Jerry Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church and founder of Liberty University, passed away this morning. He was seventy-three. I met Falwell a few times over the years. Living in Lynchburg, his home town, will do that. Falwell and I would never have seen eye-to-eye on politics–I’m progressive, he was a conservative–nor religion–he wasContinue reading “On Jerry Falwell”
Tag Archives: obituary
On Frank Gasperik
Ten years ago I joined a mailing list devoted to the works of Larry Niven. I’d loved Niven’s works for years but never had anyone to share that love with, and one of the great things about the Internet in those wild and wooly days of the mid- and late-90s was discovering their were otherContinue reading “On Frank Gasperik”
On Wally Schirra
Wally Schirra, one of the Mercury 7 astronauts, passed away earlier today. He was 84. I hate to say, I actually don’t know much about Schirra except that he was the only astronaut to fly on Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. And that Lance Henricksen portrayed him in The Right Stuff. The Mercury 7 now numberContinue reading “On Wally Schirra”
On David Feintuch
David Feintuch, author of the Nick Seafort science-fiction novels, has passed away. He was sixty-one. Midshipman’s Hope, the first novel in the Seafort saga, came out when I was in college, and after a very favorable review in the Washington Post I picked up the book and was very taken with it. The book’s pullContinue reading “On David Feintuch”
On Alfred Anderson
Alfred Anderson, the last surviving witness to the 1914 Christmas truce on the Western Front of World War I, passed away on Monday, the 21st. Nearly a year ago in The Observer Anderson reflected on his World War I experiences: On 24 and 25 December, Anderson’s unit was billeted in a dilapidated farmhouse, away fromContinue reading “On Alfred Anderson”
On Brock Peters
The other voice of Darth Vader, Brock Peters, has passed away. He was 78. Many will associate Peters with To Kill a Mockingbird or his two Star Trek roles–as Admiral Cartwright in films IV and VI and as Joseph Sisko in Deep Space Nine–but I will always associate Peters with the voice of Darth VaderContinue reading “On Brock Peters”
On Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings, anchor for ABC’s World News Tonight, died on Sunday. He was 67. Jennings had left the World News Tonight program in April with the announcement that he was fighting lung cancer. I always admired the quiet professionalism Jennings showed. He will be missed.
On Jimmy Doohan
James Doohan, best known as Scotty from Star Trek, passed away today. He was 85. I had the opportunity to write for Scotty in my Star Trek: SCE novella, Ring Around the Sky. Scotty is the officer in charge of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, and he doles out the assignments to the da VinciContinue reading “On Jimmy Doohan”
On Jim Aparo
Jim Aparo, Batman artist of the 1980s and early 1990s, has passed away. He was 72. I was always a fan of his work. I thought he brought an understated grace to Batman. Aparo will be missed.
On John Fiedler
John Fiedler, the voice of Piglet in Disney’s Winnie-the-Pooh films, died over the weekend at the age of 80. With Newhart, on “The Bob Newhart Show,” he was Mr. Peterson, the meek patient who was often a target for Jack Riley’s sarcastic Mr. Carlin. Fiedler also appeared in the films “12 Angry Men,” “The OddContinue reading “On John Fiedler”