/ Stars that died in 2023

Friday, May 18, 2012

Donald Ray Kennard, American politician, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives (1976–2008), died from a brain aneurysm rupture he was , 74..

Donald Ray Kennard  was an educator, athletic director, and politician who represented part of East Baton Rouge Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1976 to 2008. Originally a conservative Democrat, Kennard switched his partisan affiliation in 1995, when he won the first of three terms as a Republican.

(August 11, 1936 – August 5, 2011)





Family and background

Kennard was born to Sterling D. Kennard (1914–1989),[3] an East Baton Rouge Parish justice of the peace from the Central City community, and a son of William and Annie Kennard. Donald Kennard's mother was the former Camille Carpenter (1917–2010), one of ten children born to Maurice Carpenter and the former Bertie Ritterman. She was a homemaker and a school bus driver. Donald Kennard and his wife, the former Ramona "Mona" Norris, are the parents of Robin Lisa Kennard and Stacy Rae Kennard Doucet, wife of David Doucet. Their grandchildren are Philip James Doucet, Samuel Sterling Doucet, Thomas David Doucet, and Camille Elizabeth Doucet.[4]
In 1954, Kennard graduated from Central High School in East Baton Rouge Parish, where he held thirteen letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track. In 1958, he procured his Bachelor of Science degree in professional education from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. He taught and coached at Istrouma High School in Baton Rouge. Thereafter, while he pursued his Master of Education degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, which he completed in 1960, Kennard coached the LSU freshmen basketball team. He served for ten years in the United States Air Force Reserve, having first completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. He was stationed at Fort Dix in Trenton, New Jersey. Afterwards for two years, he taught health and physical education at the University of New Orleans. He was a football spotter from 1958 until 2007, much of that time as a member of the LSU sports broadcasting team. In January 1963, he launched his LSU career as an academicic advisor in the athletic department, a position that he maintained for twenty-two years. Thereafter, he was for many years the LSU assistant athletic director in charge of sales and marketing.[1]

Legislative service

In the 1987 jungle primary, Kennard defeated the Republican Michael "Mike" Harig, 10,310 (69 percent) to 4,693 (31 percent).[5] In 1991, when his District 65 also included a precinct from neighboring Livingston Parish, Democrat Kennard defeated the Republican Kenneth "Ken" Wood, 8,092 (58 percent) to 5,908 (42 percent).[6] Kennard was then unopposed as a Republican in 1995 and 1999. He was a big winner in the 2003 primary, when he defeated the Democrat Wade Byrd, 9,329 (73 percent) to 3,482 (27 percent).[7]
While serving in the legislature, Kennard continued as the assistant athletic director at LSU. A licensed counselor, he was also a past president of the American Professional Guidance Association and a member of the National Association of Academic Advisors.[1] He is included in Who's Who in Louisiana.
In 1999, Kennard was elected secretary of the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC is the nation’s largest organization of state legislators and claims to be dedicated to developing policies based on the Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty.[8] Kennard first became affiliated with ALEC in 1992, when he was still a Democrat. He served on the board of directors and was the organization's state chairman in 1994. He was the first national ALEC officer from Louisiana. In 2003, he was elevated to ALEC national chairman.[1]
In 1996, as a new Republican, Kennard authored and obtained passage of "Truth In Sentencing" legislation, which mandates that a person convicted of a violent crime must serve 85 percent of the sentence. The change virtually abolished "good time." For his work in passing the legislation, Kennard received the "Crime Fighter of the Year" award from the organization Victims and Citizens Against Crime. He was also recognized by the Law Enforcement Association of America for his support of local, state, and national law enforcement in authoring and passing the first legislation in the nation to protect officers injured on the job by inmates. ALEC considers this model legislation. Kennard was a strong supporter of former East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Elmer Litchfield, a Republican who served for twenty-three years before retiring late in 2006.
In 2005, Kennard was among twenty-one legislators who toured areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. The lawmaker said: "To me, it just looks like swampland. There's not even the remnants of homes for blocks ... I think it should make all of us humble. It should make all of us sympathetic. It should make all of us thankful for what we have been spared." The legislators toured the area three days before they convened for a special session called by Democratic Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to consider hurricane-recovery issues.
Kennard was active in the successful campaign to separate Central City public schools from the East Baton Rouge Parish system. He also worked to procure funding for roads in his district and to finance the diversion canal of the Comite River.[9]
Term-limited, Kennard could not seek a ninth four-year term in the primary held on October 20, 2007. Both of the state House candidates who entered the primary are Republicans. Clifton S. Richardson, an East Baton Rouge Parish businessman, justice of the peace, and friend of Kennard's, defeated Edward "Clarke" Clark, 8,610 (67 percent) to 4,193 (33 percent).[10]

Death

Kennard died in Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge from the effects of the rupture of a brain aneurysm[9] six days before what would have been his 75th birthday. Services were held on August 8, 2011, at the Zoar Baptist Church at 11848 Hooper Road, where Kennard was a longtime member. Interment was at the church cemetery, where his parents are also buried. His pallbearers will include his three grandsons and his successor in the House, Representative Clif Richardson, along with Democratic State Senator Francis C. Thompson of Delhi in Richland Parish.[1]

 

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Joe Yamanaka, Japanese rock singer, died from lung cancer he was , 64.

Akira Yamanaka  better known as Joe Yamanaka, was a Japanese singer known for both his work with Flower Travellin' Band and as a solo musician; singing at a vocal range of 3 octaves died from lung cancer he was , 64 He was also an actor and appeared in many movies, such as Takashi Miike's Deadly Outlaw: Rekka and the 1989 version of Zatoichi.[2][3]
He is also recognized for 20 years of charity and volunteer work with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and flew around the world helping those in poor or war-torn conditions; visiting more than 30 countries including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bosnia, numerous sovereign states in Africa, China, Ukraine (including Chernobyl), North Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Brazil. While doing aid work in Jamaica he met local musicians and later became involved in reggae music. His aid work was a personal inspiration to help those who are growing up in similar conditions he had experienced as a child.


(September 2, 1946 – August 7, 2011)


Biography

Akira was born a war baby of World War II to a Japanese mother and a father of Jamaican descent who was enlisted in the US Army. In his autobiography he mentions that he never met his father and that he came from a poor family in ruined Yokohama. He grew up in an orphanage when his mother and foster father died. During an interview with Mainichi Shimbun Akira states that he was born with tuberculosis and that he never really thought about his biological father and believed those who raised you are your real parents.[4][5] He left the orphanage at the age of 16 and became a boxer (inspired by his childhood idol Hiroyuki Ebihara) to earn money, he then met his lifelong friend Rikiya Yasuoka who was a kick-boxer of Japanese-Sicilian heritage. The pair decided to become actors and starred in the 1963 Japanese film Bicycle Thieves, although Akira's career changed when he met another lifelong friend Johnny Yoshinaga, who persuaded him to become a musician. Akira mentions that he adopted the English name Joe because it is the English pronunciation of his favourite painter Keito Joh; with Joh meaning castle in Japanese and as a teenage boxer he used the nickname Akira Joh.[4]
He was known as one of the three "real tough guys" in Japanese cinema, along with Tsunehiko Watase and Jerry Fujio. The trio are known for being good-natured but with a rebellious past and noted fighting prowess. In his autobiography Akira recounts the times during his youth when he was involved in violent fights. After a large brawl with members of the Zenkyoto in Hibiya Park in which he almost killed a man and the resulting police raid led to an epiphany that "violence leads to nothing".[4]
Yamanaka starred as himself in the Hollywood action movie Ulterior Motives featuring Thomas Ian Griffith and Ellen Crawford,[6] three of Joe's songs were used in the film.
His most well known song is "Proof of the Man" (人間の証明) which sold more than half a million copies in two weeks and is a household name throughout Asia. It is the title and theme song for the film Proof of the Man which is based on a novel by Seiichi Morimura about war babies. Joe also has a small acting role in the film as the half Japanese, half African-American who is murdered, which the film is based around. In Chinese speaking countries the song is called "Old Straw Hat", taken from lyrics in the song.
He was close friends with numerous celebrities including Mickey Curtis and Yoko Ono. He recorded the entrance theme for Shinji Takehara titled "Hot Vibration" and composed the song "Sorrow of Florence" (哀しみのフローレンス) with his friend Amália Rodrigues. He later became the lead singer of The Wailers for around five years after his friend Bob Marley died.[6]
In March 2010 it was announced that Joe was diagnosed with lung cancer.[3][7] He died from his cancer on August 7, 2011 less than a month before his 65th birthday.[3][7]

Selected discography

  • 1975 - The Times
  • 1977 - - TO THE NEW WORLD
  • 1978 - JOE
  • 1979 - GOIN' HOME
  • 1980 - Joe '70s
  • 1986 - 20th ANNIVERSARY
  • 1991 - LOVE IS AN ART=
  • 1999 - REGGAE HISTORY
  • 2001 - W's
  • 2006 - Mr. Rally - stupid philosopher
  • 2009 - Reggae Vibration IV
Collaborative
  • 1982 - Reggae Vibration (with The Wailers)
  • 1983 - Reggae Vibration II (with The Wailers)
  • 1984 - Reggae Vibration III (with The Wailers)
  • 1984 - Japanesque (with Akira Ito and Hideki Ishima)[9]

 

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Jerry Smith, American football player (San Francisco 49ers) and coach (Denver Broncos) died he was , 80.

Jerome Anthony Smith  was an American football player and coach. After Smith's college football career, which he spent at Wisconsin, the National Football League's (NFL) San Francisco 49ers selected Smith in the 1952 NFL Draft died he was , 80.. He played at left guard for the team in 1952 and 1953. In 1956, he split time between the 49ers and Green Bay Packers. Smith played in 29 games during his NFL career.

(September 9, 1930 – August 6, 2011)




Beginning in 1960, he joined the Boston Patriots as a coach of the team's defensive linemen and linebackers. Two years later, he took a similar role with the Buffalo Bills; in his six years as a Bills coach, the team won two American Football League championships.[2] In 1968, the Cleveland Browns hired Smith as an assistant personnel director.[3] From 1969 to 1970, Smith coached in the New Orleans Saints organization. The following year, he became the Denver Broncos' offensive line coach.[2] On November 17, 1971, Broncos head coach Lou Saban, who had also been Smith's boss in Boston and Buffalo, resigned and Smith was named his replacement for the season's last five games.[2][4] The Broncos posted a 2–3 record under Smith.[5] Following the 1971 season, he became the Houston Oilers' defensive line coach for 1972; after one season, he returned to the Browns and served multiple roles.[3]

 

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Roberto Busa, Italian Jesuit priest, pioneer in Digital Humanities died he was , 97.

Roberto Busa was an Italian Jesuit priest and one of the pioneers in the usage of computers for linguistic and literary analysis  died he was , 97. He was the author of the Index Thomisticus, a complete lemmatization of the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas and of a few related authors.

(November 13, 1913 – August 9, 2011)

Biography

Born in Vicenza, the second of five children, he attended primary school in Bolzano and grammar school in Verona and in Belluno. In 1928 he entered the Episcopal Seminary of Belluno, completing high school there, and took the first two-year course of Theology with Albino Luciani, the future Pope John Paul I. In 1933 he joined the Society of Jesus, where he got a diploma in Philosophy in 1937 and one in Theology in 1941 and where he was ordained priest in 1940. From 1940 till 1943 he was an auxiliary army chaplain in the National Army and later in the partisan forces. In 1946 he graduated in Philosophy at the Papal Gregorian University of Rome with a degree thesis entitled "The Thomistic Terminology of Interiority", which was published in 1949. He was full professor of Ontology, Theodicy and Scientific Methodology and, for some years, a librarian in the "Aloisianum" Faculty of Philosophy of Gallarate.

The Index Thomisticus

In 1946 he planned the Index Thomisticus, as a tool for performing text searches within the massive corpus of Aquinas's works. In 1949 he met with Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM, and was able to persuade him to sponsor the Index Thomisticus[2]. The project lasted about 30 years, and eventually produced in the 1970s the 56 printed volumes of the Index Thomisticus. In 1989 a CD-ROM version followed, and a DVD version is underway. In addition, in 2005 a web-based version made its debut, sponsored by the Fundación Tomás de Aquino and CAEL; the design and programming of this version were carried about by E. Alarcón and E. Bernot, in collaboration with Busa. In 2006 the Index Thomisticus Treebank project (directed by Marco Passarotti) started the syntactic annotation of the entire corpus.

The Busa Prize

The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO) awards the "Busa Prize", which honors leaders in the field of humanities computing. The first Busa Prize was awarded in 1998 to Busa himself. Later winners include:
  • John Burrows (Australia) (presented in 2001, New York, New York, USA)
  • Susan Hockey (UK) (presented in 2004, Gothenburg, Sweden)
  • Wilhelm Ott (Germany) (2007, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA)
  • Joseph Raben (USA) (2010, Kings College London, UK)[3]

Recent projects

Before his death Father Busa had been teaching at the Papal Gregorian University in Rome, at the "Aloisianum" Faculty of Philosophy in Gallarate, and at the Catholic Sacred Heart University in Milan. He was also working at the LTB project (LTB stands for Bicultural Thomistic Lexicon), which aims at understanding the Latin concepts used by Thomas Aquinas in the terms of contemporary culture.

 

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Wendy Babcock, Canadian advocate for the rights of prostitutes, died from suspected suicide she was , 32.

Wendy Babcock was a Canadian activist for the rights of sex workers. Born in the city of Toronto, Babcock became a sex worker at the age of 15 died from suspected suicide she was , 32. From 2004 to 2007 she was a key member of Sex Professionals of Canada, an advocacy group whose main objective is to promote the rights of sex workers and the decriminalization of Canada's prostitution laws.

(May 29, 1979 – August 9, 2011)

Babcock was recently the chair of the Bad Date Coalition of Toronto, a group that produces a monthly Bad Date Book which publishes reports of violent acts committed against sex workers, including details of the attacker. She testified in Alan Young's Constitutional Court Challenge to decriminalize the prostitution laws.


Babcock co-initiated a partnership with Toronto Police Services to ensure sex workers can report assault without fear of persecution or prosecution, and being a member of the advisory group to the Special Victims Unit. Other projects that Babcock helped to create include Safer Stroll Outreach Project, Regent Park Community Health Centre's Sex Worker Drop In, the Health Bus Sex Workers Stop and Wen-Do safety training for sex workers.[4]
Babcock took a leave of absence from sex work after her friend and co-worker Lien Pham was murdered on October 13, 2003.[5] In 2002–2003 Babcock began sex worker advocacy while working for Maggie's, a peer run organization for sex workers.[6] From 2003 to 2010, Babcock worked at Street Health as a Harm Reduction Worker.[7]
In 2008 Babcock received the Inaugural Public Health Champion Award for her work with sex workers.[8] The award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to protecting and promoting the health of Toronto’s residents.[4]
Babcock participated in three films: Sluts: The Documentary,[9] the 2007 documentary Where I Stand,[10] and the 2010 short film Every Ho I Know Says So.[11] Babcock also appeared on television including the CBC's Connect with Mark Kelley twice,[12][13] and Global TV's 16:9 The Bigger Picture.[14] Babcock can also be seen in a video on a website for Eva's Phoenix homeless shelter, where she lived during her youth.[15]
Wendy Babcock worked as a sex-worker consultant to Kat Dennings for her role as a sex worker in the 2009 film Defendor, starring Woody Harrelson. That year, she also began to pursue a J.D. degree at Osgoode Hall Law School.[16]
Wendy joined Lover Magazine (North America's first women's sexuality magazine) in 2011 as a writer on sex work issues.[17]
On August 9, 2011, Babcock was found dead at home; foul play was not suspected.[1] At the time of her death, Babcock was at work on a memoir, to be released in 2013 to coincide with her graduation.

 

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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Dudley E. Faver, American Air Force major general and academic died he was , 94.

Major General Dudley Ervin Faver  was a retired United States Air Force Major General who was director, Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council, Washington, D.C.

(August 17, 1916 – August 5, 2011)



Early life

Faver was born in 1916 in Sweetwater, Texas.[2] He graduated in 1933 from Newman High School, Sweetwater, Texas and received his bachelor of arts degree in 1937 at Abilene Christian College in Abilene, Texas. After graduation, he taught at Levelland High School in Levelland, Texas, in which he eventually became the principal.[3] He became a qualified pilot while awaiting assignment to flight training and obtained his private flying license in 1940.[1]
Faver entered the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet in March 1941. He attended primary flight training at the Ryan School of Aeronautics in Hemet, California, basic flight training at Moffett Field, California and advanced flight training at Mather Air Field, California. He graduated from flight training in the Class of 41-H and received his commission as a second lieutenant in October 1941. His first assignment was to Mather Air Field as a flight instructor where he continued until March 1943 and conducted training in all three phases of flight instruction.[1]

Military career

As a member of the initial cadre, Faver was a part of the formation of the Instrument Flying Instructor School at Randolph Field, Texas, and moved with it in April 1943 to Bryan Field, Texas. He began duty at Bryan as a flight and academic instructor and was later appointed director of Ground School. He remained with the school as chief of Academics and Training Analysis when it was transferred to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, in December 1945. Faver served in that capacity until he was transferred to the Alaskan Air Command in April 1947.[1]

Dudley E. Faver
During the reorganization that followed the formation of the Air Force, Faver was assigned as assistant deputy chief of staff for operations in the Alaskan Air Command and later as director of Operations and Training Division.[1]
Faver entered the Command and Staff School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama in the summer of 1949. Following his graduation, he reported to Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and assumed command of the U.S. Air Force Instrument Instructor Pilot School.[1]
After assisting in preparation of the training program for the new B-47 Strato-jet bomber during March 1951 at Air Training Command Headquarters, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Faver was reassigned to Wichita Air Force Base, Kansas, as executive officer of the Training Wing, B-47 Combat Crew Training, which he remained until March 1953.[1]
After being promoted to commander of the 3540th Flying Training Group, in April 1953, Faver transferred to Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida (later McCoy Air Force Base) and remained there until February 1954, when he was ordered to duty at Headquarters U.S. Air Force. In the Pentagon for 42 months, he began his tour as deputy chief of the Officer Manning Control Branch, Officer Assignment Division, in which he was named chief of the unit shortly after.[1]
Faver completed studies with the Air War College in the summer of 1958 and was assigned to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Laon Air Base, France, as director of operations.[1]
In February 1959, he was assigned to Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, as director of ballistic missiles. He was reassigned in the same capacity to Lindsey Air Station, Wiesbaden, Germany in June 1960.[1]
Following his European tour of duty in 1961, Faver returned to Texas during August to assume command of the 3320th Technical School at Amarillo Technical Training Center, Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas, an organization involved in a variety of technical training, with detachments located "virtually around the globe". He assumed command of the 3500th Pilot Training Wing, Reese Air Force Base, Texas in January 1964. He was promoted to brigadier general on April 21, 1966.[1]
In July 1966, Faver was reassigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force as the deputy director of personnel training and education, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel. On November 14, 1966, he was reassigned as deputy director, personnel planning, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.[1]
His awards include the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters and the Army Commendation Medal. He retired on March 1, 1973.[1]

Post-military and personal life

Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1973, Faver was appointed by president Richard Nixon to be the Regional Administrator for the new Office of Energy in Denver, Colorado.[4] During his time in Denver, he initiated a new Masters Degree Program for experienced professional managers at Denver University.[4] He moved Lubbock, Texas in 1980 to lecture at Texas Tech College of Business on topics such as management.[4] He also served as the Executive Director of the Texas Tech Association of Parents, which later established the Dudley E. Faver Scholarship in his honor.[5] Faver has also served as Governor of District 5730 in Rotary International.[4] He retired from Texas Tech in 2005.[2]
A lecture series was established in his name by the Center for Global Understanding in 2006, which held it's first session on August 16, 2006, with Faver as it's first speaker, one day before his 90th birthday.[2]
Faver has been married to Dorris Kirk-Maxey (born c. 1919),[3] since 1965, where he met her while she was an instructor at Texas Tech University.[3][4] They have two children,[6] Harriet Fields of Tacoma, Washington,[7] and Jim Maxey of California.[4]
Faver died in Lubbock, Texas, on August 5, 2011.[8]

 

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Marion D. Hanks, American Mormon leader died he was , 89.

Marion Duff Hanks  was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1953 until his death.

(October 13, 1921 – August 5, 2011)

Early life

Hanks was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1] As a young man he served in the Northern States Mission of the LDS Church, which was headquartered in Chicago. He was in the United States Navy during World War II. He received a J.D. from the University of Utah.[2] Prior to his call as a general authority, he worked as an instructor in the Church Educational System.[3] Hanks married Maxine Christensen and became the father of five children.

General authority

Hanks served in the Presidency of the Seventy twice following the 1976 reconstitution of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Previously, he also served on the First Council of the Seventy from 1953 to 1968 and as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1968 to 1976. During a three year period in the early 1960s, Hanks was the president of the LDS Church mission in England; among the missionaries in his mission were Jeffrey R. Holland and Quentin L. Cook, who both later became apostles of the church.[4]
In the mid-1970s Hanks served for a time as managing director of the church's Melchizedek Priesthood MIA. From 1982 to 1985, he was the president of the Salt Lake Temple. For a time Hanks served as a member of the Church Board of Education.[5] In October 1992, Hanks was given general authority emeritus status.[1]
Outside of his formal church responsibilities, Hanks preferred to be referred to as "Duff", his middle name.

Other activities

He was a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (for which he received its Distinguished Service Award) and the President’s Citizens Advisory Committee on Children and Youth.[6] In 1988, Hanks was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Hanks served for a time as a member of the National Council of the BSA. He also served as a member of the boards of Weber State University and Southern Utah University.[7]
Hanks wrote the words to "That Easter Morn", which is hymn #198 in the LDS Church's 1985 hymnal.

Death

Hanks died at the age of 89.[8][9] At the time of his death, Hanks was the oldest living former member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and the second-oldest emeritus general authority after Eldred G. Smith.[10]

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Dickey Betts died he was 80

Early Career Forrest Richard Betts was also known as Dickey Betts Betts collaborated with  Duane Allman , introducing melodic twin guitar ha...