Blogger James McMurray of Technology Deprecated wrote of his father:

Bruce Milton McMurry died April 13, 2004 in Los Altos. Born 1932 in Covina. Bruce was an Eagle Scout and graduated high school in Astoria New York. Bruce served 4 years in the Navy including a stint in the Philippines. Bruce married Elizabeth Josephine Stewart in Redwood City California in 1958. After college, Bruce worked in the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley, first at Fairchild in the mid 1960s staying with them until Fairchild was purchased by National Semiconductor, where he worked until a few days before his death. Bruce loved the industry he worked in, and passed that enthusiasm onto his kids. He was a dedicated and loving husband, father and grandfather, and enjoyed traveling with his wife. His love for his family was unending, and proud of their many accomplishments in life.

[aka obituaries a la blog]

TechNoir: "I met this man years and years ago and I have seen him repeatedly over the years even had dinner with him. If you really knew your comic history and you were on the con circuit you knew Julie Schwartz."

ABC reported the death of Julius Schwartz, Editor, DC Comics. He "rescued the superhero genre from near extinction in the 1950s. Revived and modernized Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern." Hawkman, Atom, The Justice League of America, and Superman too.

Maggie Thompson: This is the man who, more than any other, can take credit for the fact that we can still buy comic books today. The field continues to evolve — and maybe he’s been better equipped to handle that evolution, simply because science fiction was old stuff to him by the time he entered our field six decades ago. But — no matter how much we do admire the writers and artists who have entertained us — it’s Editor Julius Schwartz who came up with a formula that turned out to be a winning equation for our field.

This was important.

His rework of character, plot, theme, and visual design showed that each stupid little work can be reincarnated. Adapted to the times. Repurposed for other media. Giving power to authors and artists, and birth to entire media industries.

Where do you think West Side Story came from? Hollywood and Broadway made Romeo and Juliet over and over for decades. Then Julie showed that something old can be made new again. 

If you haven't followed graphic novels and comics for the last twenty years, you may not know that Batman has been interpreted and reinterpreted by more than a hundred different creative teams. Schwartz paved the road so we can enjoy the Caped Crusader set in times Edwardian and apocolyptic, as a boy and an old man, broken hearted or beyond vicious, political or anarchic, isolated or a family man. All being true to Bob Kane's central character while infusing their own imaginations and visions.

So what?

When the American masses stopped reading literary classics and listening to opera, the storytellers of Hollywood and Rockefeller Center turned for stories to the franchises of the dime novel, the genres of the comic book. Westerns. Science Fiction. True Romance.

Before Disney opened theme parks, DC Comics proved even little cartoons have enormous market potential. Properties long dead can breathe new cash flow.

So we have media conglomerates. And a war for the intellectual property commons. I can repurpose Beowulf and Icelandic sagas, and Shakespeare. But when does Time Warner's Batman franchise enter the public domain? When can I put on a Batman school play or write a short Silver Surfer story without their permission, without paying for the privelege? 

I love that storytellers renew and reinvigorate modern myths. So when you see Spiderman 2 and the Punisher this summer, or Hellboy, Starsky & Hutch, The Stepford Wives, Man-Thing, Catwoman, Alien vs. Predator, Astroboy, or Scooby Doo, give a nod to Julius Schwartz.

[a klog apart]

Philippino blogger quirky said goodbye to Alexander Santiago, 21.  

3:42 pm - paying respects

after dinner at sentro, din and i went to AR's wake at chirst the king. we both couldnt bring ourselves to look at him. we instead paid our last respects an effective 2 feet away from the coffin. it was enough to see the inside of the coffin, but not close enough to see him. we said our prayers and goodbyes while alternately looking at his smiling 8 x 10 graduation picture and the coffin. it was hard to beleive he was in the coffin.

most, if not all, the students - ateneo undergrad batchmates, ateneo law classmates, friends, etc.. were sitting around or standing, and talking outside, sitting on monobloc chairs underneath the street lamplights and the stars. inside, witht he coffin, and probably the gma 7 camera, were the politicians and old people. if i remember right, i saw senator sotto, senator loi estrada [plaster of paris make up] and speaker de venecia there. miriam santiago went around to thank all the students, friends etc... who had come to visit alex. it would have been nice, had ther not been that intrusive gma 7 cameraman and reporter following her around. [the reporter was even interviewing people at the wake. some of Ar's friends and blockmates didn't find it agreeable and would either leave when the camera and reporter came along, or they'd flat out turn decline to eb interviewed.]

judging from the number of people i recognized from school.. i think alex would have been happy. he had a lot of friends. there were a lot of people who had pretty nice memories of him.

it's ironic how such a sad event brings people who havent seen each otehr since graduation or since senior year finals week together. i went with dindin, who i hadn't seen since midterms week, and i ran into ateneo batchmates i hadn't seen since the weeks before graduation. i guess, in some weird way, we have to thank alex for the reconnections.

current mood: contemplative
current music: bringing on the heartache - mariah carey

[aka obituaries a la blog]

Randy Paul recalls his good friend on the second anniversary of the death. Both Randy and Kimson Plaut were musicians, shared a love of Latin Jazz, Brazil, families, and a warped and wicked sense of humor.

I don't put a lot of faith in psychic phenomena, but a couple of days after Kimson's death, I was at the Brazilian Consulate here in New York getting a new visa for an upcoming trip to Brazil. I ran into another American who was married to a Brazilian and we started chatting while we were both waiting. I asked him where his wife was from and he replied São Paulo State. I then asked where in São Paulo and he said Ubatuba. A rush of emotions swirled in my head. I suppose it was ultimately just a coincidence, but I'm not so sure. Not many people live in Ubatuba, indeed, out of all the Brazilians I have met, I had never met anyone from Ubatuba, nor have I since. My friend, Susan Davis-Pereira is convinced that Kimson was trying to send me a message. I just remember parting company with this gentleman and for the first time in two days I felt like some of the shock of Kimson's passing had been attenuated. Two years later I still find myself thinking when I hear a joke or an astute comment or come across a musician previously unknown to me, that I should give Kimson a call.

Writers ask about audience. Perhaps when you imagine them as fully and vividly as a lost friend or parent, perhaps then you have defined them, incorporated them into yourself, and projected yourself upon them. Their voices ring true. Their smiles and hissy fits and ... presence ... let you speak to them. And for them.

[aka obituaries a la blog]

Christian Crumlish writes:

... A tragedy befell a young musician and his extended family and friends in the bay area music community when Matthew Sperry was struck by a pickup truck and killed while riding his bicycle at an intersection near the Emeryville-Oakland border on Stanford Avenue.

I didn't know Matthew, but I had several friends who knew and loved him, and played music with him, and loved his playing. A page at Scot Hacker's Birdhouse blog has become the de facto tribute page for Matthew. ...

There was a musical memorial at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, and there is a memorial concert in the works. Hacker has also now set up a dedicated memorial web page for Matthew at matthewsperry.org.

[aka Obituaries a la Blog]

Jeff Veen: "Kivilev is down":

Last night, we were watching the third stage of the Paris-Nice bicycle race on the Tivo. About 10km from the end, they quickly cut to the rear of the peloton, where Cofidis rider Andrei Kivilev was lying motionless on the pavement next to his bike. The helicopter hovered above as the team doctor sprinted to him, followed by race officials. The commentators agreed that this would be bad for Cofidis if he was really injured, considering his value to the team. Andrei had taken fourth in the Tour de France, and had many stage wins behind him. In fact, they continued, a bad injury this early in the season could wreck his season.

Andrei died this morning after spending the night in a coma. His skull had been crushed -- he had not been wearing a helmet. The peloton neutralized the stage and followed the remaining Cofidis team slowly around the course today.

It's likely hard for most Americans to understand the implications of this. Try imagining Barry Bonds getting hit by a pitch and having it kill him. Or Kobe Bryant tripping while running down court and never getting up.

Cycling is a grueling, dangerous sport. And much of it's allure comes from the struggle and the suffering, the fall and redemption of its heros. But when the struggle leads to the death of a participant, we suddenly realize it's just a game. And it is just too much.

Jay Call, the founder of Utah-based Flying J died Saturday in a jet crash enroute to Hailey, ID. I met Jay Call when I was putting together the state fuel network. He started Flying J with a single Brigham City station in 1968 and expanded to a national network of 160 travel plazas across the country. He was a great entrepreneur and I wish his family well. 

A current listing of gas prices at Flying J outlets across the country.

Robert King Morton - the inventor of the focus group and key terms like "role model" died on Feb 23rd.

Rajesh Babu:

I was away from Bangalore for the last few days, since my Grandmother expired on Wednesday evening. I had to travel that night.

I visited her last on 22nd Jan. That was the last time I and my mom saw here alive. Since her condition was a bit stable that time we returned to our lives.

She was 85 when she died. She was an energetic women, always doing something - cooking, knitting, or sewing.  

Bernie Goldbach:

Lancaster, Pennsylvania -- George Francis Goldbach (73) passed away shortly before noon after a 10-year battle with cancer. As his eldest son, I leave this single page entry in his memory. He was intensely proud for living without getting near the Internet. He wouldn't have a Web connection. He couldn't fathom what people saw in the Internet and he wouldn't have a part of it. I didn't have the heart to tell my dad that his objection to a county planning meeting caused his name, address and phone number to be permanently archived as part of a Web site. As this reference will be too. I miss him but will never forget his kind and gentle soul.

[AKA Obituaries a la Blog]

Miriam Misrach's essay describing Peter Palmquist's life and work. A memorial. A Eureka Times-Standard obituary.

Scot Hacker:

Palmquist had created the world's largest collection of photographs of early California, and had catalogued and described them meticulously.

Palmquist is one of those people most will never hear of but who made their lives count, and who enriches the lives of generations to come by his contributions.

via jon lebkowsky.

[aka obituaries a la blog]

Gary Turner reports his father's death on New Year's Day, and writes a tearful obituary.  

I picture him right now sitting in a pub with his own father whose death he never quite got over, or out walking in the glens and around the lochs with our old family dogs as we loved to do when I was a kid. more... 

Halley Suitt:

Just heard our friend and fellow-blogger, Gary Turner, has lost his dad. So sorry. And this within a week of he and his wife having a new baby?! Just to remind us nothing in this world is fair or predictable or sensible.

[a klog apart's Obituaries a la Blog]

Rafe Colburn:

Joe Foss died today at age 87. I probably didn't agree with Foss on much of anything when it comes to politics, but I always admired the sort of life he lived. Foss was an ace pilot, governor of South Dakota, commissioner of the American Football League, and head of the NRA.

[a klog apart's Obituaries a la Blog]