Writer Lloyd Alexander, who died in May 2007 in Philadelphia, will be remembered for rich contributions to literature for children and adolescents. Many of his books were based on Welsh mythology.

Sent by Laurie Tynan | 2:14 PM ET | 01-01-2008

Dan Folgerberg died this past month.
What a loss!
He was such a wonderful singer /song writer.
I grew up listening to him.
He was a powerful voice

Sent by M Dimauro | 2:14 PM ET | 01-01-2008

I honor and remember my father who taught me that you don't have to be a wealthy person to lead a rich life...
Hugh Casey, 80, died peacefully Monday morning, Dec. 17, after a rich and full life. A noted Charlotte attorney for more than 30 years, he led early environmental protection cases and strove to ???help the little guy??? in his practice. He had lived in Davidson with his wife, Bettie, for the past 25 years, after raising three sons and two daughters in Charlotte.

He is survived by his wife Bettie; son Hugh Richardson Casey of Boulder, Colo.; daughter Catheryn Ann Maier of Davidson; son, Kevin Grattan Casey of Orlando, Fla.; daughter Madeleine Sheeran of Winston-Salem; son Patrick Williams Casey of Davidson; brothers Mike Casey of Albuquerque, N.M., and Robert Casey, who lives with his wife Johanna, in Ventura, Calif.

He also leaves five grandsons: Evan Maier, Philip Maier, Zach and Nick Sheeran, Sean Casey and a granddaughter, Ashely Brooke Haverly.

After enjoying an appetizer of French champagne and caviar while celebrating his 80th birthday at home with friends, Hugh slipped into a deep sleep. He had suffered a stroke, and died at the hospital several hours later.

A member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, Hugh was well-respected throughout the Charlotte area as a successful and talented attorney. He was an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, an outspoken political activist, a gracious host, and an engaging story-teller with a quick wit and unshakable sense of justice under the rule of law. His unquenchable curiosity and blithe spirit charmed nearly everyone he met.

Born in Chicago in 1927, Hugh grew up in its western suburbs. He attended the University of Chicago, where he earned a PhB (bachelor of philosophy), an M.A., and a J.D. He met his wife Bettie when they both worked in Washington, D.C. immediately following World War II. They married in 1952. After experiencing several Chicago winters, and having their first two children, Bettie convinced him to move to her native Charlotte, where Hugh established a private law practice, and they raised their five children.

As a child during summers, Hugh left the big city to stay with members of his mother???s family in rural Mississippi. His identification with the working man began when his father urged him to go to college, but Hugh had to earn money to pay for it ??? and only hard manual labor jobs were available.

His love affair with train travel began as a teenager, when he ???worked on the railroad??? as a crewman in Chicago???s massive rail yards. He moved on to become a merchant seaman on Chicago???s tough docks in the mid-1940s, rising to the rank of Able Bodied Seaman, and traveled the world on tramp steamers and cargo ships, which provided a wealth of material for his stories.

The only college summer he did not work on ships was his second. As he fondly related, he got so seasick on his first ship, he thought working on ranches would be easier. The next summer he went out to Montana, but actually found the life to be much harder???and the menu of cowboy coffee, biscuits and boot-tough venison pretty tiresome. Just before the autumn hay season, when he would be expected to sling bales of green grass up onto trucks as they rolled through the fields, as old ranch hand put it to him ???If I was you, green, I???d drift?????? (Green as in ???greenhorn??? or inexperienced ranch hand.) Hugh did so.

A life-long admirer of French culture, Hugh became accomplished in the French language, history, cuisine, and wines. In the early 1980s, he and Bettie opened a gourmet French restaurant, La Toque Blanche, in Davidson, where Bettie was the chef, and Hugh wore the hats of sommelier, boulanger, and maitre d???h??tel. He would rush home from his Charlotte law office, to don a tuxedo then happily and graciously greet customers at the restaurant???s door with a meticulously prepared menu and wine list. Gourmets across the Piedmont treasured his handmade French baguettes. His valiant efforts with home-brewed beer, wine, and aperitifs were respected and encouraged by family and friends.

Hugh and Bettie closed the restaurant in the mid-1980s, when Hugh was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to teach business law at France???s University of Poitiers for a year. In 1987-88, he was awarded another Fulbright to teach international law at Wuhan University in China, where he and Bettie traveled extensively, including side trips to Tibet, Hong-Kong, and Thailand. An editorial Hugh wrote upon returning to the U.S. warned of political storm clouds brewing in China, which foreshadowed the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

Before their long sojourns to France and China, Hugh and Betty had made dozens of trips through Europe, traveling by bicycle, car, train, and even canal boat. A Trans-Atlantic trip in the mid-1990s on a sailing ship was the fulfillment of his sailor???s dream. He loved foreign cultures and languages, and became fluent in French and Spanish, with a smattering of Chinese, Italian, and a half-dozen other languages that caught his attention.

Hugh was politically active, in progressive Democratic causes, and was proud to call himself a ???yellow-dog??? Democrat, especially to his many Republican friends who were members of Davidson???s WIMPS social club. He was an early critic of the Vietnam war in the 1960s, citing Vietnam???s long history with China and as a French colony, and their failures to exert control over it. For several years, he was Davidson???s Democratic Party precinct captain.

Hugh???s progressive view of life led his law firm to be the first in Charlotte to adopt personal computers. He had a noteworthy, if stormy relationship with modern technology ever after.

In recent years, Hugh organized several peace marches in Davidson, and also proudly walked in most of Davidson???s 4th of July parades with his WWII vintage 48-star flag. A prolific writer, Hugh???s letters to the editor were published frequently in the Charlotte Observer. His humorous essays, depicted various aspects of his life, often as the reluctant aide-de-camp for Bettie???s well-attended garden tours at their historic South Street home.

A staunch advocate of environmentally sound transport, Hugh could be seen every day walking through town, usually with a pile of books under his arm on his way to the library, and his beloved dog, Wags, following on a leash. For many years, he was an avid bicyclist, and even commuted for a time by bike from Davidson to his Charlotte office.

Hugh specified that his body should be donated to the Bowman Gray Medical School at Wake Forest University, and quipped proudly that he had been ???admitted to medical school.???

A remembrance ceremony for friends is being planned. Please contact a member of the family for more details. Instead of sending flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, 310 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202. Funds will be used to purchase books for the Davidson Town Library in memory of Hugh.

Sent by Catheryn Maier | 2:26 PM ET | 01-01-2008

I just think that Frankie Laine should be remembered because he was a national tresure. I do not know if he get the attention he deserved because I did not even know that he died until I happened to see a mention of it on wikipedia. So if he did not I wish to say that he was a remarkeble singer and deserves our respect.

Sent by Curtis reti | 2:36 PM ET | 01-01-2008

Emory Sekaquaptewa and Ferrell Secakuku, two Hopi tribal leaders known for their work in Hopi language documentation and preservation died in 2007 - Emory was the lead author of the Hopi Dictionary, containing 900 pages and 30,000 interpreted entries and published by the University of Arizona Press in
Emory was a professor of anthropology and Indian studies at the U of A and also a Hopi elder and Hopi Tribal Judge.
Ferrell was a former Hopi Tribal Chairman, elder and ceremonial leader who worked passionately to promote Hopi language, particularly among young people. Both men worked passionately on language issues and believed in and fostered cross-cultural dialogue.

Sent by Karen Enyedy and Robert Breunig, Director of Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. | 2:39 PM ET | 01-01-2008

My father, Rev. Edwin C. Taylor died June 29th, 2007 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the age of 76. He was a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and was Director of Christian Education for the denomination for many years prior to his retirement. He was active in many social justice causes and was a wonderful son, husband, father, and grandfather. He was well-known in many circles but was not famous. He spent his life loving others and teaching those around him to love the world. At a time of bigotry and predjudice, his theological leanings were those of caring and building up rather than judging and excluding. On one trip to Africa several years ago, he met with Bishop Tutu, rode a small plane to a wildlife refuge with Merlin Perkins, and was detained in Uganda for taking a picture of a military parade. I believe all too often we judge individuals as not being great or not contributing significantly to humanity because they are not famous. He was one of these non-famous people who worked to make humanity and the world better. Many in the world are better for having known him. I am a better person for having him as my father.

Sent by Dr. Bryce Taylor | 2:39 PM ET | 01-01-2008

I remember Wally Schirra, Mercury Seven Astronaut, who had the "right Stuff". Wally was the omly astronaut to fly in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions .

My father worked for a couple of different companies who did subcontracted projects for Nasa in the early and late 60's on all those missions. When I was in the first grade my dad brought Wally Schirra to meet my sister's fourth grade class in the Los Angeles area. I actually got to meet him. Besides being an astronautical legend, Wally was a kind, unassuming and generous man who would take time to meet with a bunch of elementary school kids, As a middle school teacher now, I appreciate the difference a professional like Wally can make on our students by showing them what is possible.

Sent by Will James | 2:41 PM ET | 01-01-2008

I want to remember my friend Ruth Buch. Even though Ruth had Rhuemitoid Arthritis since her 20's (she passed in her 80's) she still quilted each day and made quilts that she and others gave away. Her niece contends that when the energizer bunny gets home each night, he has a photo of Ruth titled "MY HERO" She was an inspiration to all who knew her.

Sent by michelle zjala winter | 2:41 PM ET | 01-01-2008

I hope you take a moment to honor Mr. Herb Pomeroy, who passed away in 2007. In addition to performing with jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, Lionel Hampton, and Stan Kenton, Herb was one of the foremost Jazz Educators in the world. He basically invented Jazz Theory and was instrumental in the founding of Berklee College of Music. On top of all that, Herb was one of the nicest, most genuine people I have ever met. I had the pleasure of working with him numerous times, and he was always professional, cordial, and a pleasure to work with. He will be sadly missed, but his mark on the world of music education will forever stand.

Sent by Nick Giarratani | 2:44 PM ET | 01-01-2008

Dr. Dorothy Tennov
Dorothy Tennov, Ph.D. was a professor of psychology, student of the philosophy of science, and author of three published nonfiction books. Other writings included a prize-wining play about life in a nursing home, reviews of books on scientific subjects, presentations at scientific meetings, and essays. Her television credits included a PBS interview with the late French novelist and essayist, Simone de Beauvoir and an appearance in a 1998 BBC documentary, The Evolution of Desire. She participated in Internet discussions on scientific and political topics while conducting research upcoming projects in which she planed to more fully to analyze the methodologies and philosophies of the human sciences.

Sent by Daniel Hoffman | 2:44 PM ET | 01-01-2008

My father, David Shepard died in November, the following are excerpts from an excellent obituary by Douglas Martin in the December 11th New York Times.

David H. Shepard, who in his attic invented one of the first machines that could read, and then, to facilitate its interpreting of credit-card receipts, came up with the near-rectilinear font still used for the cards??? numbers, died on Nov. 24 in San Diego. He was 84.

Mr. Shepard followed his reading machine, more formally known as an optical-character-recognition device, with one that could listen and talk. It could answer only ???yes??? or ???no,??? but each answer led to a deeper level of complexity. A later version could simultaneously handle multiple telephone inquiries.

Mr. Shepard sketched out the familiar boxy numbers on credit cards, called the Farrington B numeric font, on a cocktail napkin at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The shapes were meant to be as simple and open as possible because gasoline station pump islands were among the earliest places optical character recognition was used; the shapes were meant to minimize the effects of smearing with grease, oil and other substances.

Mr. Shepard???s last string of patents had larger aims, like saving the world. He became entranced with the possibility of harnessing winds at high altitudes, which are much steadier and stronger than winds closer to the earth. The dream was that enough electricity could be generated from high-flying windmills to more than meet the world???s present needs without carbon emissions.

David Hammond Shepard was born in Milwaukee on Sept. 30, 1923. His father died when he was 2 and his mother when he was 10. His guardian was Laurens Hammond, who invented the Hammond organ and a way to synchronize railroads??? electric clocks, among other things.

Mr. Shepard was in the Army in World War II, helping to break the Japanese code. He then worked on other codes for the Armed Forces Security Agency, the precursor to the National Security Agency. He reasoned that it must be possible to build a machine to read coded messages.

In 1964, his ???conversation machine??? became the first commercial device to give telephone callers access to computer data by means of their own voices.

Mr. Shepard apologized many times for his major role in forcing people to converse with a machine instead of with a human being.

Sent by Len Shepard | 2:45 PM ET | 01-01-2008

Molly Ivins Wrote:
"We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. Every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell... We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, END IT, NOW!" You can continue her work by visiting www.raisehellformollyivins.org

Sent by Scott Johnson | 2:47 PM ET | 01-01-2008

Liana Burgess died on December 3, 2007 in San Remo, Italy. She was the widow of the British author-composer Anthony Burgess and a respected translator in her own right, having translated a number of English-language novels into Italian, including Thomas Pynchon's "V" and "The
Crying of Lot 49" and Anthony Burgess's "Malayan Trilogy" and "The End of the World News". Liana (born Liliana Macellari in Porto Civitanova, Italy in 1929) handled many of Burgess's contracts and was known as a fierce negotiator able to secure some of the highest fees in British journalism for her husband's essays and reviews. In the years since Burgess's death in 1993, Liana worked to secure his legacy by providing financial support for the Anthony Burgess Center at the University of Angers in France and the International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Manchester, her husband's birthplace. She left no surviving relatives, her only sibling, a sister named Grazia, having died young in a mountaineering accident and her only child, Andrew Burgess Wilson (born Paolo Andrea Macellari), having predeceased her in 2002.

Sent by Paul Schuyler Phillips | 2:47 PM ET | 01-01-2008

Magicians, skeptics and friends lost Jerry Andrus on August 26, 2007 at the age of 89. Saying Andrus was an inventor of magic and illusion doesn't touch the depth of the accomplishments of this iconoclast. He was a close-up magician, member of the Magic Castle. He invented his magic tricks, then wrote, illustrated and printed his own magic books. He invented and built optical illusions. He built an electronic organ unlike anything seen or heard before; he then wrote, played and recorded his music. His art, music, photography and writings are notable. Then there are the mechanical inventions that filled and operated his home at the Castle of Chaos in Albany, Oregon. Friends knew Jerry as a kind, honest, funny man with a sweet tooth.

Sent by Jeanine DeNoma | 2:53 PM ET | 01-01-2008

Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of evangelist Billy Graham, passed away in June of 2007. She was an inspirational role model and teacher in her own right, as well as a gifted poet and writer (14 books). Please see more information via Wheaton College (https://www.billygraham.org//RBG_Default.asp)

Sent by Dawn Wright | 3:00 PM ET | 01-01-2008

One of my dear friends, Albert Lewis, passed away this year at the age of 92.

When he was 17, his father passed away, so he got his first job sweeping in a glass factory. They saw something in him, and sent him to college to become an engineer. He created around 125 patents for that same glass company. One patent(United States Patent 3343937) defined how to create openings at the end of a test tube. His work helped to create the original tv tubes, vials for innoculations, and the touch screen on a microwave oven.

Another reason why I found him inspirational was his change of lifestyle due to one of his son's passing from colon cancer. He became a raw foodist. Once, he went through a four week fast(there was some food involved, including The Week of Garlic). He also became interested in EFT(Based on impressive new discoveries regarding the body's subtle energies, dowsing, and using various electomagnetic fields to cure disease.

I knew him as a student. I am a 41 year old Tai Chi teacher for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSUS and Sierra College, and he was my first and senior student. He stood as my number one son. He did not brag about his accomplishments; they came out slowly over time. He was mostly quiet in class, a very old fashioned man. However, I knew he liked me when he sang 5 Foot 2, Eyes of Blue to me in front of the whole class. One day he told me, "I may look old, but there's a little boy inside of me."
He brought me educational articles nearly every class, and invited and other students and me to attend educational seminars and outings on a regular basis. Also, he could perform our half hour tai chi routine completely, with grace, at the age of 92.

He was hospitalized for a week before he passed, in good health.
I loved him like family, and feel incredibly blessed and honored to have been his friend.

Thanks,

Renee Neal
Fair Oaks, California

Sent by Renee Neal | 3:05 PM ET | 01-01-2008

I wish to note the passing in 2007 of three outstanding researchers in the study of the ancient and contemporary people of the Central Andes, particularly Peru. John H. Rowe (U. Cal., Berkeley) pioneered modern understandings of pre-Inca and Inca cultures; John V. Murra (Cornell U.)showed how ancient and contemporary Andean peoples effectively managed a harsh environment to build one of the world's great cultures and sustaing their lives after the Spanish invasion; and Craig Morris (American Museum of Natural History) conducted the most extensive excavations of two of the most important Inca centers ever undertaken. They leave great gaps in scholarship and a host of students and colleagues in the U.S. and Peru who will continue the research they pioneered. Submitted by J. Quilter, Deputy Director, Peabody Museum, Harvard University.

Sent by Jeffrey Quilter | 3:05 PM ET | 01-01-2008

Charles Lane died at the age of 102 this July...he was a character actor, one of those AHHHHH!!!! actors who you know by face, but not by name. He appeared over 340 times in movies and TV shows, usually playing the skinflint landlord, or the crusty bank president. We always remember the deaths of the leads, but usually forget those character actors who plugged away performance after performance.

Sent by Paul L. Beck | 3:51 PM ET | 01-01-2008

Engineer Robert L. Fowler.
Robert died at the age of 68 in late October this year. He was an engineer for Westinghouse, and unfortunately many of his accomplishments are still classified by the U.S. Government. But one very momentous accomplishment of his was the creation and operation of the very first live ground recorder for satellite images. Up until this invention, photographs from space could only be brought back with the ship, or transmitted in small pieces that would later be assembled to make up an assimilation. This machine was used to record (on Earth) the very first color photograph of the full Earth taken from space. This image, as well as being used innumerable times in popular culture whenever someone wants an Earth photograph, is hanging in the Smithsonian with no credit. He was my father, and when I was about 5, he took me to the Air and Space museum and pointed up at it and said "I made that."
I would have called in yesterday, but I live overseas and I hear Talk of the Nation every morning after.

Sent by Nat Fowler | 3:35 AM ET | 01-02-2008

My Grandfather, Reno Delmolino died this year. He was a commander in the American Legion, served during WWII, a prolific story teller, a milk man, a baseball coach, and he was a champion of underdogs. An Italian immigrant himself, he fought racism personally and for others throughout his life and once defended an African American woman's right to sit where she may on the bus, as she was harassed by other passengers. Additionally, he pitched against Babe Ruth while playing semi-professional baseball in Pittsfield Mass. He was a great man who touched the lives of those he encountered. His commitment to social justice inspired me to become an attorney.

Sent by ali stevens | 10:04 AM ET | 01-02-2008

Madeleine L'Engle passed away in the fall of 2007. I read "A Wrinkle in Time" when I was in 4th grade. That book started me on the road to becoming a chemistry teacher. Who knows how many other lovers of science were touched by that book, or one of her many others?

Sent by Jennifer Barbarito | 2:24 PM ET | 01-02-2008