Wednesday, May 29, 2013

William A. Niskanen, American economist, member of the Council of Economic Advisors (1981–1985), chairman of the Cato Institute (1985–2008), died from a stroke he was 78.

William Arthur Niskanen was an American economist noted as one of the architects of President Ronald Reagan's economic programme and for his contributions to public choice theory. He was also a long-time chairman of the libertarian Cato Institute.

(March 13, 1933, Bend, Oregon – October 26, 2011, Washington, D.C.)

Education

Niskanen received his B.A. from Harvard University in 1954. He pursued graduate study of economics at the University of Chicago, where his teachers included Milton Friedman and other prominent economists who were then revolutionizing economics, public policy, and law with ideas that would come to be known as the Chicago school of economics. Niskanen received his M.A. in 1955 and his doctorate in 1962, writing his dissertation on the economics of alcoholic beverage sales.[1]

To Washington

After Chicago, Niskanen joined the RAND Corporation as a defense policy analyst in 1957, using his economic and mathematical modeling skills to analyze and improve military efficiency. Among his accomplishments was developing a 400-line linear programming model of the Air Force transport system. His programmer for the model was a young William Sharpe, who would later win the Nobel economics prize.[2]
Because of his work at RAND, the incoming Kennedy administration appointed Niskanen director of special studies in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. There, he became one of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara's original Pentagon "whiz kids" who used statistical analysis to examine Defense Department operations.[1]
During his time at the Pentagon, Niskanen became disillusioned with the nation's political leadership, later claiming that the president and other executive branch officials "lied with ... regularity" to the public. He frequently quipped that this disillusionment sometimes caused him to question whether the United States truly landed on the moon in 1969.[3]
Niskanen left DOD in 1964 to become director of the Program Analysis Division at the Institute of Defense Analysis. In 1972, he returned to public service as assistant director of the Office of Management and Budget, though his internal criticisms of Nixon administration policy would make his tenure at OMB short.[4][5]

Academia

Niskanen left Washington and returned to academia, becoming professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley in 1972, where he would remain until he became chief economist of Ford Motor Company in 1975. While at Berkeley, Niskanen would help establish the school's graduate school of public policy. During this time in California, he became acquainted with then-governor Ronald Reagan, who appointed him to a task force on the state's economy.[1]
Following his dismissal from Ford in 1980 (see below), Niskanen returned to academia, this time to UCLA.[6]

Ford Motor Company

In 1975, Niskanen was appointed chief economist at the Ford Motor Company under chairman Henry Ford II and president Lee Iacocca.[1] He quickly became critical of Ford's corporate culture and its failure to follow consumer trends, such as the 1970s desire for more fuel-efficient cars because of rising gas prices resulting from OPEC constraints on oil supply.
Foreign automakers, especially the Japanese, were quick to exploit American consumers' demand for more fuel-efficient cars, gaining a growing share of the U.S. market in the 1970s. Ford responded by asking the U.S. government to place import quotas on Japanese cars. Niskanen, a free-trade advocate, argued internally against this policy, saying that Ford needed to improve its products in light of consumer demand. In response to this criticism, Ford fired Niskanen in 1980.[1]

Reagan administration

However, Niskanen would not be out of work for long. Incoming president Ronald Reagan appointed Niskanen to his Council of Economic Advisers, which was responsible for conducting and analyzing economic research to inform executive branch policies. The appointment was surprising given Niskanen's hawkishness on deficits and concern about military spending—views that conflicted with Reagan policies.
Niskanen's blunt-spokenness both inside and outside the CEA sometimes caused problems. In a speech before a women's group in 1984, he commented that women's leaving the workforce to raise children contributed to a disparity in pay between the genders. Though broadly accepted and empirically supported today, Niskanen's comment was condemned in 1984, including criticism from Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale, who claimed it exemplified a lack of respect toward women by the Reagan administration.[7]
The following year, another of Niskanen's blunt comments would ultimately lead to his departure from the Reagan administration. During the negotiations over legislation that would ultimately become the Tax Reform Act of 1986, Niskanen internally criticized the administration proposal that was drawn up by the Treasury Department under Secretary Donald Regan, telling President Reagan in front of Regan that the proposal was "something Walter Mondale would love." Regan took offense at the comment and, after becoming Reagan's chief of staff, blocked Niskanen's ascendancy to chair the CEA after Martin Feldstein left to return to Harvard. Niskanen served as acting chair for a brief period, but then resigned from the CEA. Niskanen later chastised Regan as "a tower of jelly" in his book Reaganomics.[8]

Cato Institute

After leaving the Reagan administration, Niskanen joined the libertarian Cato Institute, where he served as chairman of the board of directors from 1985 to 2008 and was an active policy scholar. He was chairman emeritus of Cato from 2008 until his death in 2011.[9]
In March 2012, a dispute broke out between Charles and David Koch and Niskanen's widow, Kathryn Washburn, over the ownership of Niskanen's ownership share in Cato.[10][11]

Scholarly contributions

Niskanen was a prominent contributor to public choice theory, a field of both economics and political science that examines the behavior of politicians and other government officials. Public choice eschewed the traditional notion that these agents are motivated by selfless interest in the public good, and instead considered them as typically self-interested, like other agents. His chief contribution to public choice theory was the budget-maximizing model -- the notion that bureaucrats will attempt to maximize their agency's budget and authority. He presented this theory in 1971 book Bureaucracy and Representative Government.[9]

Publications

Niskanen authored several books, academic articles, and essays on government and politics. His most noted work, Bureaucracy and Representative Government, published in 1971, made a great impact on the field of public management and strongly challenged the field of public administration in the spirit of Ludwig von Mises's Bureaucracy. The book was for a long time out of print, but was reissued with several additional essays as, William Niskanen, Bureaucracy and Public Economics (Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 1994). Niskanen's work was an early text in rational choice models of bureaucracy. In his work he proposed the budget-maximizing model.[citation needed]
Another of his noted works was his 1988 book Reaganomics, which describes both the policies and inside-the-White House politics of Reagan's economic programme. Washington Post columnist Lou Cannon, author of the biography President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime, described the book as "a definitive and notably objective account of administration economic policies."[12]
Niskanen's final book was Reflections of a Political Economist (2008). The book is a collection of essays and book reviews on public policy and economic topics, and serves as an intellectual biography.


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Mickey Kelly, Irish hurler (Kilkenny GAA), died he was 82.

Michael "Mickey" Kelly  was an Irish hurler who played as a left wing-forward for the Kilkenny senior team from 1952 until 1960.[1]

(24 September 1929 – 26 October 2011)

Kelly made his first appearance for the team during the 1952 championship and became a regular player over the next decade. During that time he won one All-Ireland winner's medal and three Leinster winner's medals. He captained Kilkenny to the All-Ireland title in 1957.[2]
At club level Kelly enjoyed a successful career with Bennettsbridge, winning seven county club championship winners' medals.[3]

Playing career

Club

Kelly played his club hurling with his local Bennettsbridge club and enjoyed much success. He helped 'the bridge' to the county junior championship in 1948 and 1951 before the club moved up to the senior grade. Kelly later added seven county senior championship titles to his collection in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962.

Inter-county

Kelly first came to prominence on the inter-county scene with Kilkenny in 1953. That year he won his first Leinster title following a victory over Wexford. The subsequent All-Ireland semi-final pitted Kilkenny against Galway. In a close and exciting game the men from the West secured a one point victory by 3–5 to 1–10.
Four years later in 1957 Kelly was appointed captain of the Kilkenny senior team.[4] That year he collected his second Leinster title following a victory over All-Ireland champions Wexford. This allowed Kelly's side to advance directly to the championship decider where Waterford provided the opposition. In a high-scoring game between these two neighbours, Waterford took a six point lead with fifteen minutes left in the game. Then Kilkenny fought back with goals by Mick Kenny and Billy Dwyer. Kelly played a captain's role by scoring the winning point for Kilkenny. A 4–10 to 3–12 victory gave Kelly a coveted All-Ireland medal and the honour of collecting the Liam McCarthy Cup.
Two years later in 1959 Kelly came on as a substitute to collect his third Leinster winners' medal. The subsequent ALl-Ireland final saw Kilkenny and Waterford do battle once again. The game ended in a draw, forcing both sides to return to Croke Park four weeks later for a replay. Kelly, who played no part in the drawn game, came on as a substitute once again. On that occasion Waterford secured their second All-Ireland title.
In 1960 Kelly was appointed Kilkenny captain once again. That year, however, his side were defeated by arch-rivals Wexford in the Leinster final. Kelly retired from inter-county hurling shortly afterwards.

Provincial

Kelly also lined out with Leinster in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He first played for his province in 1953 and collected his only Railway Cup medal in 1954.

Personal life

One of eleven children, Michael Kelly was born in the townland of Killarney, Thomastown, County Kilkenny. After attending the local national school he was sent, as a boarder, to St. Francis' College, run by the Capuchin Friars at Rochestown in Cork. He left at the age of sixteen and returned to live near the village of Bennettsbridge where he combined farming with a job in Mosse's flour milling company.
Kelly died on 26 October 2011 following a short battle with cancer.[5]


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Aristide Laurent, American publisher and LGBT civil rights advocate, died he was 70.

Aristide "A.J." Laurent was an American publisher and LGBT civil rights advocate.[1] He co-founded The Los Angeles Advocate (now known as The Advocate) in 1967 with Sam Allen, Bill Rau, and Richard Mitch.

(September 15, 1941, Magnolia Springs, Alabama – October 26, 2011, Los Angeles, California

He was born in Alabama to Duval “Buck” Laurent, a farm hand, and Elizabeth “Betty” Weeks, and was of Louisiana Creole ancestry. Joining the Air Force in 1960, serving for four years as a instructor (at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi) and signals intelligence operator in Karamursel, Turkey, and being discharged, he moved to California and came out.
Between 1964 and 1967, he worked for KABC in Los Angeles. He allegedly participated in the 1966 Compton's Cafeteria riot in San Francisco, and participated in the riots following the police raid on Black Cat Tavern in Los Angeles. In the wake of the two incidents, he joined Steve Ginsberg's PRIDE organization and co-founded The Los Angeles Advocate. While helping to publish the early editions of the paper, he wrote a nightlife column (“Mariposas de la Noche”) under the pseudonym “P. Nutz.”
In 1975, Laurent was one of 40 arrested after a police raid on the Mark IV Gay Bathhouse following a mistaken tip that the charity "slave auction" being held at the locale to benefit was an actual, illegal slave auction. That same year, when The Advocate was sold and relocated to the Bay Area, he relocated to the Bay Area for a short time before returning to Los Angeles to establish NewsWest (1975–1977) to fill the void left by The Advocate.
In the 1980s, Laurent bought a printing company and participated in ACT UP demonstrations to advocate for AIDS/HIV patients. He also participated in the 1993 March on Washington. In 1996, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was given two years to live, but managed to outlive the expectation. In his latter years, he spent more time as an amateur genealogist who focused on Louisiana Creole ancestry.
He died on October 26, 2011, in Los Angeles after a long struggle with prostate cancer.


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Dave Cole, American baseball player (Boston Braves, Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs), died he was 81.

David Bruce Cole  was an American professional baseball player who played six Major league seasons
between 1950 and 1955.

(August 29, 1930 – October 26, 2011)

Born in Williamsport, Maryland, Cole was known as one of the "wildest" pitchers with a career BB/9 of 7.556[1] He achieved the notable feat of recording three outs without throwing a single strike while pitching for the Boston Braves in 1952 in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.[2] Cole spent four years with the Braves, following the team from Boston to Milwaukee before spending a season with the Chicago Cubs. From the Cubs, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Roy Smalley. Upon his trade to Philadelphia in 1955, he is said to have remarked: "That's too bad; they're the only team I can beat."[3] In fact four of his six career victories came against the Phillies. Coincidentally, the two players died within four days of each other.

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Daniel Burke, American television executive, President of ABC (1986–1994), complications of diabetes, died he was 82.

Daniel Burke was an American television executive.

(February 4, 1929 – October 26, 2011)

Biography

Originally from Albany, New York, Burke served in the Korean War, later earning his Bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont and his MBA from Harvard University.[1] He worked for General Foods in Albany for five years after leaving Harvard before joining Capital Cities.[1] In 2011, the Los Angeles Times called Burke one of the "architects of the modern television industry."[1]

Acquisition of the American Broadcasting Company

With Capital Cities Chairman Tom Murphy, Burke spearheaded the $3.5 billion acquisition of the American Broadcasting Company in 1986 by Capital Cities, a much smaller company.[1] Burke became President of ABC following the merger, running the daily operations of the television network until his retirement in 1994.[1] Burke and Murphy streamlined ABC's operations and made the network more profitable.[1] One of Burke's three sons, Steve, former head of Comcast, has headed NBC Universal since 2010.

Philanthropy

His philanthropic efforts included serving as Chairman Emeritus of NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital and as director of Partnership for a Drug-Free America.[1] He founded a minor league baseball team based in Portland, Maine.[1]

Death

Daniel Burke died from complications of diabetes at his home in Rye, New York, on October 26, 2011, aged 82. He was survived by his wife of 54 years, Harriet, and their four children.[1]


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Norrie Woodhall, British stage actress, died she was 105.


Norrie Woodhall  was an English stage actress and the last surviving member of the Hardy Players, a theatrical group based around the work of poet Thomas Hardy, whom Woodhall knew personally after an encounter in 1924.[1] The Hardy Players became defunct in 1928, shortly after Hardy's death, but after its reformation in 2005 she decided to return to the stage at the age of 100.[2]

(18 December 1905 – 25 October 2011)
 
In 2010 it was revealed that a collection of Hardy's work was to be sold at charity events. Woodhall, along with support from institutions such as the University of Exeter and Dorset County Museum, launched a campaign to raise £58,000 to buy the collection.[3]
Woodhall died at the age of 105.[4] On its website the group said it would miss her "inspiration and guidance".


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Howard Wolpe, American politician, U.S. Representative from Michigan (1979–1993), died he was 71.


Howard Eliot Wolpe III was a seven-term U.S. Representative from Michigan and Presidential Special Envoy to the African Great Lakes Region in the Clinton Administration, where he led the United States delegation to the Arusha and Lusaka peace talks, which aimed to end civil wars in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He returned to the State Department as Special Advisor to the Secretary for Africa's Great Lakes Region. Previously, he served as Director of the Africa Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and of the Center’s Project on Leadership and Building State Capacity. While at the Center, Wolpe directed post-conflict leadership training programs in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia.

(November 3, 1939 – October 25, 2011)

A specialist in African politics for ten of his fourteen years in the Congress, Wolpe chaired the Subcommittee on Africa of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. As chair of the House Africa Subcommittee, Wolpe co-authored (with Rep. Ron Dellums and others) and managed legislation that imposed sanctions against South Africa, by over-riding President Ronald Reagan's veto of that sanctions legislation (the Comprehensive Anti-apartheid Act of 1986). He also authored and managed the passage of the African Famine Recovery and Development Act, -- a comprehensive rewrite in the 1980s of America's approach to development assistance in Africa that included the creating the African Development Fund. In 1992 redistricting made it unlikely that Wolpe would be re-elected, and he retired from Congress.
Prior to entering the Congress, Wolpe served in the Michigan House of Representatives and as a member of the Kalamazoo City Commission. In 1994, he won the Democratic nomination for Governor of Michigan and selected one of his former rivals in the Democratic primary, State Senator Debbie Stabenow (now a US Senator), as his nominee for Lieutenant Governor. The Wolpe-Stabenow ticket lost the general election to incumbent Governor John Engler and Lieutenant Governor Connie Binsfeld.
Wolpe taught at Western Michigan University (Political Science Department), Michigan State University where he co-published a volume on modernization in Nigeria[1], and the University of Michigan (Institute of Public Policy Studies), and served as a Visiting Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program of the Brookings Institution, as a Woodrow Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar, and as a consultant to the World Bank and to the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. State Department.
Wolpe received his B.A. degree from Reed College, and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a former member of the Boards of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Africare, Pathfinders, International and of the Advisory Board of Coexistence International. He co-directed (with Ambassador David C. Miller, Jr.) the Ninetieth American Assembly on “Africa and U.S. National Interests” held in March 1997. He wrote extensively on Africa, American foreign policy, and the management of ethnic and racial conflict.
Howard Wolpe was married to Judy Wolpe until her death in 2006. He died on October 25, 2011 at his home in Saugatuck, Michigan.[2] Memorial services were held in Kalamazoo, Michigan in December 2011 and in Washington, D.C. in January 2012.

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Bernard Verdcourt, British botanist, died he was 86.

Bernard Verdcourt was a biologist and taxonomist, most widely known as a botanist and latterly an Honorary Research Fellow at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London. [1]

(20 January 1925 – 25 October 2011) 

 Prior to coming to Kew in 1964, he was associated with the East African Herbarium for 15 years. Although his most well-known work probably consists of his many studies of the East African flora, he has also made extensive contributions relating to African terrestrial mollusks and to entomology. Dr. Verdcourt received the Linnean Medal for botany from the Linnean Society of London in 2000.[2][3][4] His list of publications includes more than 1,000 scientific works.[2]


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Sinikka Keskitalo, Finnish Olympic long-distance runner, died he was 60.

Sinikka Marja-Liisa Keskitalo was a female long-distance runner from Finland. She competed in the women's marathon for her native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984. Her best result was the 15th place at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. She was born in Jalasjärvi.

(January 29, 1951 – October 25, 2011)

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Finland
1982 European Championships Athens, Greece 15th Marathon 2:48:54
1983 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 27th Marathon 2:46:10
1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 15th Marathon 2:35:15
1986 European Championships Stuttgart, West Germany 4th Marathon 2:34:31
1987 World Championships Rome, Italy 8th Marathon 2:35:16
1988 Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea 42nd Marathon 2:43:00

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Wyatt Knight, American actor (Porky's), died from a suicide by gunshot he was 56.

Wyatt Knight was an American actor, best known for his role as Tommy Turner in the Porky's trilogy.

(January 20, 1955 – October 25, 2011)

Career

In addition to his work in the Porkys films, Knight made guest appearances on numerous TV shows including The Waltons, M*A*S*H*, Profiler, Chicago Hope and Star Trek: The Next Generation. His final TV appearance came in 2010 on the show Crafty.[1]

Death

According to Knight's wife Silvina in an interview given to entertainment news website TheWrap, he had a bone marrow transplant for advanced non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2003.[2] However intense cancer treatment including radiation, left him, in the words of his wife "in physical and emotional pain."[citation needed] On October 26, 2011 Wyatt Knight's body was discovered in a remote area on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Knight was a resident of Los Angeles, California but had recently been staying at a house on Maui.[3] According to the Associated Press, autopsy results indicated Knight died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[4][5] In addition to his wife, Knight was survived by two children from a previous marriage.[6]
Wyatt Knight was friends with Porky's co-stars Dan Monahan, Tony Ganios, Roger Wilson and Cyril O'Reilly.[citation needed]

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Arved Deringer, German lawyer (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) and politician, died he was 98.


Arved Deringer was a German lawyer and politician for the CDU. He was a member of the Bundestag from 1957 and 1969.[1]

(4 June 1913 – 25 October 2011) 


In 1952, Deringer partnered with Alfred Gleiss in a law firm that is now Gleiss Lutz. He left the firm in 1961, and partnered with Claus Tessin in Bonn. The firm, later known as Deringer Tessin Herrmann & Sedemund, merged with Freshfields and Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Loeber to form Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 2000.[2]

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Shirley Becke, British police officer, first female to reach chief officer rank, died he was 94.

Shirley Cameron Becke OBE QPM, née Jennings, was a British police officer. She was the fourth and last commander of the London Metropolitan Police's A4 Branch (Women Police), from 1966 to 1973, and the first woman officer in the United Kingdom to reach Chief Officer rank when she was promoted to Commander in 1969.

(29 April 1917 – 25 October 2011)

Early life

Becke was born in Chiswick, London, the daughter of a gas engineer. She was educated at Ealing Grammar School for Girls and followed in her father's footsteps, training as a gas engineer at Westminster Polytechnic from 1935, and in 1939 became the first woman to pass the Higher Grade Examination of the Institution of Gas Engineers. She then worked as a gas engineer for two years.

Police career

Becke joined the Metropolitan Police as a Constable in 1941, intending her service to be purely for the duration of the Second World War, but stayed in the force after the war. In 1945 she joined the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as a Detective Constable[1] and the following year transferred to West End Central Police Station, working with Barbara Kelley, later to become Britain's first Detective Chief Superintendent. In November 1945, Reuben 'Russian Robert' Martirosoff was murdered. Becke posed as the fiancée of one of the two suspects to gain information about their whereabouts that would see them captured and ultimately hanged for their crimes.[1] She was promoted to Detective Sergeant in 1952,[2] Detective Inspector in 1957,[2] and Detective Chief Inspector in 1959, when she was posted to Scotland Yard as the Metropolitan Police's most senior woman detective.[1]
In 1954, she was called to the headquarters of an oil company in Mayfair by the company's accountant to investigate a theft. She later married the accountant, Justin Becke, who was later ordained and became Church of England vicar of South Merstham, Surrey. She thus became the first head of London's policewomen to be married.
In 1960, Becke was promoted to Superintendent and returned to uniform,[2] taking command of the women police in the South-West Area.[1] Eighteen months later she returned to Scotland Yard as second-in-command of A4 Branch.[1] She took command of A4 Branch with the rank of Chief Superintendent on 26 May 1966, 25 years to the day after she joined the force. She was awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) in 1972.
In 1973 A4 Branch was disbanded and women police officers integrated with the general establishment. Commander Becke was appointed to the Force Inspectorate.

Later life and death

She retired from the police on 29 April 1974 and took up a position as Regional Administrator for London of the Women's Royal Voluntary Service. She retired from this post in 1979, but also served as vice-chairman of the WRVS from 1976 to 1983. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1974.
Shirley Becke died in Chichester, West Sussex on 25 October 2011. Her funeral was held in the Lady Chapel of Chichester Cathedral on 14 November 2011.

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David Atkinson, British politician, MP for Bournemouth East (1977–2005), died from bowel cancer he was 71.

David Anthony Atkinson was Conservative British Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East from a 1977 by-election until he stepped down at the 2005 general election died from bowel cancer he was 71..

(24 March 1940 – 23 January 2012)

Early life

Born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Atkinson attended St George's College, Weybridge and Southend College of Technology. He later went to the College of Automobile and Aeronautical Engineering in Chelsea where he gained a Diploma in Automobile Engineering and Motor Trade Management. From 1963-72, he was Director of Chalkwell Motor Co. Ltd in Leigh-on-Sea, and from 1973-77 he worked for David Graham Studios Ltd in printing, marketing, artwork and design.

Parliamentary career

Atkinson was National Chairman of the Young Conservatives from 1970 until 1971. He contested Newham North West in February 1974 and Basildon in October 1974. He was an active MP and supported Local Causes such as AFC Bournemouth during their financial troubles.

Personal life

Atkinson married Susan Pilsworth in 1968. They had a son and a daughter. David entered into a civil partnership in 2011, and is survived by Robert Reid.

Death

In 2011, Atkinson underwent an operation after he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. He died on 23 January 2012 at the age of 71.[1]


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Friday, May 24, 2013

Artie Levine, American boxer, died he was 86.

Artie Levine was an American boxer in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions in the 1940s died he was 86. [3][4]


(January 26, 1925 – January 13, 2012) 


Overview

Levine, who was Jewish and from Brooklyn,[5][6][7] was a legitimate contender who flattened 36 opponents with a devastating left hook.
Levine, who stood at 5' 9", was a right handed slugger, with an orthodox fighting style. His left hook made him a fighter who no one looked forward to facing in the ring. He was trained by Charley Goldman, the famed trainer of boxing legend Rocky Marciano.
Levine fought professionally for eight years (1941–49) before retiring at the age of 24.

Stolen Glory

On November 6, 1946, Levine challenged Sugar Ray Robinson.[5] Robinson claimed Levine hit him with the hardest punch of his career when he knocked Sugar Ray down and out for a 21-second long count.
Instead of directing Levine back to his corner, the referee walked him to his corner then returned about 10 seconds later to begin the count on Robinson. Robinson came back and KO'd Levine in the tenth round.
Of the fight, The Ring Magazine wrote:
Sugar ... was almost kayoed in the fourth round. A left hook, followed by a right cross, both to the chin, put (him) down and almost out... Sugar rose unsteadily and called upon all his ring skill and stamina to last out the round...Sugar had several other close calls during the course of the evening. Artie's left hooks and resounding right crosses occasionally found their marks and with telling effect. Robinson's class and body punching were taking their toll from the heavier Levine as the bout progressed. Sugar started the tenth with knockout intent. With the round about two minutes gone, Sugar paralyzed Artie with a right to the solar plexus. Then Sugar became a 'killer,' throwing punches with reckless abandon to both head and body with the result that Artie was beaten to the floor.
(The Ring, January 1947, page 34)
It is unknown what effect this victory could have had upon both the careers of Levine or Robinson. It is possible to speculate that since Levine had actually knocked Sugar Ray out in this fight that he may have done it again in a rematch, altering the history of boxings greatest pound for pound fighter.
In March 1947, Levine faced Herbie Kronowitz of Brooklyn in the main event at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The crowd of 12,000 was said to have been enthralled during the entire 10-round battle between the two fighters. Kronowitz always claimed that he really defeated Levine in the confrontation.

Fight Stats

His fight record was: W: 52(36 ko's)| L:15 | D:5 | Total 72



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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Perkins Bass, American politician, U.S. Representative from New Hampshire (1955–1963), died he was 99.

Perkins Bass was an American elected official from the state of New Hampshire, including four terms as a U.S. Representative from 1955 to 1963.

(October 6, 1912 – October 25, 2011)

Biography

Bass was born on October 6, 1912, in East Walpole, Massachusetts. He was the eldest son of former New Hampshire Governor Robert P. Bass and First Lady Edith B. Bass. Bass attended Milton Academy, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1934, and from Harvard Law School. He practiced as a lawyer and served in the United States Army Air Forces in Asia during World War II. He was elected state representative in 1939, 1941, 1947, and 1951, and as state senator in 1949, all to two-year terms.[1]
After serving four terms in the U.S. Congress, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate a 1962 special election. After defeating interim Senator Maurice J. Murphy Jr., Doloris Bridges, and Congressman Chester Merrow in the Republican primary, he was defeated in the general election by Democrat Thomas J. McIntyre. From 1972 to 1976, he served as a selectman of Peterborough, New Hampshire, where he lived until his death in 2011, aged 99.[2][3]

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Leonidas Andrianopoulos, Greek footballer (Olympiacos F.C.), died he was 100.


Leonidas Andrianopoulos was a Greek footballer who played as a striker.

( 10 August 1911[1] – 25 October 2011)

Career

Andrianopoulos played club football for Olympiacos,[2][3] alongside his four older brothers.[4][5] Following his death, club president Vaggelis Marinakis described him as a "legend."[6]
He also earned eleven international caps for Greece, scoring two goals.[7]

Death

Andrianopoulos died on 25 October 2011, at the age of 100.[8]

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Ken Yamaguchi, Japanese voice actor, died from a illness he was 55.

Ken Yamaguchi was a Japanese voice actor. He was represented by OYS Produce.

( March 24, 1956 - October 24, 2011)
  
He was most known for the roles of Ashuraman, The Omegaman, Prisman (Kinnikuman: Scramble for the Throne), Genji Togashi (Sakigake!! Otokojuku), Flazzard (Dragon Quest: Dai's Great Adventure), Tarantula Arachne (Saint Seiya), and Ein (Fist of the North Star).
Yamaguchi died on October 24, 2011, due to illness.[1]

Notable voice work

Tokusatsu

Magical Drop (The hanged man)

Dubbing


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Bruno Weber, Swiss artist and architect, died he was 80.

Bruno Weber  was a Swiss artist and architect, specializing in fantastic realism.[1]

(10 April 1931 – 24 October 2011)

Biography

Early life

Bruno Weber was born in 1931 in Dietikon, Switzerland. In 1947, he completed college in Zürich under Johannes Itten, the founder of chromatics. Afterwards he began training until 1949 as a lithographer with Orell Fuessli (Zürich); later he studied in Italy, Greece and Czechoslovakia.

Career

Weber extended his sculpture gardens in Spreitenbach and Dietikon, where among other things, his house with a 25m high tower is situated. The park extends over a surface of 20'000 m². The sculpture park is the synthesis of the artist's life work, and is visited annually by thousands of people. [2] From 1991 to 2003 Weber was responsible for the space configuration on the Uetliberg, which still stands.
Weber co-operated with Zürich architect Justus Dahinden, making sculptures for buildings in Dahinden, Vienna and Zürich.
He discovered his passion for three-dimensional sculptures after thirty years of painting. On the basis of his paintings, development can be recognized contrary to his sculptures, which orients itself to Cézanne and Gubler.

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Colin Burgess, the original drummer of AC/DC, passed away on Dec. 16, 2023, at the age of 77

Colin Burgess Colin Burgess, original drummer for AC/DC.   PETER CARRETTE ARCHIVE/GETTY ...