Post Mortem

Jeanne-Claude and Christo

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:11:09 -0500

Jeanne-Claude, the wife and collaborator of the artist Christo, has died at 74. She was a vibrant figure in the art world, and not just because of her hair, which was the color of a fire engine crossed with a pumpkin. I particularly enjoyed working on this obituary because I was able to draw on one of my former journalistic lives as an art critic. I've seen two Christo efforts in person (the Central Park gates and the 1985 wrapping of the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris), and I have to say there really is something magical about what Christo and Jeanne-Claude created. There's an enchanting spirit of joy in their work. People respond to it, and there is a palpable sense of shared communal happiness that can't be denied. They lift up the heart. The New York Times's Michael Kimmelman captured the essence of their work in this description

Jack Miller, 'the perfect lawyer'

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:53:38 -0500

In 1961, Herbert J. "Jack" Miller Jr. received a call from Robert F. Kennedy, the new attorney general, asking if he would accept the job of running the Justice Department's criminal division. Miller, a Republican, could only blurt out, "Who, me?" Miller, who died Nov. 14 at age 85, carried out Bobby Kennedy's war on organized crime, leading the Justice Department's crusade against mob families and corrupt labor unions. He secured an indictment and ultimately a conviction against Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa and helped write laws regulating the interstate activities of organized crime. In 1965, Miller formed his own law firm and ultimately became one of the most prominent lawyers in town. Washingtonian magazine called him, in a flattering profile, "the perfect lawyer." Miller may not have been as well known as his friend and courtroom rival Edward Bennett Williams, but he was just as influential in Washington's legal

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Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:53:38 -0500

The Daily Goodbye

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:40:40 -0500

Good morning. Those of us who are healthy forget the toll that AIDS and HIV has taken on young people the world over. Edward Zold, who was diagnosed with the illness himself, didn't forget and was one of the ones responsible for getting drugs and treatment for fellow sufferers. Eddie Bell, who died Monday, was the first black All-American and captain of the football team at the University of Pennsylvania, and then one of the brave souls who integrated pro football in the '50s. Labor lawyer Eugene Cotton championed meatpackers, fighting low wages, no health insurance or pensions, and six-day workweeks. He died Nov. 11, having negotiated some of the first pension and medical benefits in the industry as well as hefty raises, paid holidays and vacations of up to six weeks a year. Istvan Belovai, a former Hungarian military intelligence officer who died Nov. 6, uncovered and revealed to

The Daily Goodbye

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:48:11 -0500

Good morning. The pickings are a bit slim this morning, but I'd advise you take a look at the amazing life of Medal of Honor winner Lewis Millett; it's not the ordinary hero story you'll read elsewhere. The man described as the power behind the oldest open-air swimming club in the world, Allan Titmuss "would brook no nonsense," the Times of London says. His death will cause him to miss the Christmas dip in the cold waters of the Hyde Park lake. The tulip man of Oak Lawn, Ill. planted more than 1,000 bulbs of his favorite flower in the front yard, drawing visitors for years. But he never lived in the house where the tulips bloomed, even though he had gutted and rehabbed it. Perhaps, like the tulips, it was just for the beauty of the thing. Then of course, there's Sy Syms, who drew potential shoppers into his

Retailer Sy Syms Dies

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:24:55 -0500

Sy Syms, 83, the discount clothing retailer who told television viewers for 35 years that "an educated consumer is our best customer," died today of heart disease in New York City. According to a press release, Mr. Syms founded his business in New York's financial district in 1959, and was the first retailer to sell off-price men's clothing. He narrated his well-known slogan in his first television commercial in 1974 and is used to this day. In 1983, when SYMS had expanded to 11 stores, Mr. Syms took the company public. He remained CEO of SYMS Corp. until 1998, when he was succeeded by daughter, Marcy. Mr. Syms continued as the company's chairman until his death. Today, SYMS Clothing has 30 stores in 13 states. In June 2009, SYMS acquired Filene's Basement. The company currently operates 52 stores under the SYMS and Filene's Basement brands. SYMS branched out in 1980

Get the Bad News Over With

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:40:57 -0500

T. Rees Shapiro, an obit desk and Post Mortem contributor, writes: British novelist Jon Canter had some interesting observations on the London Guardian Web site the other day about "bad news." He wrote: "The fact is, death - currently, of British soldiers in Afganistan - is the top news story of the day, whatever the day is." On the obituary desk, this is indeed the case. Canter had some ideas on how to give it. He said when given the duty to personally report some discouraging news about death to our friends, we often feel it is neccessary to dilute the information. As Mary Poppins once said, a "spoonful of sugar will help the medicine go down," but Canter asks to what end does that serve the bearer, or receiver, of sad news? Everyone knows the story: You tell a friend you want to meet them for coffee, you sit

The Daily Goodbye

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:06:47 -0500

Good morning. Some called Charlie Barber "Mayor of the Falls Road Corridor." Others called him the luckiest man in the world. He fell asleep on a park bench and wound up in a family's home, where he had a roof and dinner while living the life of the homeless. Here's a tough obit of a tough man, Lawrence Hanigan who, as the chairman of Via Rail, helped put an end to Canada's century-old romance with the rails. Actor Dennis Cole who appeared in dozens of TV shows throughout the '60s and '70s, including "The Young and the Restless," "Bracken's World," "Bearcats!," "Medical Center," "Police Story," "Fantasy Island," "Trapper John, M.D.," "Murder, She Wrote" and "Charlie's Angels," died Sunday in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He was 69. Chicago School Board president Michael Scott was found along the Chicago River, dead of a gunshot wound to his head. The medical examiner rules suicide,

Woodward (by Bernstein)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:56:38 -0500

British actor Edward Woodward died today, and I felt too great an urge to see how many eagle-eyed readers might notice the implied Woodward-Bernstein joke, given by surname. More than that, Woodward, who was 79, enjoyed a varied and successful career. In addition to his best-known role, that of the urbane security specialist-for-hire on CBS's "The Equalizer," Woodward appeared in Shakespeare productions opposite Michael Redgrave and showed skill as a musical comedy actor directed by Noel Coward. British television made him a star with the spy series "Callan," which ran from 1967 to 1973. He attracted a cult following for a starring role in the eerie thriller "The Wicker Man" (1973) and was damned good in "Breaker Morant" (1980) as a scapegoated Australian soldier who is court-martialed by the British during the Boer War. Woodward was apparently a gifted singer, as can be heard in this scene from "Breaker Morant."

The Daily Goodbye

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:29:15 -0500

Good morning, fellow latecomers. Nothing wrong with being late to the party, just so you turn up. My Mondays are catch-up days so let's get to it. Joe Brennan was one of those guys everybody liked. He was also a man who survived a lot of misadventures, from falling into a raging creek, to flying a plane during war, to an auto crash.... he received the last rites five times before the last one, just before his death last week. A modern artist in the Hopi tradition, Michael Kaboti died in Flagstaff, Ariz. from complications related to the H1N1 influenza. Of his bold canvases, the quiet artist once said: "My paintings speak a lot louder than me." Patriarch Pavle, head of the seven million member Serbian Orthodox Church who called for peace and conciliation during the Balkan ethnic wars of the 1990s but failed to openly condemn extreme Serb nationalism,

The men who jump into fire

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:16:31 -0500

Smokejumpers are legendary in the American West, and a man who was present at two of the most important moments in smokejumpers' history died last week. Earl Cooley was the second man to leap from an airplane and parachute into a burning forest in the U.S., with the task of scraping a barrier around the fire and thus containing it until a crew of firefighters could walk in and finish the job. Mr. Cooley was just behind Rufus Robinson, the first man out the door of the plane. In this photo, taken just before that July 12, 1940 jump, Robinson is on the left, Cooley on the right and Frank Derry, the parachute rigger, is between them. They're in front of the Johnson Flying Service plane that would soon carry Robinson and Cooley to Idaho's Nez Perce forest. Smokejumpers are fast and efficient, and they save the U.S. government millions

'America's greatest unknown writer'

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:53:56 -0500

Donald Harington died Nov. 7 at the age of 73. He grew up in Arkansas and lived in New England for two decades as a student and teacher of art history, while writing novels about his home state. In 1981, he moved back to Arkansas, where he spent the rest of his life. His special talent was writing a series of novels set in a fictional Ozarks village called Stay More. (He affectionately called the residents Stay Morons.) Harington wrote 15 novels in all, including 13 set in Stay More, but he had a difficult time getting his odd, often experimental books published. He may have been a minor celebrity in Arkansas, but he was unknown everywhere else and was continually being rediscovered as an overlooked prose master. It was Entertainment Weekly that called him "America's greatest unknown writer." The novelist and critic Fred Chappell -- himself an undeservedly obscure

'Thatcher has died ...'

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:27:41 -0500

T. Rees Shapiro, who has been helping out on the obituaries desk, reports this amusing item, which very nearly caused an international incident in the British empire: Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was at a black-tie gala in Toronto honoring members of the armed forces when he received an alarming text message on his phone: "Thatcher has died." As the Guardian reported, word buzzed among the 1,700 guests attending the event that former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who turned 84 a month ago, had died. Harper's aides rushed to prepare remarks about the passing of the "Iron Lady." They called 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's address in London, and Buckingham Palace, the Queen's residence, to confirm the death but were informed by puzzled officials that Baroness Thatcher was indeed alive and well. It was a classic case of miscommunication. The BBC reported that the text

China Hand Lilley Dies

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:36:30 -0500

James R. Lilley, 81, a longtime CIA operative in Asia who served as ambassador to China during the Tiananmen Square crackdown and was regarded as one of the most eloquent and learned voices on the modern Sino-American relationship, died Nov. 12. The Post obituary will run tomorrow, but here's a terrific introduction to his life:

The Daily Goodbye

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:46:20 -0500

Good morning! Robert Cameron, who three months ago was hanging out of plane to shoot aerial photography of San Francisco, has died at 98. He had a series of popular books, which sold 3 million copies: "Above New York," "Above London," "Above Washington, D.C.," "Above Paris," "Above Mexico City," and "Above Chicago." There are four volumes of "Above San Francisco." The book that allowed him to hang out in planes: His 1964 volume, "The Drinking Man's Diet" which sold 2.4 million copies. Dr. Julius Ehik had survived the Nazis and World War II, so he wasn't much worried about the owner who of the psychiatric practice where he worked in St. Louis. When the owner was out of town, Dr. Ehik desegregated the facility. I'm really amazed we colonials missed this obit of Ben Williams, elephant trainer, but delighted that the Times in London picked up on it. He played

Sandra Day O'Connor's Husband Dies

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:43:32 -0500

John J. O'Connor III, 79, the husband of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, died Wednesday in Phoenix, Ariz. He had Alzheimer's disease. John O'Connor, himself a lawyer, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's nearly two decades ago. His condition deteriorated markedly in mid-decade and when Justice O'Connor announced her retirement in 2005, she cited the need to care her husband. She has became a vocal supporter of additional money for Alzheimer's research. The O'Connors were married in 1952 and became a leading couple on Washington's social scene when they moved from Arizona in 1981 following her confirmation as the first woman on the Supreme Court. Adam Bernstein's obit of Mr. O'Connor is now online.