AP Obits--8/26
ObitsMan
Obituaries in the News
Mon Aug 26, 9:52 PM ET
By The Associated Press
Fred Darrington, whose sand sculptures of castles, animals and ancient
monuments delighted visitors to a seaside resort for decades, died Aug. 16. He
was 91.
Darrington died at a hospital in southern England after a brief illness, his
family said.
For seven decades, Darrington built his sculptures on the beach at Weymouth, a
seaside resort on the south coast of England.
His large, meticulously detailed works depicted horses, ancient landmarks,
celebrities — including a life-sized statue of Princess Diana in 1982 — and
even a tableau of the Last Supper.
Darrington worked only with sand and water, using poster paint to color his
creations in remarkably lifelike hues.
Darrington's ephemeral art was eventually recognized and promoted by the town's
tourist authorities, and he went on to enter national and international
competitions, often alongside his grandson and apprentice, Mark Anderson.
Robert E. Harris
LEBANON, Pa. (AP) — Maj. Gen. Robert E. Harris, who became the commander of
the Pennsylvania Air National Guard after a career as a television and radio
personality including a stint as the plaid-shirt wearing "Uncle Bob," died Aug.
16, seven years after contracting cancer. He was 70.
A resident of Palmyra, Lebanon County, Harris served in the Air Force as a
pilot before he began a 10-year radio and television career in 1957.
At WLYH, Harris introduced weekday morning cartoons as Uncle Bob, then donned a
suit and tie to read the weather. When off camera, he sold commercials for the
station.
In 1967, Harris quit radio and TV and went full time in the Air National Guard.
Harris rose to commander of the Air National Guard in 1984, and retired in
1992.
Peter Hunt
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Peter R. Hunt, editor of the first five James Bond films
and director of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" starring George Lazenby as
the British spy, has died. He was 77.
Hunt died Aug. 14 of heart failure at his Santa Monica home, the Los Angeles
Times reported Monday.
Hunt studied violin at the London College of Music and art history at the
University of Rome before joining the British film industry in 1947.
At the outset of the Bond franchise with "Dr. No" in 1962, Hunt developed a
novel editing style he called "crash cutting." By clipping dull footage, such
as the hero walking down stairs, Hunt created faster pacing and increased
suspense. The editing technique is now common in action films.
Hunt used the technique on the next four Bond films, which all starred "Dr. No"
hero Sean Connery — "From Russia With Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball" and
"You Only Live Twice."
John McAleenan
MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Columnist John McAleenan, who was nominated for a
Pulitzer Prize in 1978 for his articles on the infamous John Wayne Gacy serial
murders, died Sunday after a brief battle with acute leukemia. He was 69.
McAleenan, a high-school dropout who quit his job as a lifeguard to become a
journalist at age 21, first wrote for Florida Today in Melbourne in 1966.
He also had stints at the St. Petersburg Times, The Detroit News and the
Orlando Sentinel before returning to Florida Today in 1990. He most recently
wrote columns for Gannet-owned local weeklies.
Besides serious topics, McAleenan also had an offbeat side.
During a drought in 1970, he climbed a tower with a sign saying he would remain
until it rained. Another time, he dressed as an astronaut and walked along
State Road AIA.
McAleenan is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
Henry Slane
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Henry Slane, the former Peoria Journal Star president who
relinquished his family's longtime ownership of the newspaper, died Saturday.
He was 81.
Slane died after suffering two massive heart attacks and a series of strokes.
Despite his claim that he "wanted absolutely nothing to do with the damn
newspaper," Slane helped run it for three decades before presiding over its
1983 sale to employees. The company was bought by Copley Press in 1996.
Slane was the third generation of his family to serve as the paper's president.
Survivors include his wife, two sons and two daughters.
William Warfield
CHICAGO (AP) — William Warfield, an acclaimed bass-baritone known best for
his rendition of "Ol' Man River" in the musical "Show Boat," died Sunday. He
was 82.
Warfield had been recovering from a fall late last month, his brother Thaddeus
Warfield said. An autopsy was pending.
Warfield had most recently served as a professor of music at Northwestern
University.
During his career, the versatile singer and pianist ran the gamut of show
business — from stints in churches and nightclubs to performances on stage
and screen.
In 1952, Warfield performed in "Porgy and Bess" during a tour of Europe
sponsored by the U.S. State Department. He played opposite the opera star
Leontyne Price. They soon were married but the demands of two separate careers
left them little time together. They divorced in 1972.
In 1975, Warfield gave a sold-out concert in Carnegie Hall marking the 25th
anniversary of his New York debut, and in 1984 he received a Grammy award for
his narration of Aaron Copland's "A Lincoln Portrait."
Walter Whitton
NORWALK, Conn. (AP) — Walter E. Whitton, the retired chairman, president,
publisher and chief financial officer of The Hour newspaper, died Saturday at
his Redding home. He was 91.
An attorney, Whitton joined the newspaper in the early 1950s as legal counsel
to owner and Publisher Nellie M. Thomas.
Whitton was named publisher in 1970. He became chairman of the board and chief
financial officer in 1991, giving up the presidency to his son, Jack Whitton.
He retired as chief financial officer in 1996 and served on the board of
directors until 1999.
Born in Hempstead, N.Y., Whitton did his undergraduate work at Princeton
University, where he was an outstanding track athlete, and received his law
degree from Harvard University.
Whitton is survived by his wife; two sons; two daughters; seven grandchildren;
and two great-grandchildren.