👓 Gil Scott-Heron, Revolutionary Poet and Musician, Dead at 62 | Rolling Stone

Read Gil Scott-Heron, Revolutionary Poet and Musician, Dead at 62 by Andy Greene (Rolling Stone)
Scott-Heron was best known for 1970’s ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’
I remembered reading about his passing several years back, but something this morning got some of his poetry, music, and writing stuck in the back of my head. Perhaps it was something about the revolution not being televised. In any case, what a creative soul we’ve lost…

🎧 The Daily: The Paradoxes of John McCain | New York Times

Listened to The Daily: The Paradoxes of John McCain by Michael Barbaro from New York Times

“The Daily” looks at the senator’s complex legacy through his half-century of public life.

👓 Cindy R. Lobel, Who Studied New York’s History Through Food, Dies at 48 | New York Times

Read Cindy R. Lobel, Who Traced New York History Through Food, Dies at 48 by Katherine Rosman (nytimes.com)
Professor Lobel was among the first historians to explore the economic and social elements of city life in the 19th century through the lens of eating.
I’m glad the NYT caught this and gave her an obituary. I suspect it’s in part because she’s more local to NYC in addition to her husband and his outlet’s influence as well as their recent push to cover the work of women better–a year ago, even more sadly, there likely would have been no mention of her passing.

I’ll have to bookmark her book to check out. With any luck, friends and colleagues will finish the book she’s currently working on.

👓 Soon There Will Be Only One Blockbuster Left in the United States | The New York Times

Read Soon There Will Be Only One Blockbuster Left in the United States (nytimes.com)
The upcoming closings of two Blockbuster video stores in Alaska will leave one store in central Oregon as the last one in the United States.

👓 CNN's Anthony Bourdain dead at 61 | CNN

Read CNN's Anthony Bourdain dead at 61 by Brian Stelter, CNN (CNN)
Anthony Bourdain, the gifted chef, storyteller and writer who took TV viewers around the world to explore culture, cuisine and the human condition for nearly two decades, has died. He was 61.
I’ve only recently begun watching his show on CNN and have found it truly fascinating.

Obviously no one was expecting his death as there was very little reported here beyond the obvious.

👓 Steven Bochco Dead: ‘NYPD Blue’ Creator, Dies at 74 | Variety

Bochco was a television genius. I really enjoyed the depth and breadth of so much of his work over the years. This is a real loss to the narrative thread of all of our lives.

👓 ‘The Daily’: Women We Overlooked | The New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: Women We Overlooked by Michael Barbaro from nytimes.com
Obituaries in The New York Times have been long dominated by white men. We’re adding the stories of remarkable women like Ida B. Wells, who took on racism in the South.

Some nice pieces of history here that I’m sad to say I hadn’t heard about and didn’t know they were as egregious as I had thought. I knew about lynchings in general, but didn’t know that they rose to a level as high as the one described here.

👓 Stephen Hawking, Who Examined the Universe and Explained Black Holes, Dies at 76 | The New York Times

Read Stephen Hawking, Who Examined the Universe and Explained Black Holes, Dies at 76 by Dennis Overbye (nytimes.com)
A physicist and best-selling author, Dr. Hawking did not allow his physical limitations to hinder his quest to answer “the big question: Where did the universe come from?”
Some sad news after getting back from Algebraic Geometry class tonight. RIP Stephen Hawking.

👓 Pioneering scientist Murray Sachs, who led biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins for 16 years, dies at 77 | JHU Hub

Read Pioneering scientist Murray Sachs, who led biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins for 16 years, dies at 77 by Vanessa Wasta (The Hub)
His research on how the brain receives, processes sound paved the way for the development of cochlear implants

👓 ‘Miss Minnie,’ one of Johns Hopkins University’s longest-serving employees, dies at 96 | JHU Hub

Read 'Miss Minnie,' one of Johns Hopkins University's longest-serving employees, dies at 96 (The Hub)
She came to Hopkins as a cafeteria worker in 1946, retired as assistant to the president in 2007

Gary Posner obituary

Bookmarked Renowned chemist, longtime Hopkins faculty member Gary Posner dies at 74 (The Hub (JHU))
Gary Posner, best known for pioneering research in organocopper chemistry, joined JHU faculty in 1969
I should know better about searching for obituaries. After hearing about Murray Sach’s passing I’ve just discovered that one of my organic chemistry professors has recently died as well.

I remember Dr. Posner well for his pointed use of the Socratic method, and in particular the day that my chemistry-related sir name caught his eye. I think he always expected that I would have been born a chemistry genius because of the name Aldrich. His expectations did make my orgo studies all the more fraught and worthwhile however.

I will point out in my day that the reaction that carried his name was ordered as the Corey-Posner-Whitesides-House reaction and not in the lesser order mentioned in the article.

Murray Sachs Obituary

Bookmarked Murray Sachs Obituary - Brookline, MA (Dignity Memorial)
Murray Sachs, of Arlington, MA, formerly of Baltimore, MD, on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Beloved husband of the late Merle (Diener) Sachs. Devoted father of Benjamin Sachs & his wife Lisa, and Jonathan Sachs & his wife Kate. Loving grandfather of Talia, Aviva, Zoe, Zander, Jonah, and Miriam. Loving uncle of Nancy Colier and Steven Shainberg. Murray was a renowned scientist who received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in electrical engineering from MIT (B.S. ’62, M.S. ‘64, Ph.D. ‘66). He worked in the field of biomedical engineering, in particular using mathematics to model the way sound is received, transmitted, encoded, and comprehended between the ear and the brain, laying groundwork for advances such as the cochlear implant. He served as the Director of the Biomedical Engineering Department at Johns Hopkins University. Murray was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering for his scientific contributions and his leadership in biomedical engineering education. Murray is remembered as having a gentle soul, and as being a calm leader and generous mentor. He was a loving husband, beloved father, doting grandfather, and a deeply devoted colleague and friend. He will be profoundly missed. Services at Temple Beth Avodah, 45 Puddingstone Lane, Newton, MA on Monday, March 5 at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Saddened to hear about the passing of one of my college professors and a lion in the field of biomedical engineering. I’ve heard that there are forthcoming obituaries in the JHU Hub as well as the Baltimore Sun.

h/t to Guy Shechter for passing along the news

👓 John Heard, the Frazzled Father in ‘Home Alone,’ Dies at 71 | New York Times

Read John Heard, the Frazzled Father in ‘Home Alone,’ Dies at 71 by Annie Correal (New York Times)
Mr. Heard played pained characters in dramas but was best known as the dad who embarked on a family trip to Paris without his youngest son.
The family is actually quoted as saying he wanted to be known for his other work rather than for Home Alone, yet the New York Times choose to dishonor him anyway. It’s so sad as he was a really solid character actor with a great body of work. I’m hoping that his obit will get more people to go back and dig up Cutter’s Way.

I recall thinking about him fondly a month ago as I watched The Pelican Brief, but may remember him best for his frustrating turn in Big as well as a bevvy of great guest roles on television.