Don Mueller, American baseball player (New York Giants, Chicago White Sox), MLB All-Star (1954, 1955), died he was 84.

Donald Frederick Mueller  was a professional baseball player who played mainly as a right fielder in Major League Baseball for 12 seasons from 1948 until 1959 died he was 84.

(April 14, 1927 – December 28, 2011)

The first 10 of those years were spent with the New York Giants, for whom he batted over .300 for three consecutive seasons (1953–55) and led the National League in hits (212) in 1954. Mueller, who batted left-handed and threw right-handed, never hit more than 16 home runs in a season. He earned the nickname Mandrake the Magician for being adept at consistently putting the ball in play and delivering hits through the infield.^[1] His lifetime batting average was .296.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 14, 1927.^[2] His father, Walter Mueller, was also a major leaguer who spent parts of four seasons during the 1920s with the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[1] The younger Mueller was signed as an amateur free agent out of Christian Brothers College High School by the Giants in 1944.^[3]
Mueller played a central, but painful, role in the famous October 3, 1951, playoff game that won the NL pennant for the Giants. With New York trailing the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4–1, in the ninth inning, Mueller singled Alvin Dark to third base. With one out, Whitey Lockman doubled to score Dark, but Mueller sprained his ankle sliding into third. He was carried from the field, and missed both Bobby Thomson's game-winning home run that followed Lockman's hit and the 1951 World Series.^{[citation needed]} But in 1954 - when he finished second to teammate Willie Mays in the NL batting race – Mueller batted .389 in the 1954 Fall Classic to help lead the Giants to a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians.
Mueller finished his playing career with the 1958–59 Chicago White Sox. Mueller died on December 28, 2011, six months after his wife, Genevieve.^[3]



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Charlotte Kerr, German film director and producer, died she was 84.

Charlotte Kerr was a German director, film producer, actress, writer and journalist died she was 84.^[1][2]

^{(May 29, 1927 – December 28, 2011)} 

She first performed on stage in Fritz Kortner’s version of Schiller’s Don Carlos in 1951. She became well known for her television role as commander of the spaceship Hydra in the Raumpatrouille series and for her appearances in the films of Rainer Erler, including Fleisch.
In 1971, she was a member of the jury at the 21st Berlin International Film Festival.^[3]
In 1983, during the filming of a film about the Greek minister Melina Mercouri, Kerr met the Swiss poet Friedrich Dürrenmatt. They became close after discussing his latest play Achterloo and were married in 1984.^[1] The two collaborated on the film Portrait eines Planeten and the play Rollenspiele. Dürrenmatt died in 1990. Her autobiography, Die Frau im roten Mantel, discussed her life with the writer. In 2000, her Centre Dürrenmatt was opened in Neuchâtel.
She took legal action against the writer Hugo Loetscher for an alleged affront of her dignity and personal rights in his book about Dürrenmatt's death and funeral, which was released 13 years after Dürrenmatt's death and published by Lesen statt Klettern.^[2]
She died on December 28, 2011 in a hospital in Bern.^[2]

Filmography

• Das Wunder des Malachias (1961)
• Raumpatrouille (Fernsehserie, 1966) - as General Lydia van Dyke
• Heißer Sand auf Sylt
• Die Antwort kennt nur der Wind (1974)
• Plutonium (1977)
• Fleisch (1979)
• Eine Liebe von Swann (1984)
• Raumpatrouille Orion – Rücksturz ins Kino (2003)

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Johnny Wilson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (Detroit Red Wings), died he was 82.

John Edward "Johnny" Wilson was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and head coach  died he was 82..


(June 14, 1929 – December 27, 2011)

Playing career

After three seasons with the Windsor Spitfires, Wilson signed his first professional contract with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League in September 1949, but spent most of the 1949–50 season with their farm team, the Omaha Knights. He was called up by the Red Wings late in the season and helped them win the Stanley Cup. After spending most of the 1950–51 season in the minors, Wilson joined the Red Wings on a full-time basis midway through the 1951–52 season and went on to help them win three more Stanley Cups (1952, 1954, 1955).
Soon after winning the Stanley Cup in 1955, Red Wings general manager Jack Adams traded Wilson to the Chicago Black Hawks as part of an eight-player trade. After two solid seasons in Chicago, he was reacquired by the Red Wings in the infamous Ted Lindsay trade. Wilson played two more seasons with the Red Wings before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1959. A year later, the Leafs sent Wilson to the New York Rangers, along with another player, for Eddie Shack. After two seasons with the Rangers, Wilson retired from the NHL following the 1961–62 season.
During his NHL career, Wilson scored 161 goals and 171 assists in 688 regular season games and 27 points in 66 playoff games. He won four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings and appeared in two all-star games (1954, 1956). One of his most notable accomplishments was playing in 580 consecutive games between 1951 and 1960, making him the NHL's first "iron man".^[1][2]

Coaching career

In 1967, Wilson was hired as the head coach of the Springfield Kings of the American Hockey League, the minor league affiliate of the new Los Angeles Kings expansion team. Midway into his third season with Springfield, Wilson was promoted to interim head coach of the Los Angeles Kings after Hal Laycoe was fired following a dismal start. However, Wilson was unable to turn the team around and returned to Springfield after the season was finished. He ended up leading Springfield to a Calder Cup title the very next season.
After winning the Calder Cup in 1971, Wilson was hired by the Detroit Red Wings during the 1971–72 season as a midseason replacement. Despite having a winning record behind the Wings' bench, the team missed the playoffs two straight seasons and Wilson was let go. From there, he spent two years in the World Hockey Association, one with the Colorado Rockies (1976–77), and three with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1977–80), where he led the Penguins to two playoff appearances. Wilson returned to coach Springfield one more season and then retired from coaching in 1981.^[3]

Personal

Johnny was the brother of former NHL player and coach Larry Wilson and the uncle of former NHL player and head coach Ron Wilson.
Wilson made his home in the Detroit area, together with his wife Pat, and was frequently seen at Red Wings home games. On December 27, 2011, he died of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 82. He had battled lung disease and colon cancer for several years.^[1][2]



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Dennis Utter, American politician, Nebraska State Senator (since 2009), died he was 72.

Dennis Utter  was a Nebraska state senator in the Nebraska Legislature died he was 72..

(February 21, 1939 – December 27, 2011)

Birth

Dennis Utter was born on February 21, 1939 in Wheatland, Wyoming. ^[1]

Residence

Dennis Utter's hometown is Hastings, Nebraska. ^[1]

Religion

Dennis Utter is Presbyterian.^[1]

Family

Dennis Utter is married to Kathryn Preuit, and they have three children named Mark, Ward, and Denise.^[1]

Education

Dennis Utter received his education at the following institutions:

• BS, Agriculture, University of Wyoming
• MS, Agricultural Economics, University of Wyoming
• Graduate, Colorado School of Banking^[1]

Organizations

Dennis Utter was a member of the following organizations:

• Board Member, Adams County Senior Servies
• Past President, Kenesaw Community Club
• Past President/Member, Kenesaw Public Schools Foundation
• Board Member, Mary Lanning Health Care Foundation
• Past President, Nebraska Bankers Association
• Past Member, Nebraska Bankers Association/American Bankers Association
• Past Member, University of Nebraska Medical Center Board of Councilors^[1]

State legislature

Utter was elected in 2008 to represent the 33rd Nebraska legislative district. He was a member of the Banking, Commerce and Insurance committee, the Revenue committee, and Rules committees. ^[2] Utter was replaced by Hastings lawyer Les Seiler, who was sworn in on January 14, 2012, following the second week of the 2012 legislative session. ^[3]

Death

Dennis Utter died in 2011 at the age of 72 from lung disease. ^[4]



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Anne Tyng, American architect, died she was 91.

Anne Griswold Tyng was an architect and professor. She is best known for having collaborated with Louis I. Kahn at his practice in Philadelphia died she was 91.. She served as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania for 27 years, following 29 years of collaboration with Kahn. She was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and Academician of the National Academy of Design.


(July 14, 1920 – December 27, 2011)

Youth

Tyng's parents, Ethel Atkinson (née Arens) and Walworth Tyng, were from a wealthy Boston family and were living as Episcopalian missionaries in China when Tyng was born in 1920, in Lushan, Jiangxi province.^[1][2]
As a young woman, Tyng showed her developed sense of mathematics and design. The Tyng Toy, a construction set for children, illustrated her mastery of form. The Tyng Toy allowed a small selection of pieces to be combined into a wide variety of toys and pieces of furniture, ranging from a stool to a rocking horse.

Education

Tyng graduated from the architecture school at Harvard University in 1944. She was one of the first women to do so.^[1] She was the only woman to enter the architecture licensing exam in 1949 and, at the test, one of the male proctors turned his back on her and refused to cooperate.^[1]
She obtained her Ph.D at the University of Pennsylvania.

Work

Tyng was a theorist known for her pioneering work in space frame architecture and her passion for mathematics. Her Ph.D. thesis, titled Simultaneousness, Randomness and Order, continues the combination of these interests. She received a number of grants from the Graham Foundation for further investigation into this field.

Kahn connection

Anne Tyng with Louis Kahn, 1947

Tyng moved to Philadelphia and landed a job at Louis Kahn's architectural practice, Stonorov and Kahn, in 1945. Her fascination with complex geometrical shapes had a strong influence on several projects, such as the Trenton Bath House and the triangular ceiling of Yale Art Gallery.^[1]
Many wonder at how her intimate relationship with Kahn affected his architecture. She is named in many sources as his partner and muse. For example, the concept for Kahn's famous "City Tower" design was largely Tyng's invention.^{[citation needed]} After a seven-year relationship with Kahn she became pregnant and, because of the potential scandal, Tyng departed in the Autumn of 1953 for Rome.^[1] During her year in Italy, where their daughter, Alexandra, was born, Kahn wrote weekly to Tyng.^[3]
Aged 82, Anne Tyng appeared in Nathaniel Kahn's documentary My Architect discussing her insights into his work and her experience with Louis Kahn. Dr. Tyng returns to the building in which Kahn and Tyng first collaborated, the Trenton Bath House, for the first time since its completion,^[4] finding it neglected and in disrepair. The building was completely renovated in 2009.^[1]
Tyng's influence on Kahn's work was finally recognised, very late in her life. The Institute of Contemporary Art held a retrospective exhibition of her work in 2010.^[1]



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Dan Terry, American jazz trumpeter and big band leader, died he was 87.

Dan Terry was an American big band leader, arranger, and trumpet and flugelhorn player, who appeared in Birdland with Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Chris Connor, Johnny Smith, and other jazz luminaries  died he was 87.. He also made half a dozen LP recordings, including 20 sides on Columbia Records in 1954, and wrote music for and performed in the films The Hustler and The Manchurian Candidate.


(December 22, 1924 – December 27, 2011) 

Biography

The son of a choirmaster, he was born Daniel Kostraba in Kingston, Pennsylvania, United States. After working with George Summerson's territory band in high school, he went to New York City and worked with Muggsy Spanier before entering the United States Marine Corps. After leaving the service, he moved to Los Angeles to lead the Hollywood Teenagers Band before returning to New York in 1948 to play with Sonny Dunham for eight months. Terry then studied theory at the College of the Pacific on the GI Bill from 1948-49.^[1]
Terry then formed his own band and went out on the road. Engagements included the Totem Pole Ballroom in Boston, the Aragon and Trianon Ballrooms in Chicago, Glen Island Casino,^[2] Tahoe Village, Chase Hotel in St. Louis,^[3] Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, and the Statler Hotel in New York, as well as appearing at college proms and concerts from coast to coast. He also recorded four sides arranged by Marty Paich^[4] for Vita Records in 1952, including "Autumn in New York" and "Terry Cloth."
Terry's band went into Birdland in 1954, playing there with Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and others. Also in 1954, Terry was signed by Columbia Records along with Pete Rugolo and Les Elgart,^[5] and recorded 20 sides included on the records Teen Age Dance Session (Columbia) and Teen Age Dance Party (Harmony). That same year, he was also featured in the Universal film short, Birth of a Band, with Connie Haines and Don Gordon.^[6]
Terry appeared in Carnegie Hall with his band for the Charlie Parker Memorial Concert along with Dinah Washington and a host of other jazz celebrities. He also toured with the “Birdland All Stars” in concerts at Boston Arena and Carnegie Hall as a featured artist with the Count Basie Band. The September 25, 1954, Carnegie Hall performance was featured in a live album called Birdland All-Stars at Carnegie Hall with Count Basie and Lester Young on Roulette Records.^[7] In 1958, he and his “Band with the Hi-Fi Sound” recorded “Coca-Cola Rock” and “Bull Fiddle Walk” on Devere Records with the Freddie Martel Singers.^[8]
In the 1960s, Terry wrote music for and performed in the films The Hustler^[9] and The Manchurian Candidate. He also served on the music staff for Dean Martin and Hollywood Palace shows, six television specials with Jackie Gleason, Gleason’s recordings on Capitol Records, and twelve albums with George “The Fox” Williams for CBS. Terry owned and operated Big Daddy’s Nightclub at the Travel and Transportation Building at the 1965 New York World’s Fair, and served as Musical Director at Basin Street East from 1962 to 1965. He also served as Musical Conductor for Sammy Davis with the Will Mastin Trio, Frances Langford, Noonan and Marshall, and Yma Sumac.
After returning to the West Coast, Terry recorded the album Lonely Place, which was released as HT-1005 on Happy Tiger Records in 1969.^[10] He then moved to Las Vegas, where he was prominent in the city's music community in the 1970s and early 1980s. He played trumpet and led his big band in performances at the Pussycat A-Go-Go Club,^[11] the Tropicana, Mint, Thunderbird, and Sahara Hotels, and in 1979, a four-week engagement at the Dunes Hotel with weekly radio broadcasts on KDWN-AM. While there, he served as president of Copyrite Music, Inc., a complete music service which included composing, conducting, arranging, and music preparation.
From 1976-1977, Terry lived in Toronto, where he formed the Horns of Toronto. He and the band appeared at various venues, including the Savarin Nightclub, The Forum at Ontario Place,^[12] the Canadian National Exhibition Bandshell, Sheraton Grand Hotel, and the Leisure Lodge in Cambridge, Ontario.
In the 1990s, Terry settled in San Diego, where he formed the Horns of San Diego and an offshoot, the San Diego Youth Swing Band,^[13] a group designed to give high school musicians an opportunity to perform his library of big band arrangements. Musicians in the band included trumpeter Igmar Thomas and drummer Mikey Cannon. He produced the band's album Bein' Green on the Metronome label in 1999.^[14]
In addition to his recordings and touring, Terry worked as a jazz radio announcer for 40 years at radio stations in Stockton, California, Las Vegas, Middletown, Orange County, New York, and Phoenix, Arizona.
Dan Terry died in Danville, Illinois in December 2011, aged 87.

Discography

• Vita Records: Hollywood, CA - 1952 – Produced and recorded "Autumn in New York" and the minor hit "Terry Cloth"
• Teenage Dance Session (Columbia Records: New York, 1954)
• Teenage Dance Party (Harmony Records: New York, 1957)
• "Coca-Cola Rock" and "Bull Fiddle Walk" (Devere Records: New York, 1958) - 45 rpm single featuring Dan Terry and His Band with the Hi-Fi Sound
• Good Feeling Blues (Cinema Records: New York, 1962) – A&R Director. Produced and recorded live album in concert at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
• Reedtime (Metromome Records: New York, 1962) – Produced and recorded experimental orchestra featuring soprano saxophones
• Lonely Place (Metronome Records: Hollywood, 1969) – Produced and recorded album, released by Happy Tiger Records
• Dan Terry Big Big Band (Metronome Records: Las Vegas, 1981) – Produced and recorded album
• Bein' Green (Metronome Records: San Diego, 1999) – Produced and recorded San Diego Youth Swing Band album

Films

• Birth of a Band, Universal Pictures & Will Cowan Productions, Inc. Starred in the musical short with his band and Connie Haines.
• The Manchurian Candidate, Composed and arranged the music for the rally sequence of the film and appeared directing the marching band he contracted.
• The Hustler, 20th Century Fox, Robert Rossen, director. Appeared in the picture with his Dixieland Band. Composed and arranged the music for the party sequence with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason, receiving screen credits.

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Betty Jane Rhodes, American actress (The Arizona Raiders, Sweater Girl), died she was 90.

Betty Jane Rhodes  was an American actress and singer, most active in film during the late 1930s and the World War II era died she was 90..^[1]

(April 21, 1921 – December 27, 2011)

She was widely known to wartime movie audiences for her debut performance of the classic song, "I Don't Want To Walk Without You", in Sweater Girl in 1942.^[1] In 2012, Tom Vallance of The Independent wrote of Rhodes performance, "Her place in the history of popular song is secured by her having introduced on screen one of the great songs of wartime longing, "I Don't Want To Walk Without You."^[1]
Rhodes later had her own weekly show on NBC during the 1950s, which aired on Saturday nights.^[1] Her appearances, as well as other early television roles, earned her the nickname, "The First Lady of Television."^[1] Rhodes also sang in cabaret until the 1960s.^[1]
Rhodes was born in Rockford, Illinois, on April 21, 1921.^[1] She began her broadcasting career when she was just eight years old.^[1] Paramount Pictures signed her to her first film contract as an actress at the age of fifteen.^[1] She made her screen debut in the 1936 film, Forgotten Faces, in which she was credited as Jane Rhodes.^[1] In Forgotten Faces, which was directed by Ewald André Dupont, Rhodes played an adoptive daughter whose father, portrayed by Herbert Marshall, is arrested for killing a man with whom his wife was having an affair.^[1]
This was followed by a co-starring role in the 1936 comedic film, The Arizona Raiders.^[1] The film, in which she played the younger sister of Marsha Hunt's character, marked the first time that Rhodes sang in a movie.^[1] She was the regular singer on the radio show Meet Me at Parky's, the series starring Harry Einstein as his character Parkyakarkas.
In 1945, Rhodes married her husband, Willet Brown, the co-founder of the Mutual Broadcasting System.^[1] She and Brown had one child during their marriage, as well as Brown's three children from his previous marriage.^[1] Brown died in 1993.^[1]
Betty Jane Rhodes died on December 27, 2011, at the age of 90.^[1]



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