2023: December 1930 Chronology

1930

Pan-African Chronology

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December

*In South Africa, African National Congress "radicals" in the Western Cape formed an independent African National Congress.

December 1

*AnnMarie Wolpe, a South African anti-apartheid activist, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.

AnnMarie Wolpe (b. December 1, 1930, Johannesburg, South Africa – d. February 14, 2018, née Kantor) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, sociologist and feminist. Her husband Harold Wolpe was also a South African anti-apartheid activist who was imprisoned along with Nelson Mandela. 

She fled South Africa after being arrested and interrogated. She wrote of her ordeal, and she was on the initial editorial board for Feminist Review when it was founded in 1979.

AnnMarie Kantor was born on December 1, 1930, in Johannesburg, daughter of Abraham and Pauline (née Braude) Kantor, Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. Her brother was James Kantor, who was arrested but acquitted in the Rivonia Trial. 

She studied at the University of the Witwatersrand, and there met Harold Wolpe (1926-1996). They married in November 1955, and had three children.

Wolpe worked for the Transvaal clothing industry medical aid society, and later ran a bursary fund for African students.

Harold Wolpe was arrested in July 1963 along with Nelson Mandela and other ANC activists. During his time in prison, AnnMarie smuggled files and other tools into the prison hidden in loaves of bread and a roast chicken and communicated by notes hidden in the collars of the shirts she was allowed to take home to launder. Wolpe escaped from prison on August 11, 1963, along with three other activists, by bribing a jailer. After his escape, AnnMarie was arrested and brutally interrogated overnight. Fearing further arrest, she flew to England, leaving her three children (ages six, five and under six months, the baby recovering from serious pneumonia) with family friends. The children joined her within weeks, and her husband arrived in England in October via Swaziland. She later wrote a book, The Long Way Home, describing this part of her life.

Wolpe and her husband both built up academic careers in England. She worked initially in the University of Bradford's Yugoslav studies unit. She then moved to the future Middlesex University and established its Women's Studies program, earning a Ph.D. there.

Wolpe was on the initial editorial board for the Feminist Review and co-edited a work Feminism and Materialism with Annette Kuhn. 

In 1991, the Wolpes returned to South Africa. She worked at the University of the Western Cape, initially in its Centre for Adult and Continuing Education and then in the Education Policy Unit until she retired in 1998. She then led a Gender Equity Task Team for the Ministry of Education and set up the Gender Equity Directorate in the Department of Education. 

Wolpe died in her sleep on February 14, 2018. She was survived by three children and six grandchildren.

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December 3

*Art Bragg, a sprinter who competed in the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics in the 100 meter dash, was born in Baltimore, Maryland.

December 4

*Alexander Bada, the second Pastor of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria. 

December 5

*Robin Winks, the author of The Blacks in Canada, was born in Indiana.

Robin W. Winks (b. December 5, 1930, Indiana – d. April 7, 2003, New Haven, Connecticut) was an American academic, historian, diplomat, and writer on the subject of fiction, especially detective novels, and advocate for the National Parks. 

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See also Appendix 35, Robin Winks, Noted Historian and Author of The Blacks in Canada.

December 6

*Daniel Muchiwa Lisulo, the Prime Minister of Zambia from June 1978 until February 1981, was born in Mongu, Zambia.

*Edwin Pratt, an American civil rights activist, was born in Miami, Florida.

Edwin T. Pratt (b. December 6, 1930, Miami, Florida – d. January 26, 1969, Shoreline, Washington) was an American activist during the Civil Rights Movement.  At the time of his assassination in 1969, he was Executive Director of the Seattle Urban League.

Born in Miami, Florida, Pratt received his bachelor's degree from Clark College (Atlanta, Georgia) and his master's in social work from Atlanta University. He worked for the Urban League in Cleveland, Ohio, and Kansas City, Missouri, before arriving in Seattle in 1956 to be the Seattle Urban League's Community Relations Secretary. In 1961, he became the Executive Director of the Seattle Urban League. Among his achievements was the Triad Plan for the desegregation of the Seattle Public Schools.  He also led an initiative for equal housing opportunities.

Pratt was killed outside his home in Shoreline, Washington, a suburb immediately north of Seattle. Two men were involved in the shooting.  It is presumed that a third drove the getaway car. It is still unknown who killed him.

Pratt was survived by his wife, Bettye, his son Bill, and his daughter Miriam Katherine, who was five years old at the time of his death.

He is commemorated today by Seattle's Pratt Park, the Pratt Fine Arts Center, and the Shoreline School District's  Edwin Pratt Early Learning Center.

Pratt Fine Arts Center serves as a lasting tribute to Edwin T. Pratt, a man who relentlessly championed open and equal access to educational and housing opportunities for all of Seattle's residents. Pratt Fine Arts Center honors his memory by continuing to pursue its mission of making art accessible to everyone, for people of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds.

December 7

*Frank Bernasko, a Ghanaian soldier, lawyer, and politician who was a founder and leader of Ghana's Action Congress Party, was born in Ghana.

December 8

*Umaru Shehu, a former President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, was born in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Umaru Shehu (b. December 8, 1930, Maiduguri, Nigeria) was a Nigerian Professor of Medicine who served as the 11th Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.  Shehu was a Professor Emeritus, Community Health, University of Maiduguri and a former President of the Nigerian Academy of Science. 

Shehu received a Bachelor of Medicine degree (MBBS) from the University of London.  He was the first head of department, Department of Community Medicine ABU Zaria. He was also the former vice-chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka; the former sole administrator of the University of Maiduguri; the former Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the governing council of Bayero University Kano and the University of Lagos. Furthermore, Shehu was a professor emeritus, community health, university of Maiduguri; a former president of the Nigerian Academy of Science and former president, medical schools in Africa.

Shehu received the Centenary award from President Goodluck Jonathan. 

Shehu earned his first degree in Medicine (MBBS) from the University of London and capped the feat with a fellowship from the institute of cancer research while serving as the editor-in-chief of the British Medical. 

Shehu was appointed vice chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, from 1978-1980. He also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO). He was a national WHO program coordinator/representative in Nigeria, from 1980-1985; director, WHO sub-regional health development office 111, from 1985-1989 and WHO representative to Ethiopia, in 1990. At the University of Maiduguri, Shehu was appointed as an honorary consultant physician, from 1991 to date, and became Professor Emeritus in 2000.

Shehu was also the provost, college of medical sciences, from 1991-1993 and became the sole administrator of the University of Maiduguri, from 1993-1994. At the university college hospital in Ibadan, Shehu was appointed the chairman, board of management, from 1991-1994.

At Bayero University in Kano, Shehnu was the Pro-chancellor and chairman of  the governing council from 1993-1996, and he also served as Pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council of the University of Lagos from 1996-1999. 

Shehu was the chairman of the board of governors of the STOPAIDS organization; and was chairman of the governing board of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, (NACA). 

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December 9 

*Andrew "Rube" Foster, a baseball player, manager, and pioneer executive in the Negro Leagues, died in Kankakee, Illinois. Known as the "Father of Black Baseball", Foster was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.

December 12

*Jorge Garcia, a Pentacostal evangelist, was born in New York City, New York.

Jorge Raschke García (b. December 12, 1930, New York City, New York) is a Pentecostal, Assemblies of God evangelist who is well known for his political opinions as well as for his religious evangelistic events. He is of German (Ashkenazi) and Afro-Caribbean Spanish (Sephardic) descent.

Raschke travelled all over Latin America and the United States preaching, and held conferences and church services in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other countries. Raschke held a yearly event, Dia de Clamor a Dios (transl. The Day to Plead to God), for forty-four years. The event was held in September, on Labor Day, at the north entrance of Puerto Rico's Capitol building, and drew thousands of Christians from around Puerto Rico.

December 13

*Benjamin Tucker, a jass bassist who performed with many jazz greats, was born in Nashville, Tennessee.

Benjamin M. Tucker (b. December 13, 1930, Nashville, Tennessee – d. June 4, 2013, Hutchinson Island, Georgia) was an American jazz bassist who appeared on hundreds of recordings. Tucker played on albums by Art Pepper, Billy Taylor, Quincy Jones, Grant Green, Dexter Gordon, Hank Crawford, Junior Mance, and Herbie Mann. 

Tucker was born in Nashville, Tennessee.  As bass player in the Dave Bailey Quintet in 1961, he wrote the instrumental version of the song "Comin' Home Baby", first issued on the album Two Feet in the Gutter.  Bob Dorough later wrote a lyric to the song, and the vocal version became a Top 40 hit for jazz singer Mel Torme in 1962.

Tucker released the album Baby, You Should Know It (Ava, 1963) with Victor Feldman, Larry Bunker, Bobby Thomas, Ray Crawford, Tommy Tedesco, and Carlos"Patato" Valdes. 

By 1972, Tucker owned two radio stations, WSOK-AM, which had over 400,000 listeners, and WLVH-FM.  Both of these were located in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. During the 1990s, Tucker owned a jazz bar in Savannah called Hard Hearted Hannah's.

Benjamin Tucker died in a traffic collision in Hutchinson Island, Georgia, on June 4, 2013.

December 16

*In South Africa, Communist leader Johannes Nkosi was killed during a protest in Durban (December 16-17). 

December 20

*Pat Hare, a blues guitarist and singer, was born in Cherry Valley, Arkansas.

See Appendix 26: Auburn "Pat" Hare, Memphis Electric Blues Guitarist and Heavy Metal Pioneer

*****

*Mary Rose Tuitt, an iconic Montserrat educator and politician, was born in Kinsale, Montserrat.

Mary Rose Tuitt (b. December 25, 1930, Kinsale, Montserrat – 2005) was an educator and politician in Montserrat. She was also the first woman to serve as a government minister in Montserrat.

The daughter of Edgar Peters and Sarah Ryan (née Dorsett), she was born Mary Rose Peters in Kinsale. She studied at the Erdiston Teachers' Training College in Barbados from 1953 to 1955. She returned to Montserrat and was named head teacher at St. Patrick's school. She studied for an additional year at the University of Oxford Institute of Education.

In 1958, she married Adolphus Tuitt. She resigned in 1968 after being passed over for the position of inspector of schools. Mrs. Tuitt was transferred to the Ministry of Social Services but resigned that position after she realized it was a dead-end position. For a short time, she managed a historic hotel in Montserrat.

In 1970, Mrs. Tuitt ran as a candidate for the Progressive Democratic Party in the Southern district and was elected to the Legislative Council of Montserrat. In 1970, she was named Minister responsible for Education and Health and Welfare.

Mrs. Tuitt was defeated when she ran for reelection in 1978, losing to Joseph Tailor. After leaving politics, she worked in an administrative position at the American University of the Caribbean.

Mrs. Tuitt was also an accomplished netball player. She was a member of the national team in 1950. She was captain of the Montserrat team in 1959. In 1963, she was coach and manager for the Montserrat team. She also served as president of the Montserrat Netball Association and the West Indies Netball Board.

December 21

*Adebayo Adedeji, a Nigerian politician who was an Executive Secretary to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from 1975 to 1978, and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General from 1978 until 1991, was born. He became the founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Development and Strategic Studies (ACDESS) in 1991.

December 23

*Herman Russell, an African American entrepreneur and businessman, was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

Herman Jerome Russell (b. December 23, 1930, Atlanta, Georgia – d. November 15, 2014, Atlanta, Georgia ) was an entrepreneur and influential figure in Atlanta, Georgia.

Russell served as the first African American member of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He founded H. J. Russell & Company, the largest minority-owned real estate and construction business in the United States. Russell was a 1991 recipient of the Horatio Alger Award, and received the title Georgia Trustee from the Georgia Historical Society in 2013. Russell's autobiography Building Atlanta was published in April 2014, shortly before his death.

Born December 23, 1930, Herman Jerome "HJ" Russell grew up the youngest of eight children in the Summerhill Community of Atlanta, Georgia, a short distance from present-day Turner Field. As a child growing up during the Great Depression, HJ knew "the other side of not having" and in later years recalled his father's struggle to find work and the family having meat just two meals a week - "and fish on Friday if Daddy had a good week." HJ Russell was the son of Maggie Goodson Russell and Rogers Russell, Sr. and was a lifetime member of Allen Temple AME Church. He credited his father, an independent plasterer, for teaching him the value of hard work and diligence. His spirit of entrepreneurship emerged early. HJ had a paper route and opened a shoeshine parlor while he was still in elementary school. He attended David T. Howard High School, and during summers worked with his father as a sub-contractor, learning to be a master tradesman and mechanic. 

HJ followed his father's advice to save a portion of every dollar earned, and by the age of 16, saved enough money to purchase a vacant lot from the city of Atlanta, where he built his first rental property, a duplex. After high school, HJ worked as a plasterer while earning a degree in building construction from the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama (later Tuskegee University). He and his brother, Rogers Russell, worked together as sub-contractors, becoming too successful for the local sheriff, who HJ would say years later, "ran us out of town for taking so much business from the locals." 

In 1952, while still a senior at Tuskegee, HJ established the business that would be known as H.J. Russell & Co. After graduation, he returned to Atlanta and began his career, providing real estate services that included plastering, property management, and construction. While his father had always been his primary role model, HJ also sought advice and counsel from others who understood the business of real estate. One was "Chief" Walter Aiken, a Clark College football coach, architect and engineer whose building projects included dormitories, apartments, residences and other facilities. 

Scott Hudgens, a distinguished, visionary real estate developer in Atlanta, taught HJ the art of buying land in the right locations. Other men who inspired and provided guidance were Charles Gideons, principal at David T. Howard High School; Mills B. Lane, President of C&S Bank; and Birmingham developer, A.G. Gaston. 

HJ's sister-in-law introduced him to a classmate from Clark College (later Clark Atlanta University), and on August 18, 1956, he married Otelia Hackney, who served as a teacher at the Georgia Avenue School (later the Peter James Bryant Elementary School). 

As Atlanta's social and political landscape experienced tremendous change during the decade of the 1960s, HJ and Otelia raised their three children, Jerome, Michael and Donata, and developed strong relationships with many key individuals at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement, most notably Martin Luther King, Jr., and his family. In a 2002 interview, Coretta Scott King recounted how grateful she and her husband were to the Russell family for opening their home to them and providing safe haven away from the media spotlight during those tumultuous times. 

As H.J. Russell & Co. continued to grow and prosper through the 1960s, HJ's civic involvement brought him into lasting relationships with many of Atlanta's prominent politicians, business leaders and Civil Rights activists including former Atlanta mayor, Ivan Allen; former Georgia senator, Leroy Johnson; political activist, QV Williamson; and renowned Atlanta businessman, Jesse Hill, Jr. HJ was the first black member of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and later became the organization's second black president. During the decade of the 1970s, HJ led his company through a period of diversification, expansion and continued real estate development. He became the largest single owner and manager of HUD apartments in Georgia, and he developed, owned and constructed over $150 million of real estate - all before he reached the age of 50. During that same period, he also acquired interests in Citizens Trust Bank; an ABC affiliate television station; a beverage distribution company; airport concessions; insurance and other ventures. He continued to work behind the scenes to create opportunities and eliminate barriers for African-Americans to succeed professionally. In 1974, he co-chaired the finance committee to elect Maynard Jackson as Atlanta's first black mayor, whose political and business practices were instrumental in bringing about economic equity to Atlanta's growing population of African-Americans. 

Throughout the succeeding decades, Russell continued to expand his company's reach with project offices in various regions of the country and a host of landmark real estate developments including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Georgia Dome, Philips Arena and Turner Field. He served on numerous boards including Georgia Power, the Butler Street YMCA, Citizens Trust Bank, Georgia Port Authority, NSI and Tuskegee University. He became an active philanthropist, supporting a wide range of worthy causes including education in the form of multi-million-dollar pledges to Atlanta area colleges and his alma mater, Tuskegee University. 

In 1991, Russell received the prestigious Horatio Alger Award, recognizing dedicated community leaders who demonstrate individual initiative and a commitment to excellence. Herman retired from H.J. Russell & Co. in 2003 but continued to work on his pet projects in the Castleberry Hill area, including Paschal's Restaurant. His favorite saying during this time was "now I only work 12 hours a day!" In April of 2014, Russell released his autobiography, "Building Atlanta". 

In 2006, Otelia, Russell's wife of 50 years died. Later, Russell married Sylvia Anderson, then President of AT&T Georgia. 

Herman J. Russell died on November 15, 2014, at the age of 83, in Atlanta, Georgia.

At Russell's funeral it was noted that he was survived by his wife, Sylvia, daughter, Donata Russell Major, sons H. Jerome (Stephanie) and Michael (Lovette) Russell, stepsons Eric and Kevin Anderson, eight grandchildren -- Herman (Russ) Russell, III, Zane Major, Jr., Sydney Russell, Emanuel (Manny) Major, Mori Russell, Michael Russell, Jr., Benjamin Russell, Kelsey Russell.  However, this listing was not quite accurate. Herman Russell fathered a child out of wedlock in December 1958. The name of the child is Joyce.  Joyce married in 1984 and became Joyce Alston.  In 1986, she had a child, Antonio. Joyce divorced in 1999.  

Joyce Alston and Antonio Alston are also the survivors of Herman Russell.   

December 24

*Mel Triplett, a star running back for the New York Giants football team, was born in Indianola, Mississippi.

December 25

*Mary Rose Tuitt, an iconic Montserrat educator and politician, was born in Kinsale, Montserrat.

Mary Rose Tuitt (b. December 25, 1930, Kinsale, Montserrat – 2005) was an educator and politician in Montserrat. She was also the first woman to serve as a government minister in Montserrat.

The daughter of Edgar Peters and Sarah Ryan (née Dorsett), she was born Mary Rose Peters in Kinsale. She studied at the Erdiston Teachers' Training College in Barbados from 1953 to 1955. She returned to Montserrat and was named head teacher at St. Patrick's school. She studied for an additional year at the University of Oxford Institute of Education.

In 1958, she married Adolphus Tuitt. She resigned in 1968 after being passed over for the position of inspector of schools. Mrs. Tuitt was transferred to the Ministry of Social Services but resigned that position after she realized it was a dead-end position. For a short time, she managed a historic hotel in Montserrat.

In 1970, Mrs. Tuitt ran as a candidate for the Progressive Democratic Party in the Southern district and was elected to the Legislative Council of Montserrat. In 1970, she was named Minister responsible for Education and Health and Welfare.

Mrs. Tuitt was defeated when she ran for reelection in 1978, losing to Joseph Tailor. After leaving politics, she worked in an administrative position at the American University of the Caribbean.

Mrs. Tuitt was also an accomplished netball player. She was a member of the national team in 1950. She was captain of the Montserrat team in 1959. In 1963, she was coach and manager for the Montserrat team. She also served as president of the Montserrat Netball Association and the West Indies Netball Board.

December 27

*Bob Stroger, an American electric blues bass guitarist, was born in Hayti, Missouri.

Bob Stroger (b. December 27, 1930, Hayti, Missouri) was an American electric blues bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. He worked with many blues musicians, including Eddie King, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Eddy Clearwater, Sunnyland Slim, Louisiana Red, Buster Benton, Homesick James, Mississippi Heat, Snooky Pryor, Odie Payne, Fred Below, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Billy Davenport.

In 2011 and 2013, Stroger was granted a Blues Music Award as Best Blues Bassist.

Stroger was born on a farm outside of Hayti, Missouri.  At the age of 16, he relocated with his family to Chicago, Illinois. His family settled on the West Side, in an apartment in back of Silvio's nightclub.  Stroger was inspired by the sights and sounds from the club. He was further encouraged to try for a career in music, after being employed driving his brother-in-law to play in a blues band with J. B. Hutto. A self-taught guitarist, he formed a family-based band, the Red Tops (the band members wore black berets with a red circle daubed on top). Willie Kent was drafted to boost their proficiency, and the combo was renamed Joe Russell and the Blues Hustlers (Stroger had adopted the stage name Joe Russell, but the name did not endure).  He went on to play jazz with Rufus Forman, but it was his meeting with Eddie King which started his lengthy career playing blues. Having started playing the bass guitar, Stroger played on King's single "Love You Baby" (1965).

Stroger backed King for fifteen years before King relocated, after which Stroger stopped playing for a couple of years. His interest was rekindled when he was recommended to Otis Rush, whom he backed in the late 1970s and 1980s. He toured Europe with Rush and played on two of his albums, Live in Europe and Lost in the Blues.

Stroger next was a session musician for a while. He worked with Sunnyland Slim and Mississippi Heat in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He then joined Odie Payne in the regular rhythm section for the series of American Blues Folk Festivals.  Encouraged by Sunnyland Slim, Stroger began singing and writing his own material. In 1996, Stroger played on Mark Hummel's album, Heart of Chicago.  In 1997, he played bass on Golden "Big" Wheeler's album Jump In. The following year, he played with a group of musicians at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland. This led to the recording of his debut solo album, In the House: Live at Lucerne, Vol. 1, on which he was accompanied by Ken Saydak and Billy Flynn.

In 2007, Stroger recorded Bob Is Back in Town in Chicago, backed by Steve Freund (guitar), Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (harmonica), Deitra Farr (backing vocals), and Juli Wood (baritone saxophone).  The same year he backed Carey Bell on his final recorded work, Gettin' Up: Live at Buddy Guy's Legends, Rosa's and Lurrie's Home (Delmark). He also played on Willie "Big Eyes" Smith's albums Born in Arkansas (2008) and Joined at the Hip (with Pinetop Perkins, 2010).

In 2011, the Blues Foundation presented Stroger with a Blues Music Award in the category Best Blues Bassist. He was nominated in the same category in 2013. He won the Best Bassist Award again in 2013.

December 28

*Mary Tate, the first American woman to serve as a Bishop in a nationally recognized denomination, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

*Edmund Thigpen, an American jazz drummer who performed with Oscar Peterson and Billy Taylor, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

Edmund Leonard Thigpen (b. December 28, 1930, Chicago, Illinois, United States – d. January 13, 2010, Copenhagen, Denmark) was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with the Oscar Peterson trio from 1959 to 1965. Thigpen also performed with the Billy Taylor trio from 1956 to 1959.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Thigpen was raised in Los Angeles, California, and attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon and Chico Hamilton also attended. After majoring in sociology at Los Angeles City College, Thigpen returned to East St. Louis for one year to pursue music while living with his father who had been playing with Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy. His father, Ben Thigpen, was a drummer who played with Andy Kirk for sixteen years during the 1930s and 1940s.

Thigpen first worked professionally in New York City with the Cootie Wiliams orchestra from 1951 to 1952 at the Savoy Ballroom. During this time, he played with musicians such as Dinah Washington, Gil Melle, Oscar Pettiford, Eddie Vinson, Paul Quinichette, Ernie Wilkins, Charlie Rouse, Lennie Tristano, Jutta Hipp, Johnny Hodges, Dorothy Ashby, Bud Powell, and Billy Taylor. 

In 1959, Thigpen replaced guitarist Herb Ellis in the Oscar Peterson Trio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 1961, Thigpen recorded in Los Angeles, featuring on the Teddy Edwards-Howard McGhee Quintet album entitled Together Again for the Contemporary label with Phineas Newborn, Jr. and Ray Brown.  After leaving Peterson, Thigpen recorded the album Out of the Storm as a leader for Verve in 1966. He then went on to tour with Ella Fitzgerald from 1967 to 1972.

In 1972, Thigpen moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, joining several other American jazz musicians who had settled in that city over the previous two decades. There he worked with fellow American expatriates, including Kenny Drew, Ernie Wilkins, Thad Jones, as well as leading Danish jazz musicians such as Svend Asmussen, Mads Vinding, Alex Riel and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen.  He also played with a variety of other leading musicians of the time, such as Clark Terry, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Milt Jackson and Monty Alexander. 

Thigpen died peacefully after a brief period in Hvidovre Hospital in Copenhagen on January 13, 2010. He had been hospitalized for heart and lung problems and was also suffering from Parkinson's disease.  He is buried at Vestre Kirkegard. 

Ed Thigpen was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2002.

December 29

*Walter Cohen, a Republican politician and businessman, died in New Orleans, Louisiana.

December 30

*Tu Youyou, the recipient of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine for her discovery and development of two effective anti-malarial drugs, was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.

See Appendix 25: Tu Youyou, 2015 Nobel Prize Recipient in Medicine for Development of Anti-Malarial Drugs

December 31

*Goree Carter, a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose recording of "Rock Awhile" in 1949 is considered the first Rock and Roll recording, was born in Houston, Texas.

See Appendix 33: Goree Carter, The Forefather of Rock and Roll.

*Odetta, the folksinger and activist known as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

See Appendix 21: Odetta, "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement"

*****

 

*Victor Abimbola Olaiya (b. December 31, 1930 - d. February 12, 2020), also known as "Dr. Victor Olaiya", a Nigerian trumpeter who played in the highlife style, was born in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria.   Though extremely famous in Nigeria during the 1950s and early 1960s, Olaiya received little recognition outside his native country. Alhaji Alade Odunewu of the Daily Times described him as "The Evil Genius of Highlife."