AP Obits--11/15/07
Obitsman
Obituaries in the news
By The Associated Press
Thu Nov 15, 10:59 PM ET
Ronnie Burns
LOS ANGELES (AP) ‹ Ronnie Burns, the son of George Burns and Gracie
Allen who played himself on his parents' TV show in the 1950s, has died.
He was 72.
Burns died of cancer at his Pacific Palisades home on Wednesday,
according to his wife, Janice.
Born in Evanston, Ill., he was adopted when he was 3 months old. He grew
up among the elite of Hollywood and the privileged of Beverly Hills, but
preferred a more low-key life, according to friends and family.
Burns appeared as himself for several seasons on "The George Burns and
Gracie Allen Show," which aired from 1950 to 1958, and later on "The
George Burns Show."
He also appeared on a few other shows, including "Playhouse 90" and "The
Honeymooners," but was never comfortable with fame, his wife, said. He
quit acting in the early 1960s, although he worked behind the cameras
with his father in 1964, producing the sitcom "Wendy and Me."
In his youth, Burns was an avid surfer and later got into boat racing
and sailing. After leaving show business, he went into real estate
investment, using money he had made from acting. In later years, he
raised Arabian horses and had a ranch in Santa Ynez.
___
Lyell Clay
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) ‹ Philanthropist and former Charleston Daily Mail
publisher Lyell Clay died Thursday at his home after a long battle with
Parkinson's disease, the newspaper reported. He was 83.
Clay was the Daily Mail's principal stockholder and served as its
publisher for three decades. He also served as chairman of Clay
Communications Inc., which owned the Daily Mail and several other
newspapers.
The Clay family sold the company in 1987.
Clay and his brother, the late Buckner Clay, established the Clay
Foundation Inc., in 1987 to support local organizations and agencies.
Since then, the foundation has awarded millions of dollars in grants.
Grant recipients have included the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences
in Charleston, the University of Charleston and the Children's Home
Society.
Clay, a native of Baltimore, was a graduate of Williams College in
Massachusetts and the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned a
master's degree in political science from Marshall in 1956 and a
master's degree in business administration from West Virginia University
in 1975. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
___
John Doherty
MANCHESTER, England (AP) ‹ John Doherty, who played on the Manchester
United team that won the 1956 English league title and was known as the
"Busby Babes," has died. He was 72.
The team announced his death Wednesday but did not give details.
The 1956 title was the first for the "Busby Babes," a group of young
players who progressed from the youth team to the first team under
manager Matt Busby. The average age of that team was 22.
The team also won the 1957 English title before eight "Busby Babes" died
in an air crash in Munich, Germany, while returning from a European Cup
game in 1958. Doherty had been transferred to Leicester by then.
Doherty made only 26 appearances for Manchester United and scored seven
goals before retiring at 23 because of a chronic knee injury. He later
was an influential figure as chairman of the Association of Former
Manchester United Players.
Doherty was one of several members of the 1956 team who carried the
Premier League trophy onto the field for last season's title
presentation to United.
___
Robert Taylor
MISSOURI CITY, Texas (AP) ‹ Robert Taylor, a sprinter who won gold and
silver medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, has died. He was 59.
Taylor became ill Monday at the Missouri City school where he taught and
was taken to a hospital, where he died Tuesday night, said his wife,
Cheryl Taylor. She said he had had heart problems.
Taylor was a member of the 400-meter relay team that won the gold medal
in Munich. He finished second in the 100 after barely making it to a
preliminary race because of a scheduling mixup that saw two of his
teammates miss qualifying heats.
Taylor was inducted into the Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches
Association Hall of Fame in Fort Worth in July. The league served as the
governing body of extracurricular activities for black students during
segregation.
He also was inducted into the Texas Southern Hall of Fame.
___
Hansel Tookes
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) ‹ Former Florida A&M athletic director Hansel
Tookes, who created the popular Florida Football Classic against
archrival Bethune-Cookman, has died. He was 86.
Tookes died Wednesday, the school said. Tookes coached the offensive and
defensive lines for legendary coach Jake Gaither before becoming the
school's athletic director in 1973.
During his reign as AD, Tookes created the classic that annually
averages more than 70,000 fans. This year's game is Saturday in Orlando.
Tookes, a Jacksonville native, also created the Florida A&M Sports Hall
of Fame. He was known by thousands of FAMU fans for his frequent
exclamation of "hubba-hubba, baby."
An All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tackle for the
Rattlers from 1939-42, Tookes helped lead FAMU to Black College National
Championships in 1940 and 1942.
After graduating, Tookes continued his athletic career in the United
States Army, where he stood out at tackle for the Camp Lee team for
three years.
He returned to FAMU in 1947, joining the Rattler athletic staff as an
assistant football coach and golf coach, while also serving as associate
professor in the Health and Physical Education Department. He coached
tennis great Althea Gibson on the school's golf team.
Tookes retired as athletic director in 1980.