2016 - A Year of Tributes

To many, the year 2016 was "the worst year ever" (although historians will disagree). They are a number of reasons for it (which I won't go into because I'm not into the almost mandatory game that is politics) but one of them was the high number of well-noted people the reapers, shinigamis and other dealers of death decided to claim since January 1st.

According to Wikipedia over 600 people of note died in December alone, so they are a lot to mourn. Too many to list in this post. So here's a select few....

Father Jack Hackett
This tired and emotional Catholic priest who spent his final years in the remote Irish parish of Craggy Island, Father Hackett was no stranger to death rumours. In 1995 he was reported dead and was ready for burial when he recovered from the symptoms of consuming floor polish (whose symptoms can be easily mistaken as those of death). His conservative stance may have been a act of rebellion against his dad (who was a cartoonist).

Timothy Lumsden
A former librarian, Tim was a regular member of his local an-maturer dramatics society, with his performance as Brian Runnicles in an adaptation of No Sex Please, We're British been his most well remembered. He is also remembered for his "comedic" monologues which got their tone as a result of his upbringing.

Thomas Jerome Newton
This prototype Steve Jobs came from nowhere when he founded World Enterprises in 1963. With multiple innovations, including many in aeronautics which contributed to the Apollo Space Program. But most remember him for his beliefs about aliens and his own private attempt to launch into space in 1976 (he offered a seat to former Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell, but he declined). An attempt that never launched due to his timed arrest by the US Government over anti-monopoly practises (according to official sources). Since then Newton has shied the public eye, occasionally releasing music albums under various guises.

Margaret Mottershead
Sister of soap actress Pat Bedford (whose till alive (for now)) Margaret worked as a cook in a motorway service station who occasionally performed self-written tunes on the piano.

Denise Merton
Mrs Merton of Heaton Norris, Stockport, Manchester, was a surprise star on television in the 1990s when she hosted her own talk show on BBC 2. A show that gained notability on its first episode when she interviewed Debbie McGee (wife of the late  Paul Daniels).

Severus Snape
This High-school chemistry teacher once entered the news when he was connected with a terrorist-cell that attacked London, Nottingham and Los Angeles.

William Jerome Silberman Wonka
World-famous creator of sweets (no need to say more).

Roger "The Kid" Nelson
Front-man of Minneapolis-based band The Revolution, Roger later became a solo artist with success as many guises. No stranger to controversy, Roger was noted for his used sexualized lyrics and was a significant figure in the digitisation of music debate. I have no more to say.

Muhammad Ali
A poet and civil rights advocate whose hobby was boxing.

Terry Wogan
This semi-pro golfer may by not as famous as Arnold Palmer, but he did achieve an incredible feat - he once held the record for the longest put ever captured on television.

Angela Reynolds
Head of Shipping of the Pawtucket Brewery in Quahog, Rhode Island, Angela had personal troubles that eventually led to her "drowning at moonlight strangled by her own bra" (according to a press release that was automatically sent).

from World Bowls magazine (September 1978)

James "Jim" Wallace
Three times outdoor bowls champion of Scotland in the 1970s, Jim (as he liked to be known) was a maintenance engineer, mostly first for a farming equipment supplier and then for a light bulb factory. The man may appear insignificant (compared to the others on this post) but he is to me, because of another name I knew him by ... Dad.

Yes, that man in the white shirt holding the trophy in the picture above is my dad. Our relationship wasn't great to begin with (it involved enough teasing that my retaliation broke his false teeth). But when I discovered that book that turned me into a science geek (and tried to make my own version of it) I asked my engineer dad for help. Its thanks to him I am the artist who has an engineer's eye. An eye I got from him.

He was hospitalised after a heart attack a few weeks ago and died a few days later.

P.S. Sorry to all those Trekkies out there for not addressing Star Trek in its 50th year. But I can make up for it by mentioning Anton Yelchin on this tribute post (which I just did there). Live long and prosper...