1930
Pan-African Chronology
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August
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August 2
*Bobbie Beard, an African American child actor best known for portraying "Cotton" in several Our Gang short films from 1932 to 1934, was born in Los Angeles, California.
Bobbie Beard (b. August 2, 1930, Los Angeles, California – d. October 16, 1999, Los Angeles, California) was a native of Los Angeles, California. His older brother was Matthew "Stymie" Beard, one of the series' most popular and best-remembered characters.
As older brother Stymie was the main breadwinner for the Beard family, his success with the Our Gang series opened the door for his siblings. Bobbie Beard appeared as Stymie's younger brother in Hi'-Neighbor!, Forgotten Babies, Fish Hooky, A Lad an' a Lamp and Birthday Blues. His most memorable appearance was in A Lad an' a Lamp, in which Spanky McFarland keeps wishing that Cotton could be a monkey. Despite his notable presence in several films, Beard never spoke a word.
After departing Our Gang, Beard became an auction dealer in the Los Angeles area. In later years, Beard worked at the Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles and became good friends with Groucho Marx. He later served in the Korean War, and spent his final years working for the Los Angeles School Board.
Beard died on October 16, 1999.
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*Eddie Locke, a jazz drummer who became a member of the Coleman Hawkins Quartet in the 1960s, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
Eddie Locke (b. August 2, 1930, Detroit, Michigan - d. September 7, 2009, Ramsey, New Jersey) was a part of the fertile and vibrant Detroit jazz scene during the 1940s and 1950s, which brought forth many great musicians including the Jones brothers (Hank, Thad, and Elvin), Kenny Burrell, Lucky Thompson, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, and so many others.
Locke began playing the drums when he was six or seven, sometimes using a homemade drum kit until his family could afford a real drum set. Mostly self-taught, Locke performed in a popular vaudeville act Bop & Locke, along with fellow drummer, Oliver Jackson. Bop & Locke played the Apollo Theater.
Locke moved to New York City in 1954, and worked there with Dick Wellstood, Tony Parenti, Red Allen, Willie "The Lion" Smith, and Teddy Wilson amongst others. During this time, he came under the tutelage of the great Jo Jones, and eventually became known as a driving and swinging drummer who kept solid time and supported the soloist. Locke's big break in the big city was a regular job at The Metropole jazz club, one of the important spots in the New York jazz club scene of the '50s. In 1958, he was hired by Eldridge with whom he performed for many years. Locke appears on Eldridge's Swingin' on the Town for Verve in 1960, as well as on several other Eldridge recording dates and the two frequently performed together at Jimmy Ryan's club, where they were the house band off and on for about 15 years. He also had a close relationship with Coleman Hawkins, with whom he performede until Hawkins' death in 1969. Locke is featured on many Hawkins' albums, including In A Mellow Tone and for Prestige and Wrapped Tight for Impulse. Locke also performed and recorded regularly with guitarist Kenny Burrell.
A quintessential sideman, Locke did form a group with Roland Hanna in the 1980s and in later years led his own band when he could. But for the majority of this career, he was better known as a first call drummer for jazz performances in New York. Locke was also one of the subjects from the famous photograph "A Great Day in Harlem" shot in 1958 by Art Kane. At just 28 years of age, he was one of the youngest jazz artists appearing in the photo.
Besides a very active performing schedule, Locke also found time to teach music both privately and at the High School of Performing Arts and the Trevor Day Music School in New York City. He was beloved by his students and proteges, many of whom went on to great success as professional jazz musicians.
Eddie Locke died on Monday morning, September 7, 2009, in Ramsey, New Jersey.
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August 3Locke began playing the drums when he was six or seven, sometimes using a homemade drum kit until his family could afford a real drum set. Mostly self-taught, Locke performed in a popular vaudeville act Bop & Locke, along with fellow drummer, Oliver Jackson. Bop & Locke played the Apollo Theater.
Locke moved to New York City in 1954, and worked there with Dick Wellstood, Tony Parenti, Red Allen, Willie "The Lion" Smith, and Teddy Wilson amongst others. During this time, he came under the tutelage of the great Jo Jones, and eventually became known as a driving and swinging drummer who kept solid time and supported the soloist. Locke's big break in the big city was a regular job at The Metropole jazz club, one of the important spots in the New York jazz club scene of the '50s. In 1958, he was hired by Eldridge with whom he performed for many years. Locke appears on Eldridge's Swingin' on the Town for Verve in 1960, as well as on several other Eldridge recording dates and the two frequently performed together at Jimmy Ryan's club, where they were the house band off and on for about 15 years. He also had a close relationship with Coleman Hawkins, with whom he performede until Hawkins' death in 1969. Locke is featured on many Hawkins' albums, including In A Mellow Tone and for Prestige and Wrapped Tight for Impulse. Locke also performed and recorded regularly with guitarist Kenny Burrell.
A quintessential sideman, Locke did form a group with Roland Hanna in the 1980s and in later years led his own band when he could. But for the majority of this career, he was better known as a first call drummer for jazz performances in New York. Locke was also one of the subjects from the famous photograph "A Great Day in Harlem" shot in 1958 by Art Kane. At just 28 years of age, he was one of the youngest jazz artists appearing in the photo.
Besides a very active performing schedule, Locke also found time to teach music both privately and at the High School of Performing Arts and the Trevor Day Music School in New York City. He was beloved by his students and proteges, many of whom went on to great success as professional jazz musicians.
Eddie Locke died on Monday morning, September 7, 2009, in Ramsey, New Jersey.
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*Lucius Walker, an American Baptist minister who served as executive director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, was born in Roselle, New Jersey.
Lucius Walker (b. August 3, 1930, Roselle, New Jersey – d. September 7, 2010, Demarest, New Jersey) was an American Baptist minister who served as executive director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization in the 1960s and was a persistent advocate for ending the United States embargo against Cuba. He made multiple trips to Cuba with supplies provided in violation of the embargo.
Walker was born on August 3, 1930, in Roselle, New Jersey, and was recognized for his preaching skills by the time he was in his teens. He earned his undergraduate degree from Shaw University and then earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School as part of his "love affair with the teachings of Jesus" and received his ordination in 1958. He later earned a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin, where he majored in social work.
During the 1960s Walker served as executive director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, where he pushed for greater cooperation between local religious organizations in helping to improve declining neighborhoods, saying in 1969 that "It's a travesty how much churches have said about social justice and how little they have done". Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum, who had been the foundation's president, pulled the American Jewish Congress out of the organization in protest against a demand that religious organizations allot $500 million as reparations for slavery. Walker was named associate general secretary of the National Council of Churches in 1973 and returned to the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization in 1978 after he had been fired for making excessive contributions to community organizers.
In August 1988, Walker was wounded while on a river boat traveling to the Bluefields region on the east coast of Nicaragua that was attacked by Contras. Two people were killed. Walker said he had come "face to face with the terrorism of our own government" and blamed President Ronald Reagan for the deaths. This event led Walker to create Pastors for Peace, to fight what he saw as American imperialism. The organization made aid shipments to Latin America providing tons of much-needed supplies.
As part of Pastors for Peace, Walker made 21 annual missions to Cuba, what he called "friendshipments", by way of Canada and Mexico. During his final trip, in July 2010, Walker brought medical equipment, including EKG machines, incubators and medicines. Despite offers to assist in all of the processes necessary to obtain licenses needed to make the shipments on a legal basis, Walker refused to cooperate in what he saw as an unjust process. Following his death, Granma, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, stated that "Cubans, in gratitude, have to say that we don't want to think of a world without Lucius Walker".
A resident of Demarest, New Jersey, Walker died at age 80 on September 7, 2010, at his home of a heart attack. He was survived by three daughters, two sons and three grandchildren. His wife, the former Mary Johnson, died in 2008.
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August 5
*Reynold Ruffins, an American painter, illustrator, and graphic designer, was born in New York City, New York.
Reynold Dash Ruffins (b. August 5, 1930, New York City, New York – d. July 11, 2021, Sag Harbor, New York) was an American painter, illustrator, and graphic designer. With Milton Glaser, Edward Sorel, and Seymour Chwast, Ruffins founded Push Pin Studios in 1954. An illustrator of more than twenty children's books, Ruffins is known for his stylistic versatility, vibrant colors, and penchant for fanciful creatures. He had many solo exhibitions and was part of group show exhibitions at Paris' Musee du Louvre, and in Milan, Bologna, and Tokyo.
Ruffins attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City and Cooper Union. While still a student at Cooper Union, Ruffins, Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser, and Edward Sorel, formed Design Plus, a short-lived studio. After graduation, the collaborative partnership evolved and, in 1954, he co-founded Push Pin Studios with fellow Cooper graduates Glaser, Sorel, and Chwast.
In 1963, after leaving Push Pin, Ruffins founded another design studio with Simms Taback, a partnership which lasted for more than thirty years. Commercial clients included IBM, AT&T, Coca-Cola, CBS, Pfizer, the New York Times, Time Life, Fortune, Gourmet Magazine, and the United States Post Office.
Ruffins entered the field of children's book illustration in 1969, and throughout the 1970s and early 1980s he frequently collaborated with writer Jane Sarnoff.
In 1991, Ruffins teamed with Whoopi Goldberg and Herbie Hancock to produce "Koi and the Kola Nuts," a highly praised video for children which was part of Rabbit Ears Productions' "We All Have Tales" series.
Ruffins died peacefully at home on Sunday July 11, 2021, surrounded by family. He lived in Sag Harbor, New York. His wife Joan predeceased him. She died in 2013.
A professor emeritus at CUNY's Queens College, Ruffins also taught at the School of Visual Arts, Parsons The New School of Design, and was a visiting adjunct professor at Syracuse University.
Ruffins was the recipient of the Augustus St. Gaudens Award (presented by Cooper Union) for outstanding professional achievement in the arts. The Cooper Union Presidential Citation was also presented to Ruffins for his work and prominence in his profession. Ruffins' work led to awards from the New York Art Directors Club and a Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators. Ruffins won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award in 1997 for the book Running the Road to ABC (written by Denize Lauture). His illustrations for the Haitian author also earned Ruffins international honors.
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August 6
*Robert Blair, a gospel musician and leader of The Fantastic Violinaires, was born.
*Abbey Lincoln, an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress, who wrote and performed her own compositions, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
Anna Marie Wooldridge (b. August 6, 1930, Chicago, Illinois – d. August 14, 2010, New York City, New York), known by her stage name Abbey Lincoln, was born in Chicago but raised in Calvin Center, Cass County, Michigan, Lincoln was one of many singers influenced by Billie Holiday. She often visited the Blue Note jazz club in New York City. Her debut album, Abbey Lincoln's Affair – A Story of a Girl in Love, was followed by a series of albums for Riverside Records. In 1960 she sang on Max Roach's landmark civil rights-themed recording, We Insist! Lincoln’s lyrics were often connected to the civil rights movement in America.
During the 1980s, Lincoln’s creative output was smaller and she released only a few albums during that decade. Her song "For All We Know" is featured in the 1989 film Drugstore Cowboy. During the 1990s and until her death, however, she fulfilled a 10-album contract with Verve Records. After a tour of Africa in the mid-1970s, she adopted the name Aminata Moseka.
The Verve Records albums are highly regarded and represent a crowning achievement in Lincoln’s career. Devil’s Got Your Tongue (1992) featured Rodney Kendrick, Grady Tate, J. J. Johnson, Stanley Turrentine, Babatunde Olatunji and The Staple Singers, among others. In 2003, Lincoln received a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award. In 1956 Lincoln appeared in The Girl Can't Help It, for which she wore a dress that had been worn by Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and interpreted the theme song, working with Benny Carter. She also played a dancing housekeeper in the film.
With Ivan Dixon, she co-starred in Nothing But a Man (1964), an independent film written and directed by Michael Roemer. In 1968 she also co-starred with Sidney Poitier and Beau Bridges in For Love of Ivy and received a 1969 Golden Globe nomination for her appearance in the film.
Television appearances began in 1968 with The Name of the Game. In March 1969 for WGBH-TV Boston, in one episode of a 10-episode series of individual dramas written, produced and performed by blacks, "On Being Black," was her work in Alice Childess' Wine in the Wilderness. She later appeared in Mission: Impossible (1971), the telemovie Short Walk to Daylight (1972), Marcus Welby, M. D. (1974), and All in the Family (1978).
In the 1990 Spike Lee movie Mo' Better Blues, Lincoln played the young Bleek's mother, Lillian. Lincoln was married from 1962 to 1970 to drummer Max Roach, whose daughter from a previous marriage, Maxine, appeared on several of Lincoln’s albums.
Lincoln died on August 14, 2010, in Manhattan, eight days after her 80th birthday.
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*Robert Blair, a gospel musician and leader of The Fantastic Violinaires, was born.
Robert Earl Blair (b. August 6, 1930 – d. March 19, 2001) was the leader of The Fantastic Violinaires originating from Detroit, Michigan, from 1965 until his death. He started his music career, in 1965, with the release of Stand by Me by Checker Records. His third album, The Pink Tornado, was released in 1988 by Atlanta International Records, and this was his breakthrough release upon the Billboard magazine Gospel Albums chart. He released fourteen albums over the course of his career.
His music recording career commenced in 1965, with the album, Stand by Be, and it was released by Checker Records. He released an album in 1988 with Atlanta International Records, The Pink Tornado, and it was his breakthrough release upon the Billboard magazine Gospel Albums chart at No. 34. His music career ended at his death in 2001, and by that time he released fourteen albums with several labels.
Blair died on March 19, 2001, of a heart attack.
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August 7
*Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were lynched in Marion, Indiana. There were beaten and hanged. James Cameron survived. This would be the last recorded lynching of African Americans in the Northern United States.
On August 7, 1930, a large white mob used tear gas, crowbars, and hammers to break into the Grant County Jail in Marion, Indiana, to seize and lynch three young black men who had been accused of murder and assault. Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, both 19 years old were severely beaten and hanged, while the third young man, 16-year-old James Cameron, was badly beaten but not killed. Photographs of the brutal lynching were shared widely, featuring clear images of the crowd posing beneath the hanging corpses, but no one was ever prosecuted or convicted. The haunting images inspired writer Abel Meeropol to compose the poem that later became the song "Strange Fruit".
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(See also Appendix 5: A Chronological Listing of Lynchings.)
(See also Appendix 6: James Cameron.)
(See also Appendix 7: Abel Meeropol.)
(See also Appendix 8: "Strange Fruit".)
(See also Appendix 9: The Song of the Century.)
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*Edward Willard Bates, a prominent African American who served as a physician and surgeon in the 368th Ambulance Company in the 317th Sanitary (Medical) Train of the 92nd Division during World War I, died in Los Angeles, California. For his bravery in battle, he was recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).
On August 7, 1930, a large white mob used tear gas, crowbars, and hammers to break into the Grant County Jail in Marion, Indiana, to seize and lynch three young black men who had been accused of murder and assault. Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, both 19 years old were severely beaten and hanged, while the third young man, 16-year-old James Cameron, was badly beaten but not killed. Photographs of the brutal lynching were shared widely, featuring clear images of the crowd posing beneath the hanging corpses, but no one was ever prosecuted or convicted. The haunting images inspired writer Abel Meeropol to compose the poem that later became the song "Strange Fruit".
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J. Thomas Shipp and Abraham S. Smith were young African-American men who were murdered in a spectacle lynching by a mob of thousands on August 7, 1930, in Marion, Indiana. They were taken from jail cells, beaten, and hanged from a tree in the county courthouse square. They had been arrested that night as suspects in a robbery, murder and rape case. A third African-American suspect, 16-year-old James Cameron, had also been arrested but he narrowly escaped being killed by the mob. An unknown woman and a local sports hero intervened, and he was returned to jail. Cameron later stated that Shipp and Smith had committed the murder but that he had run away before that event.
The local chapter of the NAACP had tried to evacuate the suspects from town to avoid the mob violence but were not successful. The NAACP and the State's Attorney General pressed to indict leaders of the lynch mob, but, as was typical in lynchings, no one was ever charged for the deaths of Shipp and Smith, nor for the attack on Cameron.
Cameron was later convicted and sentenced as an accessory to murder before the fact. He served some time in prison, then pursued work and an education. After dedicating his life to civil rights activism, in 1991, Cameron was pardoned by the state of Indiana.
Shipp, Smith and Cameron had been arrested the night before on August 6, 1930, charged with robbing and murdering a white factory worker, Claude Deeter, and raping his girlfriend, Mary Ball, who was with him at the time.
A large crowd broke into the jail with sledgehammers, pulled out the three suspects, beating them and hanging them. When Abram Smith tried to free himself from the noose as his body was hauled up, he was lowered and men broke his arms to prevent such efforts. Police officers in the crowd cooperated in the lynching. The third suspect, 16-year-old James Cameron, narrowly escaped death thanks to an unidentified woman who said that the youth had nothing to do with the rape or murder.
A local studio photographer, Lawrence Beitler, took a photograph of the dead men hanging from a tree surrounded by the large lynch mob. The crowd was estimated at 5,000 and included women and children. He sold thousands of copies of the photograph over the next ten days.
Mary Ball later testified that she had not been raped. According to Cameron's 1982 memoir, the police had originally accused all three men of murder and rape. After the lynchings, and Mary Ball's testimony, the rape charge was dropped against Cameron. However, Cameron did admit in interviews that Shipp and Smith had shot and killed Claude Deeter.
Flossie Bailey, a local NAACP official in Marion, and Attorney General James M. Ogden worked to gain indictments against leaders of the mob in the lynchings, but the Grant County grand jury refused to return an indictment. Attorney General Ogden then brought charges against four leaders of the mob, as well as bringing impeachment proceedings against the Grant County sheriff who had refused to intervene. All-white Grant County juries returned "not guilty" verdicts for all of the leaders charged.
James Cameron was tried in 1931 as an accessory to murder before the fact, convicted and sentenced to state prison for several years. After being released on parole, he moved to Detroit, where he worked and went to college. In the 1940s, Cameron returned to Indiana, working as a civil rights activist and heading a state agency for equal rights. In the 1950s, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, in 1988, Cameron founded America's Black Holocaust Museum, for African-American history and documentation of lynchings of African Americans.
Some other interesting notes about the lynching and the aftermath include the following:
- The night of the lynching, studio photographer Lawrence Beitler took a photograph of the crowd surrounding the bodies of the two men hanging from a tree. He sold thousands of copies over the next 10 days. The photograph became an iconic image of a spectacle lynching.
- In 1937, Abel Meeropol, a Jewish schoolteacher from New York City and later the adoptive father of the sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, saw a copy of Beitler's 1930 photograph. Meeropol later said that the photograph "haunted [him] for days" and inspired his poem "Bitter Fruit". It was published in the New York Teacher in 1937 and later in the magazine New Masses, in both cases under the pseudonym Lewis Allan. Meeropol set his poem to music, renaming it "Strange Fruit". Meeropol performed it at a labor meeting in Madison Square Garden. In 1939, the song was performed, recorded and popularized by the iconic American jazz singer Billie Holiday. The song reached 16th place on the charts in July 1939, and has since been recorded by numerous artists, continuing into the 21st century.
- After years as a civil rights activist, in 1988, James Cameron founded and became director of America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, devoted to African-American history in the United States. He intended it as a place for education and reconciliation.
- In 2007, artist David Powers supervised the creation of a mural, titled American Nocturne, in a park in downtown Elgin, Illinois. The mural depicts the bottom half of the Beitler photograph, showing the crowd at the lynching but not the bodies of Shipp and Smith. The artwork was intended as a critique of racism in American society. After it had been displayed without controversy for nearly a decade, in 2016, dissension was generated after someone posted images of the mural and lynching photo together on social media, and its origin was seen. The mural was moved from the park to the Hemmens Cultural Center. After hearing public comment, the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission recommended to the city council that the mural be permanently removed from public display. In May 2018, the artist formally requested the mural be returned to him. Thereafter, the Commission sought to formalize a response, which may include returning the artwork to the artist, loaning it out, or donating it to a local nonprofit or educational institution.
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(See also Appendix 5: A Chronological Listing of Lynchings.)
(See also Appendix 6: James Cameron.)
(See also Appendix 7: Abel Meeropol.)
(See also Appendix 8: "Strange Fruit".)
(See also Appendix 9: The Song of the Century.)
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*Edward Willard Bates, a prominent African American who served as a physician and surgeon in the 368th Ambulance Company in the 317th Sanitary (Medical) Train of the 92nd Division during World War I, died in Los Angeles, California. For his bravery in battle, he was recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).
Edward Bates (b. November 4, 1884, Dallas, Texas – d. August 7, 1930, Los Angeles, California) was born on November 4, 1884, to John W. and Tyria Norwood Bates in Dallas, Texas.
Both of Bates' parents were Texas natives and were well involved in the local Baptist community. This was more defined by Bates when he entered Bishop College which was located in Marshall, Texas. Bishop College is a historically black university which relocated to Dallas in the late 20th century. It remained open until 1988 when a scandal forced the institution to close. Bates did not end his education there as he soon entered Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He was a classmate and later fellow soldier of Dr. Everett R. Bailey. According to a the commencement pamphlet released on the day of his graduation on April 14, 1910, Bates was a class orator for the medical school graduates. Though Bates was listed to be from Dallas, he soon relocated to Louisville, Kentucky, and opened a medical practice in 1912. However, his time in Louisville reminded Bates of the systematic racism that still existed despite his advanced education.
Both of Bates' parents were Texas natives and were well involved in the local Baptist community. This was more defined by Bates when he entered Bishop College which was located in Marshall, Texas. Bishop College is a historically black university which relocated to Dallas in the late 20th century. It remained open until 1988 when a scandal forced the institution to close. Bates did not end his education there as he soon entered Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He was a classmate and later fellow soldier of Dr. Everett R. Bailey. According to a the commencement pamphlet released on the day of his graduation on April 14, 1910, Bates was a class orator for the medical school graduates. Though Bates was listed to be from Dallas, he soon relocated to Louisville, Kentucky, and opened a medical practice in 1912. However, his time in Louisville reminded Bates of the systematic racism that still existed despite his advanced education.
In 1917, the United States joined World War I to help the Allies. The United States military urged physicians to sign up due to the shortage, and when Bates was 33 years old he volunteered for service.
Like the majority of the African American recruits, Bates was sent for basic training at Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School. He was commissioned with the rank of First Lieutenant. Fort Des Moines had been opened for training African American men as there had been a huge influx of African American volunteers and a petition had been initiated by the students of Howard University calling for the use of African American troops. However, despite the hope for a new recognition and appreciation, there was still discontent at the facility as many soldiers found that they were being unfairly assessed for merely being black. After being trained, Bates was assigned to the 368th Ambulance Company of the 317th Sanitary (Medical Train) of the 92nd Division.
Once in France, the 92nd Division was essentially assigned to France to assist the French troops, as General Pershing did not want to utilize the African American soldiers. The French were extremely relieved at the reinforcements as the Germans were hitting them aggressively. Soon after arriving in France, Dr. Bates's surgical abilities were questioned by the Lieutenant Colonel. According to records, Bates had scored around 50% on his military and medical subjects back in the United States, which made the Lieutenant Colonel want to re-evaluate Bates before sending him into the field. Bates retook the exam and proved his ability and was soon sent over to the Gas Defense School.
The troops in France were facing repeated gas attacks from the Germans. In early October 1918, a couple weeks before the war ended, the entire Division was sent over to the Marbache sector in France and faced an aggressive assault by the Germans. Lieutenant Bates proved his capability during the attack. One of the company commanders, a Captain Kennedy, had been gassed and wounded. He was in the Aide Station when the German assault began. Despite enduring intense shell fire, Lieutenant Bates helped to carry Captain Kennedy from the Aide Station to the Ambulance Station. For this meritorious service, the next day Captain Kennedy recommended Lieutenant Bates for the Distinguished Service Cross.
The troops in France were facing repeated gas attacks from the Germans. In early October 1918, a couple weeks before the war ended, the entire Division was sent over to the Marbache sector in France and faced an aggressive assault by the Germans. Lieutenant Bates proved his capability during the attack. One of the company commanders, a Captain Kennedy, had been gassed and wounded. He was in the Aide Station when the German assault began. Despite enduring intense shell fire, Lieutenant Bates helped to carry Captain Kennedy from the Aide Station to the Ambulance Station. For this meritorious service, the next day Captain Kennedy recommended Lieutenant Bates for the Distinguished Service Cross.
When the war concluded, Bates moved back to Louisville to continue his medical practice.
Bates died unexpectedly in his home on August 7, 1930. It was reported in the Chicago Defender that Bates died of a heart attack, however, an autopsy revealed that he died from a combination of mitral stenosis and nephritis (kidney disease).
Bates married Sadie B. Bates after he returned from the war and they remained together until his death in 1930.
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August 8
*Jerry Tarkanian, an American basketball coach who revolutionized the game of college basketball in part by utilizing the skills of inner-city black basketball players, was born in Euclid, Ohio.
Jerry Tarkanian (b. August 8, 1930, Euclid, Ohio – d. February 11, 2015, Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV (University of Nevada at Las Vegas) Runnin' Rebels, leading them four times to the Final Four of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, winning the national championship in 1990. Tarkanian revolutionized the college game at UNLV, utilizing a pressing defense to fuel its fast-paced offense. Overall, he won over 700 games in his college coaching career, only twice failing to win 20 games, while never having a losing season. Tarkanian was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Tarkanian studied at Pasadena City College and later Fresno State University, earning a bachelor's degree while playing basketball. He was a head coach at the high school level before becoming a successful junior college coach at Riverside City College winning three state championships. He then returned to Pasadena City College and led them to a state championship.
In 1968, Tarkanian moved to a four-year college at Long Beach State College. Tarkanian established a successful program built on former junior college players, who were typically considered second-rate by other four-year programs. He was also the rare coach who dared to start a predominantly black lineup. He compiled a 122–20 record over five years at Long Beach before moving to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He transformed the small program into a national powerhouse while granting his players the freedom to express themselves. Known for his colorful behavior and affectionately referred to as "Tark the Shark", Tarkanian became a celebrity in Las Vegas. He left the Runnin' Rebels for a brief stint coaching professionally with the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before finishing his career at his alma mater, Fresno State.
Throughout his career, Tarkanian battled accusations of rules violations from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), with each of his three universities suffering penalties. Tarkanian responded by challenging the organization to also investigate larger and more powerful universities.
The NCAA ordered UNLV to suspend Tarkanian in 1977, but he sued the NCAA and continued coaching while the case was pending. The Supreme Court ruled against Tarkanian in 1988, but he remained UNLV's coach after a settlement with the NCAA. Tarkanian sued them again in 1992, and the case was settled when he received $2.5 million in 1998.
Tarkanian was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, an honor that fellow coaches had been saying was overdue. "Time has a way of healing things. And in this case, time worked in his favor," said Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo. The controversy from his NCAA dealings was widely believed to have contributed to the delay. Tarkanian helped revolutionize the way the college game was played. Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown said that Tarkanian "influenced a lot of coaches", and Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski added that Tarkanian "taught pressure man-to-man defense as well as anyone has ever done." Upon Tarkanian's retirement, future Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun proclaimed that Tarkanian was "one of the best teachers of defense in the last 25 to 30 years of basketball." In 31 years of coaching over five decades at three Division I schools, he compiled a career record of 729–201. At UNLV, 39 of Tarkanian's players were selected in the NBA draft; Larry Johnson was the first overall pick in 1991, and Armen Gilliam was No. 2 overall in 1987.
Tarkanian was an innovator who had his teams play a pressing defense that forced turnovers to trigger its run-and-gun offense. He was one of the few early coaches to effectively use the three-point shot, which was added by the NCAA in 1986. Tarkanian recruited players that his peers often passed over, taking chances on junior college students or those with a troubled past. His players hailed predominately from urban areas, and he allowed his team the freedom to express themselves. While some of those players were high maintenance, Tarkanian was the rare coach who was able to blend multiple personalities together into a team, and they played with a unique swagger. Tarkanian's teams changed the style and image of college basketball in a way that predated the impact the Fab Five of Michigan had in the 1990s. "He made the players more important than him. He made the players the show. It was about the players first," said former UNLV assistant Mark Warkentien. According to Fab Five member Jalen Rose, "We were considered rough-and-tumble at Michigan, but it started with UNLV."
UNLV was transformed by Tarkanian from a small commuter college into a national powerhouse. Demand for UNLV sweatshirts grew across the nation. Tarkanian became a celebrity, and tickets to UNLV games became hot items with regulars, including Las Vegas headliners Frank Sinatra, Bill Cosby and Don Rickles. With no professional teams in the city, the Rebels became the center of attention for Las Vegas, and their pregame ceremonies included light shows and fireworks during player introductions. Tarkanian's success at UNLV paved the way for other successful mid-major college basketball programs.
The floor of UNLV's home arena at the Thomas & Mack Center was named "Jerry Tarkanian Court" in 2005. A bronze life-size statue of Tarkanian was added outside the arena in 2013. Beginning in 2012, Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas held the Tarkanian Classic, a high school tournament featuring some of the top teams in the country. In 2014, Fresno State retired Tarkanian's No. 2 jersey from his college playing days.
Tarkanian also has a middle school located in Southern Highlands, Nevada, named after him and his wife Lois.
August 14
*Onsi Sawiris, an Egyptian billionaire, was born in Sohag, Egypt.
Onsi Sawiris, also written Sawires, (b. August 14, 1930, Sohag, Egypt – d. June 29, 2021, El Gouna, Egypt) was an Egyptian businessman. He was the patriarchal head of the Sawiris family and the founder of the Orascom Group conglomerate.
Sawiris was born on August 14, 1930, in Sohag, Egypt, into an Egyptian Coptic Christian family, the son of Naguib Sawiris, a lawyer, and his wife. Onsi was the youngest of four children.
Sawiris received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Cairo University in 1950. After graduation, he managed his family’s 52-acre farm for two years using his newly acquired agricultural methods. After that, he moved into road construction as he saw that the government was spending money on building roads and there was money to be made there.
In 1952, Sawiris established his own construction company, Onsi and Lamei, which began as a road and waterways contractor. In 1961, the business was nationalized under then Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and later became known as the El Nasr Civil Works Company. Sawiris continued to run the nationalized business for five years.
Eventually, the Orascom conglomerate came to be run by his three sons, Naguib Sawiris, Samih Sawiris and Nassef Sawiris, and his great-grandson, Bryshere Casiano-Sawiris.
In 2003, the Sawiris family held the three largest stocks by market capitalization on the Cairo exchange: Orascom Telecom, Orascom Construction Industries and MobiNil.
In 2017, Onsi Sawiris was estimated to be worth approximately $1.2 billion according to Forbes magazine.
Sawiris died on June 29, 2021 in El Gouna, Egypt.
Sawiris was married to Yousriya Loza Sawiris. The couple had three sons: Naguib, Samih, and Nassef. Sawiris was Coptic Christian.
*****
*Rita Walters, the first African American woman to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council was born in Chicago, Illinois.
Rita Dolores Walters (née White; b. August 14, 1930, Chicago, Illinois – d. February 17, 2020, Los Angeles, California) was an American politician.
Walters served on the Board of Library Commissioners for the Los Angeles Public Library. Prior to this position, she served on the Los Angeles City Council representing the 9th district from 1991 to 2001. During that time, she chaired the Arts, Health & Humanities Committee where she reviewed matters related to the Library Department. She was the first African American woman elected to the City Council. Prior to this job, she was on the Los Angeles Unified School District's Board of Education (1979–1991). Walters was also a teacher in the adult division of the Los Angeles School District for four years.
Walters was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved with her parents and family to Kansas. She moved to Los Angeles in 1955, and there she met and married Wilbur E. Walters. They had three children: David, Susan, and Philip.
Walters graduated with a bachelor's degree in education from Shaw University and earned an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
In 2009, Walters was recognized on the popular podcast, 'Vaguely Live Radio', as part of the feature 'Jimmy's Random Wikipedia Page of the Week'.
Rita Walters died in Los Angeles, California, on February 17, 2020, while in hospice care from Alzheimer's disease.
*****
August 26
*"Three Little Words", a popular song with music by Harry Ruby and lyrics by Bert Kalmar, was recorded by The Rhythm Boys, accompanied by the Duke Ellington orchestra.
The Rhythm Boys were an American male singing trio consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. The Rhythm Boys, accompanied by the Duke Ellington orchestra, recorded it on August 26, 1930 and it enjoyed great success. Their version was used in the 1930 Amos 'n' Andy film Check and Double Check, with orchestra members mimicking it. The film was co-written by Kalmar and Ruby along with J. Walter Ruben. The song also figured prominently in the film Three Little Words, a 1950 biopic about Kalmar and Ruby.
*****
August 28
Hugo Dipp, a Dominican historian, politician, lawyer, and educator, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Hugo Tolentino Dipp (b. August 28, 1930, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – d. July 15, 2019, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) was a Dominican historian, politician, lawyer, educator, former Minister of Foreign Relations and President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic from 1982 to 1986.
Born on August 28, 1930, the day on which General Rafael Trujillo was sworn in as President of the Dominican Republic, within an upper-class family of mixed-race background. His father, Vicente Tolentino Rojas, an intellectual and politician, who was minister and a friend of the recently ousted President Horacio Vasquez, had his residence in the National Palace. His mother, Catar 'Caterina' Dipp Attie, was a Lebanese-born socialite.
Dipp did his secondary studies at the High School Eugenio María de Hostos in 1948, and later graduated as a Juris Doctor at the University of Santo Domingo in 1953. In addition to another title of Juris Doctor from the Central University of Madrid in 1954 and specializing in Public Law at the University of Paris in 1959 during his exile in Europe.
In 1960, Dipp started as an assistant professor of history and taught a course entitled "History of the West Indies during the nineteenth century" for the University of London. On his return in 1963 to the Dominican Republic, he was appointed professor at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo after getting through competition the chair of international law. From that time, Dipp became an important pillar in the academic and administrative reform of that institution. In 1966, he was a member of the Committee on University Reform; in 1968 he was elected Academic Vice President; from 1970 to 1974 he was Professor of Sociology and Dominican Social History; and from 1974–1976 he was rector thereof.
Dipp married Evangelista Ligia Bonetti Guerra, sister of businessman Jose Miguel Bonetti Guerra, with whom he fathered his only child, Beatriz Micaela. Thereafter they divorced. His second marriage was to Sarah Bermúdez.
Hugo Tolentino Dipp died on 15 July 2019, at the age of 88.
*****
August 29
*Atef Sedky, a Prime Minister of Egypt, was born in Tanta, Egypt.
Atef Mohamed Naguib Sedky (b. August 29, 1930, Tanta, Egypt – d. February 25, 2005, Cairo, Egypt) was the Prime Minister of Egypt from 1986 until 1996. He replaced Aly Mahmoud Lotfy on November 10, 1986. Sedky was born in the Nile Delta city of Tanta. He was a lawyer and economist by training, receiving a doctorate in economics from the University of Paris in France. Before becoming Prime Minister, he was the director of the Egyptian Central Auditing Organization. In 2004, Sedky fractured his thigh. He died on February 25, 2005, at a Cairo hospital. Sedky and his German-born wife, Ursula, had two children, Ahmed and Sherif.
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