Obituaries

William Belton, Self-Taught Ornithologist, Dies at 95

Once upon a time, every tweet had an actual bird attached. If that bird happened to live in southern Brazil, a region whose rich avian life was long undocumented, chances are good that it was stalked repeatedly — and its tweets, coos and whistles recorded patiently — by William Belton. An internationally recognized ornithologist, Mr. Belton was almost single-handedly responsible for the current body of knowledge of the bird life of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost Brazilian state

George Na'ope, Master of Sacred Hula, Dies at 81

George Na’ope, whose mastery of the hula — the flowing, pantomimic dance of Hawaii — and its lilting chants made him a last link between an ancient ritual and modern entertainment, died on Oct. 26 at his home in Hilo, Hawaii. He was 81. The cause was lung disease, said Iwalani Kalima, his student and caretaker for more than 40 years. Known as Uncle George to thousands of fans, the diminutive Mr. Na’ope (he stood barely five feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds) wa

Palestinian revolutionary dies

Sakher Habash, the Palestinian revolutionary and intellectual who died on Sunday after a stroke aged 70, devoted the greater part of his life to the Palestinian struggle. Known by his nom de guerre Abu Nizar, Habash was a founding member of the Fatah Party and although he supported the Oslo process of talks with Israel in the mid-1990s, he never rejected armed resistance. Violence, he argued, was a legitimate way for Palestinians to struggle for their rights. To the end

Roy DeCarava, Pioneering Photographer, Dies at 89

Roy DeCarava, the child of a single mother in Harlem who turned that neighborhood into his canvas and became one of the most important photographers of his generation by chronicling its people and its jazz giants, has died. He was 89. His death was announced by Sherry Turner DeCarava, his wife and an art historian who wrote frequently about his work. Mr. DeCarava trained to be a painter, but while using a camera to gather images for his printmaking work, he began to gra

Clifford P. Hansen dies at 97; former Wyoming governor, two-term U.S. senator

Clifford P. Hansen, a cattle rancher who became Wyoming's governor and then served two terms as a U.S. senator, has died. He was 97. Hansen died at his home Tuesday after receiving hospital treatment for a broken pelvis. A Republican, he served as governor from 1963 to 1967, when he went to Washington after defeating Teno Roncalio, Wyoming's only congressman and a Democrat, in a bid for the Senate. Hansen sat on the Senate Finance and Veterans Affairs commi

William Wayne Justice, Judge Who Remade Texas, Dies at 89

William Wayne Justice, a federal district judge who ruled on ground-breaking class-action suits that compelled Texas to integrate schools, reform prisons, educate illegal immigrants and revamp many other policies, died Tuesday in Austin. He was 89. Luz Probus, his judicial assistant, confirmed the death. Judge Justice had presided over cases in Austin until shortly before his death, having taken senior status there in 1998. Judge Justice was a small-town la

Theodore R. Sizer, Scholar and Advocate of Education Reform, Is Dead at 77

Theodore R. Sizer, a former dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an influential author who helped shape the nation's debate over education reform, died on on Wednesday, The New York Times reported. He was 77. Best known as the father of the Essential Schools movement, which emphasizes depth of knowledge over breadth, Mr. Sizer was also the founder and first director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, at Brown University.

Comedian Soupy Sales Dies at 83

Soupy Sales, the boundary-breaking comedian who good-naturedly endured, by his count, more than 20,000 pies to the face, has died. He was 83. The comic's anything-for-a-laugh pie-throwing shtick became his trademark, and stars including Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Shirley MacLaine took one in the face on the comedian's television show in the early 1960s. His nerdy cool paved the way for such later comedians as Pee Wee Herman and Andy Kauffman. Intentionally or not, K

Theodore R. Sizer, Education Innovator, Is Dead at 77

Theodore R. Sizer, one of the country’s most prominent education-reform advocates, whose pluralistic vision of the American high school helped shape the national discourse on education and challenge longstanding ideas of what a school should be, died on Wednesday at his home in Harvard, Mass. He was 77. The cause was colon cancer, said his wife, Nancy Faust Sizer. A former dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Professor Sizer was later the headmaster of Phil

British Journalist, Ludovic Kennedy, Dies at 89

Ludovic Kennedy, a British author, broadcaster and investigative journalist who campaigned against miscarriages of justice and religious dogmatism and in support of euthanasia and independence for his native Scotland, died Sunday in Salisbury, England. He was 89. His family said he died in a nursing home, British news organizations reported. One of Britain’s most prominent television commentators and reporters, Mr. Kennedy wrote 25 books on a wide range of subjects, in

Former LA Times Journalist Jack Nelson Dies at 80

WASHINGTON -- Jack Nelson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter who covered the civil-rights movement and the Watergate scandal for the Los Angeles Times and was the paper's Washington bureau chief for 20 years, died Wednesday. Mr. Nelson, 80 years old, died at home, said Richard Cooper, a longtime family friend and associate at the Times. Mr. Nelson had suffered from pancreatic cancer, Mr. Cooper said. He lived in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Md.

Composer of 'Addams Family' Theme Dies at 93

Vic Mizzy, a songwriter who composed the catchy themes for the 1960s sit-coms "The Addams Family" and "Green Acres," has died. He was 93. Mizzy died Saturday at his home in Bel Air, his manager Jonathan Wolfson said. He said he didn't know the cause of death. Mizzy wrote songs that were recorded by Dean Martin, Doris Day, Perry Como and Billie Holiday in the '40s and '50s. His hits included "Pretty Kitty Blue Eyes," "My Dreams are Gett

Sheldon J. Segal, Who Developed Contraceptives, Dies at 83

Sheldon J. Segal, who led the scientific team that developed Norplant, the first significant advance in birth control since the pill, and who also developed other long-acting contraceptives, died at his home in Woods Hole, Mass., on Saturday. He was 83. The cause was congestive heart failure, said his daughter Amy R. Segal. Mr. Segal, an embryologist and biochemist, spent his entire career developing contraceptives, including the intrauterine device Mirena, but his most

Nancy Spero, Artist of Feminism, Is Dead at 83

Nancy Spero, an American artist and feminist whose tough, exquisite figurative art addressed the realities of political violence, died on Sunday in Manhattan. She was 83 and lived in Manhattan. The cause was infection leading to respiratory problems that in turn caused heart failure, said her son Philip. Born in Cleveland in 1926, Ms. Spero studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and there met her husband, the painter Leon Golub, to whom she was married fo

David I. Shapiro: A Courtroom Brawler Who Later Advocated Compromise

David I. Shapiro was renowned for his legal pugilism, but ended up an influential advocate of mediation as an alternative to courtroom conflicts. Mr. Shapiro, who died Oct. 1 at age 81, rose to prominence for his work on class-action lawsuits. He helped fight or resolve cases involving price-gouging on antibiotics, the health consequences of the defoliant Agent Orange and overcharging by Exxon that led to a $2 billion judgment against the oil company. But despite occasi

Rodger Doxsey, one of space telescope team's first leaders, dies at 62

The Hubble Space Telescope's science team in Baltimore has lost one of its original leaders, a physicist whose comprehensive knowledge of the complex observatory helped keep its science operations running smoothly, and astronomers' discoveries rolling in. Rodger Doxsey, head of the Space Telescope Science Institute's Hubble Mission Office, died of cancer Tuesday after entering an area hospice over the weekend. The Towson resident was 62. "Rodger was the heart and s

Nazi-Era Pilot Helped Lead Germany's Postwar Military

One of Nazi Germany's most formidable fighter pilots, Günther Rall survived the war to become a leader of his country's rehabilitated military during the postwar period. Mr. Rall, who died Oct. 4 at the age of 91, was credited with shooting down 275 planes during World War II, making him one of the most lethal fighter pilots in history. A decade after the war, he returned to the military, where he helped establish and then lead the West German Air Force. He also develop

Daniel Melnick, Hollywood Producer, Dies at 77

Daniel Melnick, a producer and studio executive who brought an innovative and often unconventional sensibility to films that included “Straw Dogs,” “All That Jazz” and “Altered States,” died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 77. His son, Peter, confirmed his death, saying he had ailments that included lung cancer. Mr. Melnick’s movies won more than 80 Academy Award nominations and more than two dozen Academy Awards. Among his many positions were

Miriam Friedlander, Early City Council champion of gay rights represented Lower East Side for 18 years

President Barack Obama said during his campaign for president that he would be a “fierce advocate” for LGBT rights. He needs to study the life of Miriam Friedlander, who served in the New York City Council from 1974 to 1991 and died October 4 at age 95, to see just what ferocity in the cause of justice looks like. Veteran gay activist Allen Roskoff recalled Friedlander coming to the Gay Activists Alliance’s legendary Firehouse community center at 99 Wooster Street in Soho to seek th

Jules Power, a Producer of 'Mr. Wizard,' Dies at 87

Jules Power, who helped break the mold of cartoonish children’s shows in the early days of television by producing programs that entranced youngsters with basic science and allowed them to roam the world from their living rooms, died on Friday in Baltimore. He was 87. The cause was complications of Alzheimer’s disease, his son, Bob, said. Mr. Power was a co-producer of the long-running “Mr. Wizard” on NBC, and then executive producer of “Discovery” on ABC.