went public with the diagnosis in 1999, died from complications of the disease December 4.

Obituary from TMZ

Wikipedia

IMDB

[Gefn]

RIP Squiggy.

I didn’t know he was Jon on “Garfield”

[jmyrlefuller]

RIP Squiggy.

I didn’t know he was Jon on “Garfield”

Jon was actually little-known Thom Huge. But David played the bald brother Doc Boy, a recurring character.


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[EasyAce]

Lander was also the ballpark announcer for the climactic championship game in A League of Their Own.

Hinson dropped the ball! Hinson dropped the ball! . . . I have seen enough to know I have seen too much!

RIP

[rustynail]

General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET.

[rangerrebew]

Aviation legend Chuck Yeager dies age 97
by Agence France-Presse
December 8, 2020
 
Aviation legend Chuck Yeager dies age 97

 
 
US aviation legend Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, has died, his wife announced Monday.

“It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET,” Victoria Yeager tweeted on her husband’s account.

“An incredible life well lived, America’s greatest Pilot, & a legacy of strength, adventure, & patriotism will be remembered forever.”

She did not specify the cause of her husband’s death.

https://www.defencetalk.com/aviation-legend-chuck-yeager-dies-age-97-76590/

[verga]

General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET.

RIP to an American Hero and Legend.

[Gefn]

RIP to a true hero. 97 was a great run.

[Gefn]

Chuck Yeager: First pilot to fly supersonic dies aged 97

US test pilot Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier, has died aged 97, his wife says.

In a tweet, Victoria Yeager wrote: "It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell you that my life love General Chuck Yeager passed just before 9pm ET."

Yeager went into the history books after his flight in the Bell X-1 experimental rocket plane in 1947.

He later broke several other speed and altitude records, helping to pave the way for the US space programme.

"An incredible life well lived, America's greatest Pilot, & a legacy of strength, adventure, & patriotism will be remembered forever," his wife wrote on Monday.

She provided no further details.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55225903

[mountaineer]

... 

He was “the most righteous of all those with the right stuff,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Bedke, commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards.

Yeager, from a small town in the hills of West Virginia, flew for more than 60 years, including piloting an X-15 to near 1,000 mph (1,609 kph) at Edwards in October 2002 at age 79.

“Living to a ripe old age is not an end in itself. The trick is to enjoy the years remaining,” he said in “Yeager: An Autobiography.”

“I haven’t yet done everything, but by the time I’m finished, I won’t have missed much,” he wrote. “If I auger in (crash) tomorrow, it won’t be with a frown on my face. I’ve had a ball.”

On Oct. 14, 1947, Yeager, then a 24-year-old captain, pushed an orange, bullet-shaped Bell X-1 rocket plane past 660 mph at 40,000 feet to break the sound barrier, at the time a daunting aviation milestone.
 ...

Full story

[Fishrrman]

If you've never watched "The Right Stuff", now might be a good time to do so.
You can "find it on the net" in 1080p if you know where to look.

Mr. Yeager has a cameo role as the bartender at the test flight base "cafe".

[Smokin Joe]

Farewell to one of aviation's greats. RIP General Yeager.

[mountaineer]

The Right Stuff
By Hoppy Kercheval
December 9, 2020 - 12:08 am

The story goes that Chuck Yeager was not impressed with the term “the right stuff.”

Author Tom Wolfe, in his book The Right Stuff, used the phrase to describe the qualities of Yeager and other pilots whose skill and bravery opened the avenue of supersonic flight and space exploration.

Wolfe singled out Yeager in his book, describing him as “the most righteous of all possessors of the right stuff.”

Asked about it by Newsweek in 1985, Yeager said the designation “jes’ don’t mean a rat’s fanny.”

The Lincoln County, West Virginia native spent a lifetime downplaying his long list of achievements.

As a WWII flying ace he shot down five German planes in one day. After he was shot down over France, he escaped by climbing over the snow-covered Pyrenees Mountains into Spain, carrying a wounded fellow soldier with him. ...

WV Metro News

[Cyber Liberty]

WV Metro News

"The Right Stuff" was, IMO, more about Yeager than any of the Mercury Seven.

[Gefn]

Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, ‘Friday’ Actor and Wrestler, Dies at 62

Tommy “Tiny” Lister, who appeared in “Friday” and “The Fifth Element” and was also a professional wrestler, died Thursday, his manager Cindy Cowan confirmed.

Cowan said he was found unresponsive in his apartment in Marina del Rey, Calif. after displaying symptoms of COVID-19 in recent days. He had been working on a film and had to cancel shooting after falling ill, Cowan said.

“He was a wonderful guy with a heart of gold. Everyone loved him. A real gentle giant,” she said, “We’re all devastated.”

Lister wrestled Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation after appearing as Zeus in 1989’s “No Holds Barred.” He later spent time in World Championship Wrestling, where he was billed as Z-Gangsta.

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/tommy-tiny-lister-dies-friday-actor-wrestler-1234851392/

[Gefn]

Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, ‘Friday’ Actor and Wrestler, Dies at 62

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/tommy-tiny-lister-dies-friday-actor-wrestler-1234851392/

I had only seen him in one movie- an Adam Sandler one. He played a big, scary demon/devil and he was good in that role.

[jmyrlefuller]

I had only seen him in one movie- an Adam Sandler one. He played a big, scary demon/devil and he was good in that role.

Little Nicky, it was. Weird and lowbrow, but definitely funny.

[jmyrlefuller]

Charley Pride
Country singer dies at 86



Pride began his career in Negro league baseball, and though injuries kept him from making the major leagues, he spent several years in the minors. He drew the attention of some of the biggest country musicians of the era during his baseball career, and after a stint in the military, he caught on in Nashville after Chet Atkins had heard one of his demo tapes and signed him to RCA Victor.

In a time when the South was heavily scrutinized for its anti-black reputation, Pride became one of Nashville's major superstars. He became the first black member of the Grand Ole Opry since founding member DeFord Bailey. Between 1967 and 1983, Pride's singles dominated the country charts, including a string of over 40 consecutive singles reaching the top 10 (many of them reaching number-1) between 1971 and 1983. He had one major pop crossover hit, "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'." His career tailed off somewhat in the late 1980s but he remained an active performer until his death.

Pride died December 12 from coronavirus complications.

Obituary from Variety

Wikipedia


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[verga]

Charley Pride
Country singer dies at 86



Pride began his career in Negro league baseball, and though injuries kept him from making the major leagues, he spent several years in the minors. He drew the attention of some of the biggest country musicians of the era during his baseball career, and after a stint in the military, he caught on in Nashville after Chet Atkins had heard one of his demo tapes and signed him to RCA Victor.

In a time when the South was heavily scrutinized for its anti-black reputation, Pride became one of Nashville's major superstars. He became the first black member of the Grand Ole Opry since founding member DeFord Bailey. Between 1967 and 1983, Pride's singles dominated the country charts, including a string of over 40 consecutive singles reaching the top 10 (many of them reaching number-1) between 1971 and 1983. He had one major pop crossover hit, "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'." His career tailed off somewhat in the late 1980s but he remained an active performer until his death.

Pride died December 12 from coronavirus complications.

Obituary from Variety

Wikipedia


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Loved his music. RIP sir.