I just learned this morning via Facebook of the passing of a friend of mine from high school. Wendy Sue(Rzeptkowski) Vosper passed away on Sunday, October 9th, after a long battle with breast cancer.
Showing posts with label memoriam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memoriam. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Remembering Wendy
I just learned this morning via Facebook of the passing of a friend of mine from high school. Wendy Sue(Rzeptkowski) Vosper passed away on Sunday, October 9th, after a long battle with breast cancer.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Rest In Peace, Steve Jobs
I can remember very clearly the first time I used an Apple computer. It was in one of the labs at college in 1985, the business building. While I had been using computers since 1982 in high school (Commodore products), this was the first computer that I had worked on that had the concept of a desktop and a trash can. Very visual. Very intuitive. It was a game changer.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Rest In Peace, Nick Ashford
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Rest In Peace, Dwayne McDuffie
My Twitter stream was full of the breaking news this afternoon. African-American comic book creator and animation producer Dwayne McDuffie had died suddenly. As evidenced by how quickly this news became a trending-topic, it is very clear how much this man and his work meant to so many people.
I was first exposed to Dwayne's work when he co-founded Milestone Media in 1992, a comic company whose focus was to bring ethnically diverse titles to the market. He served as editor-in-chief for the line as well as co-creator to many characters.
In 2000, he helped move one of those creations to the fore-front with Static Shock, a very successful cartoon on the Kids WB network. I recall often watching that show every Saturday morning with my elementary school-aged son. He enjoyed the show as much as I did. Like the comics where Static appeared before, the show was about presenting a diverse cast.
In 2001, Justice League debuted as an animated series on Cartoon Network. Dwayne was involved in that series in many aspects: writer, producer, story-editor on 69 of the 91 episodes total. Again, this was a show that my son and I watched religiously and enjoyed immensely. Through Dwayne's direction, so many great DC Comics characters got a chance to make their animated debuts.
The last comic work of Dwayne's I read was his short but very enjoyable run on Justice League of America a few years ago. Like so many of his other projects, he again helped to prevent a diverse League membership and even had Vixen doing a stint as the team leader in his run.
His work in all these fields are a legacy, albeit an abruptly shortned one, that will not soon be forgotten by fans of comic books and animation alike. The DC Universe is a little bit dimmer today.
Rest in peace, Dwayne.
I was first exposed to Dwayne's work when he co-founded Milestone Media in 1992, a comic company whose focus was to bring ethnically diverse titles to the market. He served as editor-in-chief for the line as well as co-creator to many characters.
In 2000, he helped move one of those creations to the fore-front with Static Shock, a very successful cartoon on the Kids WB network. I recall often watching that show every Saturday morning with my elementary school-aged son. He enjoyed the show as much as I did. Like the comics where Static appeared before, the show was about presenting a diverse cast.
In 2001, Justice League debuted as an animated series on Cartoon Network. Dwayne was involved in that series in many aspects: writer, producer, story-editor on 69 of the 91 episodes total. Again, this was a show that my son and I watched religiously and enjoyed immensely. Through Dwayne's direction, so many great DC Comics characters got a chance to make their animated debuts.
The last comic work of Dwayne's I read was his short but very enjoyable run on Justice League of America a few years ago. Like so many of his other projects, he again helped to prevent a diverse League membership and even had Vixen doing a stint as the team leader in his run.
His work in all these fields are a legacy, albeit an abruptly shortned one, that will not soon be forgotten by fans of comic books and animation alike. The DC Universe is a little bit dimmer today.
Rest in peace, Dwayne.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Musical Passings - Gerry Rafferty & Teena Marie
Two music masters passed within the last few weeks, and I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to them.
Today, Gerry Rafferty passed away after a long bought of illness. This Scottish singer and songwriter penned a number of songs that were heard often around the AM and FM dials in the 70's. My iPod has a dozen or so tunes by this man including "Baker Street", "Home and Dry" and "Right Down the Line" from his 1978 album City To City. Another favorite of mine from this era is "Stuck In the Middle" from 1973 which Gerry co-wrote as part of the band Stealers Wheel (I did not know this - so even in death I learn something about the man).
The day after Christmas, Teena Marie was found dead in her home. This phenomenal talent got her start on the Motown label in the late 70's working with super-producer Rick James. She was a rare breed - one of the few white artists on a label mostly known for black musicians. Still, she proved her ability and held her own, racking up a number of hits in the 80's including "I Need Your Lovin'" (1980), "Square Biz" (1981), "Lovergirl" (1985) and "Ooo La La La" (1987). One of my favorite tracks of hers appears on the Goonies soundtrack - "14K". I definitely plan to add more of her tracks to my iPod in the coming months (a number of her albums are on my save-for-later list on emusic.com - just waiting to be downloaded as time allows).
Today, Gerry Rafferty passed away after a long bought of illness. This Scottish singer and songwriter penned a number of songs that were heard often around the AM and FM dials in the 70's. My iPod has a dozen or so tunes by this man including "Baker Street", "Home and Dry" and "Right Down the Line" from his 1978 album City To City. Another favorite of mine from this era is "Stuck In the Middle" from 1973 which Gerry co-wrote as part of the band Stealers Wheel (I did not know this - so even in death I learn something about the man).
The day after Christmas, Teena Marie was found dead in her home. This phenomenal talent got her start on the Motown label in the late 70's working with super-producer Rick James. She was a rare breed - one of the few white artists on a label mostly known for black musicians. Still, she proved her ability and held her own, racking up a number of hits in the 80's including "I Need Your Lovin'" (1980), "Square Biz" (1981), "Lovergirl" (1985) and "Ooo La La La" (1987). One of my favorite tracks of hers appears on the Goonies soundtrack - "14K". I definitely plan to add more of her tracks to my iPod in the coming months (a number of her albums are on my save-for-later list on emusic.com - just waiting to be downloaded as time allows).
Monday, June 23, 2008
Rest in Peace, George Carlin
I just read the news this morning of the passing of George Carlin, master of comedy, at age 71 of heart failure. This is a sad way to start the week. Carlin always could make me smile with one of those "I never really looked at it that way" types of jokes. They didn't beat you over the head - they were just so funny in that they should have been such obvious observations. And his delivery - excellent.
He will be missed.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Rest In Peace, Robert Aspirin
I just learned today that author Robert Aspirin passed away last week. Among his many published works was the series of Myth Adventures books, humorous fantasy tales that often used puns and wordplay to enhance the tales.
The first book in that series came out in 1979 and I remember picking it up at the Book Nook in my hometown of Dunkirk, NY. I found it to be similar in style to another author I had discovered at the time - Piers Anthony - similar yet different as well. Aspirin's books had a different kind of edge to them. I remember picking up the first half dozen or so as they came out during my high school and college years.
Along the way, I stopped following the author. I thinned out my book collection a number of times across the years as we moved, and I am sure I donated those paperbacks to a local library. Last year, I saw in the bookstore two huge volumes that collected most of those early books in the series. I picked them both up and have them on to-read pile.
The first book in that series came out in 1979 and I remember picking it up at the Book Nook in my hometown of Dunkirk, NY. I found it to be similar in style to another author I had discovered at the time - Piers Anthony - similar yet different as well. Aspirin's books had a different kind of edge to them. I remember picking up the first half dozen or so as they came out during my high school and college years.
Along the way, I stopped following the author. I thinned out my book collection a number of times across the years as we moved, and I am sure I donated those paperbacks to a local library. Last year, I saw in the bookstore two huge volumes that collected most of those early books in the series. I picked them both up and have them on to-read pile.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Rest in Peace, Steve Gerber
After a battle with pulmonary fibrosis, a loved writer by both critics and fans alike Steve Gerber died on Sunday. He was 60 years old.
For comic book fans, he was known for his work in the 70's on such Marvel titles as the Defenders and Man-Thing. He also has notable runs on such titles as Son of Satan and the Guardians of the Galaxy. He worked a few years on animation and other things, and recently returned to comics again to write the Dr. Fate feature in DC's Countdown to Mystery series.
For me, when I think of Steve Gerber I think of his creation Howard the Duck. This title was full of satire and social commentary, as the title character of the series tried to survive in a world that was not his own. I think, for me, those aspects reflected a lot in Gerber's work. He was always putting in layers of social commentary, relevant to the times but adapted for the series in question. Sometimes his stuff would get deep...really deep. And it would be lost on me as a kid. Even as an adult, I can appreciate those depths when I reread collections that feature his work.
The tragedy too is his dying at such a young age. Many writers work well into their 70's and 80's. The comic book community has lost a unique voice.
For comic book fans, he was known for his work in the 70's on such Marvel titles as the Defenders and Man-Thing. He also has notable runs on such titles as Son of Satan and the Guardians of the Galaxy. He worked a few years on animation and other things, and recently returned to comics again to write the Dr. Fate feature in DC's Countdown to Mystery series.
For me, when I think of Steve Gerber I think of his creation Howard the Duck. This title was full of satire and social commentary, as the title character of the series tried to survive in a world that was not his own. I think, for me, those aspects reflected a lot in Gerber's work. He was always putting in layers of social commentary, relevant to the times but adapted for the series in question. Sometimes his stuff would get deep...really deep. And it would be lost on me as a kid. Even as an adult, I can appreciate those depths when I reread collections that feature his work.
The tragedy too is his dying at such a young age. Many writers work well into their 70's and 80's. The comic book community has lost a unique voice.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
When The Good Die Young
http://www.newsarama.com/Chicago_07/Ringo.html
Comic book artist Mike Wieringo passed away of a heart attack over the weekend. His art style was much more 'cartoony' compared to all the grim-gritty realists that came out to prominence in the 90's. I always felt his art was very much in tune with the comics I grew up reading in the 70's. His loss to the comic community at such a young age will be missed. (Mike's web page and blog: http://www.mikewieringo.com/ )
What is really sad is that he was only 44 years old. He is described by friends as having been in great health. His heart attack came out of nowhere - and he could not get treatment in time. That really just further shows that you never know when your time could come up.
As someone who was surprised by a heart issue (just before I turned 40), I totally understand the "you just don't know". The key is to catch things, when possible, before they can turn into a serious problem down the road. I was lucky. I cannot stress enough how important annual physicals are when you reach a certain age. When we are young, we don't think of those things. We think we're invincible. We go out and party, perhaps drive when we shouldn't - don't think twice about how we're eating, etc.
Give yourself the best gift you can - take care of yourself. If not for you, then for your loved ones and friends. Me, I've got my annual cardiologist appointment this morning. I'll update you all soon on how it goes (and more details on my own heart story).
Comic book artist Mike Wieringo passed away of a heart attack over the weekend. His art style was much more 'cartoony' compared to all the grim-gritty realists that came out to prominence in the 90's. I always felt his art was very much in tune with the comics I grew up reading in the 70's. His loss to the comic community at such a young age will be missed. (Mike's web page and blog: http://www.mikewieringo.com/ )
What is really sad is that he was only 44 years old. He is described by friends as having been in great health. His heart attack came out of nowhere - and he could not get treatment in time. That really just further shows that you never know when your time could come up.
As someone who was surprised by a heart issue (just before I turned 40), I totally understand the "you just don't know". The key is to catch things, when possible, before they can turn into a serious problem down the road. I was lucky. I cannot stress enough how important annual physicals are when you reach a certain age. When we are young, we don't think of those things. We think we're invincible. We go out and party, perhaps drive when we shouldn't - don't think twice about how we're eating, etc.
Give yourself the best gift you can - take care of yourself. If not for you, then for your loved ones and friends. Me, I've got my annual cardiologist appointment this morning. I'll update you all soon on how it goes (and more details on my own heart story).
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