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Last Doolittle raid veteran dies at 103 (WWII vet dieoff thread):
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Date: April 9th, 2019 7:57 PM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort let's use this thread to keep track of notable WWII vets who die. we might be below 300K living vets in the US by now, down from over a million c. 2010:
A legend passes: Dick Cole, last of the Doolittle Raiders, dies at 103
Retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole, the last surviving member of the Doolittle Raiders who rallied the nation’s spirit during the darkest days of World War II, has passed away.
Tom Casey, president of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, confirmed to Air Force Times that Cole died Tuesday morning in San Antonio. His daughter, Cindy Cole Chal, and son, Richard Cole, were by his side, Casey said.
Cole will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Casey said. Memorial services are also being scheduled at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas.
Cole, who was then-Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot in the No. 1 bomber during the daring 1942 raid to strike Japan, was 103.
The Doolittle Raid was the United States’ first counterattack on the Japanese mainland after Pearl Harbor. Eighty U.S. Army Air Forces airmen in 16 modified B-25B Mitchell bombers launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet, about 650 nautical miles east of Japan, to strike Tokyo. While it only caused minor damage, the mission boosted morale on the U.S. homefront a little more than four months after Pearl Harbor, and sent a signal to the Japanese people not only that the U.S. was ready to fight back but also that it could strike the Japanese mainland.
Cole’s influence is still very apparent in today’s Air Force, and he remains a beloved figure among airmen. In 2016, he appeared on stage at the Air Force Association’s Air Space Cyber conference to announce that the service’s next stealth bomber, the B-21, would be named the Raider. Hurlburt Field in Florida in 2017 renamed the building housing the 319th Special Operations Squadron the Richard E. Cole Building.
And when he turned 103 last Sept. 7, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein and his wife, Dawn, called him to wish him a happy birthday.
Cole was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. In a 2016 interview with HistoryNet.com, Cole said he first became interested in flying as a kid, when he would ride his bicycle to the Army Air Corps test base McCook Field and watch the pilots fly. He said he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in November 1940 because “it was a good job,” especially in the midst of the Great Depression, and after finishing training went to the 17th Bombardment Group at Pendleton, Oregon.
He was transferred to Columbia, South Carolina, in early February 1942, where he saw a bulletin board notice seeking volunteers for a mission. His entire group put in their names.
“Everyone wanted to go on that mission,” Cole said in a 2017 Air Force release.
Cole, who was then 26 years old, trained at Eglin Air Field in Florida for the secret raid.
“We were confined to base, in isolated barracks, and told not to talk about our training,” Cole told HistoryNet. “We knew it would be dangerous, but that’s all.”
The B-25 typically needed about 3,000 feet to take off, Cole said, but they trained to get airborne in 500 feet. And when future Navy Admiral Henry Miller started teaching them how to take off from a carrier, they guessed they were headed to the Pacific to take the fight to Japan.
Then-2nd. Lt. Cole became Doolittle’s co-pilot by chance, when the pilot he had been training with fell ill. Doolittle’s intended co-pilot also became unable to fly.
The B-25s were stripped of all excess equipment, including their bombsights and lower turrets, and loaded up with extra fuel tanks that doubled capacity to about 1,100 gallons. They left port from Alameda, California, on April 2, 1942, and two days later were told they would strike Tokyo.
“We were pretty excited — above all, happy to know what we were going to do,” Cole said. “Things quieted down as people began to realize what they were getting into.”
After the Navy ran into a Japanese picket ship, Navy Adm. William “Bull” Halsey decided to launch the mission earlier than planned. Conditions were rough, Cole told HistoryNet — water came over the bow, and the planes started to slip around the deck. But the wind about doubled the carrier speed of 20 to 35 knots, which helped the planes get airborne.
They reached Japan after a little more than four hours, flying at an altitude averaging roughly 200 feet, Cole said. When Doolittle and Cole neared Tokyo, it was bright and sunny. Doolittle pulled up to 1,500 feet, and bombardier Fred Braemer — then a staff sergeant — dropped the bombs. Cole said they “got jostled around a bit by anti-aircraft” fire, but didn’t think they got hit.
Doolittle’s crew intended to land in Chuchow, China, fuel up, and continue to Western China, but they hit a snag. They ran into a severe rainstorm with lightning. Cole said the Chinese also heard their engines and thought they were Japanese, so they turned off the electric power to the lights. The crew had no choice but to fly until they ran out of gas and then bail out, he said.
Cole’s parachute got stuck on a pine tree, 12 feet above the ground. After freeing himself, he walked west to a Chinese village. Cole rejoined the rest of the crew, who also bailed out successfully, and they were picked up by Chinese troops.
He continued serving in the China-Burma-India Theater until June 1943, and then volunteered for Project 9, which led to the creation of the 1st Air Commando Group.
Cole said that Doolittle feared his audacious mission had failed, because all planes and some of his airmen were lost. Three airmen died bailing out, and eight others were captured by the Japanese.
But in 2016, Cole said the raid was “a turning point in the war.” Though the 16 bombers didn’t cause much damage, their actions prompted the Japanese to pull back its forces from Australia and India to shore up the Central Pacific, he said, and they transferred two carriers to Alaska, where they thought the raid had originated, which evened the odds for the Navy at Midway.
“Japanese naval forces were at a disadvantage from then on,” Cole said.
The raid also had two other goals, Cole said: First, to show the Japanese people that despite what their leaders told them, Japan could be bombed from the air. And second, “to give the Allies, and particularly the United States, a morale shot in the arm.”
Cole and the other Raiders received the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Doolittle received the Medal of Honor.
“He deserved a lot more,” Cole said of Doolittle. When asked what he thought of his commander, Cole said, “the highest order of respect from one human being to another.”
When Cole retired, his list of decorations included the DFC with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. In 2014, President Obama presented Cole and three other Raiders the Congressional Gold Medal at the White House.
But Cole said the Raiders didn’t feel like heroes.
“We were just doing our job, part of the big picture, and happy that what we did was helpful,” Cole said.
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/04/09/a-legend-passes-dick-cole-last-of-the-doolittle-raiders-dies-at-103/ |
Date: April 9th, 2019 8:02 PM Author: Mind-boggling depressive juggernaut *stoically flipping over the last goblet
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.doolittleraider.com/the_goblets.htm&ved=2ahUKEwjGvLOnnMThAhXlYd8KHbQODNcQFjAHegQIDhAh&usg=AOvVaw0yQpf5h76KWs4ofDpuGgAh |
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Date: April 23rd, 2019 2:05 AM Author: copper boyish pistol the former grand duke of luxembourg (the titular monarch) died at age 98. he fled luxembourg during WWII and ended up in the british army and was part of the d-day landings at normandy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean,_Grand_Duke_of_Luxembourg |
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Date: May 15th, 2019 10:35 PM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort The oldest Medal of Honor recipient has died nearly 75 years after jumping on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers
Former World War II-era Army communications technician and Medal of Honor recipient Robert D. Maxwell has died at age 98, nearly 75 years after he leapt on a grenade to save his fellow comrades-at-arms during a pitched September 1944 firefight in eastern France.
Maxwell, who was given the U.S. military's highest award for valor in 2012, was the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient in the United States when he died Saturday in the town of Bend, Oregon, according to the Associated Press.
That title now falls to former Army Tech Sgt. Charles H. Coolidge.
Born in 1920 and assigned to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division during World War II, then-Technician Fifth Grade Maxwell was among a group of four soldiers who staged a heroic defense of a critical battalion observation post near the French city of Besancon with nothing but their M1911 sidearms on Sept. 7, 1944.
According to his Medal of Honor citation, not only did Maxwell lead a successful defense of a vital military communications system through sheer grit and determination, but selflessly sacrificed himself by jumping on a German grenade to protect his fellow squad mates in what the Department of Defense characterized as "instantaneous heroism." From his award citation:
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"Technician Fifth Grade Maxwell and three other soldiers, armed only with .45 caliber automatic pistols, defended the battalion observation post against an overwhelming onslaught by enemy infantrymen in approximately platoon strength, supported by 20-mm. flak and machinegun fire, who had infiltrated through the battalion's forward companies and were attacking the observation post with machinegun, machine pistol, and grenade fire at ranges as close as ten yards.
Despite a hail of fire from automatic weapons and grenade launchers, Technician Fifth Grade Maxwell aggressively fought off advancing enemy elements and, by his calmness, tenacity, and fortitude, inspired his fellows to continue the unequal struggle. When an enemy hand grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad, Technician Fifth Grade Maxwell unhesitatingly hurled himself squarely upon it, using his blanket and his unprotected body to absorb the full force of the explosion."
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Beyond the Medal of Honor, Maxwell received two Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts, and a Bronze Star in recognition of his heroic actions during his four year in the Army during World War II, not to mention two French combat awards.
https://taskandpurpose.com/robert-maxwell-medal-of-honor |
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Date: May 17th, 2019 5:27 PM Author: copper boyish pistol herman wouk and IM pei were both in the US military in WWII. wouk was a minesweeper sailor in the pacific, while pei was assigned to the secretive 'national defense research committee' where he apparently worked on making incendiary bombs more effective against japanese buildings. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4238329&forum_id=2#38250559) |
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Date: May 25th, 2019 4:44 PM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort more of these guys are dropping by a day. some notable ones - a canadian provincial legislator who once got into a fist-fight with another legislator:
https://www.capebretonpost.com/living/new-waterford-man-lived-life-to-the-fullest-315512/
New Waterford man lived life to the fullest
Late Mike Laffin was oldest living veteran in New Waterford NEW WATERFORD, N.S. —
NEW WATERFORD, N.S. — He was a bomber pilot, prisoner of war, dentist, MLA and sports enthusiast, but also a rock star of a joke teller.
Mike Laffin died Thursday, May 23, at age 101, at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, after a brief illness...
Laffin enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941 and in 1942 realized his dream of graduating from flight school. He was posted overseas to England. On June 16, 1944 Laffin and his crew were shot down over the Netherlands and he spent seven months as a prisoner of war.
Following the war he attended St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish and then McGill University in Montreal, where he received a degree in dentistry.
“Yes he was my dentist,” said Gaye Desveaux, of New Waterford, reflecting on the sad news of Laffin’s death.
Desveaux, a family friend, had attended Laffin’s 101 birthday party at Taigh Na Mara on Jan. 9, 2019. While at the party, Desveaux joked with Laffin” “Doctor, I got a tooth out the other day. The last time I got a tooth out it cost two bucks and I got a little shock when (this time) it was $120.”...
In the 1960s and 1970s, Laffin took up the sport of harness racing, becoming an owner/trainer/driver for many years...
A Progressive Conservative, Laffin served as Cape Breton Centre MLA from 1963 to 1974, and 1981 to 1988. He was appointed to cabinet as minister of housing in 1981 and minister of government services in November 1985.
As well as the New Waterford Legion, Laffin was also a member of the New Waterford Army Navy Airforce Club Unit 217.
Laffin played hockey until age 84, then concentrated on another love, golf. The main love of his life, wife Doris, together for 68 years, died in 2016. They are survived by two daughters.
http://coastalradio.ca/former-mla-mike-laffin-dies/
"Also during his time in the Legislature, Laffin punched fellow Cape Breton MLA Paul MacEwan in the face in 1973 after the two got into a heated argument over water problems in New Waterford."
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https://www.foxnews.com/us/wwii-navajo-code-talker-john-pinto-dies-at-94
WWII Navajo Code Talker John Pinto dies at 94
John Pinto, a Navajo Code Talker in World War II and a long-serving New Mexico state senator, died Friday at age 94.
The Associated Press reported that Pinto's New Mexico Senate colleague Michael Padilla confirmed his death; Pinto reportedly suffered from various illnesses in recent years.
A Marine veteran, Pinto was elected to the state Senate in 1976 and represented his constituents, including the Navajo Nation, for more than 40 years.
"Words cannot express the sadness we feel for the loss of a great Diné warrior," Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said. "He dedicated his life to helping others."
Pinto was born in Lupton, Ariz., on Dec. 15, 1924, in a family of sheep herders. After having a delayed start to formal education and serving as a Code Talker, Pinto graduated from the University of New Mexico's College of Education at 39 and later earned his masters to become a teacher.
He entered Democratic politics with the agenda to tackle poverty among indigenous people and became one of New Mexico's first Native American state senators. He became an advocate for education reform and anti-poverty programs.
Every year, Pinto would sing on the Senate floor the "Potato Song" — a Navajo song about a potato, planted in the spring and visited in the summer until it is harvested. Fellow senators, staff and aides clapped along to Pinto's rendition. |
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Date: May 29th, 2019 12:11 AM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort 6 more:
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Rudolf von Ribbentrop died at the age of 98. he was a Waffen-SS captain and one of the sons of Joachim von Ribbentrop, the German foreign minister from 1938 to 1945.
"Rudolph joined the SS Infantry Regiment Deutschland in Munich after World War 2 broke out. He was sent to occupied Czechoslovakia, where he served in the 11th Company of his field regiment."
he fought on both the eastern AND western fronts, was injured five times, was awarded an Iron Cross, and survived by surrendering his unit to the US in May 1945:
https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Rudolf_von_Ribbentrop
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the co-founder of the ice cream chain "Friendly's" died at age 102:
https://www.masslive.com/news/2019/05/curtis-blake-friendlys-ice-cream-co-founder-dead-at-102.html
Curtis Blake, Friendly’s Ice Cream co-founder, dead at 102
Friendly’s Ice Cream co-founder Curtis Blake has died. He was 102.
Blake died at his Hobe Sound, Florida home on Friday, according to a statement from the restaurant chain.
Born April 15, 1917 in Jersey City, New Jersey to Herbert Prestley and Ethel Stewart Blake, Curtis Blake was a member of the 11th generation of the Deacon Samuel Chapin lineage, co-founder of the city of Springfield.
Blake and his older brother, S. Prestley Blake, borrowed $547 from their parents and opened the first Friendly Ice Cream store at 161 Boston Road in Springfield in 1935. The brothers were 18 and 20 years old.
During World War II, Curtis Blake spent four years in the Army Air Forces, which included time in England. In order to support the war effort, in 1943, the Blakes closed up shop at their two Friendly locations. When the war was over, Curtis returned to the ice cream store.
The stores grew into the Friendly’s Restaurant chain, which at one point had over 800 restaurants nationwide.
The brothers sold the chain to Hershey’s Foods for $164 million.
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thailand's former prime minister and military general Prem Tinsulanonda (1980–1988) began his military career during the Indochina theater of WWII:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1684176/gen-prem-dies-of-heart-failure-at-98
"In his childhood, Gen Prem attended Maha Vajiravudh Secondary School in Songkha, followed by Suan Kularb Wittaya School in Bangkok, where he graduated in 1937.
He continued his education at an army technical school in the cavalry division before joining the army, and went on to take part in the Indochina War and Second World War."
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one of the country's last known state legislators from the 1930's:
https://today.law.harvard.edu/james-o-bass-34-1910-2019/
James O. Bass ’34: 1910-2019 Harvard Law School's oldest alumnus dies at the age of 108
"James O. Bass, Sr. ’34, who was profiled in 2017 as Harvard Law’s oldest living alumnus, died on May 22, 2019, at the age of 108. A Nashville native who began practicing at Bass, Berry & Sims with his father after graduating from Harvard Law in 1934, Bass helped grow the firm from six attorneys to 300 with offices in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Washington D.C. He formally retired from the firm many years ago, but continued to go the office several days a week until very recently and acted as mentor and sounding board to many attorneys throughout the firm.
An influential legal, business and political leader in Tennessee, Bass served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1936-1938, and as a State Senator from 1940-1942...
During WWII, after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Bass joined the U.S. Army and applied to be a judge advocate. As part of the 104th division, he arrived in Normandy, France, shortly after D-Day and served with the division in northern France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany."
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and another lawyer:
https://www.philly.com/obituaries/federal-judge-vanartsdalen-donald-world-war-veteran-20190524.html
Donald W. VanArtsdalen, 99, federal judge in Philadelphia and decorated World War II veteran
Donald W. VanArtsdalen, 99, of Doylestown, a federal judge in Philadelphia and a decorated World War II veteran, died Tuesday, May 21, of leukemia at Pine Run Retirement Community.
Judge VanArtsdalen was nominated to the bench of the Eastern District Court by President Richard M. Nixon. His appointment became official on Oct. 15, 1970, and he remained on the bench until retiring in 1999...
Born and raised in Doylestown, he graduated from Doylestown High School before enrolling in Williams College in Massachusetts but left his junior year to join the Canadian Army to fight in World War II. The United States had not yet entered the war.
He was deployed as an artillery antiaircraft gunner at sites in and around London in 1940 and 1941 during the Blitz.
After the United States entered the war, the judge transferred into the U.S Army in July 1942 while still in England. He volunteered for the newly formed First Ranger Battalion. These troops became known as “Darby’s Rangers.”
During the North African and Italian campaigns, Judge VanArtsdalen was part of four beachhead landings, ahead of the main forces, in Algeria, on Sicily, and at Anzio, Italy. He served as a rifleman, company scout, and mortar crew sergeant.
He was also involved in the fighting in Tunisia that led to the eventual defeat of Erwin Rommel’s German Afrika Korps. The judge was then ordered to report to Fort Meade, Md. He was honorably discharged and awarded nine medals and citations, one a Bronze Star Medal for valor.
After his military service, Judge VanArtsdalen enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania Law School without a college degree. “It was sort of an experiment,” he told the Daily Intelligencer in December 1970. “Maybe it was because my father, Isaac, had been a lawyer here since 1902.”
The judge earned a law degree in 1947 and practiced law in Doylestown until 1954, when he became the Bucks County district attorney. He held the office until 1958."
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and one from china - Yuan Baohua (袁宝华), the former president of renmin university in the late-80's and the former director of china's state economic commission died at age 103:
https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/cnnews/20190509/bkn-20190509170123519-0509_00952_001.html
he joined the CPC (communist party of china) in the 1930's and was involved in "anti-japanese activities" until the end of the war.
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Date: May 29th, 2019 12:14 AM Author: Fantasy-prone Stead sad to see Mr. Bass, esq pass away, his firm is a client of my former office (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4238329&forum_id=2#38305357) |
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Date: June 3rd, 2019 6:23 PM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort 3 more recently in the news:
Navajo Code Talker has died; William Tully Brown was 96
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – The Navajo Nation has announced that World War II-era Navajo Code Talker William Tully Brown has died at age 96.
He's the third Navajo Code Talker to die since May 10.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says Brown died Monday in Winslow, Arizona. The cause of death wasn't disclosed.
Brown was among hundreds of Navajos who served in the Marine Corps, using a code based on their native language to outsmart the Japanese in World War II.
Brown enlisted in 1944 and was honorably discharged in 1946.
He received the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal and Honorable Service Label Button.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/navajo-code-talker-has-died-william-tully-brown-was-96
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former minneapolis mayor and minnesota congressman don fraser died at 95:
https://www.twincities.com/2019/06/02/former-minneapolis-mayor-don-fraser-reportedly-dead-at-95/
he was in the navy in WWII and worked on radar systems in the pacific theater.
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WWII Easy Company medic featured in recent Denver7 report dies of natural causes at 97
Staff Sgt. Al Mampre, one of the last surviving members of the 101st Airborne’s “Easy Company” that was featured in the HBO Series “Band of Brothers” and who was featured on a Denver7 report just two weeks ago, has died, his daughter says.
SSG Mampre had just turned 97 and died Friday of natural causes after a brief illness, his daughter said.
Mampre came from Illinois to Englewood on May 17 to raise money for the U.S. Bomb Technician Association at the Inverness Golf Club.
He joined the U.S. Army at age 20 in 1942, after which he volunteered to become a paratrooper and medic. He saw combat in Operation Market Garden and several others in the European theatre of WWII.
Mampre said when interviewed in May that he and his fellow brothers were proud to serve their country and were just doing their jobs.
"Everybody in there was doing what he had to do," he said.
He became a sought-after speaker and somewhat of a celebrity after “Band of Brothers” was released in 2001.
When asked how he was so full of pep, he claimed to be a clone. He said that he had a few secrets to a long and happy life.
“Meeting a lot of nice people, having a sense of humor, be lucky enough to be in tune with what’s going on around you,” he said.
His daughter told Denver7 Friday that her father, among the last of the Greatest Generation, “lived four lifetimes.”
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Date: June 3rd, 2019 8:13 PM Author: Cerise curious piazza (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4238329&forum_id=2#38334915) |
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Date: June 4th, 2019 6:14 AM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort Last surviving Mohawk code talker from WWII, Louis Levi Oakes, dies at 94
Born in the Quebec part of the Akwesasne Mohawk reserve, Oakes registered in the U.S. army at age 18, and served in New Guinea and the Philippines
The last surviving Mohawk code talker, one of the men who transmitted messages in their Indigenous languages during the Second World War to baffle enemy code-breakers, has died.
Born in the Quebec part of the Akwesasne Mohawk reserve on Jan. 23, 1925, Louis Levi Oakes registered in the U.S. army at age 18, and served as a code talker in New Guinea and the Philippines until the end of the war. But he kept his work secret for decades afterward, even from his family, only speaking openly about it in recent years after he and other code talkers began to receive national recognition on both sides of the border for their service.
Oakes received a Congressional Silver Medal in 2016. He was recognized at the Assembly of First Nations and in the House of Commons last year, and had a private meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“I feel great, happy,” he told community TV station Akwesasne TV in April 2018, speaking about the recent acknowledgment of his contribution. “I was very proud of it.”
Oakes passed away in Snye, Que. on Tuesday of natural causes. He was 94 years old.
Though Oakes was born in Canada, the Akwesasne reserve stretches across parts of Quebec, Ontario and New York, and he was living in Buffalo when he registered to fight for the U.S. army. In an interview with the U.S. Veterans History Project, he said one of his brothers was beaten up and jailed by the RCMP because he hadn’t reported for service in Canada. To avoid a similar fate, Oakes said, he took off across the border.
He said he was initially sent to the army’s induction centre at Fort Niagara, and was then sent to Louisiana to train as a code talker when officers discovered he was Mohawk.
Oakes was one of just 17 Akwesasne Mohawks recognized by the U.S. Congress as code talkers. He was sent to New Guinea and then on to the Philippines, where he transmitted coded messages translated from English to other Mohawk speakers. He often had bodyguards with him, as his language made him a valuable target.
He was in Tokyo for four months after the war ended in 1945, and was honourably discharged the following year.
Oakes went back to Buffalo and worked as a steelworker for the next 30 years, before retiring in Akwesasne. He married at 25 and had 10 children. But for most of his life, he never spoke about his work as a code talker, having sworn an oath of secrecy after he signed up.
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/last-surviving-mohawk-code-talker-from-wwii-louis-levi-oakes-dies-at-94 |
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Date: June 5th, 2019 4:55 PM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort this oldschool basketball star was also an air force WWII vet:
https://www.nba.com/sixers/news/team-mourns-passing-billy-gabor
Team Mourns Passing of Billy Gabor
The Philadelphia 76ers organization is saddened to learn of the recent passing of Billy Gabor, a 1953 NBA All-Star and member of the 1955 Syracuse Nationals NBA championship team.
Dubbed “Billy the Bullet,” Gabor spent his entire six-year NBA career in Syracuse, a fitting landing spot given his strong ties to the region. He was born in Binghamton, NY, and went on to attend Syracuse University prior to serving in the United States Army Air Corps.
Gabor, who averaged 9.8 points and 2.0 assists in 19.4 minutes per game as a pro, was 97 years old at the time of his passing.
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Date: June 9th, 2019 7:57 AM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort 'Britain's greatest test driver': Norman Dewis 1920-2019 by Dominic Tobin on 9th June 2019
Norman Dewis, who developed the Jaguar C-type, D-type and E-type, has died. In his 33-year Jaguar career, he covered a quarter of a million miles at more than 100mph
Norman Dewis, Jaguar’s legendary test driver who developed disc brakes, the D-Type, and set a production car speed record of 172.4mph, has died aged 98.
His 33-year career, as chief development driver at the British manufacturer, gave him a pivotal role in the creation of 25 Jaguars, including the C-type, D-type and road-going models such as the E-type, Mk II and XJ saloon.
It’s thought that he covered a quarter of a million miles at more than 100mph.
Dewis served on Blenheim bombers in the war and competed in the Mille Miglia with Sir Stirling Moss.
He also raced in the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours with the Jaguar works team, and famously survived barrel-rolling an XJ13 at 135mph.
It was one of many high-speed accidents, which were sometimes deliberately provoked. In 2000, he told Motor Sport: “You need to know what happens when a tyre blows at a car's top speed. So the tyre blows and you just hold onto the car, hope it stays on the road. This is the job of a test driver. You have to do these things.”
Hailed by Jaguar as Britain's greatest test driver, Dewis retired in 1985 but remained in the public eye until recently. He drove at the Goodwood Revival, acted as an ambassador for Jaguar and gave sharp-witted talks of a life lived at full pace.
Norman Dewis was born in Coventry on 3 August 1920 and won a scholarship to art school, but didn’t take up the place, after his father died suddenly when Norman was aged 14.
As the family breadwinner, Dewis went out to work as a grocer’s delivery boy, but soon began working at the Humber car factory, which was on his street.
Dewis moved to Armstrong-Siddeley, aged 15, as an apprentice but his career was interrupted in 1939 by the war. He joined the RAF and was a gunner in the centre turret of a Blenheim bomber.
After the war he started at Lea-Frances and was then recruited by Bill Heynes, Jaguar’s engineering boss in 1951, joining the company as development test driver. It was a role that put him in close contact with Sir William Lyons, the company founder.
Dewis introduced standardised test procedures, to improve the quality of production cars, and began developing the disc brake concept. The technology was fitted to Stirling Moss' Jaguar C-type in the 1952 Mille Miglia, and Dewis accompanied him as a passenger. They were third overall, and 100 miles from the end, when a collision with a rock ended their race.
A year later, Dewis was in the driving seat for an attempt at the production car speed record, on a closed stretch of Autoroute in Jabbeke, Belgium. His XK120 had been modified with a full-length undertray and perspex canopy. "We were so stupid," he said. "When I got in, they screwed the perspex down from the outside. [Aerodynamicist] Malcolm Sayer said the car would start to take off at 160mph. And there I was bolted into it." Dewis set a production car speed record of 172.4mph.
He raced at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours, reaching 192mph on the Mulsanne Straight in a D-type, which he had tested extensively.
Much of Dewis' time was spent at the high-speed MIRA track in Warwickshire, where he would regularly cover 500 miles a day at 130-140mph, seven days a week. “Everything had to be recorded by the driver," he said. "You'd have to memorise so many things at a time, so you might do 20 laps at 140mph, come in and a guy would say 'gearbox temperature' and you'd tell him; 'water temperature' and so on. If there was a problem with any of the numbers, a change would be made and you'd go out again."
Dewis put in weeks of testing to ensure that the Jaguar E-type would achieve the goal of a 150mph top speed, then drove a car overnight to the Geneva Motor Show for its public debut.
He secured permission to spend his weekends developing the XJ13 – after receiving a dressing down from Sir William Lyons for secretly testing the car after the project was cancelled.
It was in the XJ13 that Dewis suffered his dramatic crash. “I know she caught me out, but she's still a lovely thing,” he said. "I was high on the banking at about 135mph when the offside rear wheel broke. It spun down the banking onto the infield, dug in, did two cartwheels and then a series of barrel-rolls. I wasn't strapped in, but while it was all going on I managed to wedge myself under the scuttle. The wreck ended up on its wheels, and I got myself out."
After a hospital check-up, and with no broken bones, Dewis returned home, telling his wife, Nan, that he needed an early night after a busy day. The full story soon emerged, however, thanks to a headline on the front page of the Coventry Evening Telegraph: ‘Mr Norman Dewis crashes experimental vehicle at 140mph'
After retiring in 1985, Dewis continued to work with Jaguar, taking part in D-type drives to Le Mans, and demonstration laps of the car at Goodwood. He and Moss took the start of the 2012 Mille Miglia in a C-type to mark the 60th anniversary of their initial entry. In 2015, he was awarded an OBE for services to the motor industry.
Earlier this year, at the age of 98, he was still involved with Jaguar, helping to promote the electric I-Pace.
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/news/historic-racing/britains-greatest-test-driver-norman-dewis-1920-2019 |
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Date: June 9th, 2019 8:05 AM Author: Concupiscible cheese-eating idea he suggested set (((FDR))) literally admitted the do-little raid had no strategic value or purpose (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4238329&forum_id=2#38361689) |
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Date: June 9th, 2019 8:16 AM Author: garnet zippy hissy fit Did you not read the article? Or even the first few paragraphs? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4238329&forum_id=2#38361697) |
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Date: June 9th, 2019 8:40 AM Author: Concupiscible cheese-eating idea he suggested set No (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4238329&forum_id=2#38361722) |
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Date: June 9th, 2019 8:42 AM Author: Concupiscible cheese-eating idea he suggested set Just read it. Yes I knew it boosted "morale". According to jewish historians. Did you know that japan literally minded their own business until we insisted they trade with us and then they literally became feral yellow chimps overnight? |
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Date: June 15th, 2019 11:57 PM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort the italian director Franco Zeffirelli died at 96. his role in the war was actually somewhat murky. his obituaries usually have statements like this:
"As a youth, Zeffirelli served with the partisans during World War II. He later acted as an interpreter for British troops."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/franco-zeffirelli-dies-96-italian-director-known-for-romeo-and-juliet/
the "partisans" in question being local communist units which opposed mussolini. but that may have been a bit of a self-serving tale by Zeffirelli to ingratiate himself with Hollywood types. there is evidence that he was a typical italian soldier of his era - pro-government, until that government collapsed, and then he worked with the allies. a perfectly reasonable thing to do back then, but not as alluring of a tale as being a "resistance fighter" with "the partisans." |
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Date: June 18th, 2019 6:02 AM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort another notable italian WWII vet dead - the painter Lanfranco Frigeri, who fought in italy's disastrous invasion of greece:
he was 99. his art had themes of surrealism and body-horror:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CxPYqQ4WEAAb5wf.jpg:large
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top KGB official Philipp Bobkov also died:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Bobkov
in the russian version of his page, it notes that he was a teenage red army volunteer who was injured during the Battle of Rzhev:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Rzhev
it notes that he was a platoon commander by the end of the war, at age 19, at which point he was selected for training at a secret services academy, and rose in the ranks from there.
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Date: June 23rd, 2019 9:36 PM Author: useless antidepressant drug resort SEVERAL more:
Musician and composer Dave Bartholomew passes away at 100
Dave Bartholomew, a man of many talents and the man credited in discovering Fats Domino, has passed away according to Nola.com. He was 100-years-old.
Bartholomew was a trumpet player, bandleader, composer, songwriter, producer and talent scout who was one of the key architects of New Orleans’ sound.
He was born on December 24, 1920 in Edgard, Louisiana. As a child he learned how to play the tuba and the trumpet and began playing with older bands in his teens. He played trumpet on a riverboat in Mississippi in Fats Pichon’s band before becoming the bandleader after Pichon left.
Bartholomew later learned how to arrange music during World War II and later returned to New Orleans to start his own band. While playing at a Houston nightclub, he met the owner of Imperial Records, Lew Chudd and was soon hired as the company’s A&R person.
He suggested to Chudd that they should check out Fats Domino at a local New Orleans Club. Chudd signed Domino to Imperial Records and Bartholomew soon became his producer.
After bringing Domino to Imperial Records in 1949, the duo collaborated to bring the sound of New Orleans to the world.
https://www.wafb.com/2019/06/23/musician-composer-dave-bartholomew-passes-away/
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Peter Selz, Curator and Art Historian Committed to the New, Is Dead at 100
Peter Selz, whose enterprising curatorial vision helped shape the Berkeley Art Museum in California and the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the mid-20th century, died on Friday, according to the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives. He was 100.
Selz was an integral figure in the postwar art scene, curating milestone shows that were instrumental in writing certain artists into art history.
Perhaps his most important exhibition came in 1959, during his tenure as a curator of painting and sculpture at MoMA. That show was “New Images of Man,” a survey of how artists in mid-century America and Europe were representing humans in their work. The show broke with reigning curatorial consensus by showing work that tended toward figuration at a time when Abstract Expressionism was in vogue, and by predominantly featuring artists who were not based in New York, which at the time was believed by many Western critics to be the center of the art world...
Peter Selz was born in Munich, Germany, in 1919, to Jewish parents. He fled the country in 1936 amid the rise of the Nazi regime, and he went on to pursue a career in the U.S. He settled in New York, and served in the U.S. military during World War II, after which he studied at the Sorbonne and the École du Louvre.
http://www.artnews.com/2019/06/22/peter-selz-curator-moma-bampfa-dead-100/
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Palm Springs Air Museum chief remembers Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Robert Friend, who died Friday
America has lost another of its original Tuskegee pilots with the passing of retired Lt. Col. Robert “Bob” Friend, who died Friday afternoon at a hospital in Long Beach, daughter Karen Friend Crumlich said. Friend was 99 years old...
A leap year baby, Friend was born on Feb. 29, 1920, in Columbia, S.C. Friend was among a dwindling population of African American men who made history during World War II, a time of segregation in the United States when people of color — black Americans in particular — were not afforded the same rights as their white neighbors.
The military had allowed only whites to fly its aircraft until around 1939, when the NAACP began challenging the military’s policies. With the threat of legal action, the U.S. Army Air Corps created a program to train black pilots, bombardiers, navigators and aircraft maintenance and ground crews at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen became an elite group of fighter pilots, providing air support to the heavy bombers flown by the U.S. during the war. Friend was an experienced pilot when he joined the Tuskegee “Red Tails” as they were called, because their aircraft tails were painted red. He served as wingman for the commander of the Tuskegees, Benjamin O. Davis, who later became the first African American general in the U.S. Air Force. Friend flew 142 combat missions in World War II in P-47 and P-51 fighter aircraft. His 28-year career with the Air Force also included service in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He finished his education at the Air Force Institution of Technology. Other duties with the Air Force included serving as assistant deputy of launch vehicles, working on space launch vehicles such as the Titan, Atlas and Delta rockets and the space shuttle, Palm Springs Air Museum officials said. He served as a foreign technology program director, where he identified and monitored research and development programs related to national security.
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June 19, 2019 We regret having to pass along the news that Clemens C.J. Roothaan died June 17th. He would have been 101 on Aug. 29. He was among the true pioneers of quantum chemistry and chemical physics. An example is the landmark 1951 article "New Developments in Molecular Orbital Theory" [Rev. Mod. Phys. 23, 69 (1951)]. He was the honoree at the 33rd Sanibel Symposium.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemens_C._J._Roothaan
Roothaan was born in Nijmegen. He enrolled TU Delft in 1935 to study electrical engineering. During World War II he was first detained in a prisoner of war camp. Later he and his brother were sent to the Vught concentration camp for involvement with the Dutch Resistance. On September 5, 1944, the remaining prisoners of the camp (including the Roothaan brothers) were moved to the Sachsenhausen camp in Germany ahead of the advancing Allies. Near the end of the war, the Sachsenhausen inmates were sent on a death march which Roothaan's brother did not survive.
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Former Idaho State Senator Ray Rigby passes away
REXBURG – A Hibbard farm boy who experienced first hand the lack of water and electricity on his family’s farm grew up to become a lawyer dedicated to helping farming families. As a result, his efforts helped the Upper Valley region bloom.
Mr. Ray Rigby known affectionately as “Mr. Water” passed away on Wednesday. Mr. Rigby was 96 years old.
His obituary noted how hard Mr. Rigby worked on his family farm during the Great Depression where he tended to the family’s animals and crops.
“They grew a lot of sugar beets, and, at the end of the year, they didn’t have enough water in the river to make those beets healthy. It was always a struggle,” said Mr. Rigby’s son, Jerry Rigby, who also serves as an attorney at the family’s law firm.
Jerry Rigby said electricity was but a pipe dream at times.
“They didn’t have it to begin with,” he said...
Mr. Rigby was married to Lola Jean Cook Rigby who passed away in 2002. The couple have seven children, 34 grandchildren, 98 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
The Rigbys married on Dec. 8, 1944 while Mr. Rigby was home on furlough from his service in World War II. During the war, he served as a B29 flight engineer. A Madison High School grad, Mr. Rigby later attended the University of Idaho Law School and went on to serve as the Madison County prosecutor prior to starting his own law firm.
Mr. Rigby worked at his law office until he was in his 90s. He was always concerned that if he retired he would leave his clients without the help they needed.
“He kept worrying about his old clients and felt like he was betraying then if he retired,” Jerry Rigby said.
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Date: June 23rd, 2019 9:48 PM Author: Territorial Trip Crackhouse Community Account This is the most depressing thread on XO, when you consider the goddamn fucking clown world that libs have inflicted upon us. They have profaned the memory of the men described ITT.
Fuck libs. |