Ann N. Cooper - Praised By Obama

Ann Cooper was lauded by President Obama in his election night speech. Mrs Cooper was 106 when she cast her vote for Obama. In his speech, Obama mentioned that she was born during a time when women and Blacks could not vote.

She died at her home in Atlanta, Georgia on December 21, 2009 at the age of 107. The President issued a statement in honor and testimony to her life saying that he was inspired by her.

On his Inauguration Day, she hosted a party at her home for guests and the media. She felt that she played a part in helping him become President.

She first registered to vote in 1941, but did not exercise her right for years due to the segregation and sexist nature of the South at the time.

She was a very active woman, performing aerobics until she was 100. She claimed friendship with Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta who was also a member of her church.

Robert Heft - Flag maker

Robert Heft was credited with designing and sewing the first American flag with 50 stars. He died on December 12, 2009 at the age of 67 at a hospital in Saginaw, Michigan.

Heft made the flag in 1958 as part of a high school history project while school student in Lancaster, Ohio. He spent more than 12 hours sewing the design on his mother's sewing machine.

He entered his design into a contest to determine the new flag design after the admission of Alaska and Hawaii into statehood. President Dwight Eisenhower chose Heft's design to replace the 48 star flag.

He spent his career as a professor at Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio before returning to his hometown of Saginaw in recent years.

Jack Pitchford - POW with John McCain

Retired Air Force Colonel Jack Pitchford, 83, died December 2, 2009 after battling a brain tumor.

He survived seven years of torture after being shot down over North Vietnam on December 20, 1965 during a dangerous combat mission. He was taken to Hoa Lo prison, nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton," where he was tortured along with John McCain. He was released in 1973, but never fully recovered from his brutal incarceration.

He was a veteran of World War II and Korea, but missed combat assignments in both wars. While in Vietnam, he flew low altitude missions to hunt down and destroy surface-to-air-missile sights. On the day of his capture, he was shot in the arm three times. His co-pilot was killed in the gun battle.

After his retirement, he returned to his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi where he enjoyed horse racing.

Ward Hussey - Drafted Congressional Bills

Ward Hussey spent 43 years in the Congressional Office of Legislative Counsel. During that time, he was chief legislative draftsman of bills being presented to Congress. With his specialty in tax law, he had a part in drafting nearly all tax law legislation passed during his time. From 1962-1979 he supervised the staff of lawyers who drafted the bills.

Mr Hussey,89, died on November 16,2009 in Fairfax ,VA from complications from a fall at his house.

He began his federal service in 1936. He received an undergraduate degree from Harvard, a master's degree in political science from Columbia University and was a graduate of Harvard Law School.

Carl Ballantine - "McHale's Navy" Actor

Carl Ballantine, who played the role of Lester Gruber on the 1960's comedy hit "McHale's Navy" died on November 3, 2009 at his home in Hollywood Hills, CA. He died in his sleep of natural causes according to his daughter.

"McHale's Navy", starring Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway, ran from 1962-1966. He was also a magician who appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show" under the headline of "The Amazing Ballantine". He achieved notoriety in the 1940's for combining magic and comedy. In 2007, he was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award from Steve Martin at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Magician David Copperfield was also a huge fan of Mr. Ballantine.

He was born as Meyer Kessler in Chicago and started to perform magic tricks when he was 9. He was exempted from service in World War 2 because of back problems and entertained troops in England. His last magic performance as a magician was last year when he appeared at the Kodak Theatre. He appeared in numerous films including "Mr. Saturday Night" and the "Shakiest Gun in the West".

He did hundreds of voice overs for commercials and cartoons. His biggest role was for the "California Raisins" where he voiced a Claymation character that resembled him.

Lou Filippo - Boxer & Referee Appeared in "Rocky"

Lou Filippo was a former boxer who became a referee and ring judge, but achieved a legacy by appearing in all five "Rocky" movies. He is best remembered for counting out Sylvester Stallone's rival Apollo Creed in "Rocky 2".

Mr. Filippo died on November 2, 2009 at a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke. He was 83.

He fought 250 bouts as an amateur and had a 23-9-3 record as a professional. He later became a boxing referee and judge. He officiated at 85 world championship fights, including the controversial split-decision win by Sugar Ray Leonard over Marvin Hagler in 1987. He scored the fight in Hagler's favor. He also judged Shane Mosley's split-decision over Oscar De La Hoya in 2000.

His reputation for integrity as a judge and referee attracted the attention of Stallone who cast him in the referee role in all five of his "Rocky" films.

Vic Mizzy - Theme Composer

Vic Mizzy, a film and television composer best known for writing the theme songs to the 1960's comedy hits "Green Acres" and "The Adams Family," died on October 17, 2009 at the age of 93 at his home in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles.

He wrote a number of other theme songs including ones for the shows of Don Rickles and Phyllis Diller as well as several comedies of Don Knotts. His biggest hit was "The Adams Family". He also played the harpsichord which gave the song its unique style. Since he didn't want to pay for singers, he sang the song himself and overdubbed it three times to create its choral effect. He also choreographed the snapping of the fingers by the shows cast to the playing of the song.

He was a shrewed businessman. By owning the copyrights to his music, he ensured himself a lifetime of royalties.

Larry Jansen - Major League Pitcher

Larry Jansen, a nine year pitcher in the National League, died at the age of 89 on October 10, 2009 at his home in Verboort, Oregon. His cause of death was congestive heart failure and pneumonia.

His biggest moment came as the winning pitcher in the 1951 National League playoff game between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. The game was decided by Bobby Thomson's home run in the ninth inning which became known as "The shot hear around the world".

Jansen pitched the last two innings of the game in relief of Sal Magli. The Giants were trailing by four runs going into the bottom of the ninth inning until Thomson's three run home run beat the Dodgers 5-4 in the third and final playoff game to decide the winner of the National League pennant.

He won 23 games that year and finished his career with a 122-89 record and 3.58 ERA. He spent his first eight seasons with the Giants before finishing his final year in Cincinnati.

He allowed Mickey Mantle's first World Series hit, a bunt single in Game 2 of the 1951 series. He gave up a double in Game 6 to Joe Dimaggio in the last at-bat of the Hall of Famer's career. He was the losing pitcher for Games 2 and 5 of that series.

He spent 11 years as the pitching coach for the Giants and later served the same role with the Chicago Cubs.

Lucy Vodden - Ispiration for "Lucy in the Sky"

When Lucy Vodden was four years old. she befriended Julian Lennon, the son of the Beatle's John Lennon. One day he drew a picture of her, brought it home and showed it to his father. Julian called it "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds".

John Lennon seized the thought and gave it the titlt to one of the signature songs of the 1967 iconic album "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band." The song was controversial with it's eye opening lyrics and references to the drug LSD.

Ms Vodden, 46, died on September 28, 2009 in a London hospital where she was being treated for lupus.

In recent times, she reconnected with Julian Lennon after losing touch with him for many years. Lennon tried to comfort her with her illness by sending her flowers and text messages.

Although she was identified with the song, Ms Vodden did not like being associated with the drug references behind it.

Don Yarborough - Path Crossed With JFK

In 1963, Don Yarborough was a Democratic candidate for Governor of Texas running against the incumbent John Connally. Although both were members of the same party, Yarborough was associated with the liberal wing and had come within 27,000 votes of defeating Connally in the 1962 election.

Vice President Lyndon Johnson was concerned that a win by Yarborough would encourage conservative Democrats to switch to the Republican party and jeopardize President John F Kennedy's chances at winning a second term in 1964.

LBJ convinced President Kennedy to visit Texas on November 22, 1963. On that fateful Friday, Connally was riding in the same limousine when Kennedy was assassinated. Connally was also wounded, but recovered and easily defeated Yarborough in the 1964 election.

Mr Yarborough died on September 22, 2009 at the age of 83 in Houston from complications from Parkinson's Disease. Yarborough would make a third run for governor in 1968 before quitting politics.

He served as a lobbyist in Washington from 1968-1981 before returning to Houston and resuming his law practice.

Gertrude Bains - World's Oldest person

Gertrude Baines, the world's oldest person at 115, died on September 11, 2009 at the Western Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles. Born in Shellman, Georgia, Ms Baines was the daughter of a former slave. Her only child died when she was 18. She also outlived all of her relatives. Last year, she was in the news for voting for Barack Obama in the presidential election.

On Jan 2nd, she became the world's oldest person after the passing of 115 year old Maria de Jesus of Portugal.

She had been at the hospital since breaking her hip at 107. She enjoyed doing interviews and watched television, including the Jerry Springer show.

During her adult life she lived in Ohio, working as a maid at Ohio State University. She later moved to Los Angeles where she lived by herself, with the help of a caretaker, until she turned 107.

With her passing, the oldest person living is Kama Chinen, a 114 year old Japanese woman.

David Laut - Olympic Medalist

David Laut who won a bronze medal for the USA in the shot put during the 1984 Olympic was shot to death on August 28, 2009 after confronting intruders outside his Oxnard, California home. He was 52.

He won two NCAA titles at UCLA in the shot put. He also won a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American games. He was favored to win a gold medal at the Olympics in Los Angels after throwing 70'10" at the Olympic trials. However, his best throw in the finals was 68'9" which left him with the bronze medal.

In 1985 he was the 7th ranked shot putter in the world, but suffered torn tendons in both of his knees while participating in an agility test for a firefighter's job. He attempted to make the 1988 team, but his effort fell short.

He continued to work out daily. His neighbors were unaware of his past accomplishments as he kept a very low profile in his community.

Tony Huesman - Transplant Recipient

Tony Huesman, 51, the world's longest surviving heart transplant recipient died on August 12, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio from cancer and diabetes. Ironically, his heart was working fine at the time of his death.

He received his new heart at Stanford University in 1978. In 2000, he became the longest living heart recipient when another patient had to undergo a second transplant.

At the time of his death, his mark of 31 years was recognized as the world's longest according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.

Ed Reimer- Voice of Allstate

Ed Reimer was an actor best known for his television commercials for Allstate Insurance and his signature line of:"You're in good hands with Allstate". Mr Reimer died at the age of 96 on August 16, 2009 in upstate New York.

He was a game show host in the 1950's & 60's for "Do you trust your wife?" which was later known as "Who do you trust?" and featured Johnny Carson. He was also the announcer for the tv western "Maverick".

He became the spokesperson for Allstate in 1957 and continued until 1979. His line became synonymous with the company.

He was also featured in several movies from the 1950's including "The Loved One".

John Dawson - Songwriter

John "Marmaduke" Dawson, leader of the 1970's psychedelic country group "New Riders of the Purple Sage" died on July 21, 2009 from stomach cancer at the age of 64.

He was a longtime collaborator with the Grateful Dead. He co-wrote "Friend of the Devil" with Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter.

He founded New Riders, along with Jerry Garcia to showcase his songs, along with Garcia's pedal-steel guitar playing. The band toured with the Dead from 1971-1976 and released eight albums. The group also included two other members from the Dead: bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Mickey Hart.

The New Riders received a gold record for their 1973 hit "Panama Red." He retired several years ago and was living in Mexico.

John Barry - Marketed WD-40

John Barry, 84, former CEO of WD-40 Co. died on July 3, 2009 in LaJolla, California. He started working for a company in the 1950's that was trying to produce a rust-preventer for missiles. The product was used to prevent corrosion on the outer layer of the rockets.

The product worked so well that employees stated to take cans of it home for personal use. The WD stood for "water displacement" and the 40 was in reference to the 40th attempt at making the final product.

Mr Barry changed the name of the company to WD-40. Initially the product was sold by salesmen traveling between hardware stores. Sales continued to mushroom for the product. Today the company has $300 million in sales in over 160 countries.

Michael Klenfner - Record Executive

Michael Klenfner was a former Atlantic Records music executive who helped transform the Blues Brothers from a skit on "Saturday Night Live" into the successful band they became. He was 62 and died of congestive heart failure on July 14, 2009 in New York City.

In the 1970's, he helped comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi transform their band act which eventually lead to a series of recording hits, as well as the successful "Blues Brothers" movie.

Over a 30 year span, he promoted the careers of hundreds of other musicians and was the producer of Cher's mega hit "Believe" in 1998.

Wiiliam Reedy - Driver

During the early afternoon of Christmas Day 1989, William Reedy was driving a truck that was involved in a fatal accident. His passenger was Billy Martin, the former New York Yankees manager. Martin died at the scene and Reedy suffered a broken hip.

Reedy was convicted of DUI . He was fined $350 and his licence was suspended for 6 months. At his trial, he denied being the operator of the vehicle, although the jury felt otherwise.

Reedy, 72, died at his home in Milford, Michigan on June 28, 2009 from pancreatic cancer. He owned two bars in the Detroit area and met Martin when he managed the Detroit Tigers from 1971-1973 . He remained close friends with Martin.

Bob Bogle - Member of "The Ventures"

Bob Bogle,the co-founder and lead guitar for the 60's rock group, The Ventures died on June 14, 2009 at the age of 75 from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The group was most noted for their "surfing music" with their two greatest hits; "Walk Don't Run" and the theme song from the television series "Hawaii Five -O".

Mr Bogle co-founded the band in 1959 with Don Wilson. They were both working together at the time doing masonry work. "Walk Don't Run" made it to #2 on the Billboard charts in 1960. The "Hawaii Five-O" theme peaked at #4 in 1969. Between 1960 and 1972, they had 37 albums in the top 200.

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

Tim Vakoc - Priest Injured in Iraq

Tim Vakoc, 49, a Roman Catholic Priest from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Archdiocese died on June 22, 2009 from injuries he sustained from a roadside bomb while serving as an Army chaplain in Iraq. He died in a nursing home in the suburb of New Hope, MN.

Rev. Vakoc was injured in a roadside blast on May 29, 2004 while returning from celebrating mass with troops near Mosul. The injury cost him an eye and severely damaged his brain. The Major was hospitalized for four months at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C. before being transferred in a near-coma to the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis in October 2004.

After many surgeries and infections, he was able to communicate with squeezes to the hand or a slight smile. In the fall of 2006, he was able to speak for the first time in 2.5 years.

The native of Robbindale, MN served as a parish priest before becoming an Army chaplain in 1996. He served previously in Germany and Bosnia, shipping out to Iraq shortly before his 44th birthday.

Jerry Rosenberg - Inmate

Jerry Rosenberg, a convicted killer of two police officers and a noted jailhouse lawyer died on June 1, 2009 at the age of 72. He was serving a life sentence for the 1962 killing of two police detectives during a botched robbery in Brooklyn, NY.

He was originally sentenced to death and was hours away from execution in 1964 when his sentence was changed to life in prison. He subsequently earned a law degree in 1967, becoming the first inmate in New York to do so.

In 1971 he was shot and beaten during the takeover of Attica State Prison. He served as an inmate negotiator during the ordeal which lead to the death of 11 prison employees and 32 convicts.

By his own count, he filed over 200 lawsuits on behalf of fellow inmates. Tony Danza played him in the television movie "Doing Life".

John Ross - WWI Veteran

John Ross, the oldest man in Australia and its last remaining World War I veteran, died on June 3, 2009 at the age of 110. He enlisted in the army at the age of 18 in February 1918. The war ended before he could be sent overseas. He was discharged on Christmas Eve, 1918.

During World War II, he served in the nation's volunteer defense corps. He spent 45 years working for the Victorian Railway before retiring in 1964.

Bernard Baker - Watergate Burglar

Bernard Baker, who was convicted of breaking into the Democratic Party's National Headquarters at the Watergate building, died at the age of 92 on June 5, 2009.

Mr Baker was a Cuban-born American who was recruited for various undercover operations during President Richard Nixon's administration by E. Howard Hunt. Barker was involved with Hunt and the C.I.A. in planning the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba.

He was also involved in the 1971 break-in at the Los Angels office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg who disclosed the Pentagon Papers to the press.

Mr Barker was convicted of the Watergate break-in along with four others. After a series of appeals, he served approximately three months before being released in January 1974. He returned to the Miami area where he served as a city sanitation inspector and later as a building inspector.

In later years, he continued to express no regrets about his prior actions and felt they were in the interest of national security.

Charles Albury - Co-Pilot

Charles Albury, 88, died from congestive heart failure on May 23, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. He was the co-pilot of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

He was a witness to the first bombing of Hiroshima three days earlier as the pilot of a support plane which dropped a set of scientific instruments to measure the magnitude of the blast and the level of radiation.

The 10,200 pound bomb dropped on Nagasaki instantly killed an estimated 40,000 people and another 35,000 who later died from injuries and radiation. Mr Albury would later say that his actions helped put an end to World War II and saved countless lives.

After the war, he settled in the Coral Gables, Florida area with his wife of 65 years. He spent his working years with Eastern Airlines.

Maria Lopez - Blogger

Maria Lopez of Spain was described as the world's oldest blogger. She died on May 20, 2009 in her hometown of Muxia at the age of 97.

The great-grandmother started a blog on her 95th birthday in 2006 after her grandson created the site for her as a present. Her blog attracted a huge following and had over 1.7 million hits. She shared her thoughts about her life over a vast range of topics, including growing up in Spain under the dictatorship of General Fransisco Franco and the war in Iraq.

She urged elderly people to access the internet as she felt it had a profound influence on her life due to her ability to communicate with people all around the world.

Mickey Carroll - Munchkin in "The Wizard of Oz"

Mickey Carroll had a role in only one movie, but it was "The Wizard of Oz". He was recruited, along with 100 other adults and children to play the Munchkins in the iconic 1939 movie. He played the part of the town-crier and was one of the Munchkin soldiers.

Mr Carroll died on May 7, 2009 at the age of 89 in his sleep at a home in Bel-Nor, Missouri. He had recently received a pacemaker in February and succumbed to heart related issues.

The Wizard of Oz was his only movie, but after its release to television in the 1960's, he made numerous appearances at charity and retail events. As a child, he danced and appeared in vaudeville shows as part of the Orpheum Theater circuit.

After the release of the movie, he appeared with President Franklin D Roosevelt during his election campaign, warming up the audiences in New York City. He also made campaign appearances with President Harry Truman.

At his peak, he did Phillip Morriss radios ads and appeared on radio shows with Mae West, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Jack Benny and Al Jolsen.

In the mid-1940's, he settled in St Louis and ran the family business of making cemetery monuments. After he sold it 1996, he continued to do charity work and public appearances.

In November 2007, Mr Carroll, along with six other surviving Munchkins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Venetia Phair - Named the planet Pluto

Venetia Phair, who at the age of 11 was credited with suggesting the name of Pluto for a newly discovered planet, died on April 30, 2009 in Epsom, England at the age of 90.

In 1930, British astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered the planet. One day at breakfast, the 11 year old suggested the name to her grandfather while he was discussing an article about the planet in the London Times. She suggested the name "Pluto".

Her grandfather was Falconer Maden, a librarian at Oxford University. He was friends with Herbert Hall Turner a professor of astronomy at Oxford. Maden suggested the name to Turner who passed it on to the Royal Astronomical Society which was in the process of discussing possible names.

Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer, agreed to the name and "Pluto" was christened. Over the years, Mrs. Phair denied any connections to naming it after the Disney character as her suggestion predated the cartoon character.

Mrs Phair studied mathematics at Cambridge University and spent a career as teacher of math and economics. He husband died in 2006. She is survived by a son.

Jack Kemp - Many Accomplishments

Jack Kemp died on May 2, 2009 at the age of 73 from cancer. He can best be described as a former NFL quarterback, nine term Congressman, cabinet secretary, vice-presidential candidate and self-described "bleeding heart conservative".

He reached the peak of his career in 1996 when he teamed with Bob Dole in the presidential campaign against Bill Clinton. Kemp was attempting to become one of only 47 Americans to have held the post of vice president. Although they lost, he remained active in conservative issues. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for president in 1988, losing in the primary.

Kemp had many successes in his life. In spite of being cut by four teams, he had an 11 year career in the NFL that included seasons with the Buffalo Bills and lead them to American Football League Championships in 1964 & 1965. He ranks third in most passing records for the Bills.

After his football career ended, he served nine terms in Congress representing western New York. He left Congress upon the election of George H.W. Bush and served four years in Bush's cabinet as Housing Secretary.

After the 1996 election, he remained active in speaking on conservative issues and was very involved with NFL Charities.

Elish Ray Nance - D-Day Vet

Elisha Ray Nance was a member of the "Greatest Generation" and like thousands of others was part of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 while serving in a company of the Virginia National Guard.

He was part of a 38 man group from his home town of Bedford, Virginia (population 3,200). On that day, 18 of them initially died when they landed on Omaha Beach. Another two would also be killed later. Mr Nance was wounded and received the Purple Heart.

Because of that death-toll and its impact on the community, Bedford was chosen to be the site of the National D-Day Memorial.

Mr Nance died on April 19, 2009 at the age of 94 in Bedford. After the war, he became a letter carrier and was involved in a veteran's group that recognized the sacrifice of his National Guard company.

Randy Cain, Singer With the "Delfonics"

Randy Cain, 63, a singer and co-founder of the soul group the "Delfonics died on April 9, 2009 at his home in Shade, NJ. Mr Cain teamed up with brothers William and Wilbert Hart to form the group while they attended Philadelphia's Overbrook High School.

They are best known for the hits "La La Mean I Love You" and their 1970 R&B Grammy winner "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time." Mr Cain left the trio in 1971 and later returned to a new version of the group.

Felix "Doc" Blanchard, Army Football Player

Felix "Doc" Blanchard won the Heisman Trophy in 1945 and was part of college football's most legendary backfields. Known as "Mr Inside" and playing full-back, he teamed up with "Mr Outside" Glenn Davis to help Army win national collegiate championships in 1944 and 1945.

Mr Blanchard, 84, died on April 19, 2009 at his home in Bulverde, TX. While at Army, he also played linebacker, place kicker, and punter and helped the team to a 27-01-1 record from 1944-46. He was the first junior to win the Heisman.

He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the third overall pick, but never played in the NFL. He became a fighter pilot in the Air Force and served in Korea and Viet Nam, retiring as a colonel.

His teammate, Glenn Davis died in 2005 at the age of 80.

Russell Dunham, Medal of Honor Recipient

Russell Dunham, 89, died on April 6, 2009 at his home in Godfry, IL. A cold day on January 8, 1945 in Kayserbery, France during World War II set the stage for a moment that would define his life.

In an extraordinary display of valor, he single handily eliminated three German machine-gun positions saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. Despite being wounded and shot at point-blank by a German soldier, he returned to action a few days later only to be taken prisoner by the enemy. He was able to escape and make his way back to Allie lines in spite of sever frost bite that nearly cost him his feet.

He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the militar's highest award for bravery. He was one of the 97 Medal of Honor recipients still alive.

After his military service, Mr Dunham spent 32 years as a benefits counselor for the Veteran's Administration in St Louis.

Kyle Woods, Paralyzed Fotball Player

On a fall day in 1979, 19 year old Kyle Woods, a defensive back for Baylor University, was paralyzed from the neck down after breaking his neck while making a tackle in practice.

Mr Woods died at the age of 49 on April 2, 1979 after being in a coma since suffering a heart attack on March 22. He was a beloved icon and member of the Baylor football family.

At the time of his accident, his former coach Grant Teaff set up a trust fund to purchase a home for Mr Woods outside of Dallas where he lived for the last 29 years.

In 2000, former teammates raised $92,000 for a specially equipped van for him. A similar campaign in 2003 raised over over $200,000 for a new home and furnishings for Mr Woods.

Bud Shank, Noted Flutist

Bud Shank was a versatile musician who was credited with bringing Brazilian music to U.S. audiences and helped define"Cool Jazz" in the 1950's. He died at the age of 82 on April 2, 2009 at his home in Tuscon, AZ.

Mr Shank had a 60 year career starting in the Big Bands of the 1040's. He was one of the creators of "West Coast school of cool,"along with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan and Dave Brubeck.This form of jazz was seen as the relaxed, melodic counterpart of the California lifestyle of the 1950's.

He was one of the first musicians to use the flute as a musical instrument in jazz. He later utilized his skills as a backup musician for various recording artists.

Among his biggest works was a 33 second flute solo in the 1965 smash hit "California Dreamin" by the Mammas the Papas which he improvised in the studio. He would also have a noted flute solo in the Association's number one hit "Windy" in 1967 .

Mario Reyes - Crane Operator & Family Man

The life of Mario Reyes, 59, ended on Saturday, March 14th shortly after he finished his shift as a crane operator unloading cargo for the Port of Miami. Reyes had just punched out at 7am and was trying to cross a street to catch a bus. Reyes was struck and killed by a car driven by NFL player Donte Stallworth.

Reyes was an immigrant from Cuba who came to America as a teenager and settled in Miami. Unable to attend college, he was involved in construction before he took a job on third shift as a crane operator. He was described as a devoted husband of 20 years and also left behind his 15 year old daughter. He was a huge baseball fan and enjoyed the Florida Marlins and the recent World Baseball Classic.

His death would have stayed under the radar except that the driver of the car was an NFL player who was subsequently charged with DUI manslaughter. Another minute would have changed the fate of both men.

Johnny Blanchard, Set a Major League Record

Johnny Blanchard, 76, who set a Major League record in 1961 by hitting four home runs in consecutive at-bats over the course of three games, died March 25, 2009.

Blanchard, known as "Super Sub" was a catcher/outfielder who played in five consecutive World series for the New York Yankees in the 1960's. He was a third string power-hitting catcher, playing behind Hall of Famer Yoggi Berra and Elston Howard.

His feat was overshadowed during the season by the legendary pursuit of Babe Ruth's single season home run record by Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.

Blanchard's feat was equaled in 1995 by Jeff Manto of the Baltimore Orioles.

Lil E. Lee - Two Minutes to Immortality

It's not often that the death of a race horse makes the sports pages, but such was the case of 1992 Kentucky Derby winner, Lil E. Lee. The 20 year old horse was euthanized on March 18, 2009 at his residence, a horse farm in Lexington, KY as a result of complications from surgery.

On a Saturday afternoon May 2, 1992 Lil E. Lee overcame 17-1 odds out of the 10th pole position to catch heavily favored Arazi down the stretch on horse racing's biggest stage.

This moment of less than two minutes ensured the immortality of himself and jockey Pat Day in the legacy of the Kentucky Derby.

This year's race is also on May 2nd. Who is destined for immortality?

Alan Livingston, reshaped American Pop Culture

Alan Livingstone, 91, died on March 13, 2009 at his home in Beverly Hills. He was an entertainment executive who had significant roles in bringing Bozo, The Beatles, and Bonanza to American audiences.

While he was president at Capitol Records, he declined three times to release singles by a British band know as The Beatles. After another executive turned down a fourth opportunity to release"I want to Hold Your Hand," Mr Livingstone took a phone call from Brian Epstein who was the band's manager. During their discussion, Mr Livingston admitted that he had never listened to the song. He later listened and the rest is history. Capitol released the single and brought Beatlemania to America.

When he first came to Capitol, he wrote and produced a series of records known as Record Readers for children. One of the story books was Bozo at the Circus and was the origin for the TV character.

He was the co-writer of the novelty song I Taut I Taw a Putty Tat featuring cartoon characters Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird, recorded by voice specialist Mel Blanc in 1951.

In 1953, he signed singer Frank Sinatra whose career was on the down-side. He paired him with arranger Nelson Riddle.The pair would create some of Sinatra's greatest hits.

He went to NBC in 1955 and hired a writer who developed the pilot for the hit TV western series Bonanza which ran from 1959-1973.

Whitey Lockman, Baseball Player

Whitey Lockman, 82 died on March 17, 2009 in Scottsdale Arizona. Although he spent more than 50 years in baseball, including 15 seasons as a player, he is best known for setting the stage for Bobby Thompson's pennant-winning home run for the New York Giants against the Brooklyn Dodgers on Oct 3,1951. He also served as a manager, coach, executive and scout for several major league teams.

That day was a culmination of the Giants coming back from 13 1/2 games in August to tie for first place in the National League . It forced a three game playoff with the Dodgers.

The Giants trailed the Dodgers 4-1 in the final game going into the last half of the 9th inning. With one out and runners on first and second, Lockman lined a double off starting pitcher Don Newcombe scoring one run and leaving runners on 2nd & 3rd.

Now trailing 4-2, Bobby Thompson hit a dramatic 3-run homer off reliever Ralph Brana, giving the Giants a trip to the World Series. Thompson's home-run was forever known as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World".

Jimmy Boyd, Singer

Jimmy Boyd, 70, best known for his hit "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" died March 13, 2009 of cancer in Santa Monica,CA. Boyd recorded the song at the age of 13 in 1952. Within three weeks of its release, it soared to #1 on Billboard charts and sold 2 million records in fewer than 10 weeks.

He started playing the guitar when he was 4 and appeared on the Frank Sinatra Show in the late 1940's. He was signed to a recording contract with Columbia. He appeared in several television shows in the 60's including Bachelor's Father with John Forsythe. His recording career ended at the age of 28 in 1967.