James Allason, British politician and soldier, MP for Hemel Hempstead (1959–1974) died he was , 98 .

Lieutenant Colonel James Harry Allason OBE was a British Conservative Party politician, sportsman, and former military planner who worked with Mountbatten and Churchill  died he was , 98 .. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former member of the House of Commons.

(6 September 1912 – 16 June 2011)

Military career

The son of Brigadier General Walter Allason DSO & Bar (1875-1960), James Allason was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He served as an officer in the British Army for 24 years from 1930–54, including in India, Ceylon and Burma, rising to the rank of Lt-Colonel. He joined the Royal Artillery in 1932 transferring to the 3rd Carabiniers in 1937. A gifted mathematician, he addressed the problem of using magnetic compasses with tanks: the Allason Sun compass was adopted for use throughout the Asian theatre.
Allason worked with the Supreme Allied Commander, Lord Louis Mountbatten, as joint planning staff officer in South East Asia Command and was wounded while commanding tanks during the Burma campaign. He was later decorated. He subsequently occupied a similar post as senior military planner at the War Office in London, answering Churchill's queries and providing briefings in the Cabinet War Rooms. His last planning task was to advise on the logistics of withdrawing from Palestine. From 1950-54 he served at the War Office in charge of Army discipline.

Political career

After leaving the Army Allason worked as a Lloyd's of London insurance broker. He was elected a councillor on Kensington Borough Council in 1956.
Allason contested Hackney Central in 1955. He was Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead from 1959 to 1974, when, following boundary changes, he narrowly lost the seat in the October election of that year to Labour's Robin Corbett.
In government he was acknowledged for his expertise not only on defence but in the arcane but key subject of pensions. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for War he had a ringside seat as the Profumo affair unfolded, refraining from publishing his inside account until after the death of Jack Profumo in March 2006.^[1]
When the Conservatives were in opposition Allason was front bench spokesman on Housing for six years, and is credited with development of the policy of enabling council house tenants to purchase their own properties: this was taken up by Margaret Thatcher and adopted by subsequent Conservative governments, contributing to their electoral victories. After leaving Parliament he continued to exercise a rational influence on environmental policy from positions on the executive of the Town and Country Planning Association and the Environment Council’s Transport Committee.
Following the deaths of Patrick Maitland, 17th Earl of Lauderdale in December 2008 and Bert Hazell in January 2009, Allason became the oldest living former British Member of Parliament.

Personal interests

As a sportsman he raced Bentleys at Brooklands, played polo with maharajahs in India, skied and sailed in international competition, and represented the House of Commons in five sports. He continued skiing until his 87th year, and still plays Contract Bridge and attends the Opera, on which he has written.
He married Nuala McElveen from Dublin in 1946, by whom he has two sons, one of whom, the Intelligence historian Rupert Allason, followed him into Parliament as Member for Torbay. The marriage was dissolved in 1974.

 

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Claudia Bryar, American actress (Psycho II) died he was , 93.

Claudia Bryar was an American actress who mostly specialized in television died he was , 93.. Active from the 1950s to the 1980s, she is perhaps best known for her role as Mrs. Emma Spool in Psycho II.

(May 18, 1918 – June 16, 2011)

She played small parts in mostly Western television series such as Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and The Guns of Will Sonnett, but also The Bob Newhart Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and The Twilight Zone.
She appeared in small roles in the big screen in cult movies, such as I Was A Teenage Frankenstein and Bad Company. She appeared in made-for-television movies such as Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn (1977) and The Family Nobody Wanted (1975).
She can be seen in archive footage for a black and white flashback in Psycho III, where more attention is given to her character of Mrs. Spool (although she is dead). Her career ended with her role of Mrs. Prince in Hill Street Blues.

 

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Wild Man Fischer, American street musician, died after heart failure he was , 66.

Larry Wayne Fischer better known as Wild Man Fischer, was an American songwriter in the outsider genre died after heart failure he was , 66.. He was notable for being responsible for Rhino Records' first release, Go To Rhino Records (1975). Fischer's highly unusual style had developed a cult following.

(November 6, 1944 – June 16, 2011),

] Early life and career

Born Larry Wayne Fischer in Los Angeles, California, United States, Fischer was institutionalized at age 16 for attacking his mother with a knife. He was later diagnosed with two mental disorders — severe paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression). Following his release from the hospital, Fischer wandered Los Angeles singing his unique brand of songs for 10¢ to passers-by. Discovered by Frank Zappa, with whom he recorded his first album, Fischer became an underground concert favorite, earning him the title "godfather of outsider music." Zappa was responsible for Fischer's initial foray into the business of music, an album called An Evening with Wild Man Fischer, contains 36 tracks of "something not exactly musical." Zappa and Fischer remained close, until Fischer threw a jar at Zappa's daughter Moon Unit Zappa, barely missing her.^[2] Due to this falling out, Zappa's widow Gail Zappa has not yet released An Evening with Wild Man Fischer on CD.
In the 1980s, Fischer worked with Art and Artie Barnes (actually Bill Mumy, of Lost in Space/Babylon 5 fame, and Robert Haimer), to produce two albums, Pronounced Normal (1981) and Nothing Scary (1984).
Fischer appeared on national television (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) and was the subject of a comic book (The Legend Of Wild Man Fischer).^[3]
In 1986, Barnes and Barnes also wrote and produced "It's A Hard Business", a duet featuring Fischer and Rosemary Clooney. The song was the result of a telephone friendship that began after Clooney heard Fischer's song "Oh God, Please Send Me A Kid To Love." In 1987, Fisher performed his only East Coast performances at the Mass College of Art and Design.

Rediscovery

In 1999, Rhino released The Fischer King, a two-CD package comprising 100 tracks and a 20-page booklet, which sold out within weeks. The limited-edition album comprises his entire Rhino catalogue, including the albums with Barnes and Barnes and Wildmania (1977), along with his duet with Clooney. Fischer also appears as guest vocalist with the noise band Smegma on their album Sings Popular Songs.
In October 2004, Fischer appeared on ABC-TV's late-night talk/comedy show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He sang "Monkeys vs. Donkeys" while tapping on a backwards acoustic guitar, and also sat for a chat with the host, wherein he explained what it means to have "the pep" (i.e., when the spirit is in him and he's singing happily).
In 2005, Josh Rubin and Jeremy Lubin, collectively known as The Ubin Twinz premiered their documentary about Wild Man Fischer, entitled Derailroaded: Inside The Mind Of Wild Man Fischer, at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. An Evening With Wild Man Fischer remains unreleased on CD. The awareness brought to Fischer by Derailroaded did, however, bring all three Rhino albums back in print on CD through Collectors' Choice Music.
Fischer made his final appearance on August 16, 2006, at the Trunk Space in Phoenix, Arizona.
He was mentioned in Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel Inherent Vice (pg. 155).
He was mentioned by Eric Clapton in the opening of the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival, "Wild Man Fischer lives...", in reply to Bill Murray's introduction.
Fischer died in Los Angeles, on June 16, 2011 after heart problems.^[4]

Discography

• May 1968 - Laminas (rare 7" 33rpm project of UCLA art students, 3 tracks by Larry, miscredited as "Fisher")
• 1969 - An Evening with Wild Man Fischer, Bizarre Records
• 1975 - "Go To Rhino Records" (single), Rhino Records
• 1977 - Wildmania, Rhino Records
• 1981 - Pronounced Normal, Rhino Records
• 1981 - "Don't Be A Singer"/"I Got A Camera"/"Do The Salvo" (single), Rhino Records
• 1983 - Nothing Scary, Rhino Records
• 1999 - The Fischer King, Rhino Records (compilation of all Rhino recordings)

 

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Yehuda Kiel, Israeli educator and biblical scholar died he was , 94.

Yehuda Kiel was an Israeli educator and Bible commentator died he was , 94..

(born 1916, died 16 June 2011)

Biography

Kiel was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1916. Following the Russian Revolution, he moved with his family to Panevėžys, Lithuania and later to Latvia.
In 1936, Kiel emigrated to Mandate Palestine. He studied Knowledge of the Land of Israel, history, sociology and psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He worked for the students union and was National Executive secretary of Bnei Akiva. After completing his degree in 1940, he taught at Kfar Haroeh, together with his future wife, Tamar. They married in 1941.
From 1967 to 1977, Kiel headed the religious education department of the Israel Ministry of Education.
Kiel was probably best known for the monumental biblical commentary, Da'at Miqra project, which he headed and which encompasses modern scientific research with traditional biblical exergesis.
He died in Jerusalem on 16 June 2011.^[1]

Awards

• In 1992, Kiel was awarded the Israel Prize, for Jewish studies.^[2]
• In 2002, he received the Yakir Yerushalayim (Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award from the city of Jerusalem.^[3]

 

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Östen Mäkitalo, Swedish electrical engineer died he was , 72.

Östen Mäkitalo was a Swedish electrical engineer died he was , 72.. He is considered to be the father of the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system and many times the father of cellular phone.



(27 August 1938 – 16 June 2011)

Education and occupation

Mäkitalo was born in Koutojärvi, Sweden, and obtained a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), while studying for a time he employed as a training assistant and lecturer at the Department of Physics at KTH. He started his professional career in 1961 at Televerket (now merged with TeliaSonera), the Swedish Telecommunications Administration, where he developed the first expansion compressor for high-quality sound. In the early 1970s, he was accepted as a PhD student at KTH, with Tele Transmission theory as a major and a minor in mathematics. He is a visiting professor at KTH since 2005.^[5] He is the elected member of Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.

Research and inventions

Mäkitalo assisted the development of first ever first generation cellular system and was also a key figure in the development of GSM.^[6] Mäkitalo was the part of the group that developed the world's first countrywide paging system with the possibility of sending messages. In addition, he has partaken in the development of the technology for digital TV sound and digital terrestrial TV.^[7] Mäkitalo held about 20 patents and is an honorary doctor at Chalmers University of Technology.

Awards and honors

Mäkitalo won numerous awards and honors, some of them were:

• 1987 - IVA's gold medal for the development of mobile phone technology.^[8]
• 1991 - Received honorary doctorate at Chalmers University of Technology.^[9]
• 1994 - KTH Grand Prize by The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) for Pioneering Research in the Field of Analogue and Digital Radio Technique.^[10]
• 2001 - H. M. The King's Medal from the King of Sweden for important contributions in the field of mobile telephone.^[11]

 

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Joko Beck, American Zen Buddhist teacher, founder of the Ordinary Mind School, died after a long illness he was , 94.

Charlotte Joko Beck was an American Zen teacher and the author of the books Everyday Zen: Love and Work and Nothing Special: Living Zen. Born in New Jersey, she studied music at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and worked for some time as a pianist and piano teacher died after a long illness he was , 94.. She married and raised a family of four children, then separated from her husband and worked as a teacher, secretary, and assistant in a university department. She began Zen practice in her 40s with Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi in Los Angeles, and later with Yasutani Roshi and Soen Roshi. Having received Dharma transmission from Taizan Maezumi Roshi, she opened the San Diego Zen Center in 1983, serving as its head teacher until July 2006.

(March 27, 1917 - June 15, 2011)

Joko was responsible for a number of important innovations in Zen teaching. In particular, she taught students to work with the emotions of everyday life rather than attempting to avoid or escape them. Because she was adept at teaching students to work with their psychological states, she attracted a number of students who were interested in the relationship between Zen and modern psychology. Several of her Dharma heirs are practicing psychologists/psychiatrists. In 1995 Joko, along with 3 of her Dharma heirs, founded the Ordinary Mind Zen School. In 2006 Joko moved to Prescott, Arizona, where she continued to teach until she retired as a teacher in late 2010. In the spring of 2010, Joko announced that she had chosen Gary Nafstad to be her Dharma successor.
Shortly after Joko’s departure in 2006 a controversy arose over the future of the San Diego Zen Center. Joko Beck sent a letter in which she stated that she was revoking Dharma transmission from two senior students: Ezra Bayda and Elizabeth Hamilton. Joko also stated that the San Diego Zen Center should not claim to represent her or her teaching. Joko’s actions caught some long-time students off guard and led one of her Dharma heirs to question her judgment.^[1]
After years of declining health, Beck was placed under hospice care in June 2011 after her health rapidly deteriorated, she stopped eating and was dramatically losing weight. According to Beck's daughter, Brenda, up until the end “She is happy as a clam and, as she told me, will die when she’s ready. She says it’s soon.” Beck died on June 15, 2011.^[2] According to the Twitter account of fellow Zen teacher Joan Halifax, Beck’s last words were, ”This too is wonder.”^[3]

Books

• Everyday Zen: Love and Work (edited by Steve Smith; 1989) ISBN 0-06-060734-3.
• Nothing Special: Living Zen (1993) ISBN 0-06-251117-3

 

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Ted Gray American baseball player (Detroit Tigers) died he was , 86,.

Ted Glenn Gray was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played eight seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1946, 1948–1954), and then had short stints during the 1955 season with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees,^[1] and Baltimore Orioles died he was , 86,..

(December 31, 1924 - June 15, 2011)

A native Detroiter, Gray was a star pitcher at Highland Park High School. He signed with the Tigers in 1942 at age 17 and played the 1942 season with Winston-Salem in the Piedmont League, posting a 13-14 record and a 2.04 ERA. He briefly joined the Tigers at the end of the 1942 season but did not play.
Gray enlisted in the Navy when he turned 18 after the 1942 season. Gray was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station where he pitched for the Great Lakes team managed by Mickey Cochrane. Tigers pitchers Schoolboy Rowe and Dizzy Trout also pitched for Cochrane's star-studded Great Lakes team. Gray was transferred to the New Hebrides in the Pacific Theater, where he continued pitching for the Navy. He won 12 straight games and averaged 17 strikeouts per game in his Navy career. In January 1945, he pitched for the Navy All Stars. He lost his first game against the Army All Stars 3-1 despite striking out 19 batters. In three games against the Army All Stars, Gray had a 1-2 record and a remarkable 46 strikeouts. After the series, The Sporting News reported: "You can’t tell any of the fellows in this war sector that when peace is restored, Ted Gray won’t match the records of Grove, Hubbell, Pennock, Newhouser and the other great lefthanders [sic]." (The Sporting News, February 22, 1945.)[1]
After the war, Gray played with Buffalo before joining the Tigers for a brief stay in 1946. He pitched only three games in the Major Leagues in 1946 (an 0-2 record) and was returned to the minors where he spent the balance of the 1946 season and the entire 1947 season. Gray returned to the Tigers in 1948, posting a record of 6-2.
Though Gray never lived up to the expectations that were created by his wartime performance, he became part of the Tigers starting rotation from 1949-1953. In 1949, Gray won 10 games and had a career-best 3.51 ERA (Adjusted ERA+ of 118).
Gray then got off to a phenomenal start in 1950, winning 10 games before the All-Star break. He was selected for the American League All-Star team but ended up as the losing pitcher in the 1950 All Star Game after giving up a game-winning home run to Red Schoendienst in the 14th inning. [2] After the All Star game, Gray failed to win another game for the remainder of the year, finishing with a 10-7 record.
Gray reportedly suffered from chronic blisters that hindered his performance. [3]
In 1951, Gray's downward slide continued as he led the American League in losses with a record of 7-14. And in 1952, Gray was among the league leaders in losses with 17 (third most in the AL) and earned runs allowed with 103 (third most in the AL).
Gray was a power pitcher who was known for his forkball and ranked among the American League leaders in strikeouts four consecutive years from 1950-1954. He had the second-highest rate of strikeouts per 9 innings in both 1951 (5.97) and 1952 (5.88). He was also among the league leaders in home runs allowed on three occasions, leading the league in home runs allowed in 1953 with 25.
At the end of the 1954 season, Gray was traded to the Chicago White Sox with Walt Dropo. He was released by four different teams during the 1955 season. Only two other players have played for four American League teams in one season: Frank Huelsman and Paul Lehner.
Gray posted a career won-loss record of 59-74 with a 4.37 ERA in 222 career games.

 

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