Death Notices (OT)

[VoteForKalas]

Historian David McCullough. Some of the most readable history I have ever read.

David McCullough, master chronicler of American history, dies at 89

Huge loss, learned so much reading his books. Truman probably my favorite although The Great Bridge is a close second.

[VoteForKalas]

For those who may not have discovered these writers... try them.

RIP.

Could not agree more. If I ran the world, The Guns of August by Tuchman and Undaunted Courage by Ambrose would be mandatory reading in every school.

[julio]

Huge loss, learned so much reading his books. Truman probably my favorite although The Great Bridge is a close second.

I'm also very partial to The Path Between the Seas.

[Jeff05]

Lamont Dozier: the Motown master craftsman who created miracles under pressure

[Jeff05]

Anne Heche, Actress Known for ’90s Film Roles, Dies at 53

[andyb]

Pete Carril longtime Princeton basketball coach.

Former Princeton basketball coach Carril dies at 92

[andyb]

Director Wolfgang Petersen.

Director Wolfgang Petersen Dies At 81; Hollywood Star Rose After ‘Das Boot’ To...

[VoteForKalas]

Lamont Dozier: the Motown master craftsman who created miracles under pressure

As one third of a legendary songwriting and production partnership, Dozier produced a slew of indelible hits that expressed the joy and frustration of a whole

Legend

[VoteForKalas]

Director Wolfgang Petersen.

I remember seeing Das Boot in the theater, incredible

[Jeff05]

Yeah, amazing tension the cinema. I can still remember when the rivets started popping!

[Earl_U]

According to Wikipedia, John Wockenfuss died a couple of days ago, age 73. Phillies had picked up Wockenfuss and Glenn Wilson for Willie Hernandez in a trade with the Tigers back in ‘84. He played two seasons with the Phils.

[Jeff05]

Tom Weiskopf, British Open Winner and Golf Course Designer, Dies at 79

[julio]

Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet president who took down the Iron Curtain, dies

[Philsmania]

Gorbachev was certainly a monumental figure in the history of the late 20th Century. As much as people like to give Reagan credit for "winning the Cold War", Gorbachev was the true visionary who saw a better way, both in terms of how his country should be governed and how mutually assured destruction (MAD) was actually madness.

[VoteForKalas]

Very important historical figure and supposedly a humane person with strong convictions.

Unfortunately, the reactionary forces that have kept Russia entombed in authoritarian dictatorship for centuries did not take long to end the experiment. The mistake IMO really was the handoff to Yeltsin who was not up to the task of leading the country during this transformational period and opened the door to restore centralized control.

Gorbachev was a great example of a leader who put his own and his party's interests aside and worked relentlessly in the interest of his people. Boy, do we need world leaders like that now more than ever.

[Philsmania]

Very important historical figure and supposedly a humane person with strong convictions.

Unfortunately, the reactionary forces that have kept Russia entombed in authoritarian dictatorship for centuries did not take long to end the experiment. The mistake IMO really was the handoff to Yeltsin who was not up to the task of leading the country during this transformational period and opened the door to restore centralized control.

Gorbachev was a great example of a leader who put his own and his party's interests aside and worked relentlessly in the interest of his people. Boy, do we need world leaders like that now more than ever.

Unfortunately, Russia's experience with democracy is both brief and not good. Basically six months of chaos and nationwide discontent in 1917 between the fall of the czar and the Bolshevik coup and about eight years of chaos, corruption and nationwide discontent between the end of the Soviet Union and the rise of Putin. At least parts of the historical Russian Empire got to break away and forge a new, more democratic future (the Baltic Status, Moldova, Georgia, maybe Ukraine now).

[flyers19rw]

It’s hard for people in a country such as ours who have never been devastated by a lost war to understand what such an event can do to the psyche of a nation. It’s happened often enough in Russian history that it’s easy for a power hungry autocrat to play the “I’ll save you from destruction “ card in order to amass unbelievable control over the nation. Credit goes to Gorbachev for never going down that road and attempting to do what was in the best interest of the nation and not himself. Too bad Putin didn’t understand what Gorbachev did-being a powerful leader in a powerless nation doesn’t mean much.

[Purduke]

Belated posting, but Judith Durham A.O. passed earlier this month at 79 from bronchiectasis. Best known as the lead vocalist of The Seekers harmonies during the 60's, both she and the group are legends in Australia.

Although she never reached any true success as a solo vocalist, her rendering of Danny Boy below has always been my favorite and an example of why she is one fo the three women who I get the greatest pleasure listening to. RIP Judith.

[xogfog]

Former Phillies GM Lee Thomos, He was 86.

[Philsmania]

Former Phillies GM Lee Thomos, He was 86.

The architect of the '93 Phillies. The Phillies hired him in 1988 and tasked him with rebuilding the Phillies from top to bottom and to put them back into a place of perennial contention during the first golden age (1974-83). Truth be told, he largely failed at that task as the farm system only improved minimally on his watch. However, he could be a very skillful trade orchestrator and knew how to sign the right free agent to fill the right hole and for one glorious summer, he was able to overcome that with one of the greatest patchwork jobs in baseball history and sent Phillies phans on a quite a joyride! But alas, Joe Carter's bat proved to be moment that Cinderella's carriage turned into a pumpkin and his subsequent patchwork jobs just didn't work and by 1996, the Phillies were faced with the painful reality that they had to rebuild all over againagain. Surprisingly, the stuck with him for the first year of that rebuild before giving the reigns to Ed Wade who actually exectured the rebuild part very well and by 2001, made the Phillies contenders again. Wade just couldn't put the final pieces in place and complete the job. I've often thought that if you could combine Ed Wade and his builder skills and Lee Thomas and his finisher skills, you would have had a heck of a GM!