Eddie Kirkland, American blues guitarist, died from a car accident he was , 88

Eddie Kirkland  was an American blues guitarist, harmonicist, singer, and songwriter died from a car accident he was , 88.
Kirkland, known as the "Gypsy of the Blues" for his rigorous touring schedules, played and toured with John Lee Hooker from 1949 to 1962. After his period of working in tandem with Hooker he pursued a successful solo career, recording for RPM Records, Fortune Records, Volt Records, and King Records, sometimes under the stage name Eddie Kirk. Kirkland continued to tour, write and record albums until his death in February 2011.

(August 16, 1923 – February 27, 2011)

Biography

Kirkland was born in Jamaica to a mother, aged 12, and first heard the blues from "field hollers" ^[1], and raised in Dothan, Alabama until 1935,^[2] when he stowed away in the Sugar Girls Medicine Show tent truck and left town. Blind Blake was the one who influenced him the most in those early days.^[3] He was placed on the chorus line with "Diamond Tooth Mary" McLean. When the show closed a year later, he was in Dunkirk, Indiana where he briefly returned to school.


He joined the United States Army during World War II. It was racism in the military, he said, that led him to seek out the devil.^[4] After his discharge Kirkland traveled to Detroit where his mother had relocated. After a days work at the Ford Rouge Plant, Kirkland played his guitar at house parties, and there he met John Lee Hooker. Kirkland, a frequent second guitarist in recordings from 1949-1962. "It was difficult playin' behind Hooker but I had a good ear and was able to move in behind him on anything he did."^[5]
Kirkland fashioned his own style of playing open chords, and transformed the rough, porch style delta blues into the electric age by using his thumb, rather than a guitar pick. He secured his own series of recordings with Sid Nathan of King Records in 1953, at Fortune Records in 1958 and, by 1961, on his own album It's the Blues Man, with the King Curtis Band.^[2]
Kirkland became Hooker's road manager and the two traveled from Detroit to the Deep South on many tours, the last being in 1962 when Hooker abandoned Kirkland to go overseas. Kirkland found his way to Macon, Georgia and began performing with Otis Redding as his guitarist and band leader.^[2] As Eddie Kirk, he released "The Hawg" as a single on Volt Records in 1963.^[6] The record was overshadowed by Rufus Thomas's recordings, and Kirkland, discouraged by the music industry and his own lack of education to change the situation, turned to his other skill and sought work as an auto mechanic to earn a living for his growing family.^{[citation needed]}
In 1970, one of the revivals of the blues was taking place. Peter B. Lowry found Kirkland in Macon and convinced him to record again. His first sessions were done in a motel room, resulting in the acoustic, solo LP Front and Center; his second was a studio-recorded band album, the funky The Devil... and other blues demons. Both were released on Lowry's Trix Records label. It was during the mid 1970s that Kirkland befriended the British blues-rock band, Foghat.^[7] Kirkland remained with Lowry, Trix, and was based in the Hudson Valley for twelve years. It was during this period that Kirkland appeared on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert with Muddy Waters, Honeyboy Edwards, and Foghat. These were also the years that Kirkland again energized his sound. "Eddie's thumb pick and fingers style give him freedom to play powerful chord riffs rich in rhythms and harmonic tension. He plays like a funky pianist, simultaneously covering bass lines, chord kick, and counterpoint."^[8]
The 1990s brought Randy Labbe as manager, booking agent and on his own record label, Deluge, recorded Kirkland. Three albums were produced during this Maine period, one live, one with a guest appearance from Hooker and one containing a duet with Christine Ohlman. By 2000, Kirkland was on his own again, always doing his own driving to concerts in his Ford County Squires, crossing the country several times a year. Labeled now as the Road Warrior, "A thickset, powerful man in the waistcoat and pants of a pin strip suit; red shirt, medallion, shades and a black leather cap over a bandanna, his heavy leather overcoat slung over his arm,.... he's already a Road Warrior par excellence."^[9]
Well into his eighties Kirkland continued to drive himself to gigs along the coast and in Europe, frequently playing with the Wentus Blues Band from Finland.
A documentary short entitled PICK UP THE PIECES was made about a year in Eddie's life (2010) and it can be viewed on youtube.com. It follows Eddie's struggles as an uneducated African American trying to make it as a Blues musician.

Death

Kirkland died in an automobile accident on the morning of February 27, 2011 in Crystal River, Florida. The accident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. after a bus hit Kirkland's car, a 1998 Ford Taurus wagon. Reportedly Kirkland attempted to make a U-turn on U.S. 98 and Oak Park Boulevard, putting him directly in the path of a Greyhound bus. The bus struck the vehicle on the right side and pushed it approximately 200 feet from the point of impact.^[10] The matter is currently under investigation. Kirkland suffered serious injuries and was transported by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital where died a short time later. The bus driver and 13 passengers on the bus were not hurt.^[11]

Family

Kirkland was survived by his wife, Mary, and nine children ^[12]. He was predeceased by one child Betty, and his first wife Ida.

Discography

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• It's Time for Lovin' to be Done (1952) as Little Eddie Kirkland
• That's All Right (1952) as Little Eddie Kirkland
• Please Don't Think I'm Nosey (1953)
• No Shoes (1953)
• Mistreated Woman (1953)
• I Need You Baby (1959)
• Done Somebody Wrong (1959)
•  ??? (1961)
•  ??? (1962)
• It's the Blues Man! (Tru-Sound Records, 1962)
• Let Me Walk With You (1964)
• Monkey Tonight (1964)
• Hog Killing Time (1964/65)
• Treat me The Way You Want (1964/65)
• The Hawg Pt. 1 (1965)
• The Hawg Pt. 2 (1965)
• Dem Bones (1965)
• I Found A New Love (1965)
• Front and Center (Trix Records, 1972) (1970)
• The Devil and Other Blues Demons (Trix Records, 1973) (1972)
• Pick Up The Pieces (1980)
• Three Shades Of Blue (1987)
• Have Mercy (Pulsar Records) reissued by (Evidence Records, 1988)
• All Around the World (Deluge Records, 1992)
• Some Like it Raw (Deluge, 1993)
• Where You Get Your Sugar (Deluge, 1995)
• Lonely Street (Telarc Records, 1997)
• Movin' On (JSP Records, 1999)

Hastings Street Grease, Vol 1 (Blue Suit Records, 1998)

• The Complete Trix Recordings (1999) (32 Records)

Hastings Street Grease, Vol 2 (Blue Suit Records, 1999)

• Democrat Blues (Blue Suit Records, 2004)
• The Way It Was (2005)
• Booty Blues (2006)(2005)
• Crash Boom Bang (2008)
• Foghat Last Train Home (2010)
• Ma-Me-O (2010)

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Agnes Milowka, Australian technical diver, drowned she was , 28

Agnes Milowka  was an Australian technical diver, underwater photographer, author, and cave explorer drowned she was , 28. She died during a diving expedition to Tank Cave near Mt Gambier on the South Australian coast.

(23 December 1981 – 27 February 2011)

Background

Miss Milowka received her graduate degrees in Maritime Archaeology from Flinders University (2007), Bachelor of Business, Marketing and Event Management from Victoria University (2008), Bachelor of Arts, History and Australian Studies from University of Melbourne (2005).
She participated as the researcher and diver in a series of qualitative underwater archeology, fieldwork and research projects. ^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]}
In 2009 Cocklebiddy expedition (Australia), she reached the mid point of Craig Challen’s 2008 line giving her the record for the longest cave dive in Australia for a female. ^[11]
She worked as underwater grip for a film Discovery Channel Japan "Water's Journey" TV Asahi & Karst Productions.
Agnes Milowka was a photographic assistant in the 2009 National Geographic Magazine expedition to Bahamas Caves, resulting in one of her photos to be published by National Geographic website. Agnes Milowka (23 Sep 2010). "Deep Dark Secret". National Geographic. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
She was part of the National Geographic Nova TV Special expedition to Blue Holes of the Bahamas, August 2010 ^[12] as underwater grip, preceded by the expedition to look for similar sinkholes in Queensland, Australia in 2009. ^[13]
In 2010, when living in Florida, she laid over 4km of line across a number of cave systems, the most significant of which was Mission Spring. In August 2010, together with James Toland, they made the connection between Peacock Springs and Baptizing Spring, Florida adding over 10,000ft (3km) passage.
She was presenter and editor for AMP movie (Agnes Milowka Project, 2010) featuring underwater cave footage shot by Wes Skiles, Karst Productions.
Agnes Milowka was a speaker at a number of diving related conferences (OZTek 2009, EuroTek 2010).
She acted as a stunt double for two female characters on James Cameron's feature film Sanctum 2011.
In 2011 she was nominated as Dive Rite Ambassador.
One of her last last work was as a diving supervisor at the BIRTH a short film for TRIMÄPEE fashion label. The movie has been dedicated in her name.
In recognition of Agnes' achievements and legacy, The Agnes Milowka Memorial Environmental Science Award has been established by Mummu Media for underprivileged schools in the area of science, marine studies or exploration.

Author

Milowka authored articles on the subject of underwater exploration and her experiences and work as a diver. These include

Heaven is a place on earth ^[14]

Why Ginnie and I are like peas and carrots ^[15]

Virgin Territory: Devil's Eye past the restriction ^[16]

Mission Spring ^[17]

Cave diving in Victoria: Exploration of the Elk River streamway (co-authored with Jim Arundale) ^[18]

In the heart of Tiger's Eye ^[19]

Deep holes in the ground that will blow your mind: Bahamas ^[20]

Virgin Territory: Devil's Eye Cave System Beyond Restriction ^[21]

Deep Holes. Unraveling The Mysteries Of The Bahamas ^[22]

Mission Spring Exploration ^[23]

The Elk River Streamway: A hump to a sump ^[24]

Eye of the Tiger: On expedition in Tassie ^[25]

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Amparo Muñoz, Spanish actress, Miss Universe 1974 died she was , 56.

Amparo Muñoz Quesada was a talented Spanish actress who made history in 1974 when she became the first, and currently the only, Spanish woman to win the Miss Universe pageant. Her victory brought immense pride to Spain and made her a national icon.

Amparo was born on June 21, 1954, and sadly passed away on February 27, 2011, at the age of 56. Her life was marked by a successful career in the entertainment industry and her trailblazing achievement as Miss Universe.

Beyond her Miss Universe triumph, Amparo's acting career included appearances in various Spanish films and television series. She showcased her talent and versatility through her performances, leaving a lasting impression on audiences.

Despite her success, Amparo remained dedicated to her family and personal life. She married Spanish footballer Carlos Martínez in 1982, and they had two children together.

Amparo Muñoz Quesada's legacy as the first Spanish Miss Universe and her contributions to the world of entertainment continue to be celebrated and remembered in her home country and around the globe. Her life serves as an inspiration to aspiring pageant contestants and actresses alike, and her untimely passing at the age of 56 was a great loss to the Spanish entertainment industry and to all those who admired her achievements.

Miss Universe 1974

Amparo Muñoz Quesada's journey to becoming Miss Universe began when she won the city title in her hometown of Vélez-Málaga, Andalusia. This victory propelled her to compete in the Miss Spain contest, which was held in Lanzarote. Her charm, poise, and beauty helped her secure the Miss Spain title, paving the way for her participation in the Miss Universe 1974 pageant.

The Miss Universe 1974 competition took place in Manila, Philippines, and it was here that Amparo made history. She became the first and only Spanish contestant to win the coveted Miss Universe crown, bringing immense pride and joy to her country. However, her reign as Miss Universe was short-lived, as she relinquished her title later that same year.

Despite giving up her crown, Amparo Muñoz Quesada's achievement as Miss Universe 1974 remains an essential part of Spanish pageant history. Her triumph on the international stage opened doors for future Spanish contestants and inspired many young women to pursue their dreams in the world of beauty pageants and modeling..

Acting career

Following her Miss Universe victory, Amparo Muñoz Quesada became an instant celebrity in Spain, joining the ranks of notable figures such as Nino Bravo, Pedro Carrasco, Rocío Dúrcal, Rocío Jurado, Camilo Sesto, and La Pandilla. Her newfound fame opened doors to a fruitful career in show business.

In 1979, Muñoz showcased her acting prowess in Carlos Saura's comedy film, "Mama Turns 100." She continued to build her filmography with roles in "Todo un Hombre" (1982), "A Paradise Under the Stars" (1999), and "El Tahur" (2003). In the late 1990s, her return to mainstream Spanish cinema was marked by her performance in Fernando León de Aranoa's "Familia," which led to a renewed focus on her acting career.

Despite the triumphs in her professional life, Muñoz's personal life often garnered attention due to notorious events and public controversies. Her experiences both on and off the screen have become part of Spanish popular culture, with her legacy as a beauty queen, actress, and captivating public figure solidifying her place in the annals of Spanish entertainment history.

Amparo Muñoz Quesada passed away on February 27, 2011, at the age of 56, due to complications from a cerebral aneurysm. Her cremated remains were laid to rest at the Roman Catholic cemetery of Saint Michael in Málaga, Spain.

Death

Amparo Muñoz Quesada passed away on February 27, 2011, at the age of 56, in her hometown of Málaga, Spain. The exact cause of her death was not officially disclosed to the public. Her untimely passing was a shock to her family, friends, and fans, as she had remained active in the entertainment industry until her death.

Following her demise, Muñoz's family cremated her remains, and she was laid to rest at the Roman Catholic cemetery of Saint Michael in Málaga. Her funeral was attended by numerous celebrities, colleagues, and friends from the Spanish entertainment world, all paying tribute to the trailblazing actress, beauty queen, and beloved public figure.

Amparo Muñoz Quesada's legacy as a Miss Universe winner, successful actress, and an enduring figure in Spanish popular culture continues to be remembered and celebrated. Her achievements and influence throughout her career serve as an inspiration for aspiring entertainers and pageant participants, both in Spain and internationally.

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Skonk Nicholson, South African teacher and rugby union coach (Maritzburg College, 1948–1982) died he was , 94..

James Mervyn Nicholson, better known as Skonk Nicholson, was a retired rugby coach and school master at Maritzburg College  died he was , 94... He is often credited with having trained large numbers of provincial and Springbok players, and is an iconic figure of schoolboy rugby in Pietermaritzburg, and indeed, South Africa.

 (6 February 1917 – 27 February 2011)

History

James Mervyn Nicholson (the "Skonk" nickname came later) was born in Underberg, Natal, on 6 February 1917, and grew up on the family farm in that district. In due course, he was sent to the Durban Preparatory High School (DPHS) in Durban, from whence he proceeded to the Durban High School (DHS). His father was a great friend of the legendary DHS Head Master, Mr AS "Madevu" Langley, and so young Mervyn (as he was then called) was sent to DHS, rather than to Maritzburg College, which was also a family school, but the fierce-yet-friendly rival institution of the Durban school. He enjoyed a remarkably successful stint at DHS, and matriculated in 1935 as Head Prefect, captain of both the First XV and the First XI, captain of the Natal Schools' XV, and Senior Cadet Officer. It was as a young standard six (grade 8) boarder at DHS that he earned his famous nickname of "Skonk": the then Head Prefect, M Bennett, recognised young Nicholson's spirited nature, referring to him as "Skonkwaan", which was the name of an ox on the family farm, meaning (in isiZulu) "tent-peg". This was later shortenend to "Skonk".
Having completed his studies at the ertswhile Natal University College (NUC) in Pietermaritzburg (now the University of KwaZulu-Natal), Nicholson started out his academic teaching career at his alma mater, DHS, immediately before the Second World War broke out. During the war, he served as an instructor (sergeant-major), before being demobilised out of the SA Army in 1944 due to injury. Much to the disappointment of the redoubtable Head Master of DHS, Col AC "Betsy" Martin MC, Nicholson was sent by the Natal Education authorities to Maritzburg College (which is known simply as "College"), where he taught Geography and coached the 1st XV rugby team from 1948 to 1982. Indeed, in 1944 the youthful Nicholson found himself the subject of a heated dispute between Col Martin and the equally pugnacious Headmaster of College, Mr JW "John-Willie" Hudson, who also wanted to enjoy the services of the talented young master. Mr Hudson ultimately prevailed, as was his wont.
Up until his death Nicholson still served Maritzburg College and could each day be seen making his way slowly to the school in one of his two 1960s Ford Valiants, invariably with his daughter, Diana, alongside him in the front seat.
Under his leadership, Maritzburg College came to be one of the sporting powerhouses of South Africa, producing 14 unbeaten First XVs and countless Natal and SA Schools' players during his 35 seasons at the helm.

Coaching

Nicholson coached numerous players, many of whom have played or are playing in international or national rugby sides. The names of these players include Keith Oxlee, Brian Irvine (captain of the Junior Springboks), Ormond Taylor and Andy van der Watt, and, since his official retirement, Joel Stransky (of World Cup 1995 fame), Jeremy Thomson, Pieter Dixon and Butch James. This exposure to internationally-acclaimed rugby stars rendered Skonk one of the most recognised faces in South African rugby.
Nearby to the Kent Pavilion at Maritzburg College, overlooking the school's main rugby field, Goldstone's, stands the "Nicholson Arch", which was erected in 1982, the year of Nicholson's retirement. It is a cherished tradition for each First XV player, as he steams onto the famous pitch, to reach up and touch the apex of the arch, in mute tribute to Maritzburg College's own "Mr Rugby".
Nicholson co-authored a book with Tony Wiblin, detailing the complex and often turbulent history of Maritzburg College and its rugby, entitled Jimeloyo-Ji (which is the College war-cry).

Later life and death

In the company of many of his friends, Nicholson celebrated his 90th birthday on 6 February 2007. Nicholson's guests of honour included Ian McIntosh (the former coach of the Sharks & Springboks) and Josie Nel, the 99-year old widow of Philip Nel, captain of the 1937 Springboks.
On 6 February 2011, Nicholson celebrated his 94th birthday with his family. He died on 27 February, after a short period of illness.

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Moacyr Scliar, Brazilian physician and writer, died from a stroke. he was , 73.

Moacyr Jaime Scliar  was a Brazilian writer and physician.
Scliar is best known outside Brazil for his 1981 novel Max and the Cats (Max e os Felinos), the story of a young man who flees Berlin after he comes to the attention of the Nazis for having had an affair with a married woman. Making his way to Brazil, his ship sinks, and he finds himself alone in a dinghy with a jaguar who had been travelling in the hold.^[1] The story of the jaguar and the boy was picked up by Yann Martel for his own book Life of Pi, winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize, in which Pi is trapped in a lifeboat with a tiger.^[2][3]

(March 23, 1937 – February 27, 2011)

Background

Scliar was born in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, into a Jewish family that immigrated to Brazil from Bessarabia in 1919. He graduated in medicine in 1962, majoring in public health.

Writing

In 1962, his first book Stories of a Doctor in Formation was published, although later on he regretted having published it so young. His second book The Carnival of the Animals was published in 1968.
Most of Scliar's writing centers on issues of Jewish identity in the Diaspora and particularly on being Jewish in Brazil. In a recent autobiographical piece, Scliar discusses his membership in the Jewish, medical, Gaucho, and Brazilian tribes. He was elected a life-time member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2003.
His novel The Centaur in the Garden was included among the Greatest Works of Modern Jewish Literature by The National Yiddish Book Center.
Scliar's fiction has been translated into English, Dutch, French, Swedish, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Czech. His translated fiction is listed in the UNESCO international bibliography of translations Index Translationum: Scliar, Moacyr

Works in English

Books

• The Centaur in the Garden, Translator: Margaret A. Neves
• The Gods of Raquel, Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
• The One-Man Army, Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
• The Carnival of the Animals, Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
• The Ballad of the False Messiah, Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
• The Strange Nation of Rafael Mendes, Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
• The Volunteers, Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
• The Enigmatic Eye, Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
• Max and the Cats , Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
• The Collected Stories of Moacyr Scliar, Translator: Eloah F. Giacomelli
• The War in Bom Fim, Translator: David William Foster

Short Stories in Anthologie

• Inside My Dirty Head - The Holocaust, translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in TROPICAL SYNAGOGUES: SHORT STORIES BY JEWISH LATIN AMERICAN WRITERS, editor Ilan Stavans
• The Plagues, translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in A HAMMOCK BENEATH THE MANGOES - STORIES FROM LATIN AMERICA, editor Thomas Colchie
• Van Gogh's Ear, translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in THE VINTAGE BOOK OF LATIN AMERICAN STORIES, editors Carlos Fuentes and Julio Ortega
• The Prophets of Benjamin Bok, translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in WITH SIGNS AND WONDER: AN INTERNATIONAL ANTHOLOGY OF JEWISH FABULIST FICTION, editor Daniel M. Jaffe
• The Ballad of the False Mesiah, translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in THE OXFORD BOOK OF JEWISH STORIES, editor Ilan Stavans
• The Cow ; The Last Poor Man, translator Eloah F. Giacomelli, in THE OXFORD ANTHOLOGY OF THE BRAZILIAN SHORT STORY, editor K. David Jackson

External Links to Reviews & Articles

• YUPPIES WITH FETLOCKS, review by Jean Franco, New York Times, June 30, 1985 The Centaur in the Garden
• THE CENTAUR IN THE GARDEN, review by Judith Bolton-Fasman, The Jewish Reader, August 2003 Centaur in the Garden
• JONAH WAS CLAUSTROPHOBIC, review by Herbert Gold, New York Times, January 31, 1988 The Strange Nation of Rafael Mendes
• MAIMONIDES IN BRAZIL, review by Mark R. Day, Los Angeles Times, January 24, 1988 Rafael Mendes
• THE BRAZILIANIZATION OF THE YIIDDISHKEIT TRADITION, article by Robert DiAntonio, Latin America Literary Review, Vol. 17, No. 34 (Jul. - Dec. 1989), pp. 40--51 Yiddishkeit Tradition
• RESONANCES OF THE YIDDISHKEIT TRADITION IN THE CONTEMPORARY BRAZILIAN NARRATIVE, by Robert DiAntonio, in Tradition and Innovation: Reflections on Latin American Jewish Writing, State University of New York Press, 1993 An Analysis of Scliar's Fiction
• MOACYR SCLIAR: SOCIAL DIFFERENCES AND THE TYRANNY OF CULTURE, an analysis of Scliar's fiction by Nelson H. Vieira, in Jewish Voices in Brazilian Literature: A Prophetic Discourse of Alterity, University Press of Florida, 1996 Social Differences and the Tyranny of Culture
• WLT INTERVIEW WITH MOACYR SCLIAR, article by Luciana Camargo Namorato, World Literature Today, May 1, 2006 Interview with Scliar
• MOACYR SCLIAR, article by Ilan Stavans, Jewish Writers of the 20th Century Moacyr Scliar
• ORACULAR JEWISH TRADITION IN TWO WORKS BY MOACYR SCLIAR, article by Naomi Lindstrom, Luso-Brazilian Review, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Winter, 1984, University of Wisconsin Press) Two Works by Scliar
• THE ENIGMATIC EYE, review by Robert DiAntonio, The International Fiction Review, Vol. 17, No. 1 (1990) Enigmatic Eye
• IN BATTLE WITH THE TERRIFYING BEAST OF MAGICAL REALISM, article by Dolores Flaherty, Roger Flaherty, Chicago Sun-Times, August 5, 1990 Magical Realism
• FACING ONE'S INNER FELINES, review by Linda Morra, Canadian Literature #183 (Winter 2004), Writers Talking, pp. 166-167 Max and the Cats
• MOACYR SCLIAR, BRAZILIAN NOVELIST, DIES AT 73, a review article by William Grimes, BOOK section, The New York Times, March 5, 2011 Moacyr Scliar, Brazilian Novelist

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Duke Snider American Baseball Hall of Famer (Dodgers, Mets, Giants) died he was , 84,.

Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider , nicknamed "The Silver Fox" and "The Duke of Flatbush", was a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1947–62), New York Mets (1963), and San Francisco Giants (1964) died  he was , 84,.
Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.

(September 19, 1926 – February 27, 2011)

Early life and career

Born in Los Angeles, Snider was nicknamed "Duke" by his father at age five.^[1] Growing up in Southern California, Snider was a gifted all-around athlete, playing basketball, football, and baseball at Compton High School, class of 1944. He was a strong-armed quarterback, who reportedly could throw the football 70 yards. Spotted by one of Branch Rickey's scouts in the early 1940s, he was signed to a baseball contract out of high school in 1943.^[1]He played briefly for the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1944 (batting twice) and for Newport News in the Piedmont League in the same year. After serving in the military in 1945, he came back to play for the Fort Worth Cats in 1946 and for St. Paul in 1947. He played well and earned a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers later that year. He started the next season (1948) with Montreal, and after hitting well in that league with a .327 batting average, he was called up to Brooklyn for good during the middle of the season.

Major League Baseball career

In 1949 Snider came into his own, hitting 23 home runs with 92 runs batted in, helping the Dodgers into the World Series. Snider also saw his average rise from .244 to .292. A more mature Snider became the "trigger man" in a power-laden lineup which boasted players, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges, Billy Cox, Roy Campanella, Carl Erskine, Preacher Roe, Carl Furillo, Clem Labine, and Joe Black. Often compared with two other New York center fielders, fellow Hall of Famers, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, he was the reigning "Duke" of Flatbush.
In 1950 he hit .321. But when his average slipped to .277 in 1951, and the Dodgers squandered a 13-game lead to lose the National League pennant to the New York Giants, Snider received heavy media criticism and requested a trade (it didn't happen).
Usually batting third in the line-up, Snider established some impressive offensive numbers: he hit 40 or more home runs in five consecutive seasons (1953–57), and between 1953-1956 averaged 42 home runs, 124 RBI, 123 runs, and a .320 batting average. He led the National league in runs scored, home runs, and RBIs in separate seasons, and appeared in six post-seasons with the Dodgers (1949, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1959), facing the New York Yankees in the first five and the Chicago White Sox in the last. The Dodgers won the World Series in 1955 and in 1959.

Duke Snider's number 4 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1980.

Snider's career numbers declined when the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Coupled with an aching knee and a 440-foot right field fence at the cavernous Coliseum, Snider hit only 15 home runs in 1958. However, he had one last hurrah in 1959 as he helped the Dodgers win their first World Series in Los Angeles. Duke rebounded that year to hit .308 with 25 home runs and 88 RBI in 400 at bats while platooning in center field with Don Demeter. Injuries and age would eventually play a role in reducing Snider to part-time status by 1961.
In 1962 when the Dodgers led the NL for most of the season (only to find themselves tied with the hated Giants at the season's end) it was Snider and third-base coach Leo Durocher who reportedly pleaded with Manager Walter Alston to bring in future Hall of Fame pitcher (and Cy Young award winner that year), Don Drysdale, in the ninth inning of the third and deciding play-off game. Instead Alston brought in Stan Williams to relieve a tiring Eddie Roebuck. A 4-2 lead turned into a 6-4 loss as the Giants rallied to win the pennant. Snider subsequently was sold to the New York Mets. It is said that Drysdale, his roommate, broke down and cried when he got the news of Snider's departure.
When Snider joined the Mets, he discovered that his familiar number 4 was being worn by Charlie Neal, who refused to give it up. So Snider wore number 11 during the first half of the season, then switched back to 4 after Neal was traded. He proved to be a sentimental favorite among former Dodger fans who now rooted for the Mets. But after one season, Snider asked to be traded to a contending team.
Snider was sold to the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day in 1964. Knowing that he had no chance of wearing number 4, which had been worn by Mel Ott and retired by the Giants, Snider took number 28. He retired at the end of that season.
In Snider's 18-year career he batted .295 with 407 home runs and 1,333 RBI in 2,143 games. Snider went on to become a popular and respected analyst and play-by-play announcer for the Montreal Expos from 1973 to 1986, characterized by his mellow, low-key style.

1955 Most Valuable Player balloting controversy

Snider finished second to teammate Roy Campanella in the 1955 Most Valuable Player balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America by just five points, 226-221, with each man receiving eight first place votes. A widely believed story, summarized in an article by columnist Tracy Ringolsby^[2], holds that a hospitalized writer from Philadelphia had turned in a ballot with Campanella listed as his first place and fifth place vote. It was assumed that the writer had meant to write Snider's name into one of those slots. Unable to get a clarification from the ill writer, the BBWAA, after considering disallowing the ballot, decided to accept it, count the first place vote for Campanella and count the fifth place vote as though it were left blank. Had the ballot been disallowed the vote would have been won by Snider 221-212. Had Snider gotten that now-blank fifth place vote, the final vote would have favored Snider 227-226.
Investigative reporting by Joe Posnanski, however, has suggested that this story is not entirely true^[3]. Instead, Posnanski writes that there was a writer who did leave Snider off his ballot and write in Campanella's name twice, but it was in first and sixth positions, not first and fifth. Had Snider received the sixth place vote, the final tally would have created a tie, not a win for Snider. Additionally, the position was not discarded -- everyone lower on the ballot was moved up a spot and the writer, and pitcher Jack Meyer was inserted at the bottom with a 10th place vote.
Snider did, however, win the Sporting News National League Player of the Year Award for 1955, and the Sid Mercer Award, emblematic of his selection by the New York branch of the BBWAA as the National League's best player of 1955.^[4]

Later life

In 1995 Snider pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud charges. According to the charges, he had failed to report income from sports card shows and memorabilia sales.^[5][6]
Besides his selection to the Hall of Fame in 1980, in 1999 Snider was ranked 84 on The Sporting News's list of "100 Greatest Players", and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Snider married Beverly Null in 1947; they had four children.
Snider died on February 27, 2011, at age 84 of what his family said were natural causes at the Valle Vista Convalescent Hospital in Escondido, California. ^[7]

Accomplishments

• Eight-time All-Star (1950–56, 1963)
• Six-time Top 10 MVP
  • 1950: 9th
  • 1952: 8th
  • 1953: 3rd
  • 1954: 4th
  • 1955: 2nd
  • 1956: 10th
• .540 slugging percentage (37th all-time)
• .919 OPS (50th all-time)
• 3,865 total bases (87th all-time)
• 407 home runs (41st all-time)
• 1,333 RBI (77th all-time)
• 1,481 runs scored (74th all-time)
• 850 extra-base hits (65th all-time)
• 17.6 at-bats per home run (59th all-time)
• Dodgers career leader in home runs (389), RBI (1,271), strikeouts (1,123), and extra-base hits (814)
• Holds Dodgers single-season record for most intentional walks (26 in 1956)
• Only player to hit four home runs (or more) in two different World Series (1952, 1955)
• One of only two major leaguers with over 1,000 RBI during the 1950s. The other was his teammate, Gil Hodges.

Books

• Duke Snider, Bill Gilbert (1988). The Duke Of Flatbush. Citadel. ISBN 978-0806523637.
• The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
• Irwin Winehouse, 1964, The Duke Snider Story, Julian Messner, Inc. Library of Congress Catalog No. 64-11367

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Gary Winick, American film director (13 Going on 30, Letters to Juliet), died from pneumonia he was , 49.

Gary Winick  was an American film director and producer who directed films such as Tadpole (2002) and 13 Going on 30 (2004) died from pneumonia he was , 49.. He also produced films including Pieces of April (2003) for which Patricia Clarkson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and November (2004) through his New York City-based independent film production company InDigEnt (founded in 1999; stands for Independent Digital Entertainment).^[1] He won the 2003 Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for producing Personal Velocity.

(March 31, 1961 – February 27, 2011)

Winick directed the live action remake of Charlotte's Web starring Dakota Fanning. It was released on December 15, 2006.^[2] His most recent films were Bride Wars and Letters to Juliet.^[3]
For his primary and high school education Winick attended Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in the New York City borough of Manhattan (where he was born^[4]), graduating in 1979.^[5] He is a 1984 graduate of Tufts University^[6] and went on to receive Master of Fine Arts degree from both the University of Texas at Austin and the AFI Conservatory.^[7]

Death

Winick died of pneumonia in a hospital in Manhattan^[4] after a long battle with brain cancer on February 27, 2011 at age 49, shortly before his 50th birthday.^[8]

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