Water Cronkite died he was 92

Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. ^[2][3][4] was an American broadcast journalist,

best known as
anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962–81). During the heyday of CBS News in the 1970s and 1980s, he was often cited in viewer opinion polls as "the most trusted man in America" because of his professional experience and kindly demeanor.^[5][6] Cronkite died on July 17, 2009 at the age of 92 from cerebrovascular disease^[7], described by his son as complications from Dementia^[8].

(November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009)

Cronkite was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the son of Helen Lena (née Fritsche) and Dr. Walter Leland Cronkite, a dentist.^[9][10] He had remote Dutch ancestry on his father's side, the family surname originally being Krankheyt.^[11]

Cronkite lived in Kansas City, Missouri until he was ten, when his family moved to Houston, Texas.^[9] He attended junior high school at Lanier Junior High School (now Lanier Middle School) and high school at San Jacinto High School where he edited the high school newspaper.^[1] He was a member of the Boy Scouts. He attended college at The University of Texas at Austin, where he worked on The Daily Texan, and became a member of the Nu chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity.^[12][1] He also was a member of the Houston chapter of DeMolay, a Masonic fraternal organization for boys. It was while attending the University of Texas that Cronkite had his first taste of performance appearing in a play with fellow students Eli Wallach and Ann Sheridan.

Cronkite died on July 17, 2009 at his home in New York City, at the age of 92. He is believed to have died from cerebral vascular disease.^[40]

World's Oldest' Mom Gave Birth at 66, Dead at 69; Leaves Behind Twins

A Spanish woman believed to have become the world's oldest new mother when she gave birth at age 66 has died, leaving behind twin toddlers, newspapers reported Tuesday.

Maria del Carmen Bousada, who reportedly died Saturday at age 69, gave birth in December 2006 as a single mother after getting in vitro fertilization treatment.

She told an interviewer she lied to a California fertility clinic about her age, and maintained that because her mother had lived to be 101, she had a good chance of living long enough to raise a child.

Bousada's death was reported by the newspaper El Mundo and Diario de Cadiz. Cadiz is the southern province where Bousada lived her whole life.

Diario de Cadiz quoted her brother, Ricardo Bousada, as confirming her death but refusing to disclose the cause. The newspaper said she had been diagnosed with a tumor shortly after giving birth.

There was no word on who would raise the children, named Pau and Christian. Bousada had once said she would look for a younger man to help her raise them.

In January 2007, she told the British tabloid News of the World that she sold her house to raise $59,000 to pay for the in vitro fertilization.

Dallas McKennon, American voice actor died he was 89

Dallas McKennon in "Daniel Boone." Photo: 20th Century Fox

Voice actor Dallas McKennon has passed away at 89, just shy of his 90th birthday, which would have been July 19.

Born in La Grande, Oregon, McKennon's best-known roles were that of Gumby for Art Clokey, and Archie Andrews for Filmation's Archie series, and the primary voice of Buzz Buzzard in the Woody Woodpecker cartoons. In the early 1950s, McKennon created and hosted his own daily kids TV wraparound show, Space Funnies/Capt. Jet, which was seen weekday mornings on KNXT (KCBS) TV Ch. 2 in Hollywood, California. Space Funnies was the first Los Angeles-based kids show to air reruns of The Little Rascals and Laurel & Hardy Film Comedies. He was also the primary voice actor for the 1960 cartoon series Q.T. Hush.

He also sang, and provided many character voices for Disney. His distinctive voice can be heard in movies such as Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Mary Poppins, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. He also provided the voices for many Disney Attractions such as the famous Big Thunder Mountain Railroad safety spiel, Ben Franklin's voice in Epcot's American Adventure and the voice of Zeke in the Country Bear Jamboree.^[1]

His best-known live action role is that of the innkeeper, Cincinnatus, in the Daniel Boone TV series starring Fess Parker. He also had a bit part as a gas station attendant in the Elvis Presley film Clambake.

While best known for his extensive work as a voice for various animated features (including Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmations, The Jungle Book, and Mary Poppins), McKennon also voiced numerous voice tracks used in the Disney theme parks - most notably his warning for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, in which he exclaimed "Hold on to your hats and glasses... this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness!" In Epcot, McKennon's voice gives life to an Audio-Animatronic Ben Franklin - another notable role.

Haunted Mansion afficienados might note that McKennon also voiced the deaf old man in the Haunted Mansion's graveyard, who, unable to decipher the mummy muttering through his bandages, has been doomed to an eternity of croaking out "What's that? Louder!" Additionally, McKennon claimed that he was also the voice behind the whimpering dog outside the graveyard gates, as well as a few assorted moans, groans and wails from inside the attraction - including the famously horrifying scream inside of the stretching gallery.

"Since he does some of the Haunted Mansion screams, his fans may be interested to know that he can be seen doing that on-screen in the schlocky Vincent Price movie "The Tingler," if they remember that one," recalled Tim Hollis, author of Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records. "Toward the end of the picture, Dal appears as a projectionist in a movie theater, with a giant rubber grubworm locked around his throat. Dal then lets loose with practically the same scream you hear in the Haunted Mansion stretch room."

Having had the pleasure of corresponding with McKennon many years ago, this writer recalls his wit and the pleasure he took in acknowleding his fans. In speaking with his daughter, she expressed delight in the number of fans that admired his work for Disney, as she wasn't sure the company had fully recognized his contributions to the theme parks.

Beyond the parks and films, McKennon was also a prolific contributor to Disneyland Records, appearing on numerous recordings over a period of nearly 15 years, beginning with 1957's "Stories of Uncle Remus." Outside of Disney, McKennon voiced many famous cartoon characters (including Gumby and Archie), and he also was featured in many live-action films and shows. Many people may remember McKennon as Cincinnatus the shopkeeper in the television series "Daniel Boone."

Sir Edward Downes died he was 85

Sir Edward Thomas Downes died he was 85, he was an English conductor, specialising in opera.
(17 June 1924 – 10 July 2009)

Known as Ted Downes, he was associated with the Royal Opera House from 1952, and with Opera Australia from 1970. He was also well known for his long working relationship with the BBC Philharmonic and for working with the Netherlands Radio Orchestra. Within the field of opera, he was particularly known as a conductor of Verdi.

He and his wife both committed assisted suicide at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland on 10 July 2009, an event that received significant publicity.

Downes was born in Birmingham, England on 17 June 1924, son of a bank teller. He took up the piano and violin when he was five and sang as a boy chorister. At age sixteen he won a scholarship to the University of Birmingham where he studied English literature and music, and began playing the cor anglais. Downes's pursuit of conducting was aided by a two-year Carnegie scholarship from the University of Aberdeen, which allowed him to study with Hermann Scherchen after postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music.^[1]

In the 1960s, he married Joan, a dancer with the Royal Ballet. She later became a choreographer and television producer. They had two children: a son, Caractacus, (born December 1967), who is a musician and recording engineer, and a daughter Boudicca, a video producer.

The conductor's long and fruitful association with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, began in 1952 with his appointment as an assistant to Rafael Kubelík. His first job was prompting Maria Callas.^[1] He remained a company member for 17 years, returning annually thereafter as a guest conductor before assuming the post of Associate Music Director in 1991. Downes conducted at least 950 performances of 49 operas at Covent Garden.^[2]

Elsewhere, he became the Australian Opera's Music Director in 1970, conducting the first performance in the Sydney Opera House in 1973^[1] (the Australian premiere of War and Peace by Sergei Prokofiev). He was Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Orchestra until 1983. While Downes worked with many of the world's symphony orchestras, he enjoyed a particularly long relationship with the BBC Philharmonic (formerly the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra), serving as its Chief Guest Conductor, then Principal Conductor,^[3] and finally as Conductor Emeritus.

Downes was noted for his championing of British music, and for Prokofiev and Verdi. He advocated the symphonies of George Lloyd and premiered works by Peter Maxwell Davies and Malcolm Arnold. His passion for Prokofiev was felt in performances of both major and lesser-known Prokofiev scores throughout the world. He conducted the British première of War and Peace in a concert performance at Leeds Town Hall in 1967, and orchestrated Prokofiev's one-act opera Maddalena in 1979 and subsequently gave its world premiere.

Downes's first experience of conducting the music of Verdi came in 1953 when Rafael Kubelík withdrew from a Covent Garden Otello and Downes led the opera with no rehearsal. He felt on home ground, and then championed Verdi revivals in England. He conducted 25 of Verdi's 28 operas, and devised the idea to perform all of them in time for the 2001 centenary of the composer's death. Downes's regret was that he never conducted Alzira, Un Giorno di Regno or, especially, Les vêpres siciliennes. The conductor said: "I seemed to understand Verdi as a person. He was a peasant. He had one foot in heaven and one on the earth. And this is why he appeals to all classes of people, from those who know everything about music to those who are hearing it for the first time."^[4]

Downes was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1986 New Year Honours,^[5] and knighted in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours.^[6]

Eighty five year old Downes and his 74 year old wife ended their lives by assisted suicide at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland on 10 July 2009. Their children issued a statement speaking of "serious health problems" suffered by the couple, including Lady Downes's terminal cancer and Sir Edward's blindness.^[7][8] The statement issued by the couple's children said that while Downes could go on living with his deafness and blindness, he did not want to do so after his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer.^[1]

Mark Mandala, died he was 72,

Mark Mandala, 72, retired former president of the ABC TV Network, died of apparent heart attack while playing golf July 11 in Dorset, Vt., according to his family.

Mandala's son, Steve, is a top cable sales executive with NBC Universal.

Mark Mandala was with ABC for 32 years, retiring in 1994 as head of the network.

He joined the company in 1962 and after a number of sales and management posts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York, was named president of the owned TV stations division in 1983. He was named president of the network in 1986.

Mandala is survived by his wife, Joan Neely Mandala, and three sons, Steve, Charlie and Michael.

Jimi Flowers died he was 47

U.S. Paralympic swim coach Jimi Flowers died Saturday in a climbing accident in Aspen, Colo., USA Swimming said.

Flowers was USA Swimming's national team director from 1989-93. He also worked at Auburn and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Jimi Flowers,” USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus said. “Jimi was a wonderful man and a friend to so many of us in the swimming family and in the Olympic community. Our thoughts and prayers today are with Jimi's family as well as with our friends at U.S. Paralympics.”

Authorities believe Flowers fell at about 13,000 feet, on the east side of the ridge between K2 and Daly saddle. Flowers' climbing partner, who was not identified in a sheriff's office news release about the incident, reported seeing Flowers sliding at high speed through snow chutes and rock bands, coming to rest at about 12,500 feet in a rocky section.

K2 is a point on 14,130-foot Capitol Peak, northeast of the infamous Knife Edge — a thin ridge of rock — that leads to the summit from K2. Northeast of K2 is Mount Daly.

The partner contacted his own wife, at about 2:45 p.m., and she contacted authorities. Mountain Rescue Aspen and a Flight for Life helicopter were summoned, but a Frisco-based helicopter was unable to fly because of mechanical problems and a chopper was dispatched from Denver, according to the sheriff's office.

Mountain Rescue members were picked up by the helicopter at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport and dropped, one at a time, onto a flat knoll about 1.5 miles from Flowers' location. Both deputies and the rescue leader were able to maintain periodic cell phone contact with the partner.

A Snowmass paramedic, also a member of mountain rescue, reached Flowers at about 6:25 p.m. He had no pulse and was not breathing, according to the sheriff's office. Rescuers began cardio-pulmonary resuscitation until the effort was called off by Aspen Valley Hospital's emergency department. Flowers apparently suffered significant injuries to his head, back and a leg.

Flowers' climbing partner was evacuated by a second Flight for Life helicopter, while a three-person Mountain Rescue team spent the night near Flowers' body. A second, four-person team hiked in from the Capitol Lake trailhead and spent the night about a mile below the lake.

Beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday, rescuers aided in transporting Flowers' body, which was picked up by helicopter using a long cable and flown to the nearest landing spot, where other rescuers put the body into the aircraft. The helicopter delivered the body to Aspen Valley Hospital shortly after 8:30 a.m.

Rescuers at the scene were also transported out via helicopter, while the second team hiked back out to the trailhead. The operation involved 19 team members on both Friday and Saturday; it concluded by noon Saturday.

Most climbing accidents occur during the descent, when fatigue and a relaxed mindset can lead to inattention, according to Mountain Rescue. The exact cause of Flowers' fall may never been known, the sheriff's office noted.

Richard Reader Harris died he was 96

Richard Reader Harris was a British Conservative Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Heston and Isleworth from 1950 until 1970.

(4 June 1913 – 7 July 2009)

Harris was born in Fulham,^[1] the son of Richard Reader Harris and Elsie (nee Tagen). He was Chairman of Rolls Razor Ltd, which made washing machines. In July 1964 the company went bankrupt, and a subsequent investigation revealed irregularities in the company's accounts. In 1969, Harris was charged with carrying on company business with intent to defraud the company's creditors, falsifying the balance sheet, and deceiving investors as to the company's financial state. ^[2]

With his trial ongoing as the 1970 general election was called, and despite the judge dismissing two charges, the Heston and Isleworth Conservative Association voted to reject Harris and selected instead Barney Hayhoe. On 29 May, Harris was acquitted on the remaining charge; although time remained for his readoption, the Association stuck to its previous choice.

Harris was married to Pamela Stephens from 1940 until their divorce in 1963; their three daughters survive him. He is also survived by his second wife Una. His son from his second marriage died in 2007.

Harris died on July 7, 2009, aged 96 years.