Literotica Cemetary

[JennyOmanHill]

I.R.L. Rookie Dies After Prerace Collision

Published: March 27, 2006

The Indy Racing League rookie Paul Dana died yesterday after he was involved in a two-car collision during a practice session five hours before the season-opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.

Dana was a rookie who competed in three I.R.L. races last year.

A native of St. Louis, Dana was the newest driver on the Rahal Letterman Racing team, which also includes the 2004 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Rice and last year's IndyCar Series rookie of the year, Danica Patrick. The Hall of Fame driver Bobby Rahal and the late-night talk-show host David Letterman own the team.

Rice and Patrick withdrew from the Toyota Indy 300 which took place as scheduled.

"It is a very black day for us," Rahal said at a news conference before the race, which was won by Dan Wheldon, last year's I.R.L. champion.

Dana was fatally injured when his car slammed into the car driven by Ed Carpenter, the stepson of the I.R.L. founder, Tony George. Carpenter's car had gone into a spin on the second turn on the 1.5-mile oval. It then slid down the high banking and came to a stop near the bottom of the track before it was hit by Dana's car, which was traveling at nearly 200 miles an hour.

The collision occurred at 10:03 a.m. yesterday, two minutes into the final practice session before the race. Brian Barnhart, president and chief operating officer of the I.R.L., said the practice session was the first time in which all 20 cars were on the track at the same time.

Buddy Lazier, a veteran driver, told The Associated Press that Dana passed him and a car driven by Scott Sharp before hitting Carpenter's car. Lazier and Sharp were able to slow their cars to avoid hitting Carpenter, whose car is also owned by George. Dana carried too much speed into the corner, Lazier said.

Barnhart said that yellow caution lights functioned properly after Carpenter hit the wall. Rahal said a spotter had cautioned Dana about the accident.

"I think it would be conjecture and probably very irresponsible for me to try to dissect as to why what happened happened," Rahal said. "But there was no problem with communication."

Carpenter, 25, was in stable condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital when the Toyota Indy 300 began with only 16 cars. Wheldon won the race by 0.0147 seconds, or three feet, over Hélio Castroneves.

Before the race, Wheldon placed Dana's car number, 17, on the side of his car. When asked afterward what he would remember most about Dana, Wheldon struggled for an answer. Appearing overwhelmed, he put down his microphone, put on his sunglasses and left the interview room.

"All the drivers here know the risks," Castroneves said. "We know the sport. But we're here because we love what we do. Nobody wants to see something like that happen. At the same time, we need to know how to deal with it. It's not the first time it's happened. And unfortunately, I don't think it'd be the last time."

Dana is the first I.R.L. driver to die as the result of an accident since Tony Renna was killed during testing in Indianapolis on Oct. 22, 2003.

Yesterday's race was the first of only 14 this season for the struggling I.R.L., which was started in 1994 by George, the chief executive officer at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; there were 17 races last season. Kevin Kalkoven, the co-owner of the ChampCar series, which is also struggling, and George said Friday that they had talked about a reunification of the open-wheel circuits.

The decision to pull the popular Patrick out of yesterday's race did not sit well with several of her fans at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where a crowd estimated at 30,000 watched the race. She signed autographs before leaving the track without comment an hour before the race.

"If I was in that situation, I would want to win the race in Dana's honor," said Tim Hawks of Miami Spring.

Dana had been a journalism major at Northwestern and covered racing for AutoWeek and Sports Illustrated in 1997 while he launched his driving career. He was named by Rahal in January to replace Vitor Meira, who is with Panther Racing this season. Dana drove in three races with Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing last year but broke his back in a practice accident before the Indy 500.

"He had a lot of enthusiasm for learning and was coming along very nicely," Steve Dickson, the manager for Rahal Letterman Racing, said of Dana. "You never think too much about something like this happening."

As darkness fell, only one number was left on the scoreboard at the racetrack: 17.

 

[sweet soft kiss]

`Dark Shadows` Dan Curtis dead at 78

Mar 28, 2006, 14:12 GMT


LOS ANGELES, CA, United States (UPI) -- The Emmy Award-winning director and creator of ABC`s hit soap 'Dark Shadows,' Dan Curtis, died in Los Angeles Monday at age 78.

The cause of death was cancer, Daily Variety reported.

In addition to the gothic afternoon soap, 'Dark Shadows,' Curtis produced and directed the Emmy-winning TV miniseries 'War and Remembrance' and the Golden Globe-winning 'The Winds of War.'

'Dark Shadows' ran for 1,225 episodes from 1966 to 1971, spawned two feature spinoffs and a 1991 TV remake, Variety said.

The Bridgeport, Conn., native also created ABC`s 'Challenge Golf' show and 'The CBS Match Play Golf Classic.'

Curtis produced and directed several TV movies including 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,' 'The Night Stalker,' 'Trilogy of Terror,' 'The Turn of the Screw' and 'Dracula.' 'Bridgeport: When Every Day Was the Fourth of July' and 'The Long Days of Summer' were loosely based on his life, Variety said.

His film credits include 'Burnt Offerings,' a 1996 horror film starring Karen Black, Oliver Reed and Bette Davis.

He is survived by two daughters.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Controversial Psychologist For Brian Wilson Dies

Landy Pioneered '24-Hour Therapy'
POSTED: 10:11 am CST March 29, 2006

LOS ANGELES -- Eugene Landy, the psychologist who gained notoriety for his controversial treatment of and control over Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson, has died.

His colleague, William Flaxman said Landy died last week in Honolulu of respiratory complications of lung cancer.

He was 71.

Landy pioneered what he called "24-hour therapy," in which he worked with patients for long, uninterrupted periods.

He began treating Wilson off and on starting in 1975, when the Beach Boys founder rarely got out of bed, showered or talked to anyone.

Medical authorities investigated him in 1988 for entering a profit-sharing partnership with the singer.

Landy denied charges of negligence and Wilson defended him.

Landy, however, eventually admitted to unlawfully prescribing drugs to the musician and temporarily surrendered his license.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Gene Pitney, 65

http://z.about.com/d/oldies/1/0/B/7/genepitneyblog.jpg

April 6, 2006

Gene Pitney, a successful songwriter of the early 1960s rock-pop scene who reinvented himself as a teen idol with a melodramatic tenor and such hits as the Oscar-nominated "Town Without Pity," was found dead Wednesday morning in a hotel room in Wales. He was 65.

The 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee had performed Tuesday night in Cardiff, one of the many European cities where the American singer remained popular despite his 1960s fade from fame in his native country.

"We don't have a cause of death at the moment, but looks like it was a very peaceful passing," James Kelly, Pitney's tour manager, told the Associated Press.

Gene Francis Allan Pitney was born Feb. 17, 1941, in Hartford, Conn., and during his youth in nearby Rockville, he became an adept musician. As the 1950s came to a close, the teen had already been frontman in his own band, Gene and the Genials.

Music publisher and songwriter Aaron Schroeder signed the young Pitney, who in the early 1960s wrote the signature Ricky Nelson hit "Hello Mary Lou," the Roy Orbison tune "Today's Teardrops," the Crystals classic "He's a Rebel" and Bobby Vee's "Rubber Ball."

But Pitney wanted to be in the spotlight himself, and he found it in 1961 with the release of "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away."

That recording cracked the Top 40 and was notable for its then-unusual multitrack production and overdubbed sound as well as the vibrato that would become a Pitney hallmark.

That studio ambition, which set Pitney apart from teen idols of the time, was also in play on his third single, "Every Breath I Take," which became a classic example of producer Phil Spector's famed "wall of sound" production.

In 1962, Pitney had a hit with the story-song "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance," which was intended as a tailored movie theme to the John Ford western that had the same title and starred John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.

"We were in the studio about to record the song and [songwriter Burt] Bacharach informed us that the film just came out," Pitney would later tell Mike Ragogna, who wrote the liner notes for a Pitney greatest hits collection.

The western-themed hit song was written by Bacharach and Hal David, who would give Pitney a chain of hits: "Only Love Can Break a Heart" in 1962 and "24 Hours from Tulsa" and "True Love Never Runs Smooth" a year later.

"He was a rare talent and a beautiful man, and his voice was unlike any other. I have great memories of working in the studio recording with Gene," Bacharach said Wednesday in a statement.

"Only Love Can Break a Heart" would become Pitney's strongest chart success, peaking at No. 2 in the U.S. in November 1962. There was a satisfying consolation — the song in the No. 1 spot was the Pitney-penned "He's a Rebel."

As his American audience shrank, he looked to Europe for his fans. The man who had been voted "Italy's favorite singer" in 1964 recorded in Spanish and Italian and twice finished second at the San Remo Song Festival.

In 1970, angry about a tax squabble with the U.S. government, Pitney decided that the life he wanted was the faraway road. Over the next 15 years, his pattern would be to tour Europe in the fall, spend the winter at home, and then go to Japan, Australia and New Zealand before a summer spent back in Connecticut.

His British fan base remained strong and, in 1989, he even had a surprise hit when Marc Almond of the techno-pop duo Soft Cell joined Pitney to record a new version of his 1960s song "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart." In 1990, the resulting duet gave Pitney his lone No. 1 hit on the British charts.

Last week, in an interview with the South Wales Evening Post on the eve of his final concert, Pitney reflected on the 1960s zenith of his career: "It was a unique period. I was having a hell of a good time traveling the world, writing, performing and recording."

Pitney is survived by his wife, Lynne, and three sons, David, Todd and Chris.



A more recent article has confirmed he died of natural causes (most likely heart disease).

 

[Tati]

Youngest of the Pointer Sisters Dies at 52

June Pointer, the youngest of the singing Pointer Sisters, died of cancer Tuesday at Santa Monica University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, her family has announced. She was 52.

Pointer, whose type of cancer was not disclosed, had been hospitalized since late February. She died "in the arms of her sisters, Ruth and Anita and her brothers, Aaron and Fritz, by her side," said a family statement. "Although her sister, Bonnie, was unable to be present, she was with her in spirit."

Known for such '70s and '80s hits as "I'm So Excited," "Fire," and "Slow Hand," the sisters – who also have two brothers – grew up singing in the choir of an Oakland church where their parents were ministers.

Professionally, sisters Ruth, Anita, Bonnie and June began as a quartet. Their initial album, The Pointer Sisters, debuted in 1973 and the song "Yes We Can Can" became their first hit. The group became a trio when Bonnie embarked on a solo career in 1977.

The Pointers' successful 1984 album Break Out earned two Grammy awards for the songs "Automatic" and "Jump (For My Love)." The album's other hit, "Neutron Dance," was prominently featured in the movie soundtrack for the Eddie Murphy comedy Beverly Hills Cop.

In 2004, June Pointer was charged with felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor possession of a smoking device, reports the Associated Press. She was ordered to a rehabilitation facility and replaced in the family singing group by sister Ruth's daughter, Issa.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Rapper "Proof" killed

DETROIT --

A man was charged Friday with weapons violations in a shooting earlier this week that took the life of hip-hop artist Proof, a close friend of Eminem.

Mario Etheridge, 28, of Detroit, was charged Friday with carrying a concealed weapon and discharge of a firearm in a building, according to the Wayne County prosecutor's office.

"Our investigation in this case is far from over," Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement.

Assistant prosecutor Maria Miller said that without the weapons charges, authorities would have had to release Etheridge from custody. But she would not comment when asked if more charges are possible.

"Our investigation into the death of Proof continues. There can't be any conclusions about anything until that investigation is completed," she said.

Etheridge will be arraigned Saturday in 36th District Court in Detroit. He has been held by police since he surrendered Wednesday afternoon; his attorney has said the shooting was in self-defense and Etheridge should not be charged.

If convicted, Etheridge faces a maximum of five years in prison on the concealed weapon charge and four years on the discharging a firearm count.

Detroit police said they were told by witnesses that Etheridge shot Proof early Tuesday after Proof shot Army veteran Keith Bender, 35, inside the CCC, a nightclub in a strip of businesses along Eight Mile Road.

The thoroughfare, which divides Detroit and its northern suburbs, was made famous in the 2002 film named for the road and which starred Eminem.

Bender remained in critical condition Friday with a gunshot wound to the head.

Etheridge's lawyer, Randall Upshaw, said they will fight the charges. He would not say whether his client fired the gun.

"If anyone discharged the weapon, it was in defense of others or themselves," he said. "If it takes discharging a weapon to save a life, then I find it disturbing that you would be charged with discharging a weapon."

Upshaw said the charges give police a reason to hold Etheridge while they investigate.

A message was left Friday for Proof's lawyer, David J. Gorosh, who previously has said that the police investigation will clear the rapper's name.

Proof's funeral will be held on Wednesday, said Khalid el-Hakim, vice president of Iron Fist Records, Proof's record label.

Eminem issued a statement Friday saying that Proof, 32, was his best friend and helped make him a star.

"He pushed me to become who I am. Without Proof's guidance and encouragement there would have been a Marshall Mathers, but probably not an Eminem and certainly never a Slim Shady," the statement said. "Not a day will go by without his spirit and influence around us all. He will be missed as a friend, father and both the heart and ambassador of Detroit hip-hop."

"He inspired everyone around him. He can never, ever be replaced. He was, and always will be, my best friend," the statement said.

Proof was a member of the rap group D12 and was the best man in Eminem's January wedding.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

British Novelist Muriel Spark Dies at 88

Apr 15, 6:50 AM (ET)

ROME (AP) - Dame Muriel Spark, whose spare and humorous novels made her one of the most admired British writers of the post World War II years, has died in Tuscany, Italian officials said Saturday. She was 88.

Spark died Thursday in a hospital in Florence, said Massimiliano Dindalini, the mayor of the Tuscan village of Civitella della Chiana, where Spark had lived for almost three decades.

Spark wrote more than 20 novels, including "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie."

She had lived in Italy since the late 1960s, first in Rome and later in a converted 13th-century church in Tuscany with her friend of many years, painter and sculptor Penelope Jardine.

But she retained the accent of her birth and youth in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she attended James Gillespie's High School for Girls and was taught by the prototype for her most famous character - Miss Jean Brodie.

That 1961 book, later adapted for a very successful theatrical play and movie, made her famous internationally. But she already had written seven novels, three volumes of poetry and, since 1950, had been producing respected biographical and critical work about the Bronte family, Mary Shelley and John Masefield.

"The Girls of Slender Means," considered by many to be her best novel, was published in 1963, drawing on her experience as a young woman struggling to make ends meet while writing in London.

Most of Spark's novels are short and spare, with the plots often bizarre or macabre, satirical or darkly humorous.

She was made a dame in 1993, the female equivalent of a knight. In 1963, she became a fellow of The Royal Society of Literature, and in 1978 an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

She received the David Cohen Literature Prize for lifetime achievement in 1997.

Among Spark's poetic works are 1952's "The Fanfarlo and Other Verse" and 1982's "Going up to Sotheby's and other poems."

Spark is survived by her son, Robin.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Tony Award-Winner Henderson Forsythe Dies at 88

April 19, 2006

http://www.thelin.net/laurent/cinema/photos/le_mystere_silkwood/henderson_forsythe.jpg

Tony Award-winner Henderson Forsythe, who was featured in numerous Broadway shows and was seen on "As the World Turns" for over three decades, died in Williamsburg Landing, VA on Monday, April 17th at the age of 88.

Born in Macon, MO on September 11th, 1917, he earned the title of captain during WWII. Making his Broadway debut in 1950's The Cellar and the Well, he won a 1979 Tony Award for his performance as Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd in the original Broadway production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. He appeared as an alternate in the role of George during the original production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Forsythe, who had over a dozen Broadway credits to his name, also appeared in two other major original productions: as Harry in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance and as Petey in Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party. His other Broadway credits included Harvey, The Freedom of the City and Some Americans Abroad.

With his wife Dorothea, he appeared in plays at the Erie Playhouse in Pennsylvania. His film credits included End of the Line, Silkwood and Manhattan.

Forsythe is best known to television viewers for playing Dr. David Stewart on the CBS soap opera "As the World Turns" for 33 years.

Forsythe is survived by Dorothea, as well as his sons Eric and Jason, his daughters-in-law Kathryn and Anna, and by four grandchildren--Grant, Gwyneth, Richard and Michelle

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Tragedy Strikes Yankee Family

April 20, 2006 -- Tragedy ripped through the Yankees' organization last night when Oscar Acosta and Humberto Trejo were killed in a car crash in the Dominican Republic. The 49-year-old Acosta, who was the manager of the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Rookie League and a major player in the Yankees' Dominican operations, was traveling with the 38-year-old Trejo, the Yankees' field coordinator in the Dominican, on a highway outside the capitol of Santo Domingo.

"Not much is known at this time," said minor-league head Mark Newman, who arrived in the Dominican hours after the accident. Newman planned the trip before the accident.

Acosta, who served as Columbus' (Triple-A) pitching coach for three seasons (1996-98) also had pitching-coach experience at the major-league level, having worked for the Cubs and Rangers.

"He was the best pitching coach I have ever been around," said Stump Merrill, the manager of the Clippers when the no-nonsense Acosta was his pitching coach.

Acosta managed the Gulf Coast Yankees to that league's title the past two years and was set to begin his third season at the helm of the Yankees' youngest minor-league team.

He leaves a wife, Kathy and three children - Melissa, Amanda and Ryan.

Trejo was in his 16th season working for the Yankees. He was a manager, coach and coordinator of the Yankees' Latin America player-development program since 1991. He leaves behind a wife, Beatriz Sanchez, and two children, Geralin and Jessica.

 

[sweet soft kiss]

Steve Howe killed in truck accident

So much talent and so many chances...

Posted: Friday April 28, 2006 6:58PM; Updated: Friday April 28, 2006 9:10PM



NEW YORK (AP) -- Steve Howe, the relief pitcher whose promising career was derailed by cocaine and alcohol abuse, died Friday when his pickup truck rolled over in Coachella, Calif. He was 48.

Howe was killed at 5:55 a.m. PDT about 130 miles east of Los Angeles, said Dalyn Backes of the Riverside County coroner's office. He had been in Arizona on business and was driving back to the family home in Valencia, Calif., business partner Judy Welp said.

Toxicology tests had not yet been performed.

The hard-throwing lefty was the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, got the final out to clinch the 1981 World Series and was an All-Star the next year.

But for all of his success on the field, Howe was constantly troubled by addictions -- he was suspended seven times and became a symbol of the rampant cocaine problem that plagued baseball in the 1980s.

"I just saw Steve last winter when his son was pitching against my son," former teammate and Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Friday night. "Everything was looking up for him and he looked great. It makes you numb when you hear about a situation like this. He had a roller-coaster ride."

Howe was 47-41 with 91 saves and a 3.03 ERA with the Dodgers, Twins, Rangers and Yankees. His final season in the majors was 1996, and the Yankees released him in June.

A moment of silence was observed at Yankee Stadium before New York played Toronto on Friday night. Howe played for the Yankees from 1991-96.

Two days after the Yankees let him go in 1996, Howe was arrested at a Delta Airlines terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport when a loaded .357 Magnum was detected inside his suitcase. He later pleaded guilty to gun possession and was placed on three years' probation and given 150 hours of community service.

Howe tried a comeback in 1997 with Sioux Falls of the independent Northern League and retired after injuring his forearm. That August, he was critically injured in a motorcycle accident in Montana and charged with drunken driving; those charges were later dropped when prosecutors decided his blood test was improperly obtained.

"He was extremely talented, very confident on the mound and had an incredible arm," Scioscia said. "Obviously, he didn't reach his potential because of other things that crept into his life."

Said former Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda: "Steve played for me for five years and I thought the world of him. I am truly sorry to hear about his passing and my deepest sympathies go out to his family."

Howe was suspended for the 1984 season by commissioner Bowie Kuhn for cocaine use. Howe was out of the majors in 1986 after a relapse the previous August with Minnesota.

Texas released him before the 1988 season because of an alcohol problem, and he did not pitch again in the big leagues until 1991.

In recent years, Howe owned an energy drink company in Arizona.

"His goal was to bring an all-natural energy drink to the United States," Welp said. "He was so giving, always trying to help people. He used to always say, 'I'm all about the underdog."'

When baseball began checking for steroids in 2005, Howe said he supported a testing program.

"I was one of the first to be fried and tried," he said then.

Yet Howe said he did not think the steroid problem was as big as some believed.

"For whatever reasons, holes have been dug by everybody, so you do what it takes to clear it," he said at the time. "A guy asked me one time, 'Well, how bad is the drug problem in major league baseball?' And I go, 'Go take a survey of your housewives, your doctors, your lawyers, your people down the street, and there you got your problem."'

Howe was 7-9 with 17 saves in 1980, pitching in 59 games as a major part of the Dodgers' bullpen. He played for Los Angeles through the 1983 season.

"He had a lot of talent and his heart was in the right place," former teammate Steve Sax told The Associated Press by telephone. "He meant well. He had a lot of opportunities. He just had a lot of problems that he couldn't solve."

Howe's struggles were splashed across the sports pages by the mid-1980s, when cocaine use was baseball's most well-publicized predicament. On Thursday, commissioner Bud Selig said that unlike with steroids, baseball was well aware of its troubles then.

"In the '80s, this sport had a very serious cocaine problem -- and that was a pretty consistent pattern," Selig said.

Howe was survived by his wife, Cindy, daughter Chelsi and son Brian.
Steve Howe Chronology

June 5, 1979 -- First round-draft selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1980 -- Saved 17 games for Los Angeles and named National League Rookie of the Year.

1982 -- Enters drug rehabilitation after the season.

June 29, 1983 -- Fined one month's salary ($53,867) and placed on probation by the Dodgers after admitting a drug problem.

July 15, 1983 -- Reported late for game and suspended two days by the Dodgers.

Sept. 23, 1983 -- Missed team flight to Atlanta and suspended indefinitely by the Dodgers for what the team says is cocaine dependency. Goes into substance abuse rehabilitation.

Dec. 15, 1983 -- Suspended for one year by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for cocaine use.

May 1984 -- In a grievance settlement, agreed not to play in 1984.

June 23, 1985 -- Fined $300 by Los Angeles for arriving three hours late for a game.

July 1, 1985 -- Placed on the restricted list by the National League for three days at the Dodgers' request after missing a game against Atlanta. Released by the Dodgers two days later.

Aug. 12, 1985 -- Signed by the Minnesota Twins, but released a month later after missing three games with what the team said was a "temporary recurrence" of cocaine problem.

March 20, 1986 -- Signed by San Jose of the California League.

May 15, 1986 -- Suspended by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues after allegedly testing positive for cocaine. The following month he was suspended again through Dec. 31 for the same reason; San Jose released him the day his suspension was over.

July 11, 1987 -- Signed by Oklahoma City of the Class AAA American Association; the Texas Rangers purchased his contract the following month.

November 1987 -- Agreed to two-year, $1.2 million contract with Texas.

Jan. 19, 1988 -- Released by Texas after violating aftercare program by using alcohol.

April 4, 1990 -- Signs contract with Salinas of the California League.

Feb. 1991 -- Signs contract with Columbus of the International League.

May 9, 1991 -- Contract purchased by the New York Yankees.

Nov. 5, 1991 -- Signs one-year contract with the New York Yankees.

Dec. 19, 1991 -- Arrested on cocaine charges in Kalispell, Mont.

June 8, 1992 -- Suspended indefinitely after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in Missoula, Mont., to a misdemeanor charge of attempting to buy a gram of cocaine.

June 24, 1992 -- Suspended permanently by Commissioner Fay Vincent.

Aug. 18, 1992 -- Fined the minimum $1,000 and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service by a federal judge in Montana and placed on probation.

Nov. 11, 1992 -- Reinstated by a baseball arbitrator.

June 22, 1996 -- Released by Yankees.

June 24, 1996 -- Arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York when a police officer spots a loaded .357 Magnum pistol in his carry-on baggage.

April 1997 -- Signs with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the independent Northern League in comeback attempt at age 39 but quits midseason because of an arm injury.

Aug. 19, 1997 -- Critically injured in a motorcycle crash and later charged with drunken driving. Charges later dropped after prosecutors decided his blood test was improperly obtained.

April 1, 1999 -- Suspended as a volunteer coach for his daughter's softball team in Whitefish, Mont. girls' softball team.

April 28, 2006 -- Dies in a one-vehicle car accident in Coachella, Calif., when his pickup truck rolls over in the early morning. Howe was 48.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

[breakwall]

Wait...I can get up to 4 refinance quotes on ONE FORM? Sign me up!

 

[sweet soft kiss]

Wait...I can get up to 4 refinance quotes on ONE FORM? Sign me up!

LOL... Let me edit that out.....

 

[breakwall]

LOL... Let me edit that out.....

No, leave it in. It gives the article a sense of urgency and veracity.

 

[sweet soft kiss]

No, leave it in. It gives the article a sense of urgency and veracity.

He's dead.. urgency ain't gonna be high on his list.

 

[linuxgeek]

Elma Gardner "Pem" Farnsworth

src

Television pioneer dies at 98

Tuesday, May 2, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- Elma Gardner "Pem" Farnsworth, who helped her husband, Philo T. Farnsworth, develop the television and was among the first people whose images were transmitted on TV, has died at age 98.

Her death Thursday was confirmed by Mary Rippley, assistant director of nursing at Avalon Care Center in Bountiful, where Farnsworth lived.

Farnsworth, who married the young inventor in 1926, worked by her husband's side in his laboratories and fought for decades to assure his place in history after his 1971 death.

Other inventors had demonstrated various developments in the 1920s, including mechanical transmission of images, but it was Farnsworth's work that led to the electronic TV we know today.

His first TV transmission was on September 7, 1927, in his San Francisco lab, when the 21-year-old inventor sent the image of a horizontal line to a receiver in the next room.

He said inspiration for his invention had come seven years earlier, while plowing a field on his family's Idaho farm. He realized an image could be scanned onto a picture tube the same way: row by row.

His widow recalled that morning in the lab "like it was yesterday," she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2002. "It was a very small screen, about the size of a postage stamp, an inch and a half square. At first, we were stunned. It was too good to be true. Then Phil said, 'There you have it -- electric television."'

According to the book "Philo T. Farnsworth: The Father of Television" by Donald G. Godfrey, the first human images transmitted by Farnsworth were of his wife and her brother, Cliff Gardner. A 3 1/2-inch-square image of his wife with her eyes closed was transmitted on October 19, 1929, Gardner wrote. The book lists her as "first woman on TV."

But credit for the invention nearly escaped Farnsworth after RCA claimed the innovation was the work of its chief television engineer, Vladimir Zworykin. In 1935, the courts ruled on Farnsworth's patent, naming him TV's undisputed father. The decision was upheld on appeal, though Farnsworth continued to get little recognition.

Philo Farnsworth gave his wife equal credit in his invention, saying, "my wife and I started this TV," according to Godfrey.

He eventually was featured on a U.S. postage stamp, and a historical marker was placed on the San Francisco building where the first Farnsworth television image was projected. A statue of her husband now stands in the U.S. Capitol bearing the inscription: "Philo Taylor Farnsworth: Inventor of Television."

Elma Farnsworth was received with applause when she stood up at the Academy of Television Arts & Science's Emmy Awards tribute to her husband in Los Angeles in 2002.

The battle between Farnsworth and RCA boss David Sarnoff was told in several books, including his widow's 1990 autobiography, "Distant Vision."

Evan I. Schwartz, who wrote "The Last Lone Inventor: A Tale of Genius, Deceit and the Birth of Television," said in 2002 that he, like many people, were puzzled when he began researching the story.

"I had heard the name. You can't forget the name," Schwartz said. "But then I had these questions: Who WAS this guy? How could you invent the defining technology of the century and remain virtually anonymous? That's quite a trick."

Elma Farnsworth was born near Vernal on Feb. 25, 1908. Her family moved to Provo, where she met the man she would marry and call "Phil." The couple had four sons. The Farnsworths lived in several parts of the country, including in Fort Wayne, Indiana, before returning to Utah.

In a 1999 interview with The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne, she recalled that she was more interested in fighting for recognition of her husband than he was.

"He'd say, 'We have too much to do for the future to worry about the past. History will take care of that,"' she said.

"He told me early on, 'We're going to be right on the leading edge, and it's going to be very exciting."'

Survivors include sons Russell of New York and Kent of Fort Wayne.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Former Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson Dead at 71

May 11, 4:09 PM (ET)

Floyd Patterson, an undersized champion who avenged an embarrassing loss to Ingemar Johansson by beating him a year later to become the first boxer to regain the heavyweight title, died Thursday. He was 71.

Patterson died at his home in New Paltz, N.Y. He had Alzheimer's disease for about eight years and prostate cancer, nephew Sherman Patterson said.

Patterson's career was marked by historic highs and humiliating lows. He won the title twice, but took a beating from Muhammad Ali in a title fight and was knocked out twice in the first round by Sonny Liston.

Patterson, who weighed only 189 pounds for the first fight, was a tenacious boxer who often fought bigger opponents - and almost as often found himself on the canvas. He was down a total of 19 times in his career, getting up 17 of them.

"They said I was the fighter who got knocked down the most, but I also got up the most," Patterson once said.

Following the first knockout to Liston, Patterson was so embarrassed he wore a disguise. The two fought a rematch only 10 months later in Las Vegas, in 1963, and Patterson fared even worse.

Liston dropped him to the canvas three times before the fight was halted at 2:09 of the first round.

Patterson emerged from a troubled childhood in Brooklyn to win the Olympic middleweight championship in 1952.

In 1956, the undersized heavyweight became, at age 21, the youngest man to win the title with a fifth-round knockout of Archie Moore.

But three years later, Patterson was knocked down seven times in the third round in losing the title to Johansson at the Polo Grounds in New York City.

Patterson returned with a vengeance at the same site in 1960, knocking out Johansson with a tremendous left hook to retake the title.

Despite his accomplishment, he was so humiliated when he lost the title on a first-round knockout to Sonny Liston in 1962 that he left Comiskey Park in Chicago wearing dark glasses and a fake beard. Patterson again was knocked out in the first round by Liston in 1963.

Patterson got two more shots at winning the title a third time. Battered and taunted for most of the fight by Muhammad Ali, Patterson was stopped in the 12th round in 1965. He lost a disputed 15-round decision to WBA champion Jimmy Ellis in 1968.

Overall, Patterson finished 55-8-1 with 40 knockouts. He was knocked out five times and knocked down a total of at least 15 times. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.

After retiring in 1972, Patterson remained close to the sport. He served twice as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission.

His second term began when he was picked in 1995 by Gov. George Pataki to help rebuild boxing in New York.

On April 1, 1998, Patterson resigned the post after a published report said a three-hour videotape of a deposition he gave in a lawsuit revealed he couldn't recall important events in his boxing career.

Patterson said he was very tired during the deposition and, "It's hard for me to think when I'm tired."

Patterson, one of 11 children, was in enough trouble as a youngster to be sent to the Wiltwyck School for Boys. After being released, he took up boxing, won a New York Golden Gloves championship and then the Olympic gold medal in the 165-pound class at Helsinki, Finland.

"If it wasn't for boxing, I would probably be behind bars or dead," he said in a 1998 interview.

He turned pro in 1952 under the management of Cus D'Amato, who in the 1980s would develop another heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson. Patterson fought as a light heavyweight until becoming a heavyweight in 1956.

After regaining the title, Patterson was on the verge of losing it again when he was knocked down twice by Johansson in the first round in 1961. But Patterson knocked down Johansson before the round was over, then won on a sixth-round knockout.

He made a successful defense, then lost the title to Liston in a fight a lot of people didn't want him to take. In fact, taking the match caused a split between Patterson and D'Amato.

Patterson said in 1997 that another person who didn't want him to fight Liston was President Kennedy.

"I'm sorry, Mr. President," Patterson said he told Kennedy. "The title is not worth anything if the best fighters can't have a shot at it. And Liston deserves a shot."

Patterson retired after been stopped by Ali in the seventh round of a non-title match in 1972 at Madison Square Garden.

Patterson and his second wife, Janet, lived on a farm near New Paltz, N.Y. After leaving the athletic commission, Patterson counseled troubled children for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

He also adopted Tracy Harris two years after the 11-year-old boy began hanging around the gym at Patterson's home. In 1992, Tracy Harris Patterson, with his father's help, won the WBC super bantamweight championship.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Cy Feuer, Producer of Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed, Dead at 95

17 May 2006

Cy Feuer, a legendary Broadway producer and director, and immediate past chairman and longtime president of The League of American Theatres and Producers, died the morning of May 17 at age 95, at home in Manhattan.

The League announced Mr. Feuer's death. During his 50-plus year career on Broadway, he brought to life many of America's most popular and respected musicals, including Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

In his honor, the marquee lights on Broadway, and at many theatres throughout the country, will be dimmed May 18 at 8 PM for one minute.

With his partner, the late Ernest H. Martin, he produced such musicals as Where's Charley, Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, The Boy Friend, Silk Stockings, Whoop-Up, the Tony Award and the Pulitzer-Prize winning How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, as well as Little Me, The Goodbye People and The Act.

Guys and Dolls (1950), with a score by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling, drawn from stories by Damon Runyon, is still considered one of the most crafty, tight and tuneful pieces of musical theatre writing to emerge on Broadway. It has been revived on Broadway three times (including a City Center production), and a new 2005 London production received raves and awards — and is said to be Broadway-bound.

He directed as well as produced Skyscraper, Whoop-Up, Little Me and Walking Happy, and he directed the play I Remember Mama.

Mr. Feuer was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning three; one for Guys and Dolls and two for How To Succeed. Mr. Feuer received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 2003. His feature film credits include the eight-time Academy Award-winning "Cabaret" and "A Chorus Line."

From 1989-2003, he was President and later Chairman of The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc., the national trade association for Broadway producers, presenters and theatre owner/operators.

In 2003, Mr. Feuer published his memoir, "I Got the Show Right Here: The Amazing True Story of How an Obscure Brooklyn Horn Player Became the Last Great Broadway Showman," written with Ken Gross, in which he looked back on his remarkable career on Broadway and in Hollywood, working with such legendary talent as Bob Fosse, Frank Loesser, George S. Kaufman, Cole Porter, Julie Andrews, Abe Burrows, Gwen Verdon, John Steinbeck, Martin Scorsese, and George Balanchine.

Born in Brooklyn, New York on Jan. 15, 1911, Mr. Feuer later attended New Utrecht High School, then Juilliard, where he studied music. He pursued a music career, playing the trumpet at Radio City and other theatres, then becoming composer and head of the Music Department of Republic Pictures during the 1930s and '40s. Mr. Feuer was a captain in the Army Air Force during World War II. In 1947, he returned to New York, where he became a producer for the Broadway stage, a career that lasted more than 50 years.

He is survived by two sons, Jed and Bob, and their families. A celebration of his life will be announced at a future time.

 

[GeorgeWBush]

50's TV Icon Clarabelle the Clown Dies

NEW YORK, NY (KNX) -- Sad news for an entire generation of baby boomers...Clarabelle the Clown is dead.

Lew Anderson played the silent clown in the final years of the most popular children's show from television's early days, "Howdy Doody."

In front of a children's audience in the "Peanut Gallery," Anderson used bicycle horns and seltzer bottles to communicate with and bedevil the show's host, Buffalo Bob Smith.

Anderson was the third actor to play with mute clown. The first, Bob Keeshan, went on to become the venerable Captain Kangaroo. Anderson assumed the role after Bobby Nicholson moved into another role on the circus-themed kid's show, that of J. Cornelius Cobb. Smith said in his memoir that, while there were three Clarabelles, Anderson was by far the best in the role. Smith died of cancer in 1998.

Anderson went on to a successful career as a big-band jazz musician, but still continued to make appearances as Clarabelle as recently as February of 2000, when he showed up in full costume, make-up and seltzer bottle at a New York store, the NBC Experience.

Lew Anderson died of complications from prostate cancer. He was 84.

http://www.knx1070.com/pages/36538.php

 

[sweet soft kiss]

Former Berkeley student known as "Naked Guy" dies in jail

Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The former University of California, Berkeley student known as the "Naked Guy," who gained notoriety for attending class in the buff in the early 1990s, died of an apparent suicide while in jail, authorities said.

Andrew Martinez, 33, whose stripped-down campus strolls got him expelled from UC Berkeley and prompted the famously liberal city to adopt a strict anti-nudity ordinance, was found dead Thursday in the Santa Clara County Main Jail, said jail spokesman Mark Cursi.

Martinez was found under his bed covers with a plastic bag cinched around his head, Cursi said. Officials are investigating the death as an apparent suicide.

The 6-foot-4 Martinez had been in custody since Jan. 10 on three felony charges of battery and assault with a deadly weapon, authorities said.

Martinez was housed in solitary confinement in a maximum security area and was last seen alive around 11 p.m. Wednesday during a routine cell check, Cursi said.

He was found about 20 minutes later when other prisoners reported hearing unusual sounds from his cell. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

In 1992, Martinez organized a "Nude-In" protest at the university's Sproul Plaza. He said he was trying to make a point about free expression at the birthplace of the 1964 Free Speech Movement.

"What I am getting out here is there's a lot of social control going on here," he told the crowd at the nude-in.

The message caught on and nude spottings spiked on campus. Martinez, whose naked notoriety landed him on national television talk shows, was expelled the following year after the university rewrote its dress code to ban nudity.

Martinez also became the first person arrested under the Berkeley city ordinance, adopted in July 1993, after he and some of his supporters showed up at a City Hall meeting in the buff. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge and got two years of probation.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Opry's Billy Walker, 77, dies in crash

Monday, 05/22/06

Wife, two members of band also killed

Billy Walker, 77, a star of the Grand Ole Opry for 46 years, died early Sunday morning in an automobile accident that also claimed the lives of his wife, Bettie, 61, and band members Charles Lilly Jr., 44, and Daniel Patton Sr., 40.

The Walkers’ grandson Joshua Brooks, 21, of Hendersonville, was also critically injured in the one-vehicle crash that took place on Interstate 65 south of Montgomery, Ala. Walker and his band were driving back toward Middle Tennessee, having performed Saturday night at the Palm Lake Opry & RV Park in Foley, Ala., when their van ran off the interstate and overturned, according to Alabama state troopers.

Known as “The Tall Texan,” Mr. Walker is known for country hits including “Funny How Time Slips Away,” “Cross The Brazos At Waco” and “Charlie’s Shoes.” With dashing looks and a smooth tenor voice, he emerged from the Dallas-area music scene and became a Nashville luminary, joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1960.

Mr. Walker’s voice and stage manner have been integral parts of the Opry since then, and he has long been known as one of the show’s most outgoing and personable performers, both onstage and backstage. Behind the Opry’s big orange curtain, he was a jovial presence, befriending and encouraging younger artists even as he and his wife asserted the importance of the show’s veterans.

“He couldn’t have been more supportive,” said Brad Paisley, whose first appearance on the Opry, in May 1999, was introduced by Mr. Walker. “I remember that he came to my first gold-record party, and I’ll always remember his charismatic presence when he was on stage. He never seemed old to me, which is another thing that is so hard about this.”

Mrs. Walker was both a constant companion to her husband and a driving business force for him. From their home in Hendersonville, she booked his shows, booked shows for other Opry artists and spearheaded the “Golden Voice Awards,” an event that honored country artists with long-lasting popularity and importance.

“I’m glad that we’re talking about them in the same breath, in the same way,” Paisley said. “This would be so impossible for either one of them to deal with if the other had survived.”

Mr. Walker’s road shows usually involved Mr. Lilly, of Hendersonville, on bass and Mr. Patton, of Hermitage, on lead guitar. The two band members sang harmonies with Mr. Walker, and Seely said the group could often find a drummer in whatever town they were playing to keep the time.

Mr. Lilly was not only a deft bass player, he was also effective in onstage comedy routines. Mr. Patton’s guitar work rounded out Mr. Walker’s live sets, and, according to Seely, Mr. Patton had recently gotten engaged.

News of the accident spread quickly among Opry members and was greeted with shock and grief.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Heatwave Frontman Johnnie Wilder Jr. Dies

Clover Hope, N.Y.

Johnnie Wilder Jr., frontman and co-founder of the 1970s R&B group Heatwave, died May 13 at his home in Clayton, Ohio. He was 56. No cause of death has been made public.

In 1979, Wilder became paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident and subsequently stopped touring with Heatwave, though he continued to serve as lead vocalist. The band’s hit singles include "Boogie Nights,” “Always and Forever” and "The Groove Line.”

Wilder and his brother Keith formed the group in the late ‘70s while they were stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. After leaving the service, the pair added several musicians, including songwriter/keyboardist Rod Temperton, who has written several hit records for Michael Jackson.

Heatwave released seven albums, beginning its 1977 debut “Too Hot To Handle” (Epic) and including a 1997 reunion set, “Live at the Greek Theater” (Century Vista). The group disbanded in 1983 after enduring a series of member arrivals and departures (Temperton quit in 1978).

The Wilder brothers released “Sound of Soul” (Blatent) in 1989, and Johnnie recorded two gospel albums, “My Goal” (Light) and "One More Day."

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Jamaican Ska Great Desmond Dekker Dies

May 26, 7:14 AM (ET)

LONDON (AP) - Desmond Dekker, who brought the sound of Jamaican ska music to the world with songs such as "Israelites," has died, his manager said Friday. He was 64.

Dekker, who lived in England, collapsed from an apparent heart attack at his home on Thursday, manager Delroy Williams said.

Dekker's 1969 song "Israelites," a Top 10 single in both Britain and the United States, was the first international hit produced by Jamaica's vibrant music scene. With its haunting vocals and irresistible rhythm, it introduced the world to ska, a precursor to reggae.

"Desmond was the first legend, believe it or not," Williams said. "When he released 'Israelites' nobody had heard of Bob Marley - he paved the way for all of them."

Born Desmond Dacres in 1941, Dekker worked as a welder in Kingston before signing with Leslie Kong's Beverley's record label and releasing his first single, "Honor Your Father and Your Mother," in 1963. It was followed by Jamaican hits including "King of Ska."

Some of his most popular songs celebrated the culture of violent street toughs, or "rude boys" - "Rude Boy Train,""Rudie Got Soul" and "007 (Shanty Town)," which featured on the soundtrack of the seminal Jamaican film "The Harder They Come."

He also had a hit with "You Can Get It If You Really Want," written by his label-mate Jimmy Cliff.

The songs made Dekker a hero of British youth, and he moved to the country in the 1970s.

Dekker's career suffered after the 1971 death of his mentor Kong, and he was declared bankrupt in 1984. But he retained a strong British following until his death and performed regularly. Dekker had been due to play across Europe over the summer, including dates in Ireland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Dekker, who was divorced, is survived by a son and a daughter.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

Former RB 'Ironhead' Heyward dies at 39

Sat May 27, 10:46 PM ET

ATLANTA - Former NFL fullback Craig "Ironhead" Heyward died Saturday after a 7 1/2-year fight with a recurring brain tumor, his son's high school football coach said. He was 39.

Heyward spent 11 seasons in the NFL with New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis and Indianapolis. The former University of Pittsburgh All-American rushed for a career-high 1,083 yards for the Falcons in 1995.

Born in Passaic, N.J., in 1966, the 5-foot-11 fullback ran for 4,301 yards in his NFL career and had 1,559 yards receiving.

Heyward was one of the biggest running backs in NCAA Division I-A history, with a weight estimated at 260 to 285 pounds, but finished third in Pitt career rushing with 3,086 yards. He trailed only Tony Dorsett (6,526 yards) and Curvin Richards' 3,192 yards. Heyward's 1,791 yards in 1987, counting a bowl game, rank second only to Dorsett's 2,150 yards in 1976 for a Pitt single season.

Heyward was a first-team AP All-America pick that season, but chose to pass up his senior season and was a first-round draft pick by New Orleans.

"Craig Heyward truly ranks among the all-time greats in Pitt football history," Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt said in a statement released with the school.

"I will always remember him as a tremendous player who had an irrepressible attitude on and off the field. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Pitt family are with Craig's loved ones during this time of sorrow."

Heyward's son, the 6-7, 280-pound Cameron, visited Pitt on a recruiting trip last month and is considered one of the nation's top defensive line recruits.

 

[JennyOmanHill]

'Breakfast Club' Principal Gleason Dies

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//OBIT_GLEASON.sff_LA101_20060528183328.jpg

May 28, 6:51 PM (ET)
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Paul Gleason, who played the go-to bad guy in "Trading Places" and the angry high school principal in "The Breakfast Club," has died. He was 67.

Gleason died at a local hospital Saturday of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his wife, Susan Gleason.

"Whenever you were with Paul, there was never a dull moment," his wife said. "He was awesome."

A native of Miami, Gleason was an avid athlete. Before becoming an actor, he played Triple-A minor league baseball for a handful of clubs in the late 1950s.

Gleason honed his acting skills with his mentor Lee Strasberg, whom he studied with at the Actors Studio beginning in the mid-1960s, family members said.

Through his career, Gleason appeared in over 60 movies that included "Die Hard,""Johnny Be Good," and "National Lampoon's Van Wilder." Most recently, Gleason made a handful of television appearances in hit shows such as "Friends" and "Seinfeld."

Gleason's passions went beyond acting. He had recently published a book of poetry.

"He was an athlete, an actor and a poet," said his daughter, Shannon Gleason-Grossman. "He gave me and my sister a love that is beyond description that will be with us and keep us strong for the rest of our lives."

Actor Jimmy Hawkins, a friend of Gleason's since the 1960s, said he remembered Gleason for a sharp sense of humor.

"He just always had great stories to tell," Hawkins said.

Gleason was survived by his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter.

 

[kbate]

Horses in Heaven?

Daniel Michael Smithwick, 77, won Hunt Cup 6 times

By Frederick N. Rasmussen
sun reporter
Originally published May 31, 2006
Daniel Michael "Mikey" Smithwick, a thoroughbred trainer and steeplechase rider who won the Maryland Hunt Cup a record six times, died Monday of multiple system atrophy, a form of Parkinson's disease, at his Hydes farm. He was 77.

Born in Baltimore and raised on the family farm in Hydes, he was the son of Alfred Smithwick, an Irish-born horse trainer, and the former Emma Warner, an equestrian.

A Towson High School graduate, Mr. Smithwick and his elder brother, A. Patrick "Paddy" Smithwick, grew up learning how to train horses and ride from their father. His brother also became a top steeplechase rider, winning five national titles between 1950 and 1962.

The brothers "were one of the greatest steeplechase teams ever produced in this country," Snowden Carter, former Evening Sun racing writer and longtime editor of The Maryland Horse, wrote in 1975.

"But it wasn't pushed on us at all, and that's probably why we did it," Mikey Smithwick said in a 2002 interview with The Equiery, a Maryland equine publication based in Lisbon.

Mr. Smithwick won his first Maryland Hunt Cup in 1948, and repeated as winner in 1949, 1950, 1952, 1954 and finally in 1960, aboard Fluctuate. He was described in The Equiery article as having a "keen eye, cool head and razor-sharp instincts."

"Mikey considered all the variables, whether it was a dip in the ground or a low-hanging tree bough. He always had a plan, and saving ground was key," the article said.

Mr. Smithwick identified the sixth and 16th fences as the most difficult jumps on the course, which is one of the most taxing in the world.

"It was a challenge, those bigger fences; you've got to know what you're doing," he said in the interview. "If you had a horse that you knew well, and was well-schooled - and if you could coordinate everything - it was fun."

"I think he was the No. 1 American amateur steeplechase rider jumping over timber fences in the 20th century. He was very skilled, had no peers, and was one of America's finest horseman," said Peter Winants, a boyhood friend and author of Steeplechasing: A Complete History of the Sport in North America.

In his book, Mr. Winants described watching Mr. Smithwick on the course.

"To me, there was no greater thrill in racing than to see Mikey place a horse into the huge third fence in the Maryland Hunt Cup," he wrote.

Mr. Smithwick was 28 when he began training steeplechase horses and an occasional flat-track horse.

"Three of his steeplechase horses, Neji, Bon Nouvel and Jay Trump, are in racing's Hall of Fame. He worked for great owners and had an incredible career as a trainer," Mr. Winants said.

"What can you say about a legend?" Margaret H. Worrall, author of 100 Runnings of the Maryland Hunt Cup, said yesterday. "Every rider who followed him went to him for advice about the Maryland Hunt Cup, and he was so generous. He'd walk the course with them and watch old films. He had no agenda. He loved his horses, and he loved the sport of timber racing."

The brothers established and operated Smithwick Stables beginning in then early 1950s, but ended their successful partnership after Paddy Smithwick was paralyzed in a 1966 spill from a horse at Monmouth Park, N.J.

Mikey Smithwick especially enjoyed working with children, whom he trained while riding his favorite pony. He liked staging spur-of-the-moment horse shows or a quick race with his young students.

His working days began at 5 a.m. and often ended well after dark, and even though he was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy three years ago, he continued working.

"He ran one of his horses three weeks ago," said Alexandra S. White, a trainer with whom he had worked and lived for the last 24 years.

"If ever there was a horse whisperer, it was Mikey. He thought like a horse and could handle the most difficult of them, and that's what made him great at what he did," Miss White said. "He loved all animals, and they loved him."

Mr. Smithwick, whose horses had earned $3.2 million by 1983, was elected in 1971 as a steeplechase trainer to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. His brother was elected to the Hall of Fame a few months before his death in 1973.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at St. James Episcopal Church, 3100 Monkton Road, Monkton.

In addition to his companion, Mr. Smithwick is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, the former Dorothy Fred of Middleburg, Va.; two sons, Daniel Michael Smithwick Jr. of Louisville and Alfred Rogers Smithwick of Elkton; and two grandchildren.

***


Goodbye my friend - may your gallop be smoothe and your landings be soft.