Don Cornelius, American television host and producer (Soul Train), died when he committed suicide by gunshot he was , 75

Donald Cortez " Don" Cornelius  was an American television show host and producer who was best known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music franchise Soul Train, which he hosted from 1971 until 1993 died when he committed suicide by gunshot he was , 75. Eventually Cornelius sold the show to MadVision Entertainment in 2008.

(September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012)

Early life and career

Cornelius was born on Chicago's South Side on September 27, 1936,^[1] and raised in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Following his graduation from DuSable High School in 1954, he joined the United States Marine Corps and served 18 months in Korea. He worked at various jobs following his stint in the military, including selling tires, automobiles, and insurance, and as an officer with the Chicago Police Department.^[2] He quit his day job to take a three-month broadcasting course in 1966, despite being married with two sons and having only $400 in his bank account.^[1] In 1966, he landed a job as an announcer, news reporter and disc jockey on Chicago radio station WVON. He stood roughly 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) tall.
Cornelius joined Chicago television station WCIU-TV in 1967 and hosted a news program called A Black's View of the News. In 1970, he launched Soul Train on WCIU-TV as a daily local show. The program entered national syndication and moved to Los Angeles the following year.^[3][4][5] Eddie Kendricks, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Bobby Hutton and The Honey Comb were featured on the national debut episode.
Originally a journalist and inspired by the civil rights movement, Cornelius recognized that in the late 1960s there was no television venue in the United States for soul music. He introduced many African-American musicians to a larger audience as a result of their appearances on Soul Train, a program that was both influential among African-Americans and popular with a wider audience.^[6][7] As writer, producer, and host of Soul Train, Cornelius was instrumental in offering wider exposure to black musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson, as well as creating opportunities for talented dancers, setting a precedent for popular television dance programs.^[8] Cornelius said, "We had a show that kids gravitated to," and Spike Lee described the program as an "urban music time capsule".^[8]
With the creation of Soul Train Don was able to keep the movement going well past Martin Luther King's death. He kept the momentum going well on through the 70’s and 80’s. He gave African Americans their own show, the first of its kind. In this show he was able to show African Americans in a new light, creating a Black is Beautiful Campaign.^[9] Before he did this, African Americans were seldom seen on television. Soul Train showcased their culture and brought African American musicians and dancers to television.^[10] This show even appealed to white audiences and it got huge attention.^[11] It was one of the most groundbreaking television shows ever.^[12]

Cornelius (second from right) with The Staple Singers during production of a 1974 episode of Soul Train.

Besides his smooth and deep voice and afro (which slowly shrunk over the years as hairstyle tastes changed), Cornelius was best known for the catchphrase that he used to close the show: "... and you can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey! I'm Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!" After Cornelius's departure, it was shortened to "...and as always, we wish you love, peace and soul!" and was used through the most recent new episodes in 2006. Another introductory phrase he often used was: "We got another sound comin' out of Philly that's a sho 'nough dilly".
He had a small number of film roles, most notably as record producer Moe Fuzz in 1988's Tapeheads.
The 2008 Soul Train Music Awards ceremony was not held due to the WGA strike and the end of Tribune Entertainment's complicating the process of finding a new distributor to air the ceremony and line up the stations to air it. The awards show was moved in 2009 to Viacom's Centric cable channel (formerly BET J), which now airs Soul Train in reruns.
Cornelius last appeared on the episode of the TV series Unsung featuring Full Force, which was aired two days before his death.

Arrest

On October 17, 2008, Cornelius was arrested at his Los Angeles home on Mulholland Drive on a felony domestic violence charge.^[13] He was released on bail. Cornelius appeared in court on November 14, 2008, and was charged with spousal abuse and dissuading a witness from filing a police report. Cornelius appeared in court again on December 4, 2008, and pleaded not guilty to spousal abuse and was banned from going anywhere near his estranged wife, Russian model Victoria Avila-Cornelius (Viktoria Chapman), who had filed two restraining orders against him. On March 19, 2009, he changed his plea to no contest and was placed on 36 months probation.

To see Did you know facts about Don Cornelius, click here.

Death

In the early morning hours of February 1, 2012, officers responded to a report of a shooting at 12685 Mulholland Drive and found Cornelius with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead by the Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner.^[1][14] According to former Soul Train host, Shemar Moore, Cornelius may have been suffering from early onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease and his health had been in decline.^[15][16]
An autopsy found that Cornelius had been suffering from seizures during the last 15 years of his life, a complication of a 21-hour brain operation he underwent in 1982 to correct a congenital deformity in his cerebral arteries. He admitted that he was never quite the same after that surgery and it was a factor in his decision to retire from hosting Soul Train in 1993. According to his son, he was in "extreme pain" by the end and said shortly before his death, "I don't know how much longer I can take this."^[17]

To see more of who died in 2012 click here

Fred Imus, American songwriter and radio talk show host, brother of Don Imus died he was , 69.

Frederic Moore Imus was an American radio talk show host and the younger brother of radio talk show host Don Imus died he was , 69.. He hosted Trailer Park Bash, a weekly country music program launched on May 6, 2006, on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET on Sirius XM Radio's Outlaw Country channel. His sidekick was former western actor Don Collier. Imus broadcast his show from his trailer in Tucson, Arizona. He frequently appeared as a regular guest on his brother's Imus in the Morning.

(January 11, 1942 – August 6, 2011) Career

He attended Kent State University and served in the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.^[1] Imus also restored cars, especially 1957 Chevrolets and worked as a brakeman for Southern Pacific. In 1963, before Don went into radio, he and Fred wrote and recorded a song called I'm A Hot Rodder (And All That Jazz) for the Challenge label under the name Jay Jay Imus and Freddy Ford.^[2]
While with Southern Pacific R.R., he met fellow brakeman Phil Sweet, and in 1976 the two wrote the No. 1 country hit for Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius, I Don't Want to Have to Marry You, which was also voted "Song of the Year" by Music City News in 1977. Imus has been an on-air host at country music stations in Cleveland, Ohio, Cheyenne, Wyoming and El Paso, Texas, among others.^[3]
Because of his love of classic cars, Fred opened his own auto body shop in El Paso, Texas and with the idea from his brother Don Imus, he also sold a few shirts and hats out of his body shop with a simple mention from Don on his radio show.^[4] The store was called the Autobody Express, co-owned by Don and Fred. The Autobody Express was later moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Later, they had a store inside the Mohegan Sun Native American Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. The company failed in 2003 and both stores closed.

Death

Fred Imus was found dead at his home in Tucson, Arizona, August 6, 2011.^[2] He died in his sleep peacefully,^[5] according to Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for Don Imus.^[1]

Books

• Don Imus and Fred Imus, Two Guys Four Corners: Great Photographs, Great Times, and a Million Laughs. Villard, 1997. (ISBN 0-679-45307-5).
• Fred Imus and Mike Lupica, The Fred Book. Doubleday, 1998. (ISBN 0-385-47652-3).

References and notes

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Dick Griffey, American record executive, founder of SOLAR Records, died from complications from heart surgery.he was , 71

Richard Gilbert "Dick" Griffey  was an American record producer and promoter who founded SOLAR Records, an acronym for "Sound of Los Angeles Records", which played a major role in developing a funk-oriented blend of disco, R&B and soul music during the 1970s and 1980s  died from complications from heart surgery.he was , 71. As a concert promoter, Griffey arranged bookings for artists including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.


(November 16, 1938 – September 24, 2010)

Chris Dedrick, American musician (The Free Design) and composer (Ray Bradbury Theatre), died from cancer he was 62,

The Free Design were a Delevan, New York-based vocal group playing jazzy pop music. Their music can be described as sunshine pop and baroque pop, which were pop music subgenres at the time, which later influenced the bands Stereolab, Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, Beck and The High Llamas.

Early work

The members were all members of the Dedrick family: Chris Dedrick (who wrote most of the songs) died from cancer he was 62,, sister Sandy and brother Bruce were the original lineup. Younger sister Ellen joined the group later, and youngest sister Stefanie joined near the end of their initial career. Their father, Art, was a trombonist and music arranger. Their uncle Rusty Dedrick was a jazz trumpeter with Claude Thornhill and Red Norvo. They formed the band while living in New York City. Chris has said the group was influenced by vocal groups like The Hi-Los (who performed in Greenwich Village frequently at the time) along with Peter, Paul and Mary and the counterpoint experiments of Benjamin Britten. Their trademark sound involved complex harmonies, jazz-like chord progressions, and off-beat time signatures, all products of Chris's classical training.

The band released seven albums from 1967 to 1972, the first six on Enoch Light's Project 3 label and the last one, There is a Song, on the Ambrotype label. For the most part, they were accompanied on the albums by studio musicians.

Post-breakup

After the band's breakup in 1972, Chris Dedrick recorded a solo album, Be Free, which went unreleased until 2000. He moved to Toronto, Canada, where he became a music producer, arranger, and a classical and soundtrack composer. He has worked with directors Guy Maddin and Don McKellar, winning a Genie Award for Maddin's The Saddest Music in the World, and he made music for the Ray Bradbury Theater TV-series. In 1997 Dedrick won a Gemini Award for his work on the television series Road to Avonlea.

Starting in 1976, Chris, Sandy and Ellen became the core members of The Star-Scape Singers, a classical vocal ensemble led by Dr. Kenneth G. Mills. Chris Dedrick also served as the group's main composer. The group performed and toured extensively throughout the 1980s and 1990s.^[1][2]

Revival of interest

During their career, The Free Design never gained the commercial success they, and their small fan-base, felt they deserved, a plight they noted in their 1969 song "2002 - A Hit Song", in which they describe how to create a hit, then continue, "there's just one fact that we can't quite shirk/ we did all this last time, and it did not work." They remained in obscurity after disbanding in 1972. Starting in the mid-90s, however, interest in them began to grow as part of a general resurgence of interest in easy listening and sunshine pop from the 60s and 70s. In 1994, Japanese musician Cornelius reissued the Free Design catalog on his "Trattoria" label. In 1997, the band Tomorrow's World covered their song "Kites Are Fun", and in 1998, the Spanish "Siesta" label put out four compilation albums of their music. Stereolab, whose lounge-inspired music clearly showed a Free Design influence, named a 1999 single "The Free Design" (though the song itself had no direct connection to the band). The Free Design song "Bubbles" was covered by Dressy Bessy on the 2000 Powerpuff Girls soundtrack.

Perhaps inspired by this newfound interest, in 2000 the band re-grouped, after a nearly 30-year retirement, to record the song "Endless Harmony" on the Beach Boys tribute album Caroline Now. This experience convinced them to record a new full-length album, 2001's Cosmic Peekaboo, which featured the original lineup (Chris, Sandy and Bruce) in addition to Rebecca Pellett, who had previously been Chris Dedrick's musical assistant for several years.

In 2001 the label Cherry Red released a Best of Free Design compilation. The Free Design song "I Found Love" was included on the 2002 Gilmore Girls soundtrack. From 2002 to 2005, the original albums were reissued in the United States by the Light in the Attic label. In 2005, the label put out The Now Sound Redesigned, an album of Free Design remixes from established acts like Stereolab, Super Furry Animals and Peanut Butter Wolf.

The song "Love You" is featured during the credits of the film Stranger Than Fiction (2006), at the very end of season four on the Showtime hit, Weeds, and as the theme song to the internet podcast "Jordan Jesse Go" co-hosted by The Sound Of Young America host Jesse Thorn and Fuel TV correspondent Jordan Morris.

"Love You" was also featured in TV commercials for Peters Drumstick ice creams in Australia (2007), "Smil" chocolate in Norway (2008), Toyota (2009), "Cosmote" in Greece (2009), DC's second "Progression" short^[3] (2010) and in Toyota adverts internationally (2009/2010).

The song "I Found Love" can be found on Our Little Corner of the World: Music from Gilmore Girls. The song plays as the start of "Sadie, Sadie" (Season 2, Episode 1).

Chris Dedrick died on August 6, 2010, from cancer, aged 62.^[4][5] According to a message posted on his official site by his wife Moira, Dedrick passed away “after a week of increasing radiance, yet with rapid physical decline.”^[6]

Discography

• Kites Are Fun (1967)
• You Could Be Born Again (1968)
• Heaven/Earth (1969)
• Stars/Time/Bubbles/Love (1970)
• ...Sing for Very Important People (1970)
• One By One (1971)
• There is a Song (1972)
• Cosmic Peekaboo (2001)

To see more of who died in 2010 click here

Graham Crowden, Scottish actor (If...., A Very Peculiar Practice, Waiting For God). died he was , 87

Clement Graham Crowden ^[1][2] was a Scottish actor died he was , 87. He was best known for his many appearances in television comedy dramas and films, often playing eccentric 'offbeat' scientist, teacher and doctor characters.

(30 November 1922 – 19 October 2010)

Gatewood Galbraith, American lawyer and author, died from complications from chronic emphysema, he was 64.

Louis Gatewood Galbraith  was an American author and a constitutional attorney from the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky  died from complications from chronic emphysema, he was 64.. He was a five-time political candidate for governor of Kentucky.

(January 23, 1947 – January 4, 2012)

Early life, education, and law career

Born in Carlisle, Kentucky^[1] to Henry Clay and Dollie Galbraith, on January 23, 1947. Gatewood was the fourth of seven children. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1974 and from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1977. Galbraith's law practice focused on criminal law and personal injury civil actions.^[1] According to his ^[2] Linkedin resume, he specialized in the difficult ones, and his interest included the preservation of the Constitution and justice for all.
^[3] Speaking of difficult ones. It should be noted that during his career, beginning in around June of 1997, he spent nearly 6 yrs driving back and forth, from Lexington Ky. where he resided to Bowling Green, Ky. where practicing as a pro bono attorney in the first felony medical marijuana defense case of advocate, minister and patent Mary L. Thomas aka Rev. Mary Thomas-Spears Indictment # 97-CR-517. Charged originally with 6 Felonies for Trafficking in a Controlled Substance = Marijuana. A case which made U.S. legal history in a marijuana trafficking cases before the Kentucky Courts and the Honorable Judge John D. Minton, Jr. {then known as "hang them high Minton"} in 2001/2002. When Judge Minton granted a "Stay" in the case, after the appeal in the case had been denied by the Commonwealth Court of Appeals in 2001. ^[4] Shortly after which, A Review of Tax Law Changes predicted Enacted the Marijuana Tax Stamp by the 2003 General Assembly. John D. Minton, Jr. then was later elected to the Commonwealth Court of Appeals and then moved up to the Supreme Court and in March 3, 2011 Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office Gov. released "Beshear signs landmark corrections reform bill into law" which decriminalizes personal use of up to 8 oz's of marijuana to a ticket-able offense.
^[5]Press Release Date: Thursday, March 03, 2011 " I’m pleased we’re making progress in tackling the problems facing our penal code,” Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. said. “With all three branches involved in this deliberative process, I’m confident that the outcome will be positive for Kentucky.”
^[6]During this time, Gatewood Galbraith represented Richard J. Rawlings, former President of, many years and an official Board Member of the U.S. Marijuana Party pro bono in 2011 in Barren County, Kentucky at the Barren County Courthouse. Where Rawlings faced felony marijuana cultivation, possession, and paraphernalia charge's stemming from a raid on his girlfriend's Sheree Krider's property in Cave City. Sheree former Vice President of the U.S. Marijuana Party and a Board Member herself. A case that on Nov. 21st, 2011 ended with a ^[7]Plea Bargain where Felony charges were dropped and Richard Rawlings agreed to time served, court cost and 4 weekends to serve. One weekend for each plant that didn't have a tax stamp.
A quote by Richard J. Rawlings from his Facebook status updates about this case. "I've came back wounded, but not beat. They agreed with a deal that Gatewood Galbraith went to them with. They dropped the felony cultivation to a misdemeanor and I would do 30 days in Jail. After talking to Gatewood he went back in and did some more talking. After a few minutes in the courtroom he came back out and said the final offer, 4 weekends in jail, and no drug testing. I hate to make deals but this was one I just could not fight without taking a chance of getting Sheree Krider thrown in jail or losing her property. I want to Say Thanks to Mary, Diverse Sanctuary for her support and all the help she has been. She will have some pics and video up in the next day or two. And a Big Thanks to Gatewood, Again!!!" In which he also refers to or connects advocate, minister and patient, Mary L. Thomas-Spears founder of Diverse Sanctuary Community Ministries, whom Gatewood had also represented.
There are those who believe this is evidence that Gatewood Galbraith was successful indeed and is just one reason he was called a "Hero of the people" by many.
Galbraith died of natural causes, though "complications from chronic emphysema" were noted.^[8] on January 4, 2012^[9] leaving behind three daughters.
^[10]Governor Steve Beshear: "Jane and I were shocked and saddened to learn of Gatewood's passing, Galbraith was a gutsy, articulate and passionate advocate who never shied away from a challenge or potential controversy. His runs for office prove he was willing to do more than just argue about the best direction for the state — he was willing to serve, and was keenly interested in discussing issues directly with our citizens. He will be missed."
^[11]Sen. Mitch McConnell: "I am saddened to hear of the passing of Gatewood Galbraith. He was a truly memorable character who loved our state and its people."
^[12]NORML remembers Gatewood
^[13]Take Back Kentucky a grassroots political organization founded by a long time good friend, Norm Davis remembers Gatewood.
^[14]Jan. 5, 2012, Kentucky remembers Gatewood as an Iconic political figure in history.
^[15]NPR remembers Gatewood as a Colorful Kentucky Politician.
^[16]His good friend Willie Nelson remembers him with a tribute ~ "Rest in Peace".
^[17]Jan. 6, 2012, Kentucky ready for hemp? - Bowling Green Daily News: Local News - State Sen. Joey Pendleton, D-Hopkinsville, says as an agricultural product, its time has come. The push for hemp production comes the wake of the death of longtime Kentucky political figure Gatewood Galbraith
^[18]Jul 6, 2012 – State Senator Perry Clark introduces Gatewood Galbraith Memorial Medical Marijuana Act
^[19]Jan. 4, 2013, ACE Lexington's Weekly Newspaper writes, "Iconic Kentuckian Gatewood Galbraith, the Lexington defense attorney and perennial candidate, died one year ago. “A Celebration of the Life and Times of Gatewood” is scheduled for Sunday, January 6"
^[20]Jan. 4, 2013, Mary L. Thomas-Spears launched a web site memorial dedicated to her lawyer, friend, colleague, hero,... ^[21] and on Feb. 4th, 2013, Ms. Thomas-Spears announces she has re-worded, tailored and slightly redefined the Jack Herer Initiative dubbed ^[22] CCHI2014 in Cali. An initiative she among others had helped a mutual friend and colleague of Gatewood's, Jack, to word for repeal... ^[23] Now, this time, she had reworded, redefined CCHHI with Gatewood's understanding, his desires for the Commonwealth, the plant, the people and the continued Repeal of Prohibition in mind for Kentucky and the Kentucky Cannabis Hemp Health Initiative 2014 grassroots lobby campaign for repeal of all Commonwealth, U.S. and U.N. drug policies on all levels of government defining cannabis/marijuana/hemp as prohibit is launched in Kentucky. It is immediately endorsed by the grassroots repeal organization she herself is a founding board member of ^[24] Americans For Cannabis and their chapter ^[25] Kentucky For Cannabis, which she currently heads. ^[26] On February 6 the Facebook page KCHHI was launched.^[27] On Feb 12th, it is announced a KCHHI page is added to the Constitutional Cannabis web site she had built as a memorial to Gatewood.
^[28] Feb. 14th, It is announced Hemp bill passes first hurdles in Senate by Kentucky media.
Feb. 15th, 2013, It is announced by ^[29] Kentucky Government "another Senate committee unanimously approved – and the full chamber voted 31-6 to pass – a bill legalizing industrial hemp production in Kentucky" and the ^[30] Associated Press and media all over Kentucky lead with headlines reading "Industrial hemp bill passes Kentucky Senate".

Political activism

Gatewood was creatively active in many issues and groups. In an amusing stunt Gatewood laid down to protest the UN themed interdependance float for Independence Day Parade (July 4, 1995) in Lexington Kentucky, which got him a charge of interfering with a procession. In 2004, he became a columnist for the Louisville-based alternative weekly Snitch Newsweekly, writing on cases he has handled, and debating with other contributors on civil liberties.
In his writings and speeches Galbraith went into detail on what he termed "Synthetic Subversion". This theory seeks to explain when, how and why America, specifically Kentucky, moved from an agricultural agrarian society into an industrial synthetic society. Galbraith claimed that the beginning of this shift can be traced back to the New Deal era spearheaded by Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. Up until the early 1930s, America and Kentucky relied solely on agriculture to fuel the economy. Galbraith argued that, out of necessity, Roosevelt shifted America toward a more industrial (synthetic) society fueled by alliances with “Greedy Corporations.”
^[31] He worked closely with his long time friend and supporter Norm Davis, gun rights advocate, activist and Founder of the grassroots organization "Take Back Kentucky" in support of smaller government and preservation of our constitutional freedoms and rights with-in the commonwealth.
^[32]A quote from his book "THE LAST FREE MAN IN AMERICA" and the chapter titled "I DECLARE MARIJUANA LEGAL" which begins on page 281. Lays out for all Americans their Constitutional Rights to utilize Marijuana and his Constitutional Argument concerning the Prohibition of Marijuana ~ "They did not say we have a Constitutional right to possess alcohol.
They said we have a Constitutional right to privacy in our homes, under which fits the possession of an extremely poisonous alcohol.
Now this is the law in Kentucky today. In fact, it is these rulings that keep the Kentucky State Police from kicking down the doors of people possessing alcohol in Kentucky's 77 `dry' counties right now and hauling their buts off to jail."
Now Marijuana a demonstrably less harmful substance than alcohol and presents far less of threat to public welfare. So it also fits in a person's right to privacy in their home. It's beyond the police power of the state as long as I don't sell it and it's for my own personal use."
Referring to a discussion he had been targeted in during a Debate while running for Attorney General in Kentucky with current running mate Greg Stumbo he said, "He obviously thought he could hang me over the marijuana issue, and here I was explaining Constitutional Law to him which, I still don't think he comprehends."
Evidence he was, if anything, a Constitutionalists in his activism who was indeed about protecting, defending the rights and freedoms of the citizens under the U.S. Constitution he swore to uphold and defend as not only an Attorney, but as a young man who had served in the U.S. Military.
Galbraith appeared onstage, on TV and in films with many notable public figures, including well known environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill, author/filmmaker Christopher Largen, author/activist Jack Herer, country music artist/singer/film star Willie Nelson, artist/author/film star/producer Woody Harrelson,...
Galbraith appeared in the 2003 movie ^[33] The Hempsters Plant the Seed along with Woody Harrelson, Ralph Nader, Julia "Butterfly" Hill, and other political Activist who stood against Marijuana Prohibition in an attempt to educate the world on the subject of Marijuana/Cannabis/Hemp.
^[34]In 2011 CELEBSTONER of Entertainment News wrote their review of it.
^[35]He was featured in the documentary film, "A NORML Life."

Political campaigns

Galbraith ran for various offices in Kentucky including commissioner of agriculture, governor (five times - as a Democrat in 1991, 1995, and 2007, as a Reform Party candidate in 1999,^[36] and as an independent in 2011^[1]), U.S. representative (twice), and attorney general.
Galbraith was a vocal advocate for ending the prohibition of marijuana cannabis hemp^[37] and was known for his witty quips.^[38]
Galbraith pitched his campaign for economic, education, and environmental development to voters of all ages throughout the commonwealth. In particular, he proposed real change through what he called, restoring the people's agenda to government and by putting Kentucky values first. Promises included a freeze on college tuition, a $5,000 grant or voucher provided to motivated high school graduates to any institution of higher learning, college or technical school; Moratorium on all university and college tuition increases; Advancing education through technology; Restore hemp as an agriculture crop; Ending marijuana cannabis hemp prohibition in Kentucky. Restoration of voting and gun rights of non-violent felons; Agricultural Market Development; Stringent natural resources stewardship; Recreational and tourism development; Water standard enforcement; Expansion of Fish and Wildlife Programs; No state worker furloughs; Expanded energy development; Internet access to all counties; Tax reform, including No income tax for those who earn 50K or less, and small business tax exemptions; Job development; Return investment policy established; Regional economic development offices; Marketing Kentucky's signature industries; An end to fracking and mountain top removal. He raised $100,000 of his $500,000 budget and was endorsed by the United Mine Workers, the first time the union has backed an independent.^[39]

1983 run for Agriculture Commissioner

He ran for Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner after incumbent Democrat Alben Barkley II decided to run instead for Lieutenant Governor. Galbraith ran as a Democrat and ranked last among four candidates in the Democratic primary with 12 percent of the vote. David Boswell won with a plurality of 35 percent.^[40]

1991 gubernatorial election

Main article: Kentucky gubernatorial election, 1991

He ran for Kentucky Governor. He ranked last in a four candidate Democratic primary with 5 percent of the vote. Lieutenant Governor Brereton Jones won the primary with a plurality of 38 percent.^[41]

1995 gubernatorial election

Main article: Kentucky gubernatorial election, 1995

He ran for governor again at the end of Brereton Jones's term -- although Jones was able to pass an amendment to the state constitution allowing officials to succeed themselves in office once, the amendment exempted then-sitting officials, including Jones. In the Democratic primary, he ranked fourth in a five candidate field with 9 percent of the vote. Lieutenant Governor Paul Patton won with a plurality of 45 percent of the vote.^[42] In the general election, Galbraith decided to run as a write in candidate and got just 0.4 percent of the vote.^[43]

1999 gubernatorial election

Main article: Kentucky gubernatorial election, 1999

He ran again for governor. This time he ran on the Reform Party ticket and got 15 percent of the vote, the best statewide general election performance of his career. The Republican candidates were Peppy Martin for governor and Wanda Cornelius for lieutenant governor. Incumbent Democratic Governor Paul Patton won re-election with 61 percent of the vote.^[44]

2000 congressional election

Galbraith ran for Kentucky's 6th congressional district of the U.S. House of Representatives as an independent. Incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Ernie Fletcher won re-election with 53 percent of the vote. Democratic nominee, former U.S. Congressman Scotty Baesler, got 35 percent of the vote. Galbraith ranked third with 12 percent.^[45]

2002 congressional election

Galbraith decided to run in the 6th District again. Incumbent Republican U.S. Congressman Ernie Fletcher won re-election with 72 percent of the vote. No Democrat filed to run against him. Galbraith, as an independent, ranked second with 26 percent of the vote, his highest percentage in an election.^[46]

2003 run for Kentucky Attorney General

Galbraith decided to run for Kentucky Attorney General as an independent. Democrat State Representative Gregory Stumbo won the election with 48 percent of the vote. Republican nominee Jack Wood ranked second with 42 percent of the vote. Galbraith ranked third with 11 percent.^[47]

2007 gubernatorial election

Main article: Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007

Galbraith decided to run for governor a fourth time. This time, he decided to run as a Democrat, the first time since 1995. In the Democratic primary, Galbraith ranked fifth in a six- candidate field with 6 percent of the vote. He carried Nicholas County with 32 percent. Lieutenant Governor Steve Beshear won with a plurality of 41 percent of the vote. Bruce Lunsford ranked second with 21 percent. Former Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry ranked third with 17 percent. Speaker of the Kentucky House Jody Richards ranked fourth with 13 percent.^[48]

2011 gubernatorial election

Main article: Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2011

Galbraith decided to run for governor a fifth time. This time, he decided to run as an independent. Incumbent Democrat Governor Steve Beshear won re-election with 56 percent of the vote. Republican State Senator David Williams of Burkesville, the President of the State Senate, ranked second with 35 percent. Galbraith trailed with 9 percent.^[49]

Published work

• Galbraith, Gatewood (2004). The Last Free Man In America Meets The Synthetic Subversion. Outskirts Press. ISBN 1-932672-35-4.

To see more of who died in 2011 click here

Frank Kameny, American gay rights activist, died he was 86.

Franklin Edward "Frank" Kameny was "one of the most significant figures" in the American gay rights movement.^[2] In 1957, Kameny was dismissed from his position as an astronomer in the U.S. Army Map Service in Washington, D.C. because of his homosexuality,^[3] leading him to begin "a Herculean struggle with the American establishment" that would "spearhead a new period of militancy in the homosexual rights movement of the early 1960s".^[4]
Kameny protested his firing by the U.S. Civil Service Commission due to his homosexuality, and argued this case to the United States Supreme Court in 1961.^[5] Although the court denied his petition, it is notable as the first civil rights claim based on sexual orientation.^[6]

(May 21, 1925 – October 11, 2011^[1]) 

Early life and firing

Kameny was born to Ashkenazi Jewish parentage in New York City on May 21, 1925. He attended Richmond Hill High School and graduated in 1941. In 1941, at age 16, Kameny went to Queens College to learn physics and at age 17 he told his parents that he was an atheist.^[7][8] He was drafted into the United States Army before completion. He served in the Army throughout World War II in Europe and served 20 years on the Selective Service board.^[9] After leaving the Army, he returned to Queens College and graduated with a baccalaureate in physics in 1948. Kameny then enrolled at Harvard University; while a teaching fellow at Harvard, he refused to sign a loyalty oath without attaching qualifiers, and exhibited a skepticism against accepted orthodoxies.^[7] He graduated with both a masters' degree (1949) and doctorate (1956) in astronomy. His doctoral thesis was entitled A Photoelectric Study of Some RV Tauri and Yellow Semiregular Variables^[10] and was written under the supervision of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.
While on a cross-country return trip from Tucson, where he had just completed his research for his Ph.D. thesis, he was arrested in San Francisco by plainclothes police officers after a stranger had approached and groped him at the bus terminal. He was promised that his criminal record would be expunged after serving three years' probation, relieving him from worrying about his employment prospects and any attempt at fighting the charges.^[11]
Relocating to Washington, D.C., Kameny taught for a year in the Astronomy Department of Georgetown University and was hired in July 1957 by the United States Army Map Service. However, by the fall, he was in trouble with the Civil Service Commission following a late night run-in with police in Lafayette Park, a traditional cruising area along Pennsylvania Avenue across from the White House. He was arrested. Kameny was questioned by his superiors but he refused to give them information regarding his sexual orientation. Kameny was fired by the Commission soon afterward. In January 1958, he was barred from future employment by the federal government. As author Douglass Shand-Tucci later wrote,

"Kameny was the most conventional of men, focused utterly on his work, at Harvard and at Georgetown....He was thus all the more rudely shocked when the same fate befell him as we've seen befall Prescott Townsend, class of 1918, decades before....He was arrested. Later he would be fired. And, like Townsend, Kameny was radicalized."^[12]

Kameny appealed against his firing through the judicial system, losing twice before heading to the United States Supreme Court, which turned down his petition for certiorari.^[5] After devoting himself to activism, Kameny never held a paid job again and was supported by friends and family for the rest of his life. Despite his outspoken activism, he rarely discussed his personal life and never had any long-term relationships with other men, stating merely that he had no time for them.
Kameny eschewed conventional racial designations; throughout his life, he consistently cited his race as "human."^[13]

Decades of D.C. activism

In August 1961, Kameny and Jack Nichols co-founded the Mattachine Society of Washington,^[14] an organization that pressed aggressively for gay and lesbian civil rights. In 1963 the group was the subject of Congressional hearings initiated by Congressman John Dowdy over its right to solicit funds.^[15]
Kameny is credited with bringing an aggressive new tone to the gay civil rights struggle.^[14] Kameny and the Mattachine Society of Washington pressed for fair and equal treatment of gay employees in the federal government by fighting security clearance denials, employment restrictions and dismissals, and working with other groups to press for equality for gay citizens.^[16] In 1968, Kameny, inspired by Stokely Carmichael's creation of the phrase "Black is Beautiful", created the slogan "Gay is Good" for the gay civil rights movement.^[14]
Kameny and Nichols launched some of the earliest public protests by gays and lesbians with a picket line at the White House on April 17, 1965.^[17][14] In coalition with New York's Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis, the picketing expanded to target the United Nations, the Pentagon, the United States Civil Service Commission, and to Philadelphia's Independence Hall for what became known as the Annual Reminder for gay rights.
In 1963, Kameny and Mattachine launched a campaign to overturn D.C. sodomy laws; he personally drafted a bill that finally passed in 1993.^[14]. He also worked to remove the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.^[14]

1970-2000

In 1971, Kameny became the first openly gay candidate for the United States Congress when he ran in the District of Columbia's first election for a non-voting Congressional delegate.^[14] Following that election, Kameny and his campaign organization created the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Washington, D.C., an organization which continues to lobby government and press the case for equal rights.^[18] He described the day - December 15, 1973, when the American Psychological Association removed homosexuality from its manual of mental disorders - as the day "we were cured en masse by the psychiatrists."^[19]
Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military from Vietnam to the Persian Gulf author Randy Shilts documented Kameny's work in advising several service members in their attempts to receive honorable discharges after being discovered to be gay. For 18-year-old Marine Jeffrey Dunbar, "Kameny lined up gay ex-Marines to testify at the young man’s hearing. The Washington Post ran an editorial supporting an upgraded discharge, noting that Dunbar 'was involved in no scandal and had brought no shame on the Marine Corps', and called the undesirable discharge 'strange and, we think, pointless way of pursuing military "justice".’" In 1975, his long search for a gay service member with an impeccable record to initiate a challenge to the military's ban on homosexuals culminated in protege Leonard Matlovich, a Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force with 11 years of unblemished service and a Purple Heart and Bronze Star, purposely outing himself to his commanding officer on March 6, 1975. Matlovich had first read about Kameny's goal in an interview in the Air Force Times. Talking first by telephone, they eventually met and, along with ACLU attorney David Addlestone, planned the legal challenge. Discharged in October 1975, Matlovich was ordered reinstated by a federal district court in 1980 in a ruling that, technically, would only have applied to him. Convinced the Air Force would create another excuse to discharge him again, Matlovich accepted a financial settlement instead, and continued his gay activism work until his death from AIDS complications in June 1988. Kameny was an honorary pallbearer at his funeral and spoke at graveside services in Washington DC's Congressional Cemetery.
On March 26, 1977, Kameny and a dozen other members of the gay and lesbian community, under the leadership of the then-National Gay Rights Task Force, briefed then-Public Liaison Midge Costanza on much-needed changes in federal laws and policies. This was the first time that gay rights were officially discussed at the White House^[20]
Kameny was appointed as the first openly gay member of the District of Columbia's Human Rights Commission in the 1970s. He served 20 years on the Selective Service board.^[21]

2000-2011

In 2007, Kameny's death was mistakenly reported by The Advocate in its May 22 "Pride issue", alongside a mistaken report of his infection by AIDS/HIV, which never occurred. The report was retracted with an apology, and Kameny asked The Advocate, "Did you give a date of death?"^[22]
In 2007, Kameny wrote a letter to the conservative, anti-gay publication WorldNetDaily in defense of Larry Craig regarding Craig's arrest for solicitation of sex in a Minneapolis airport bathroom;^[23] he ended it with the following: "I am no admirer of Larry Craig and hold out no brief for him. He is a self-deluding hypocritical homophobic bigot. But fair is fair. He committed no crime in Minneapolis and should not suffer as if he did." The New York Times' Frank Rich joined Kameny in calling for Craig's pardon.^[24]
In November 2007, Kameny wrote an open letter of protest to NBC journalist Tom Brokaw (and his publisher Random House), who wrote Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today, over the total lack of mention of gay and lesbian rights activism during the 1960s and upbraiding Brokaw for having "'de-gayed' an entire generation".^[25] The letter was co-signed by former Washington Post editor-in-chief Howard Kurtz, Harry Rubinstein (curator, National Museum of American History), John Earl Haynes, Dudley Clendinen and Stephen Bottum. Brokaw appeared on Kurtz's CNN show Reliable Sources to defend the exclusion, saying that "the gay rights movement came slightly later. It lifted off during that time and I had to make some choices about what I was going to concentrate on. The big issues were the anti-war movement, the counterculture."^[26]
Kameny suffered from heart disease in his last years, but maintained a full schedule of public appearances, his last being a speech to a LGBT group in Washington DC on September 30, 2011.
Frank Kameny was found dead in his Washington DC home on October 11, 2011.^[27] The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be natural causes due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.^[28]

Awards and honors

In 2007, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History included Kameny's picket signs carried in front of the White House in 1965 in the Smithsonian exhibit "Treasures of American History". The Smithsonian now has 12 of the original picket signs carried by gay and lesbian Americans at this, the first ever White House demonstration.^[29] The Library of Congress acquired Kameny's papers in 2006, documenting his life and leadership.^[30]

Frank Kameny Way as seen on June 12, 2010

In February 2009, Kameny’s home in Washington was designated as a D.C. Historic Landmark by the District of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Review Board.^[31]
On June 29, 2009, John Berry (Director of the Office of Personnel Management) formally apologized to Kameny on behalf of the United States government.^[14][32] Berry, who is openly gay, presented Kameny with the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the department’s most prestigious award.^[33]
On June 10, 2010, following a unanimous vote by the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission, Washington, D. C. mayor Adrian Fenty unveiled new street signs designating 17th Street between P and R streets, N.W., as "Frank Kameny Way" in Kameny's honor.^[34] At a luncheon on December 10, 2010 in the Caucus room of the Cannon House Office Building, Kameny was honored with the 2010 Cornelius R. “Neil” Alexander Humanitarian Award.^[35]
Kameny was seated at the front row of the gathering where President Barack Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. Kameny was a member of Triangle Foundation's Board of Advisors.^[36]
Following Kameny's death, the giant rainbow flag on the tall flagpole at the corner of Market Street and Castro Street in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco was flown at half-staff for 24 hours beginning on the afternoon of October 12, 2011 at the request of the creator of the rainbow flag, Gilbert Baker.^[37]
On November 2, 2011, Kameny's house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[38][39]


To see more of who died in 2011 click here