Obituaries in the news
Walter BauerST. LOUIS (AP) - Dr. Walter Bauer, a pathologist and leader in the famous baby tooth study that helped show the spread of nuclear fallout, has died. He was 82.Bauer died Saturday after falling ill last month; he died of acute respiratory distress, his wife, Marcia Robbins Bauer, said Monday.Bauer, along with renowned biologist and environmentalist Barry Commoner, was a key founding member of a committee of St. Louis scientists and citizens concerned about nuclear testing in the 1950s, following development of the atom bomb in World War II.The Greater St. Louis Citizens Committee for Nuclear Information led the St. Louis Baby Tooth Survey from 1958 to 1970, which studied almost 300,000 baby teeth, searching for evidence of fallout from atomic and hydrogen bomb tests.The study found that the teeth had absorbed nuclear material through children’s consumption of milk from cows that ate contaminated grass. The findings contributed to a ban on above-ground testing of atomic bombs in the early 1960s.Other baby tooth surveys were formed and patterned after the St. Louis program elsewhere in the U.S. and overseas.—Earl GreenburgRANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) - Earl Greenburg, once president of the Home Shopping Network and an entertainment industry pioneer who elevated the profile of the Palm Springs International Film Festival by luring such stars as Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Halle Berry, has died. He was 61.Greenburg, who was also known for his philanthropy and leading the fight for AIDS research, died Friday at Eisenhower Medical Center of skin cancer. Greenburg’s son, Ari, said his father was first diagnosed with melanoma four years ago, but he seemed to have beaten it. It returned last year, he said.Greenburg, who became chairman of the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 2004, was once president of the Home Shopping Network. He later promoted the infomercial industry as chairman of the Electronic Retailing Association.He was a founding partner of Transactional Marketing Partners in Santa Monica and was chief executive officer of Total Marketing Partners in Palm Springs.—Raymond JacobsREDDING, Calif. (AP) - Raymond Jacobs, believed to be the last living Marine photographed during the original flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II, died Jan. 29, of natural causes. He was 82.Jacobs died at a Redding hospital, his daughter, Nancy Jacobs, told The Associated Press.Jacobs spent his later years working to prove that he was the radio operator photographed gazing up at the American flag as it was being raised by other Marines over Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945.Newspaper accounts from the time show he was on the mountain during the initial raising of a smaller American flag, though he had returned to his unit by the time a more famous AP photograph was taken of a flag-raising re-enactment later the same day.Annette Amerman, a historian with the Marine Corps History Division, said in an e-mailed statement “there are many that believe” Jacobs was the radioman. “However, there are no official records produced at the time that can prove or refute Mr. Jacobs’ location.”The man with a radio on his back had usually been identified as Pfc. Gene Marshall, a radio operator with the 5th Marine Division who died in 1987. The other men involved in the raising all have died, including Charles Lindberg of Minnesota, who died last year.Jacobs was honorably discharged in 1946. He was called up during the Korean conflict in 1951 before retiring as a sergeant, his daughter said.—Shell KeplerPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Actress Shell Kepler, who for years played the gossipy nurse Amy Vining on the TV soap opera “General Hospital,” has died. She was 49.Kepler died Friday at Oregon Health %26 Science University hospital, which did not give the cause of death.Kepler’s busybody character on “General Hospital” was a fan favorite and enjoyed a long run, 1979-2002. In addition to her run on “General Hospital,” she was also in a 1982 Joan Collins film, “Homework,” and a couple of episodes of the situation comedy “Three’s Company.”On the side, she was a businesswoman, marketing clothing on the former Home Shopping Club. She said in a 1994 Associated Press interview that her “Lacy Afternoon” collection had sales topping $20 million that year alone.Kepler was born in Ohio and the family moved to California when she was 10. She recalled in 1994 that she didn’t yet have a driver’s license when she began trying out for film roles. She moved to Portland after her TV career and became involved in charity fundraising.—Ed VargoBUTLER, Pa. (AP) - Ed Vargo, a longtime National League umpire who worked in four World Series and was behind the plate when Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s career home run mark, has died. He was 79.Vargo died Saturday at his home in Butler, about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh, according to Geibel Funeral Home in Butler.Vargo umpired in the National League from 1960-83, worked the 1965, 1971, 1978 and 1983 World Series and in four All-Star games.Vargo is the only major league umpire to call a no-hitter and a perfect game for the same pitcher, according to MLB’s Web site. He was behind home plate for Sandy Koufax’s no-hitter on June 4, 1964, and his perfect game on Sept. 9, 1965.A one-time minor league catcher, Vargo stayed in baseball long after leaving the field. He was the supervisor of umpires for the National League from 1987-97. Edward P. Vargo was born in Butler in 1928. One of his first jobs was as a batboy and equipment manager for the Butler Yankees.
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