Eddie Snyder, American composer ("Strangers in the Night", "Spanish Eyes")died he was , 92

Edward Abraham Snyder was an American composer and songwriter. Synder is credited with co-writing the English language lyrics and music for Frank Sinatra's 1966 hit, "Strangers in the Night"died he was , 92.

(February 22, 1919 - March 10, 2011)

Snyder was born in New York City on February 22, 1919.^[1] He studied piano at the Juilliard School before taking a job as a songwriter at the Brill Building.^[1]
The music for "Strangers in the Night" was originally written by Croatian composer Ivo Robic but when it failed to gain recognition in the song festival for which it had been composed, Robic sold the rights to German bandleader and composer Bert Kaempfert, who used it in the spoof spy film A Man Could Get Killed. Snyder subsequently collaborated with British lyricist Charles Singleton, although Snyder always insisted that he also contributed to the final music form, and the song is now credited to all four.^[1]

The first vocal version was cut by Jack Jones in April 1966, but the best-known is that recorded by Frank Sinatra three days later. At the session an angry Sintra turned on guitarist Glen Campbell, who had been brought in at the last moment. Campbell did not know the song and busked his way through the first take while listening to the tune. Sinatra was used to recording in a single take, and when told he would have to sing it again, he glared at Campbell and shouted: "Is that guy with us or is he sleeping?". On take two Sinatra himself added the famous "doo-bie-doo-bie-doo" improvisation at the end. In the original 1966 recording, this fades prematurely, but in a recently remastered version, it continues for an additional nine seconds. Despite its popularity, Sinatra is known to have detested the song and often expressed his distaste for it when performing it in concert.^[1]
"Strangers In The Night" has been performed an estimate of four million times since Sinatra recorded the originally, won Snyder a Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a Film in 1966.^[1] Snyder also composed "Spanish Eyes" for Al Martino in 1965, which later became a hit in the United Kingdom in 1973.^[1]
Eddie Snyder died on March 10, 2011, at the age of 92. He was survived by his wife, Jessie.^[1]

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David Rumelhart, American psychologist, created computer simulations of neural processing, died from Pick's disease he was , 68.

David Everett Rumelhart is an American psychologist who made many contributions to the formal analysis of human cognition, working primarily within the frameworks of mathematical psychology, symbolic artificial intelligence, and parallel distributed processing  died from Pick's disease he was , 68.. He also admired formal linguistic approaches to cognition, and explored the possibility of formulating a formal grammar to capture the structure of stories.

(June 12, 1942 – March 13, 2011)

In 1986, Rumelhart published Parallel Distributed Processing: Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition with James McClelland, which described their creation of computer simulations of perception, giving to computer scientists their first testable models of neural processing, and which is now regarded as a central text in the field of cognitive science cognitive scientists.^[2]
Rumelhart's models of semantic cognition and specific knowledge in a diversity of learned domains using initially non-hierarchical neuron-like processing units continue to interest scientists in the fields of artificial intelligence, anthropology, information science, and decision science.
In his honor, in 2000 the Robert J. Glushko and Pamela Samuelson Foundation created the David E. Rumelhart Prize for Contributions to the Theoretical Foundations of Human Cognition.^[3][2]

Biography

Rumelhart began his college education at the University of South Dakota, receiving a B.A. in psychology and mathematics in 1963. He studied mathematical psychology at Stanford University, receiving his Ph. D. in 1967. From 1967 to 1987 he served on the faculty of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, San Diego. In 1987 he moved to Stanford University, serving as Professor there until 1998. Rumelhart was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1991 and received many prizes, including a MacArthur Fellowship in July 1987, the Warren Medal of the Society of Experimental Psychologists, and the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award. Rumelhardt, co-recipient with James McClelland, won the 2002 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Psychology.^[4]
Rumelhart became disabled by Pick's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and at the end of his life lived with his brother in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He died in Chelsea, Michigan.

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David Viñas, Argentine dramatist, critic and novelist, died from pneumonic infection he was , 83.

David Viñas  was an Argentine dramatist, critic, and novelist died from pneumonic infection he was , 83..

(July 28, 1927 – March 10, 2011)

Life and career

Viñas grew up in Buenos Aires, and enrolled in the University of Buenos Aires, becoming head of the student organization Federación Universitaria de Buenos Aires. He published his first novel in 1955, and first came to wide attention when he won the Gerchunoff Prize for his novel Un Dios Cotidiano (1957). He received the Premio Nacional for Jauna (1971). The following year, his play Lisandro won the National Prize for Theater.
Viñas' work centers on Argentine history, and generally does not partake of the magical realism favored by his contemporaries. He is deeply concerned with Argentina's legacy of authoritarianism and the problems posed by the nature and historical dominance of the Argentine military. Two of his children disappeared during the 1976-83 military regime, and he spent that era in exile, returning to Argentina in 1984.
He was an early mentor of critic and essayist Beatriz Sarlo, although he adhered to a more traditional leftist position than did Sarlo in later years. Following the election of left-wing Peronist Néstor Kirchner in 2003, he became a vocal supporter of his, and in 2008 co-founded Carta Abierta ("Open Letter") with journalist Horacio Verbitsky, an informal think tank of left-wing public figures in literature, journalism and academia who regularly publish opinion columns in defense of Kirchnerism and progressive social policy, generally.^[2]
Viñas directed the Institute of Argentine Literature at his alma mater.

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Sona Aslanova, Azerbaijanian soprano died she was , 86.

Sona Aslanova  was a Soviet and Azerbaijanian soprano, Meritorious Artist of Azerbaijan Republic known for her historic performances of Azerbaijani, Russian, and international classical and folk vocal music repertoire  died she was , 86.

(4 October 1924 – 9 March 2011)

Biography

Sona Aslanova studied and then taught operatic singing at the Baku Conservatory. Among her professors was Sofia Lisenko-Golskaya, a student of Francesco Lamperti.^[3]
She sang in numerous live and recorded broadcasts on the radio and appeared in many films both as a singer and as an actress. Among her most recognized roles is Nigar from Koroglu, Asya from |Arshin Mal Alan, and Asli from Asli and Kerem. All three operas were written by Uzeyir Hajibeyov, who also guided her as she began her operatic career.
Aslanova represented Azerbaijan on tours to Soviet republics and to a number of foreign countries. She worked side by side with such prominent Azerbaijani figures in the arts as the singers Bulbul and Rashid Behbudov. ^[1]

Honours

Awarded the titles of the Meritorious Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1956 and the Order of the Badge of Honour in 1959.^[1]

Filmography

• Doğma Xalqıma (Koroglu)(1954), film-opera, as Nigar video
• Görüş (1955) as Firəngiz video
• Bizim Küçə (1961)
• Telefonçu Qız (1962), episodic role video
• Əmək və Qızılgül (1962)
• Arşın Mal Alan (1965), film-operetta, as voice of Asya video
• Bizim Cəbiş Müəllim (1969), as Ana video
• O Qızı Tapın (1970)
• Gün Keçdi (1971)
• Ömrün Səhifələri (1974), episodic role video
• Bir az da Bahar Bayramı (1979)
• İstintaq (1979)
• Anlamaq İstəyirəm (1980)
• Üzeyir Ömrü (1981)
• Qəmbər Hüseynli (2007)

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David S. Broder, American journalist (The Washington Post), died from complications from diabetes he was , 81.

David Salzer Broder was an American journalist, writing for The Washington Post for over forty years.^[1] He also was an author, television news show pundit, and university lecturer died from complications from diabetes he was , 81..
For more than half a century, Broder reported on every presidential campaign, beginning with the 1956 Eisenhower–Stevenson race.^[1] Known as the "dean" of the Washington press corps, Broder made over 400 appearances on NBC's Meet the Press.
Upon Broder's death in March 2011, President Barack Obama called him the "most respected and incisive political commentator of his generation."^[2][3]

(September 11, 1929 – March 9, 2011)

Early life and education

David Salzer Broder was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois,^[4] the son of Albert "Doc" Broder, a dentist,^[1] and Nina Salzer Broder.^[5]
He earned a bachelors degree in liberal arts from the University of Chicago in 1947 and continued his studies there, receiving a master's degree in political science in 1951. While at Chicago, he met fellow student Ann Creighton Collar, and they were married in Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1951. They had four sons and seven grandchildren.^[1]

Journalism career

Early years

He began working as a journalist while pursuing his masters degree, serving as editor of The Chicago Maroon^[6] and later at the Hyde Park Herald.^[7] He was drafted into the US Army in 1951, where he wrote for the newspaper U.S. Forces Austria (USFA) Sentinel, until he was discharged from the Army in 1953.
In 1953, Broder reported for the Pantagraph newspaper in Bloomington, IL, covering Livingston and Woodford counties in the central part of the state. From there he moved to the Congressional Quarterly in Washington DC, in 1955, where he apprenticed under senior reporter Helen Monberg and got his first taste of covering Congressional politics. During his four-and-a-half years at CQ, Broder also worked at The New York Times as a freelance writer.
In 1960, Broder joined the Washington Star as a junior political writer covering the presidential election that year between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. During his five years at the Star, he was promoted to national political news reporter and was a weekly contributor to the paper’s op-ed page.
Broder left the Star for The New York Times in 1965, hired by well-known Times political reporter and columnist Tom Wicker to serve in its Washington bureau.

Washington Post columnist

After 18 months at The Times, Broder moved to The Washington Post, where he would remain for over forty years, beginning as a reporter and weekly op-ed contributor. Later, he was given a second weekly column. Broder’s columns were distributed initially through The Washington Post Wire Service and then later syndicated through The Washington Post Writers Group. His columns were carried by more than 300 newspapers for many years.
The longtime columnist was informally known as the "Dean" of the Washington press corps and the "unofficial chairman of the board" by national political writers.^[8][9][10]
In May 2008, Broder accepted a buyout offer from The Washington Post Co., effective January 1, 2009,^[11] but continued to write his twice-weekly Post column as a contract employee. In a letter to the publications that run his column, Broder said: "This change will allow me to focus entirely on the column, while freeing up the Post to use its budget for other news-section salaries and expenses."^[11]
In June 2008, Ken Silverstein, a columnist at Harper's magazine alleged that Broder had accepted free accommodations and thousands of dollars in speaking fees from various business and healthcare groups, in one instance penning an opinion column supporting positions favored by one of the groups.^[12] Deborah Howell, The Washington Post's ombudsman at the time, wrote that Broder's acceptance of speaking fees appeared to be a violation of the paper's policy on outside speeches, as was the fact that some of the groups that paid Broder also lobby Congress.^[13] Howell pointed out that Broder said "he had cleared his speeches with Milton Coleman, deputy managing editor, or Tom Wilkinson, an assistant managing editor, but neither remembered him mentioning them."

Pulitzer Prize

Broder won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1973 and was the recipient of numerous awards and academic honors before and after.

Meet the Press and other broadcast media

For many years Broder appeared on Washington Week, Meet the Press, and other network television news programs. It was announced at the close of the August 10, 2008 broadcast of Meet the Press that Broder was celebrating his 400th appearance on that program, on which he first appeared July 7, 1963. He appeared far more often than any other person, other than the program's panelists. The next closest person to Broder was Bob Novak, who had appeared on Meet the Press fewer than 250 times.
Broder was a weekly guest on XM/Sirius Satellite Radio's The Bob Edwards Show starting in October 2004. On the premiere broadcast, Broder was joined by CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite as the program’s first guests. Broder also contributed to The Bob Edwards Show as a political commentator.

Lecturer and author

In 2001, Broder became a lecturer at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism while continuing to write full-time at The Washington Post. He generally lectured one class a year on politics and the press, the class meeting at the newspaper. Merrill College Dean Thomas Kunkel described Broder as the nation's "most respected political journalist" when he announced Broder's hire. Broder has also lectured at Duke University (1987–1988).^[15]
He is author or co-author of eight books:

• Democracy Derailed: Initiative Campaigns and the Power of Money (Harcourt, 2000) ISBN 978-0-15-100464-5
• The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point with Haynes Johnson (Little, Brown and Company, 1996) ISBN 978-0-316-46969-2
• The Man Who Would be President: Dan Quayle with Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster, 1992) ISBN 978-0-671-79183-4
• Behind the Front Page: A Candid Look at How the News is Made (Simon & Schuster 1987) ISBN 978-0671449435
• Changing of the Guard: Power and Leadership in America (Simon & Schuster, 1980) ISBN 978-0-671-24566-5
• The Party's Over: The Failure of Politics in America (Harper and Row, 1972) ISBN 978-0-06-010483-2
• The Republican Establishment: The Present and Future of the G.O.P. with Stephen H. Hess (Harper and Row, 1967) ISBN 978-0-06-011877-8
• The Pursuit of the Presidency 1980 with the staff of The Washington Post (Berkeley Books, 1980) ISBN 978-0425047032

Death

Broder died of complications from diabetes on March 9, 2011 at the age of 81.^[1][16]

Reception by peers

Broder was called "relentlessly centrist" by The New Yorker's political commentator Hendrik Hertzberg.^[17] Frank Rich of The New York Times often described Broder as the nation's "bloviator-in-chief".^[18]
He earned a mention in two books chronicling the media’s coverage of the 1972 presidential campaign between Richard Nixon and George McGovern, including Timothy Crouse’s The Boys on the Bus^[19] and Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72.^[20]
Broder’s work was also cited in two autobiographies by key figures in the history of The Washington Post: Personal History^[21] by Post publisher Katherine Graham in 1997 and A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures^[22] by Post executive editor Ben Bradlee in 1995. More recently, Broder was included in former Post columnist Dave Kindred’s 2010 book on the paper's struggles in the changing media landscape: Morning Miracle: A Great Newspaper Fights for Its Life.^[23] Broder is also mentioned in Bill Clinton’s biography First In His Class^[24] by David Maraniss.
Broder earned a place in a work of fiction, meriting a mention by a White House senior staffer to fictional U.S. President Jed Bartlet (portrayed by actor Martin Sheen) on the NBC-TV series The West Wing.^[25]

Awards and recognition

• Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, 1973
• 4th Estate Award from the National Press Club,^[26] 1988
• White Burkett Miller Presidential Award in 1989
• Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award^[27](Colby College), 1990
• National Press Foundation's Distinguished Contributions to Journalism Award, 1992
• Illinois State Society Distinguished Illinoisans Award,^[28] 1997
• National Society of Newspaper Columnists Lifetime Achievement Award, 1997^[29]
• William Allen White Foundation's Award for Distinguished Achievement in Journalism,^[30] 1997
• Honorary Doctor of Political Science, DePauw University, May 18, 2003
• Washingtonian Magazine’s 50 Best Journalists,^[31] 2005
• University of Chicago Alumni Medal, ^[32] June 2005
• Jefferson-Lincoln Award, Panetta Institute for Public Policy,^[33] 2007
• Washingtonian Magazine’s 50 Best Journalists^[34] 2009

Honorary degrees

• Honorary Doctor of Laws, Cleveland State University, 1981^[35]
• Doctor of Literature, Wittenberg University, 1982^[36]
• Doctor of Humane Letters, Yale University, 1984^[37]
• Doctor of Humane Letters, Kalamazoo College, 1988^[38]
• Honorary Degree, Rider University, 1989^[39]
• Honorary Doctor of Laws, Lawrence University, 1989^[40]
• Honorary Degree, University of Michigan, 1994^[41]
• Doctor of Humane Letters, College of William & Mary, 1995^[42]
• Doctor of Journalism, University of Miami, 1999^[43]
• Doctor of Humane Letters, Muhlenberg College, 2000^[44]
• Doctor of Political Science, DePauw University, 2003^[45]
• Honorary Degree, Clark University, 2005^[46]
• Doctor of Humane Letters, Bryant University, 2006^[47]
• Honorary Doctor of Laws, Ball State University, 2006^[48]
• Doctor of Humanities, Santa Clara University, 2007^[49]
• Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Bradley University, May 17, 2008.^[50]

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Edward A. Burdick, American civil servant died he was , 89.

Edward Arthur Burdick  was a nonpartisan former chief clerk and parliamentarian of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the past national president of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries (ASLCS) died he was , 89..

(December 26, 1921 – March 9, 2011)


Burdick served the citizens of the State of Minnesota more than 60 years until his “final” retirement from the legislature in 2005.^[3] According to Minnesota Public Radio and the Board of Commissioners of Blue Earth County in Minnesota, Burdick introduced 80,953 bills and 23,268 were signed into law by the Governor.^[2] Former Governor Tim Pawlenty characterized Burdick as "a Minnesota icon and a Minnesota institution" for his legendary service to the nation.^[4] Burdick was nationally known as the “Dean” of parliamentary procedures and legislative affairs. To recognize and honor his public service, the Minnesota Legislature erected a bronze bust of Burdick in the State Capitol at his “first” retirement in 1994.

Early education and family newspapers

Burdick was born in Vernon Center in southern Minnesota. He attended the Vernon Center Grade School, the Garden City High School, and the Mankato Commercial College in Minnesota. He worked in the country newspaper business as his parents operated weekly newspapers at Vernon Center, Good Thunder, and Amboy in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. He was a Sunday school teacher and a Boy Scout leader.
His childhood dream of owning a newspaper suddenly changed when he later discovered the opportunity and excitement of public policymaking in legislative sessions at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. In 1941, he left his parents Harold L. and Carrie M. Burdick in Vernon Center, Minnesota for St. Paul.
A former journalist and experienced editor, Burdick authored a booklet entitled A Few of My Favorite Anecdotes, a collection of short stories based on his public service and newspaper career. He also edited several books—including Glocalization, TRADE for PEACE, and Commercial Providence—authored by his protégé and "adopted" son Dr. Patrick Mendis, a former exchange student from Sri Lanka.^[5] Two of these books are dedicated to Burdick and TRADE for PEACE is dedicated to the late Ambassador Harlan Cleveland, the founding dean of the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, who often testified in the Minnesota Legislature and a mutual friend of Mendis and Burdick.

Legislative and mlitary service

During the 1941 legislative session, Burdick was employed as a page by the Minnesota House of Representatives in St. Paul and that experience led to a full-time public service career. He worked for the legislature on a part-time basis in various capacities until 1957, during which period he served in the U.S. Army at Camp Rucker, Alabama in 1951–53 during the Korean War.
At the time of his honorable discharge, Burdick was the sergeant major of the 135 Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army, after which he received an appointment as a warrant officer from the Minnesota National Guard. When not working at the State Capitol he worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1949–50 and the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs in 1953–57 at Mankato. He also served as the executive director of the Legislative Building Commission in St. Paul in 1957–65 and traveled widely in the State.^[6]

Honors and awards

As the longest-served chief clerk in the nation, Burdick was recognized as the national authority on parliamentary procedure and legislative process. Minnesota House Minority Leader Matt Entenza (DFL-St. Paul) said: “Ed, you are our rock star” in “the Star of the North” (Minnesota).^[4]
Other praise for Burdick came from both Republican and Democratic leaders, including former Governor Tim Pawlenty, House Speakers Steve Sviggum, Rod Searle, David Jennings, Dee Long, Robert Vanasek, Phil Carruthers, Martin Sabo, and Irv Anderson as well as former Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson and Honorable Kathleen Blatz, chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Popularly known as the “Voice of Minnesota,” Edward Burdick “is quintessentially Minnesotan and [he] is the spirit of the Minnesota House of Representatives," concluded Republican Representative Ron Abrams of Minnetonka.^[2]
Elected national president of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries (ASLCS) in 1971, Burdick received many accolades during his legislative, military, and public service career.^[7] Some of which included the Joseph Beek Distinguished Service Award (1983), the Lloyd Short Public Service Award (1985), the National Conference on State Legislatures’ Legislative Staff Award (2002), and the ASLCS Service Award (2003). In 2010, the Minnesota Legislative Society honored Edward Burdick and his counterpart in the Minnesota Senate, Patrick Flahaven, with the Elmer Anderson Award for their years of public service to the State of Minnesota.
Governor Tim Pawlenty proclaimed January 10, 2005 as "Edward A. Burdick Day" in Minnesota and President George W. Bush wrote on March 14, 2005 that "our Nation is deeply indebted" for his military and public service. In his congratulations on Burdick's "retirement after 62 years of government service, including 38 years as chief clerk for the Minnesota House of Representatives," President Bush said, "Laura and I send our best wishes for many years of happiness" in the sun-setting chapter of his philanthropic, patriotic, and legendary public service career as a great American statesman.

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Seán Cronin, Irish journalist and republican, Irish Republican Army chief of staff (1957–1958, 1959–1960), died after a long illness he was , 91.

Seán Cronin  was a journalist and former Irish Army officer and twice Irish Republican Army chief of staff died after a long illness he was , 91.

(1920 –9 March 2011)

Cronin was born in Dublin in 1920 but spent his childhood years in Ballinskelligs, in the County Kerry Gaeltacht.^[2]
During the Second World War, Cronin was an officer in the Southern Command. He later emigrated to New York, where he found work as a journalist. In America, he became involved with Clan na Gael and later joined the Irish Republican Army.^[2]
In 1955 he returned from the United States and began work as a subeditor in the Evening Press.^[2]
He was soon put in charge of training in the IRA. He outlined his ideas in a booklet, Notes on Guerrilla Warfare. He became the chief strategist for Operation Harvest, a campaign which saw the carrying out a range of military operations from direct attacks on security installations to disruptive actions against infrastructure. He was arrested and imprisoned several times over the course of this campaign (1956-1962).^[1]
On two occasions, from 1957 to 1958 and then 1959 to 1960, Cronin was IRA chief of staff. He also served as editor of the Sinn Féin United Irishman/An tÉireannach Aontaithe newspaper.^[2]
Jailed for his activities, he left the IRA in 1962 after his release from prison.^[2]
He later became a journalist for the Irish Times, becoming that paper's first Washington, DC correspondent.^[2]
He was the author of a dozen books and pamphlets, including a biography of republican Frank Ryan, Washington’s Irish Policy 1916-1986: Independence, Partition, Neutrality, an authoritative account of Irish-US relations; Our Own Red Blood about the 1916 Easter Rising; and a number of works on guerrilla strategy, including an early Sinn Féin pamphlet Resistance under the pseudonym of J. McGarrity.^[2]
After several years of illness, Cronin died in Washington on 9 March 2011. He is survived his second wife, Reva Rubenstein Cronin.^[2]

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