At Clark County High School in 1962 he earned the ‘Best Dancer’ award. He majored in music at Eastern KY Univ. and played in the US Air Force Drum Corps. He finally settled in LA where he met his life partner of 27 years, Michael Stern (DOD April 24, 2005) in 1977.

He played with the Freedom Band in their first march on Washington in 1979 for lesbian and gay rights. His 40-year career in the computer industry saw him working for major technical companies. His friends and family often benefitted from his experience with personal ‘tech support’ assistance which he cheerfully provided.

Over the last several years, he enjoyed acting, dancing, and singing in many local musical productions. He returned to Washington in October 2009 to participate in the National Equality March.

He is survived by his sister; Amy ‘Rad’ Abner, three daughters; Elizabeth Atherton, Victoria Underwood and Amy Born and their husbands; and four grandchildren, Devan, Dylan, Andrew and Ian.

A memorial service will be held at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068, March 6, 2010, at 3:00 p.m. with Life Celebration & Reception immediately following at 5:00pm at the Shakespeare Clubhouse, 171 South Grand Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Heart Association . Please visit Jim’s online memorial at: http://www.celebrant pam.com/memorials/jimstacy.html

Fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead in his apartment.

He was found in his London apartment. The video on the right is from one of his shows in October, 2009.

McQueen displayed a stunning collection of wonderland creatures at Paris fashion week.

Foul play is not suspected in his death, he was 40 years old.

The following statement has been released on McQueen’s website:

ON BEHALF OF LEE MCQUEEN’S FAMILY, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN TODAY ANNOUNCES THE TRAGIC NEWS THAT LEE MCQUEEN, THE FOUNDER AND DESIGNER OF THE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN BRAND HAS BEEN FOUND DEAD AT HIS HOME. AT THIS STAGE IT IS INAPPROPRIATE TO COMMENT ON THIS TRAGIC NEWS BEYOND SAYING THAT WE ARE DEVASTATED AND ARE SHARING A SENSE OF SHOCK AND GRIEF WITH LEE’S FAMILY.

LEE’S FAMILY HAS ASKED FOR PRIVACY IN ORDER TO COME TO TERMS WITH THIS TERRIBLE NEWS AND WE HOPE THE MEDIA WILL RESPECT THIS.

Casey Johnson, best known as the heiress to Johnson & Johnson has died in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles police were called to her Hollywood home shortly before Noon on Monday. There were no signs of a disturbance, according to the LAPD. A cause of death will be determined by the coroner, which would include a standard round of toxicology tests. The purpose to to determine if any irregular substances were in her blood, or other body fluids.

Casey Johnson was the daughter of New York Jets Chairman Robert “Woody” Johnson. Casey Johnson is seen in the video on the right with companion and actress Tila Tequila. On December 9, 2009, the two talked openly about their relationship, and what appeared to be a pending marriage or partnership.

“The Johnson family is mourning its tragic loss, and asks for privacy during this very difficult time,” Jesse Derris, a family spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement.

Actress Brittany Murphy has died. Murphy was in the movie “Clueless,” which became more popular in home video and DVD release. She rose to stardom in “8 Mile.”

Murphy reported died in Los Angeles, she was 32.

She is seen in this video from September 2008 behind the scenes at Sundance. Brittany Murphy supports her husband, Simon, while he photographs the celebrities at House of Hype.

Marilyn had worked for many years as a bookkeeper for a hardware company. She liked to spend time quietly around home, gardening and simply relaxing.

She leaves behind 2 sisters, Kathleen and Sheila, a brother Joseph “Butch” and her longtime partner Kay. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Walker Family Funeral Services.

Jack L. Hays, 60, of Chicago and Palm Springs, native Californian, interior designer and former high school psychology teacher, passed away unexpectedly at his home November 14, 2009.

Beloved life partner of 28 years to Robert F. Dobnick. Loving son of Ann Frances Hays of Hemet, CA and the late Jack Oliver Hays. He leaves behind many loving friends and colleagues. Jack will be remembered for his love of life, his twinkling smile and his warm gracious nature. Ever a giver to those in need and selfless in his compassion.

A fitting celebration of his life is being planned in Chicago for early 2010. Contributions may be made in his name to the charity of your choice. For info: Cremation Society of Illinois 773-281-5058

Timothy Joseph Russert was preceded in death by his son, Timothy John Russert (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) of NBC News.

Timothy Joseph “Big Russ” Russert was a sanitation worker and newspaper truck driver.

Father and son are pictured right.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Mary Travers — the female voice in the legendary folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary — died Wednesday at 72.

Travers had battled leukemia for several years.

With Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey, she sang “If I Had a Hammer,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “Puff (The Magic Dragon).” The trio also recorded a number of tunes by an up-and-coming songwriter who called himself Bob Dylan.

– posted at 6:56 p.m. by Cathy Maestri

Patrick Swayze Obit

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug
March 25, 1914 – September 12, 2009

Dr. Norman Borlaug’s remarkable lifetime efforts to feed millions of less fortunate around the world will continue to inspire all those concerned with hunger and malnutrition. His legacy includes billions of lives saved from the misery of starvation and the education of thousands of scientists worldwide who carry on his work today.

Borlaug spent his life on the borders of traditional agriculture and biotechnology and stood at the centre of the greatest and most dramatic success stories in world farming — the so-called “Green Revolution” of the 1960s.

But Borlaug’s “Green Revolution” was not “green” in the modern sense. High yields demanded artificial fertiliser, chemical pesticides and new soil technology. As a result of this he was vilified by many in the environmental movement in the securely affluent West, some of whom argued that higher food production sustains more people and thus poses a threat to the natural environment.

Norman Ernest Borlaug was born in the small Norwegian-American farming community of Saude, near Cresco in Iowa on March 25 1914. He grew up on his father’s small grain and livestock farm and, after graduating from Cresco High School, studied at the University of Minnesota where he gained a degree in Forestry and was a member of the university’s wrestling team.

After graduation, he worked for a time in the forestry service in Massachusetts and Idaho, but the job fell through.

In 1968, the administrator for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) wrote in his annual report that the phenomenal improvement in food production in the subcontinent looked like “a Green Revolution” – which was how it came to be known.

In the 1980s, the “Green Revolution” spread to China, which is now the world’s biggest food producer, but by the time Borlaug began to turn his energies to Africa, where Malthusian mass starvation was still a plausible threat, a backlash had set in.

The opposition to Borlaug’s intensive farming methods was exacerbated by the negative publicity surrounding genetic engineering. Borlaug’s work was not, properly speaking, in genetic modification. He used so-called natural methods of plant breeding and was wary of the monopolistic agenda of big agribusiness.

But he saw genetic modification as only a refinement of old plant breeding methods and became a strong advocate of its possibilities, both to enable more mouths to be fed and to help the environment. By producing more food from less land, Borlaug argued, high-yield farming would help preserve Africa’s wild habitats from further depletion by slash-and-burn subsistence agriculture.

In 1984, at the age of 71, Borlaug was drawn out of retirement by the Japanese industrialist Ryoichi Sasakawa who, with former American president Jimmy Carter, was working to improve African agriculture.

In 1986, Borlaug became president of the Sasakawa Africa Association, and leader of the Sasakawa-Global 2000 agricultural programme in sub-Saharan Africa, which has worked with several million farmers in 15 countries to increase food production.

Borlaug remained Senior Scientist at the Rockefeller Foundation and, in 1984, joined the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University as a Professor of International Agriculture.

In 1985, he was the driving force behind the establishment of the World Food Prize, which is awarded annually in recognition of outstanding achievement in the fields of food production and nutrition.

Borlaug held numerous honours and awards, including the American Medal of Freedom, which he received in 1977; the Vannevar Bush Award for lifetime achievement in science (2000); and the Public Welfare Medal of the National Academy of Sciences (2002). He held 50 honorary doctorates and belonged to the academies of science in 12 nations.

He served on two Presidential Commissions: on World Hunger (1978-79) and on Science and Technology (1990-92). He was also a member of the American Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Norman Borlaug married, in 1937, Margaret Gibson, with whom he had a son and a daughter.

The Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation extends its condolences to daughter Jeanie Borlaug Laube and her husband Rex; son William Gibson Borlaug and his wife Barbie; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.