With the recent passing of the great Willie Mays, it served as a reminder that so many of the people who have impacted our lives over the years are leaving the scene. It also hammered home the need to give our legends the accolades they deserve while they are still around to hear them. A number of our iconic figures still walk among us. Let's celebrate their lives and contributions before we find their names at the top of a BGOL stickied post.
QUINCY JONES
(b. 1933; Current Age, 91)
Trumpeter, composer, arranger, bandleader, and record producer, the legendary Quincy Jones was the musical genius behind a huge line of historic artists from Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan to Michael Jackson and Rufus and Chaka Khan.
ROY HAYNES
(b. 1925; Current Age, 99)
Born and raised in the Roxbury section of Boston, the great Roy Haynes is the last living link to the bebop era of Jazz. For decades, he fueled the rhythm sections of such legends as Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie, while leading many of his own groups as a bandleader.
RACHEL ROBINSON
(b. 1922; Current Age, 101)
(b. 1922; Current Age, 101)
Known to the world as the loving, ever-supportive wife of the great Jackie Robinson, Professor Rachel Robinson, unknown to just as many, has been an historic trailblazer in her own right. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she graduated with honors with a nursing degree from UCLA in 1945. After completing her masters degree at New York University, she served for years as a Professor of psychiatric nursing at Yale University, and also served as the Director of Nursing for the Connecticut State Center for Mental Health. In addition to her many years in the nursing field, she was also the founder and longtime director of the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
THEODORE "SONNY" ROLLINS
(b. 1930; Current Age, 93)
(b. 1930; Current Age, 93)
Next to John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins is generally considered the most influential jazz tenor saxophonist since the post World War II era. Born and raised in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem, Sonny Rollins produced such classic albums as Saxophone Colossus, Tenor Madness, and Way Out West, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest improvisers in modern jazz history.
NEELY FULLER, JR.
(b. 1929, Current Age, 95)
One of the most influential Black scholars and intellectuals of the past 60 years, Professor Neely Fuller, Jr. has been at the forefront in the study of racism and white supremacy and it's effects on the Black population of America. Professor Fuller's work has influenced the work of such scholars as Francis Cress Welsing, Michael Eric Dyson, and Anthony Browder.
TONY BROWN
(b. 1933; Current Age, 91)
Groundbreaking broadcast journalist and educator Tony Brown informed, enlightened, and inspired millions through his long-running public affairs show Tony Brown's Journal which ran on PBS from 1968 until 2008. In addition to his television work, Tony Brown was also the founding Dean of the School of Communications at Howard University.
BARBARA BOYD
(b. 1929; Current Age, 95)
Born and raised in the shadow of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, Barbara Boyd made history in Indianapolis in the 1960s when she became one of the first Black journalists to work as a regular reporter and anchor for a major American television station. For nearly 30 years, she became an institution at WRTV Television, the ABC affiliate in Indianapolis. and opened the door for scores of Black female news anchors across the country.
LENNY MOORE
(b. 1933; Current Age, 90)
(b. 1933; Current Age, 90)
Born and raised in Reading, PA, Lenny Moore set records at Penn State University before being drafted in 1956 by the Baltimore Colts, where he became one of the greatest runners in NFL history. Along with fellow Hall of Famers Johnny Unitas, Jim Parker, and Raymond Berry, Moore was an offensive centerpiece for one of the greatest teams in NFL history, and helped lead the Colts to two consecutive NFL championships in the late 1950s. He was named NFL MVP in 1964, and was selected to the NFL's All-Decade team of the 1950s. Lenny Moore ranked 94 on the list of the NFL's 100 greatest players of all-time.
LOUIS FARRAKHAN
(b. 1933; Current Age, 91)
Since 1977, Minister Louis Farrakhan has served as the national leader of the Nation of Islam, and has been one of the most influential sources of leadership and inspiration in Black American history.
ROSEY GRIER
(b. 1932; Current Age, 91)
(b. 1932; Current Age, 91)
For the past 50 years, Rosey Grier has gained fame as an actor, singer, Minister, and political activist. Yet, few people remember that he was a primary member of two of the greatest defenses in NFL history, the New York Giants of the 1950s, and the Los Angeles Rams of the 1960s. With Lamar Lundy, and Hall of Famers Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen, Grier was an original member of one of the greatest defensive lines in NFL history, the Los Angeles Rams' Fearsome Foursome of the 1960s.
WILLIE KIRKLAND
(b. 1934; Current Age, 90)
A power-hitting outfielder who spent the bulk of his career with the San Francisco Giants, the Cleveland Indians, and the Washington Senators, Willie Kirkland was one of the lesser known of the second wave of Black players who followed Jackie Robinson into the Major Leagues. A teammate of Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Willie McCovey with the Giants, Kirkland was an original San Francisco Giant, making his Major League debut in 1958, the teams first year in the Bay Area. Willie Kirkland was also one of the first Black American players to become a star in the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan, where he was the star hitter of the Hanshin Tigers for more than five seasons.
MARLA GIBBS
(b. 1931; Current Age, 93)
Actress, singer, comedian, and entrepreneur, Marla Gibbs has entertained the world for nearly fifty years as a star of the shows The Jeffersons and 227. For nearly 20 years, she was also the owner of Marla's Memory Lane, a successful supper club in the Leimert Park section of Los Angeles. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Marla Gibbs attended Wendell Phillips High School, and was a part of the school's 1949 graduating class that included Sam Cooke and Francis Cress [Welsing].
BILL GREASON
(b. 1924; Current Age, 99)
(b. 1924; Current Age, 99)
The last living link to the Negro Baseball Leagues, Bill Greason was a starting pitcher for the Nashville Black Vols and the Birmingham Black Barons in the 1940s, and was the first Black pitcher in St. Louis Cardinals history when he spent part of the 1954 season with the team.
Dr. ALVIN F. POUSSAINT
(b. 1934; Current Age, 90)
Psychiatrist and educator Alvin Poussaint has spent more than 50 years studying racism and its psychological effects on the mental health of Black people. Born and raised in East Harlem, NY, Dr. Poussaint received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University, and his medical degree from Cornell University. In addition to his studies on racism and the Black community, Dr. Poussaint has held teaching positions at UCLA, Tufts University and Harvard University.
BERRY GORDY
(b. 1929; Current Age, 94)
(b. 1929; Current Age, 94)
From 1959 through 1988, Berry Gordy helped shape world culture as the founder and Chairman of Motown Records. The songwriter, talent scout, and business executive built the most successful Black business in American history, and launched the careers of a long line of the most iconic and influential artists in popular music history.
(George Altman with Coach Buck O'Neal and Hall of Famer Ernie Banks
Wrigley Field, Chicago c. 1966)
GEORGE ALTMAN
(b. 1933; Current Age, 91)
(b. 1933; Current Age, 91)
A power-hitting outfielder who played nine seasons in the Major Leagues, George Altman hit over 100 career home runs and was selected to three National League All-Star teams. He finished his baseball career by starring for the Tokyo Lotte Orions and the Hanshin Tigers of the Nippon Professional Baseball League.
J.A. PRESTON
(b. 1932; Current Age, 91)
(b. 1932; Current Age, 91)
Best known for his roles in Hill Street Blues and A Few Good Men, J.A. Preston built a successful career as one of television's most accomplished character actors for more than 30 years.
BENNIE DANIELS
(b. 1932; Current Age, 92)
(b. 1932; Current Age, 92)
Bennie Daniels spent nine Major League seasons as a starting pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Senators. Born in Alabama, Bennie Daniels grew up in South Central Los Angeles, and graduated from Compton High School in 1950. While with the Pirates, he was the starting pitcher against the Brooklyn Dodgers on September 24, 1957, in the Dodgers' final game in Brooklyn before making their move west to Los Angeles.
CISSY HOUSTON
(b. 1933; Current Age, 90)
(b. 1933; Current Age, 90)
At least two generations know her only as the mother of Whitney Houston. Yet, fewer and fewer people know that she is a multi Grammy Award-winning artist in her own right. After starting her singing career in a gospel group with her sisters, Cissy Houston built a hugely successful career as a session singer, as a background singer for Elvis Presley, and a multi-genre hit-making solo artist.
DON KING
(b. 1931; Current Age, 92)
(b. 1931; Current Age, 92)
After gaining notoriety and infamy as the alleged Black numbers kingpin of Cleveland in the 1960s, Don King survived a violent reputation and a murder conviction, and successfully transformed himself into one of the most powerful and controversial sports promoters in American history.
LOU DONALDSON
(b. 1926; Current Age, 97)
(b. 1926; Current Age, 97)
One of the last surviving artists of Jazz music's historic hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s, Lou Donaldson was considered the heir to the alto saxophone throne that had been held by the legendary Charlie Parker until his death in 1955. For more than 20 years, Lou Donaldson was a consistent hit maker for the iconic jazz label Blue Note records, and with fellow legends Art Blakey, Kenny Dorham, and Horace Silver, was a founding member of The Jazz Messengers.
BILL WHITE
(b. 1934; Current Age, 90)
(b. 1934; Current Age, 90)
Bill White is on the short list of the most influential Black Americans in the history of Major League Baseball. Raised in Warren, OH, Bill White was a brilliant student, and graduated as the salutatorian of his graduating class at the integrated Harding High School in 1952. He then became a three-sport letterman at Hiram College before embarking on an outstanding career in the Major Leagues. In his 14-year career, mostly with the NY/SF Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies, White was selected to 8 National League All-Star teams, and was one of the greatest defensive first basemen in baseball history, earning seven Gold Glove Awards in his career. After completing his playing career, White became the first Black American play-by-play announcer in history, primarily as a radio and television voice of the New York Yankees, but also doing a number of other sports, including NHL hockey for the Philadelphia Flyers at WPVI in Philadelphia. In his later years, White returned to baseball, and was elected President of the National League, becoming the first Black American in sports history to lead a major American sports league as a chief executive.
BILL COBBS
(b. 1934; Current Age, 90)
(b. 1934; Current Age, 90)
For more than a half-century, Bill Cobbs has built a career as one of America's greatest character actors. Starting his career in 1970 doing off-Broadway plays in New York with the Negro Ensemble Company, Cobbs made his film debut in the 1974 film The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and has been a costant presence in scores of films and television shows.
ANDREW YOUNG
Serving as a minister, civil rights leader, diplomat, and politician, New Orleans native Andrew Young has been at the forefront of national leadership for more than seven decades. After completing his undergraduate studies at Howard University and his graduate study in divinity at Hartford Seminary, Andrew Young began his professional career as a pastor of a small church in Marion, AL. While in Alabama, he came to the attention of another young Alabama pastor, Martin Luther King, Jr. of Montgomery's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. For the next decade, the two would work side-by-side leading the Southern Christian Leadership Conference until Dr. King's murder in 1968. Young would go on to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter, and as a highly successful two-term mayor of Atlanta.
JAMES EARL JONES
(b. 1931; Current Age, 93)
James Earl Jones is known worldwide as one of the most accomplished, influential, and revered stage and screen actors in history. Known as much for his instantly recognizable bass voice as for his iconic film roles, James Earl Jones is one of history's most decorated actors, having won Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe Awards for his work.
I've included only achievers on my list who are over the age of ninety, but there are a large number of our greats who are in their late 70s and 80s who are deserving of our thanks. Every one of us has parents, grandparents, neighbors, teachers, principals, coaches, ministers, and other elders who have made profound contributions to our lives. Let's not forget to let them know how much they've meant to us while they are still around to hear it.
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