Glen Little, American circus performer (Frosty the Clown) died he was , 84

 Glen "Frosty" Little ^[1] was a circus clown who served with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for over 20 years. He was one of only four clowns ever to have been given the title "Master Clown" by the Ringling organization.^[2][3]

(December 5, 1925 – October 26, 2010) Early life

Born in 1925 in Genoa, Nebraska to parents Glen and Elsie,^[1] Little saw his first circus at the age of seven, which instilled a life-long love of the circus in him.^[2][4] His nickname "Frosty" was given to him as a boy by his grandfather, who compared him to Jack Frost due to his love of playing in the snow.^[2][4] Little used the pseudonym extensively, even singing his checks "Frosty Little".^[5]
Little served in the US Navy during World War II, and was wounded. He learned juggling from a fellow patient while convalescing, a skill that would later help him land his first clowning jobs.^[2]
In 1971, he married his wife, Patricia, a photographer and former schoolteacher, with whom he had two daughters.^[2][4] He had an additional daughter by a prior marriage.^[1]

Early career

Prior to joining the Ringling outfit, Little worked as a postal employee and land surveyor in Colorado. From 1954 to 1956, he performed as a clown at a local amusement park on weekends, wearing a rented costume.^[2] In 1956, he went into clowning full-time after he was hired by the Joe King Circus, with which he toured the Rocky Mountain States for half of the year.^[4][2][6] The rest of the year, he freelanced as a clown at birthday parties and special events.^[4] He continued working for the Joe King circus for seven years until its closure in 1962.^[2]

With Ringling Brothers

Little also worked for other small outfits like the Tom Mix Show and Sells Floto Circus, but he had long had his eye on "The Greatest Show on Earth" – Ringling Bros.^[2] In 1968, he finally got his chance when Ringling Bros. created the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College; Little was in its first graduating class, and at the age of 44, he landed a job with Ringling's newly split-off second touring unit.^[7][2][8]
In 1970 Little was promoted to "Boss Clown" of his unit, and from 1980 until his retirement in 1991, he was the circus' "Executive Clown Director", overseeing clowns in both units, and writing new gags for the clowns to perform. In his lifetime, he wrote over 300 gag routines.^[3][9] In his later career, Little also served as an advance man for the circus.^[4][2]
From 1980 until its closure in 1997, Little also taught at his alma mater, the Ringling Brothers clown college.^[2][10] In 1988, Little also helped establish the Ringling circus' first overseas touring unit (based in Japan), choreographing gags and training members of their clown staff.^[2]
Among the dignitaries he entertained were US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and US President Richard Nixon.^[4][11] He also appeared on 12 Ringling Bros. TV specials.^[3]
Little sustained several injuries over the course of his career, including seven broken ribs, ruined knees, and numerous other injuries that left him with "crooked fingers". After one accident, he was rushed to the hospital (after completing his performance) still wearing his clown suit.^[5][2]

Honors

In 1983, Little was named "Master Clown" by the Ringling organization, only the fourth clown ever to be so named (after Otto Griebling, Bobby Kaye, and Lou Jacobs – Little's mentor).^[7][11] Little was the last person ever to have been awarded the title, and was the last surviving Master Clown at the time of his death.^[12]
Little was inducted into the Clown Hall of Fame in 1991.^[13]

Post-career

After his retirement, Little lived in Burley, Idaho, where he ran a circus museum.^[5] In 1996, Little wrote a book on his experiences as a clown, titled Circus Stories: Boss Clown on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for More than 20 Years.^[14]
In 1977 Little was asked by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune what he would do after he retired from the circus. Little replied, "Leave here? Are you out of your mind? I'm never going to leave here. I'll always be a clown."^[15]
On October 26, 2010, Little died in Kimberly, Idaho.^[1] He was survived by his wife Patricia.^[16]

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Lisa Blount, American actress (An Officer and a Gentleman) and Academy Award-winning film producer (The Accountant). died she was , 53

Lisa S. Blount  was an American film and television actress and Oscar-winning producer  died after battling a rare blood disorder she was  , 53.

(July 1, 1957, Fayetteville, Arkansas  – c. October 25, 2010^[1])

Blount was raised in Jacksonville, Arkansas. She started working in show business with her debut in Sam's Song (1969). After graduating from Jacksonville High School in 1975, she landed several small television roles.

Career

She is likely best-remembered for her film role as Lynette Pomeroy in An Officer and a Gentleman.

 Another memorable role was that of Jim Profit's outrageous stepmother Bobbi Stakowski in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed Fox TV series Profit. She starred in Prince of Darkness as the love interest to Jameson Parker, who would play a more important role in the story as it progressed. She appeared in season two (1986) of Moonlighting in the episode, "Sleep Talkin' Guy".
Blount later became a producer and, along with her husband Ray McKinnon, won the Academy Award for best live action short film for the 2001 film, The Accountant. That film also credits her as wardrobe mistress.^[2] Blount produced and acted in the film Chrystal, starring Billy Bob Thornton.

Death

Blount was found dead in her Little Rock, Arkansas, home by her mother on October 27, 2010. The coroner told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Blount appeared to have died two days earlier. No foul play is suspected, according to the Pulaski County Coroner.^[3][4]
Her mother told RadarOnline.com her daughter had suffered from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), in which low levels of platelets keep blood from clotting and lead to bleeding and bruising. "I think that might have been part of the problem when she passed away because when I found her she had a purple look on her neck that looked like blood on the surface", Louise Blount said.^[5]

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Jeff Carter, Australian photographer and author.died he was , 82

Jeff Carter  was an Australian photographer and author died he was , 82.

(August 1928 – 25 October 2010)

Early life

Carter was born in August 1928 in Victoria and attended Melbourne Boys’ School. He began taking photographs while still at high school. His first photos were taken with a [Box Brownie], given to him as a 13th birthday present.^[1]

Career

In 1946, Carter set off to travel around Australia with his camera and typewriter and made a living selling his stories and photographs to a wide range of Australian and international newspapers and magazines including Paris Match, People, Pix, Walkabout and Australian Women's Weekly. He was later also commissioned by National Geographic.
From 1949-54, Carter was editor of Outdoors and Fishing magazine; he then resigned to travel in rural and outback Australia as a freelance photo-journalist. He wrote and illustrated 17 books based on his experiences.^[2] His most widely held book outside Australia is People of the Inland. [Adelaide]: Rigby, 1966. OCLC 901968. Carter's other books include: The Life and Land of Central Australia (1967); Outback in Focus (1968); Stout Hearts and Leathery Hands (1968); Surf Beaches of Australia’s East Coast (1968); Four-Wheel Drive Swagman (1969); Wild Country (1974); Jeff Carter's Great Book Of The Australian Outdoors (1976); All Things Wild (1977); and Jeff Carter's Guided Tours Of The Outback (1979).
Carter is quoted as saying that he was influenced by writers such as Upton Sinclair, John Steinbeck and Edgar Snow.^[3]

Television

From 1972–74, together with his wife Mare Carter and eldest son Thor Carter, he filmed, wrote and produced the television series Wild Country for the Seven Network, which was shown internationally, including the annual television festival MIP in Cannes, France. An episode won awards for Best Documentary, Best Director and Best Editing at the 1974 Australian Film Institute Awards, and an episode won several awards at the annual television festival MIP in Cannes, France.
From 1981–85, he was head teacher of photography at the Wollongong campus of the National Art School.

Collections and exhibitions

His photographs are in the collections of the Art Gallery of NSW, the National Gallery of Victoria, The National Gallery of Australia, the National Library of Australia (over 450 photographs), the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Australian National Museum, and the Powerhouse Museum. They have been exhibited at the National Library of Australia, the National Art Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Art Gallery of South Australia and overseas galleries in Osaka, Japan, Lisbon, Portugal, New York and Paris.
The Monash Gallery of Art in Melbourne, held a major retrospective exhibition of his images in May-June 2003, which was seen by a record number of over 9,000 visitors. Part of this exhibition was then shown at the Christine Abrahams Gallery, and the National Trust Gallery in Melbourne.
Carter received the Australia Council’s Visual Arts/Craft Board 2004 Emeritus award. Senator Rod Kemp, then Minister for the Arts and Sport, commented:

The annual Visual Arts/Craft Emeritus Award and Medal honour the achievements of artists and advocates who have made outstanding and lifelong contributions to the arts in Australia. The career of itinerant, self-taught photographer Jeff Carter spans half a century. It has been estimated that he has produced some 55,000 negatives since he took to the road in 1946 as a young man inspired by his heroes Steinbeck and Hemingway. Armed with a typewriter and a 1A folding Kodak camera, he set about on a journey across the country that would see him document the people, places and life of a changing Australia. In doing so, he has produced one of this country's most remarkable and historically significant photographic archives. As his self-titled calling as photographer to the 'poor and unknown' suggests, Carter is a humanist whose early articles and iconic black and white images, like Tobacco Road and The Drover's Wife, exposed an appreciation of the difficulties Australians outside major cities faced everyday.

The National Library compendium of its image collection uses the iconic image Tobacco Road for the cover illustration. A collection of his black and white studies was published as Jeff Carter: Retrospective Sydney: New Holland, 2005, ISBN 9781741102130

Themes

As a photographer, Carter concentrated on the unglamorous and unprivileged aspects of Australia, with a focus on the working lives and conditions of ordinary Australians. During his early travels, his experiences as an itinerant bush worker, fruit picker, side show "urger" for a travelling boxing troupe, drover, road worker, and mill hand, brought him in contact with the people who would be the subjects of his photographs. These early years of his career filled him with admiration for those making their livings in some of the toughest environments in Australia.
Throughout his career, Carter has produced series that show the progression of events over time. Concentrating on rituals and process, they comprise evocative images.

Personal life

With Mare Carter (born USA, arr. Australia 1950, author) he settled in 1962 on a 45-hectare farm at Foxground, near the south coast town of Berry, NSW, where their two sons Goth and Vandal were born. He has two older children, Thor and Karen.

Obituary

Jeff Carter's obituary, written by Robert McFarlane, appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald on 6 November 2010.

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Richard T. Gill, American opera singer, died from heart failure he was , 82

Richard Thomas Gill was an American economist and opera singer. He held several teaching and administrative positions at Harvard University over a period of twenty-two years died from heart failure he was , 82. He was Assistant Dean of Harvard College, Allston Burr Senior Tutor (Dean) of Leverett House, and Teaching Fellow, Instructor, and Assistant Professor of Economics. In 1963, he received tenure as Lecturer on Economics and Master of Leverett House.

(November 30, 1927 – October 25, 2010)

Gill was born on November 30, 1927, in Long Branch, New Jersey. Though he did not study voice formally, Richard was a boy soprano in his church choir and played the clarinet. At 16 he entered Harvard, where he sang in the glee club. Gill left Harvard to serve in the United States Army where he saw duty during the American Occupation of Japan. After completing his military service, he returned to Harvard, where he completed his undergraduate degree in 1948. He came back to Harvard after doing graduate work in philosophy at the University of Oxford and was named an assistant dean at Harvard at the age of 21. He earned a Ph.D. in economics from the university in 1956.^[1]

For over a decade, he directed Economics 1, which became the largest elective course in the previous history of Harvard College. He also taught courses in economic development, public policy, and economic theory for both graduate and undergraduate students. 

Harvard career

He was a member of numerous university committees, including the Committee on Educational Policy, the Administrative Board, the Kimball Fund, the Committee on Admissions and Scholarships, and the Ford Faculty Fellowship Program. He was the co-author of a major report on the reform of the Harvard General Education Program, and the sole author of a report on Harvard's honors and tutorial programs.

Opera career

Richard Gill left Harvard in 1971 and spent the next decade and a half as an opera singer. He made his debut as principal artist (bass) with the New York City Opera, his roles there including Sarastro (The Magic Flute), Enrico (Anna Bolena), Sir Giorgio (I Puritani), Seneca (Poppea), Colline (La bohème), Pogner (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), and others.
He made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1973. His roles there included Pimen (Boris Godunov), Friar Laurence (Roméo et Juliette), Timur (Turandot), Iero (Siege of Corinth), Commendatore (Don Giovanni), and others.
He appeared as principal artist with the opera companies of Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Boston, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Caracas. Toronto, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, and many others. He was in several world premieres including Philip Glass's Satyagraha.
He also appeared as a soloist with symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic (under Leonard Bernstein), the Boston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and many others. His radio appearances included several Texaco Metropolitan broadcasts, Chicago Lyric broadcasts, and broadcasts of the New York City Opera, New York Philharmonic, and Radio France, Paris. He also appeared in a telecast of Joan of Arc produced by the Canadian National Opera.
While a singer, he was elected to the Board of Governors and subsequently First Vice President of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the principal union for classical operatic singers, ballet dancers, and stage directors in the United States.

Media career

Gill was the primary economic analyst on the Annenberg–CPB television series Economics U$A.
He had written 11 textbooks, one novel (The Taking of Farnham Hall: Searching for Reality in the 1960s, 2003), and several short stories.
A resident of Chocorua, New Hampshire, Gill died of heart failure at the age of 82 on October 25, 2010 in Providence, Rhode Island.^[1]

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Gregory Isaacs, Jamaican reggae singer, died from lung cancer. he was 59

 Gregory Anthony Isaacs ^[1] was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae"died from lung cancer. he was 59.^[2] His nicknames include Cool Ruler^[3] and Lonely Lover.


(15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)

Biography

In his teens, Isaacs became a veteran of the talent contests that regularly took place in Jamaica. In 1968, he made his recording debut with a duet with Winston Sinclair, "Another Heartache", recorded for producer Byron Lee.^[1] The single sold poorly and Isaacs went on to team up with two other vocalists (Penroe and Bramwell) in the short-lived trio The Concords, recording for Rupie Edwards and Prince Buster.^[1] The trio split up in 1970 and Isaacs launched his solo career, initially self-producing recordings and also recording further for Edwards.^[1] In 1973 he teamed up with another young singer, Errol Dunkley to start the African Museum record label and shop, and soon had a massive hit with "My Only Lover", credited as the first lovers rock record ever made.^[1] He recorded for other producers to finance further African Museum recordings, having a string of hits in the three years that followed, ranging from ballads to roots reggae, including "All I Have Is Love", "Lonely Soldier", "Black a Kill Black", "Extra Classic" and his cover version of Dobby Dobson's "Loving Pauper".^[1] In 1974 he began working with producer Alvin Ranglin, and that year he had his first Jamaican number one single with "Love Is Overdue". ^[1] Isaacs recorded for many of Jamaica's top producers during the 1970s, including Winston "Niney" Holness, Gussie Clarke ("My Time") , Lloyd Campbell ("Slavemaster"), Glen Brown ("One One Cocoa Fill Basket"), Harry Mudie, Roy Cousins, Sidney Crooks and Lee "Scratch" Perry ("Mr. Cop") .^[4] By the late 1970s, Isaacs was one of the biggest reggae performers in the world, regularly touring the US and the UK, and only challenged by Dennis Brown and Bob Marley.^[4][5] Between 1977 and 1978, Isaacs again teamed up with Alvin Ranglin, recording a string of hits including "Border" and "Number One" for Ranglin's GG's label.
International stardom seemed assured in 1978 when Isaacs signed to the Virgin Records offshoot Front Line Records, and appeared in the film Rockers, in which he performed "Slavemaster".^[4] The Cool Ruler (which became one of his nicknames) and Soon Forward albums, however, failed to sell as well as expected,^[4] although they are now considered among his best work.^[6] In 1981, he made his first appearance at the Reggae Sunsplash festival (returning annually until 1991), and he moved on to the Charisma Records offshoot Pre, who released his The Lonely Lover (another nickname that stuck) and More Gregory albums along with a string of increasingly successful singles including "Tune In", "Permanent Lover", "Wailing Rudy" and "Tribute to Waddy".^[7] He signed to Island Records and released the record that finally saw him break through to a wider audience, "Night Nurse", the title track from his first album for the label (Night Nurse (1982)).^[7] Although "Night Nurse" was not a chart hit in either the UK or US, it was hugely popular in clubs and received heavy radio play, and the album reached #32 in the UK.^[8] This success for Isaacs coincided with drug problems with cocaine which saw him serve a six-month prison sentence in Kingston in 1982 for possession of unlicensed firearms.^[7][9] Isaacs claimed that he had the weapons only for protection, but it emerged that this was his 27th arrest and that Isaacs had become involved in drug dealing and had become addicted to crack cocaine.^[9] He celebrated his release from prison with his second album for Island, Out Deh! (1983).^[7] Isaacs was featured in the 1982 documentary Land of Look Behind.
When his contract with Island ended, Isaacs returned in 1984 with the "Kool Ruler Come Again" single, and began a period of prolific recording, working with producers including Prince Jammy, Hugh "Redman" James, Bobby Digital, Tad Dawkins and Steely & Clevie, maintaining a consistent standard despite the volume of work produced.^[5][7] Isaacs then built a strong relationship with Gussie Clarke of the Music Works label. They began with Isaacs' 1985 album Private Beach Party, and had a massive hit with "Rumours" in 1988, which was followed by further popular singles including "Mind Yu Dis", "Rough Neck", "Too Good To Be True" and "Report to Me".^[7] The association with Clarke continued into the early 1990s, teaming up with singers including Freddie McGregor, Ninjaman and JC Lodge.^[7] He dueted with Beres Hammond on the 1993 Philip "Fatis" Burrell-produced "One Good Turn", Burrell also producing Isaacs' 1994 album Midnight Confidential.^[7]
In the 1990s the African Museum label continued to release all of Isaacs' music, and that of artists he produced. In 1997 Simply Red covered "Night Nurse" and had a hit with it. Isaacs continued to record and perform live in the 2000s. In 2005 Lady Saw produced another version of "Night Nurse" with her toasting over the original lyrics.
Isaacs' drug addiction had a major impact on his voice, with most of his teeth falling out as a result.^[9] Isaacs said of his addiction in 2007: "Drugs are a debasing weapon. It was the greatest college ever, but the most expensive school fee ever paid – the Cocaine High School. I learnt everything, and now I've put it on the side."^[9]
He also performed at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 Inauguration at Jamaica.
In 2007 he collaborated with the Spanish rap group Flowklorikos / Rafael Lechowski album Donde Duele Inspira.
In 2008, after some 40 years as a recording artist, Isaacs released a new studio album Brand New Me, which was nominated for the Grammy Awards for 2010. The album received positive reviews from critics, such as this review from Reggae Vibes: "Gregory is back, and how! 'Brand New Me' is a very suitable album title for the cool ruler's new album. He is back in a different style, more or less like we were used to from this great 'lovers & roots' artist"^[10] This was followed in 2009 by the album My Kind Of Lady.
In 2010, Gregory Isaacs put out the last of his albums to be released while he was still living; Isaacs Meets Isaac, with Zimbabwean reggae singer, King Isaac. In November 2010, Isaacs Meets Isaacs was nominated for Best Reggae Album for the 2011 Grammy Awards, giving Gregory Isaacs his fourth Grammy Nomination, and Zimbabwe's King Isaac, his first.

Death

After a long battle with lung cancer, Isaacs died on 25 October 2010 at his home in south London^[11] A memorial service was held on 20 November at Kingston's National Indoor Sports Centre, including a musical tribute from artists including Lloyd Parks and We the People Band, Ken Boothe, Freddie McGregor, Mavado, The Tamlins and Bongo Herman, before his remains were interred at the Dovecot Cemetery.^[12]

Discography

More than 500 Gregory Isaacs albums have been released during his career, many being compilations. Studio albums of original material are listed below:

• In Person (1975) Trojan
• All I Have Is Love (1976) Trojan
• The Best Of Vol. 1 (1977) GG's
• Extra Classic (1977) African Museum
• Mr Isaacs (1977) DEB
• Cool Ruler (1978) Front Line
• Soon Forward (1979) Front Line
• Slum (Gregory Isaacs in Dub) (1978) Burning Sounds
• Gregory Isaacs Meets Ronnie Davis (1979) Plant (with Ronnie Davis)
• Showcase (1980) Taxi
• Lonely Lover (1980) Pre
• More Gregory (1981) Pre
• The Best Of Vol. 2 (1981) GG's
• Night Nurse (1982) Island/Mango
• Out Deh! (1983) Island/Mango
• Let's Go Dancing (1984)
• Judge Not (1985) Greensleeves (with Dennis Brown)
• Private Beach Party (1985) Greensleeves & RAS
• Easy (1985) Tad's
• Double Dose (1986) Blue Trac (with Sugar Minott)
• All I Have is Love Love Love (1987) Tad's
• Victim (1987) VP
• Watchman of the City (1987) Rohit
• Come Along (1988), Live & Love
• Red Rose for Gregory (1988) Greensleeves & RAS
• Warning (1989) Firehouse
• Feature Attraction (1989) VP for Mixing Lab records
• No Contest (1989) Greensleeves & VP (with Dennis Brown)
• I.O.U. (1989) Greensleeves & RAS
• On The Dance Floor (1990) Heartbeat
• Call Me Collect (1990) RAS
• Set Me Free (1991) VP, Digital B & Vine Yard
• No Intention (1991) VP
• Boom Shot (1991) Shanachie
• State of Shock (1991) RAS
• Past and Future (1991) VP
• Pardon Me! (1992) RAS
• Cooyah! (1992) Label Unknown...
• Can't Stay Away (1992) VP & Xterminator
• Rudie Boo (1992) Star Trail
• Unattended // Absent (1993) Pow Wow & Greensleeves
• Unlocked (1993) RAS
• Midnight Confidential (1994) Greensleeves for Xterminator records
• Dreaming (1995) Heartbeat
• Not a One Man Thing (1995) RAS
• Private Lesson (1996) Heartbeat
• Mr. Cool (1996) VP
• Maximum Respect (1996) House of Reggae
• Hold Tight (1997) Heartbeat
• Hardcore Hits (1997) Ikus
• Dance Curfew (1997), Acid Jazz – with Dread Flimstone
• Kingston 14 Denham Town (1998) Jamaican Vibes
• Do Lord (1998) Xterminator
• New Dance (1999) Prestige
• Turn Down The Lights (1999) Artists Only
• So Much Love (2000) Joe Gibbs Music
• Future Attraction (2000) VP
• Father & Son (2000), 2B1 – Gregory Isaacs & Son
• It Go Now (2002), 2B1
• Life's Lonely Road (2004)
• Give It All Up (2004) Heartbeat
• Rat Patrol (2004) African Museum
• Masterclass (2004) Greensleeves for Blacker Dread records
• Revenge (2005) P.O.T.
• Substance Free (2005) Vizion Sounds
• Come take my hand (2006) Mun Mun
• Hold Tight (2008) Mafia & Fluxy
• Brand New Me (2008) African Museum
• My Kind Of Lady (2009) Rude Productions
• Isaacs Meets Isaac with King Isaac (2010) King Isaac Music

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Roy Skinner, American college basketball coach (Vanderbilt), died from respiratory failure he was , 80

Roy Gene Skinner  was an American basketball coach who was best known for his time as head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball where he holds the record for most wins as coach and helped break the racial barrier by recruiting the first African American athlete to play varsity ball for a team in the Southeastern Conference died from respiratory failure he was , 80.

(April 17, 1930 – October 25, 2010)

 

Biography

Skinner was born on April 17, 1930, in Paducah, Kentucky. He played basketball as a point guard in high school, at Paducah Junior College, and at Presbyterian College, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1952. His first basketball coaching job was in 1955 at his alma mater Paducah Junior College in 1955 (now part of West Kentucky Community and Technical College).^[1] He was hired by head coach Bob Polk at Vanderbilt as an assistant coach two years later after Skinner led his Paducah team to a win against Vanderbilt's freshman squad.^[2] He spent the 1958-59 season as the acting head coach in Polk's absence, and led the team to an overall record of 14-10.^[3]
Skinner succeeded Polk as head coach in the 1960-61 season. With the support of Vanderbilt University chancellor G. Alexander Heard, he pursued the recruitment of African American players for the basketball team. The first player to make the team was Perry Wallace, a local schoolboy star, who enrolled at Vanderbilt in 1966 and first started playing for the team in 1967, becoming the Southeastern Conference's first African American varsity player. Skinner faced opposition from alumni who were opposed to integrating the team, and biographer Andrew Maraniss stated that Skinner was primarily looking at recruiting Wallace as someone who would be "a great player, and also a great student, a valedictorian" and that the fact that he was making history was a secondary aspect of the choice.^[3] Skinner had tried to recruit African American players from outside the South who had the academic and athletic abilities to succeed at Vanderbilt, but he was unsuccessful. Wallace recalled in a 2009 interview that Skinner practically lived at his house from the time he started trying to recruit him while he was a high school junior.^[4]
Skinner led the team to the Elite Eight in the 1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament behind a 24–4 record that season, losing to the University of Michigan by two points.^[2] Skinner was chosen as coach of the year in the SEC in 1974 by the Associated Press after leading the team to a 23–3 season record, with Skinner receiving seven votes from the 10-member board that selected the winner.^[3][5] Saying that "I don't want to get old being basketball coach", Skinner announced in March 1976 that he would be stepping down as head coach after 16 years and turning the reins over to assistant head coach Wayne Dobbs.^[6] Skinner led the Commodores to a 278-135 record during his tenure, the most of any head coach in team history, and was named SEC coach of the year in 1965, 1967, 1974 and 1976.^[7] In 2009, Skinner was inducted into the Vanderbilt Sports Hall of Fame.^[2]
Skinner died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 80 on October 25, 2010, due to respiratory failure. He was survived by his second wife, Nathleene, as well as by two daughters, three sons and eight grandchildren, all from his first marriage.^[3]

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Bob Courtney, British-born South African broadcaster and actor. died he was , 87

Bob Courtney  was a British-born South African actor and broadcaster. Courtney appeared in more than twenty film roles and worked as an on-air presenter and broadcaster on Springbok Radio died he was , 87.^{[1] [2]} Additionally, Courtney co-founded Radio Today in 1996.^[2]

(October 25, 1922^[1] - October 24, 2010^[1])

Courtney was born Christopher Robert Courtney Leaver on October 25, 1922, in Dorset, England.^[2] Courtney successfully studied to be an accountant. Leaver, a self taught pianist, was drafted into the Royal Air Force's entertainment corps as an entertainer during World War II.^[1][2] Courtney served as an RAF entertainer in North Africa, Greece and Italy.^[2] He met two South African entertainers, Siegfried Mynhardt and Uys Krige, in Rome, Italy, near the end of World War II. Krige and Mynhardt persuaded Courtney to move from Britain to South Africa.^[2]
Leaver emmigrated to South Africa in 1946 and began working at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in 1947 using the shortened name, Bob Courtney.^[2] He hosted many of the SABC's most well known radio shows during the 1940s.^[2]
In 1950, Courtney began hosting the Welcome Little Stranger childrens show on the now defunct Springbok Radio.^[2] His radio name on the show was "Uncle Bob."^[2] However, Courtney's most famous job at Springbok Radio was the host of the hugely popular quiz show, Pick a Box, which aired for fourteen years from 1960 until 1974.^[2] Courtney toured South Africa with the show throughout its airing, attracting large crowds of fans.^[2] In one instance, the Mayor of East London sent a limousine to meet Courtney at the East London Airport, where he had arrived to host Pick a Box in the city.^[2] Courtney broadcast Pick a Box from a variety of unusual locations including Antarctica, the Cango Caves, the Union-Castle Line and a mine shaft.^[2] The popular radio show ended in 1974. Pick a Box was briefly ressurected as a televison quiz show in the 1980s with Courtney once again as its host. However, the TV version was not a hit and was quickly cancelled.^[2]
Courtney's other shows on Springbok Radio included the Eyegene Jackpot game show, which aired from the 1950s until the 1970s, and Stop the Music, which aired for ten years.^[2] He also launched the Springbok show Greet the Bride, which would air for five days per week for twenty years on the radio.^[2] Courtney attempted to reopen Springbok Radio after the station was closed in 1985.^[2] However, the South African Broadcasting Corporation decided against the relauch of Springbok Radio in 1994, citing financial concerns.^[2]
He also co-founded Radio Today in 1996 with former Springbok Radio broadcaster, Peter Lotis.^[1] The station's targeted audience were listeners in their 50s and older.^[2] The station attracted more than 70,000 listeners, but did not attract advertisers.^[2] Courtney hired a financial adviser, who saved Radio Today, though Courtney diagreed with some of the station's new financial and creative directions.^[2] He retired from Radio Today in 2008.^[2]
Courtney's acting career spanned several decades and included more than twenty film credits.^[2] His film roles included Lord Oom Piet in 1962, Kruger Millions, All the Way to Paris, Dingaka and Hans en die Rooinek.^[1] He was also a founding member of the South Africa National Theatre.
Bob Courtney died in Johannesburg at the age of 87 on Sunday, October 24, 2010, just one day before his 88th birthday.^[1][2] His funeral was held at the St. Martin’s-in-the-Veld Anglican Church in Dunkeld, Gauteng. ^[1] Courtney was survived by his wife, Yvonne, and their two children.^[2]

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