Lou Rawls Passes Away

I was sorry to read on Yahoo News that Lou Rawls passed away. He was 72. I always enjoyed his songs, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" and "Lady Love" whenever they were played on the radio.

Lou Rawls was also an avid fundraiser for the United Negro College Fund.

We'll miss you Lou. You had a sweet and sexy voice.

Rebekah FS Smith

Beck Smith, mom of one of my closest friends, died this evening. While she was 86, her death was totally unexpected and fast. Her son called me to let me know since we have been friends for 20 years.

In her great days, Beck was one of the first women LLB's in Georgia, yet she could not get further careerwise than being a trainer for insurance adjusters. She turned to real rstate and became one of the best real estate salespersons; at one point she was honored as salesman of the year.

Beck married a banker, very quiet man, but a very good self-made one too. They lived comfortably, but certainly, not as the wealthy do now. Their marriage had their share of personality conflicts, but overall, they loved each other very much.

Omer,Beck's spouse,died a couple of years ago. I think she was lost without him.

I saw her a couple of years ago. She clearly missed Omer. Now she is at peace..and possibly with her hubby in spirit.

Kitty under a SUV for 70 miles

VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) -- Curiosity didn't kill one cat on a wild ride on the New Jersey Turnpike. The kitten, now known, for obvious reasons, as Miracle, hitchhiked a ride on the underbelly of a sport utility vehicle just before Christmas.

The gray and white feline traveled some 70 miles under the vehicle as it whizzed along the Turnpike on Dec. 23.

"I'm just amazed that the cat didn't fall off or get blown off," Karen Dixon-Aquino, director of the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, told the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill for Tuesday's newspapers.

LINK

Poor kitty..glad he's OK...but unlike the ad, "Got Milk"; he's "Got Trauma". :-(

Overlooked Lives of Note

One of the segments of This Week I appreciate is "In Memoriam". I was surprised to see three people off the most noteable list on December 25:

Ossie Davis, who was in many movies, but I remember him from the movie, Do the Right Thing. He was one of the most active civil rights leaders in the U.S.





William Proxmire, fmr Senator, Wisconsin, who pointed out gross governmental expenditures via his own Golden Fleece Awards






John Spencer who played VP candidate Leo McGarry on West Wing

Here are three that didn't make the list all year:


Legendary labor organizer Clinton Jencks, who led mineworkers in New Mexico in a strike depicted in the classic movie Salt of the Earth.

(hattip to Marjorie Cohn, Truthout.org)

Nipsey Russell, the TV poet during the 60's and 70's..

John Vernon, who played Dean Wermer in Animal House

Speaking of lives of note, those you wouldn't see on the MSM anywhere are some of my heroes, librarians. Librarianship also happens to be my profession.

Those I remember who are of my profession, who passed away this year:

Ilene Rockman, editor of Reference Services Review, manager of the Information Competence Initiative at California State University’s Office of the Chancellor, and the winner of the ACRL Instruction Section’s (IS) Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award.

Frank H. Spaulding, fmr Special Libraries Association President

I'm certain there will be more who will leave us in the next year. But still, I will think of these folks for a long time.

And there will be new folks to come along too. My niece is expecting her first in June!