George Benton, American boxer, pneumonia, died at 78.

George Benton  was a boxer and a boxing trainer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

(May 15, 1933 – September 19, 2011)

His first amateur bout was when he was thirteen. He turned professional three years later at the age of sixteen. He boxed professionally from 1949 to 1970 and defeated future world champions Freddie Little, Jimmy Ellis, and Joey Giardello. In seventy-six professional fights, he was never knocked down and was stopped just twice, on a cut against Luis Manuel Rodriguez and when he didn't come out for the final round of his fight with Bennie Briscoe. Benton had a professional record of 62–13–1 (37 KOs).
Benton became the #1 ranked middleweight in the world in the early 1960s, but he never got a shot at the world title. In 1962, after he beat Giardello, Benton thought that he would get a title shot. However, Giardello's manager, Lou Duva, was well connected and was able to get Giardello a fight with Dick Tiger for the World Middleweight Championship, which Giardello won by decision. "Yeah, I screwed George out of his shot," Duva said. "He didn't even know about it till I told him many years later."
Benton's boxing career ended in 1970 after he was shot. The shooter had tried to pick up Benton's sister in a bar, and Benton's brother beat him up. Vowing to kill someone from the Benton family, the man shot Benton in the back. He was in and out of the hospital for two years. The bullet is still lodged near Benton's spine.
With his boxing career over, he turned to training. He studied under Eddie Futch and was in Joe Frazier's corner for his third fight with Muhammad Ali, the Thrilla in Manila. He was also in the corner of Leon Spinks when he upset Ali to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
For seventeen years, Benton worked with Lou Duva and the Duva family's promotion company, Main Events, as the head trainer for many of their fighters. Among the fighters he trained were Evander Holyfield, Mike McCallum, Meldrick Taylor, and Pernell Whitaker.
In 1989 and 1990, Benton was named "Trainer of the Year" by the Boxing Writers Association of America.
In 2001, he was elected to the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.
He died on 19 September 2011 after a battle with pneumonia.^[1]

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Ivo Škrabalo, Croatian writer, director and actor, died at 77.

Ivo Škrabalo was a Croatian film critic, screenwriter, and member of parliament.^[1][2]

(19 February 1934 – 18 September 2011) 

Škrabalo was born in Sombor, where he finished elementary and high school before moving to Zagreb in 1952.^[3] He enrolled at the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Law and earned a MSc in international law, with a doctoral thesis on the creation of Bangladesh.^[3]
He also studied at the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Art and graduated from its film directing department.^[2] Škrabalo then worked as a dramaturge at Zagreb-based film studios Zagreb Film (1958–1962) and Jadran Film (1964–1967) and was later hired as an advisor at Croatia Film in the late 1960s.^[3] He directed a number of short films and wrote or co-wrote several screenplays for feature films including the 1970 comedy classic One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away.
Škrabalo was also a prolific film critic and he made significant contributions to film publications published by the Miroslav Krleža Lexicographical Institute. He also authored four books about the history of Croatian cinema, including his seminal work 101 Years of Film in Croatia 1896–1997 published in 1998.^[4] He also gained some fame for quirky translations of titles of imported pornographic films which entered nationwide distribution in Yugoslavia in the 1980s.^[4]
In the early 1990s Škrabalo became involved in politics. Between 1991 and 1992 he briefly a senior post in the ministry of culture in the national unity government led by Prime Minister Franjo Gregurić,^[4] and was elected to the Croatian Parliament twice – from 1992 to 1995 he served as member of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) and from 2000 to 2003 as member of its short-lived splinter party LIBRA which later merged into the present-day Croatian People's Party.^[1] He was one of the mayors proposed by the opposition and rejected by President Franjo Tuđman during the 1995–1997 Zagreb crisis.
Scientist and diplomat Zdenko Škrabalo is his older brother.


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Swian Zanoni, Brazilian motocross rider, died from a race accident at 23.

Swian Zanoni  was a Brazilian motocross sport rider. He was appointed as one of the major talents of the new generation of the sport in Brazil. He was born in Divino, Minas Gerais, Brazil and died in Orizânia.

(18 April 1988 – 18 September 2011)

Zanoni was a motorcyclist since he was eight years old.
In his career, the Brazilian was twice runner-up Brazil in the SX2 class, and 20-time champion in motocross and supercross Carioca and a vice Latin American supercross in Costa Rica.^[1]
He died in a stage of the championship motocross in Minas Gerais, Orizânia about 300 km from Belo Horizonte. Zanoni was taken to the hospital in the nearby town of Divino, Minas Gerais, but died from his injuries. With participation in the Motocross World Championship this year, Zanoni was recovering after breaking his forearm during the Grand Prix of Latvia.^[2]



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Jamey Rodemeyer, American gay activist, died from suicide by hanging at 14.

Jamey Rodemeyer  was an openly bisexual ^[1] teenager, known for his activism against homophobia and his videos on YouTube to help victims of homophobic bullying. He committed suicide as a result of constant bullying. ^[2]

(March 21, 1997 – September 18, 2011)

Personal life

Jamey T. Rodemeyer^[3] lived with his parents, Tim and Tracy Rodemeyer, in their home outside of Buffalo, New York.^[4] He also had one sister, Alyssa Rodemeyer. He was open about his sexuality, and faced severe bullying as a result of it.^[5] Rodemeyer's inspiration to help others came from his biggest idol, Lady Gaga. He often referred to her in his videos and quoted her lyrics to provide guidance to others.^[6]

Activism

Rodemeyer encountered bullying throughout middle school because of his homosexuality. Anonymously posted comments on his Formspring account included hate messages such as, "I wouldn't care if you died. No one would. So just do it :) It would make everyone WAY more happier!".^[7] Despite this, he used his experiences to make videos on YouTube under the username xgothemo99xx, in order to help others who were experiencing similar situations. He also notably made a video for the "It Gets Better" project, a website dedicated to preventing teen suicide.^[2]

Death

Rodemeyer was found dead by his sister the morning of September 18, 2011 in an apparent hanging suicide. Prior to his death, he posted a final update on Twitter that was directed toward Lady Gaga. The tweet read, "@ladygaga bye mother monster, thank you for all you have done, paws up forever".^[8]

Aftermath

The Amherst Police Department launched a criminal investigation after the death of Jamey Rodemeyer, assisted by the Erie County District Attorney, Frank A. Sedita III. The investigation lasted nine weeks and included analysis of Jamey's home computer and mobile phone records. Although evidence of criminal harassment was found, these incidents either had insufficient evidence to prosecute or were expired beyond the statute of limitations. The investigation closed without any charges being filed.^[9]
The news of Jamey's death resulted in outrage by supporters all around the world. Following his death, Tim and Tracy Rodemeyer were interviewed by various news outlets about their son and his struggles against bullying. Both parents took the opportunities to promote peace and equality in the hopes of preventing occurrences similar to this one from happening in the future.^[10]
In an interview with Ann Curry on The Today Show, Jamey's parents said that their son was still being bullied even after his suicide.^[11] When his sister attended a school homecoming dance, Jamey's friends began chanting his name in support when a Lady Gaga song began playing. As a result, bullies at the dance began chanting that they were glad he was dead.^[11]
Upon learning of his death, Lady Gaga stated that she was extremely upset, spending her days "reflecting, crying and yelling". She went on to dedicate her song "Hair" to Jamey during a performance at the iHeartRadio music festival at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, saying, "I wrote this record about how your identity is really all you've got when you're in school...so tonight, Jamey, I know you're up there looking at us and you're not a victim. You're a lesson to all of us. I know it's a bit of a downer, but sometimes the right thing is more important than the music." Lady Gaga later met with President Barack Obama to discuss what his administration would do to prevent bullying in schools.^[8]
Also in response to his death, reigning Miss New York Kaitlin Monte founded an online petition to bring the issue of cyberbullying aka Jamey's Law in front of New York lawmakers.^[12] Shortly after, State Senator Jeffrey Klein proposed new cyberbullying legislation. The two partnered to launch the New York Cyberbully Census.^[13]
In October 2011, actor Zachary Quinto noted Rodemeyer's death as the genesis of his decision to come out publicly as gay, saying on his official website, "but in light of Jamey's death – it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it – is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality."^[14][15][16]
In response to Zachary Quinto's coming out and also in reaction to gay suicides caused by bullying, Dan Kloeffler of ABC News Now also came out.^[17]
That same month, another teenager, Jamie Hubley, was reported to have committed suicide for the same reason. While he never explicitly talked about Rodemeyer, comparisons have been drawn.^[18][19]
The Fox TV show Glee made a reference to Jamey while Finn (Cory Monteith) was talking to Santana (Naya Rivera) about gay suicide.


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William F. May, American film society founder (Film Society of Lincoln Center), died from heart failure at 95.

William Frederick May  was an American chemical engineer, businessman and co-founder of the Film Society of Lincoln Center.^[1][2]

(October 25, 1915 – September 18, 2011)

May was born in Chicago in 1915 and raised in the suburb of Oak Park.^[2] He graduated from Oak Park High School and earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester in 1937.^[1] He pursued graduate studies at both the University of Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Technology.^[1]
In the 1930s, May joined DuPont as part of a research team which developed the first rust-proof paint.^[1][2] He was hired by the American Can Company in 1940, based in a laboratory in Maywood, Illinois.^[2] May became head of the American Can Company and shepherded the company through fifteen years of expansion and growth from 1965.^[1] He spearheaded American Can Company's relocation of its corporate headquarters to Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1972.^[2]
May was elected to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts' board of directors in 1967.^[1] He was tasked with establishing a new film department for Lincoln Center.^[1] He worked as the program's chief fundraiser, while two other members of the committee handled artistic contributions, Richard Roud and Amos Vogel, both of whom founded the New York Film Festival.^[1] However, Lincoln Center withdrew financial support from the committee in 1968 due to financial woes.^[1] May searched for new financial donors. In 1969, May and two Lincoln Center executives, Schuyler G. Chapin and Martin E. Segal, co-founded the Film Society of Lincoln Center.^[1]
May retired from the American Can Company in 1980.^[2] He served as the dean of what is now called the New York University Stern School of Business for four years.^[1][2] He later became the chief executive of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, eventually becoming chairman emeritus in 2006.^[2]
William May died on September 18, 2011, in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he resided since 1970, at the age of 95.^[1] Before moving to Greenwich, he and his family had lived in nearby Chappaqua, New York.^[2] He was survived by his, Kathleen; two daughetrs; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.^[2]


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Bayless Manning, American lawyer, Dean of Stanford Law School (1964–1971), first President of the Council on Foreign Relations, died at 88.

Bayless A. Manning  was an American lawyer, law professor, writer and expert of corporate law.^[1] He served as the dean of Stanford Law School from 1964 to 1971.^[2] He left Stanford in 1971 and became the first president of the Council on Foreign Relations.^[1][3]

(March 29, 1923 – September 18, 2011)

Manning worked as the editor of the Yale Law Journal as a law student before graduating from Yale Law School at the top of his graduating class in 1949.^[1] He then clerked for Justice Stanley Forman Reed, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.^[2]
Manning taught as a professor at Yale University from 1955 to 1964.^[1] He simultaneously served as a member of the President's Advisory Panel on Ethics and Conflicts of Interest in Government beginning in 1960.^[1] Manning became the dean of Stanford Law School from 1964 to 1971.^[1] In 1971, Cyrus R. Vance and David Rockefeller soon appointed Manning as the first president of the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR).^[1][3] Following the end of his tenure at CFR, Manning joined Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, a law firm based in New York City.^[1]
In 2001, Manning was awarded the Certificate of Meritorious Achievement from the United States Office of Government Ethics for the Executive Branch.^[1]
Manning moved to Boise, Idaho, in the late 1980s.^[1] He died at his home in Boise on September 18, 2011, at the age of 88.^[2] He was survived by his wife, Alexandra Zekovic, five children, and six grandchildren.^[2]


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Norma Holloway Johnson, American federal judge, first African American woman to serve as a district court chief judge, died from a stroke at 79.

Norma Holloway Johnson , born Normalie Loyce Holloway, was a United States federal judge, and the first African American woman to serve as a US District Court Chief Judge.

(July 28, 1932 – September 18, 2011)

Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, she received a B.S. from District of Columbia Teachers College in 1955 and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1962. She was in private practice in Washington, DC in 1963. She was a Trial attorney of Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice from 1963 to 1967. She was an Assistant corporation counsel, Washington, DC from 1967 to 1970. She was a judge on the District of Columbia Superior Court from 1970 to 1980. Judge Johnson was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on February 28, 1980, to a seat vacated by George L. Hart. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 9, 1980, and received commission on May 12, 1980.^{[citation needed]}
Johnson ruled on Kenneth Starr's probe of the Clinton administration.^[1] She also convicted Rita Lavelle for contempt of court and sentenced her to prison.^{[citation needed]} Served as chief judge, 1997-2001. She assumed senior status on June 18, 2001. Johnson served in that capacity until December 31, 2003, due to retirement.
Johnson died Sunday, September 18, 2011, at her brother's home in her native Lake Charles, following a stroke. She was 79 years old.^[2]


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