Notable deaths

Rowe was hired as UConn's coach in March of 1969 and was on the bench for eight years, leading the Huskies to the round of 16 in 1976. He was named New England Coach of the Year twice, in 1970 and in 1976.

After retiring as coach in 1977, Rowe launched the fundraising arm of UConn athletics and played a key role in raising money to build the school's on-campus basketball arena, Gampel Pavilion.

Rowe was preceded in death by his wife, Ginny, in 2018. He is survived by seven children and 17 grandchildren.

Three-time Dakar Rally winner Hubert Auriol dies at 68

PARIS | Hubert Auriol, the first competitor to win the Dakar Rally on a motorbike and in a car, has died. He was 68.

The Dakar Rally announced that Auriol died on Sunday. It did not specify a cause but the Frenchman had battled heart disease for many years.

The charismatic Auriol won the race, which was then called the Paris-Dakar Rally, on a motorbike in 1981 and '83 and then in a car in 1992.

Auriol later became director of the race, a position he held for nearly a decade. In recent years, he had worked as a Paris-based auto racing consultant.

"He inspired generations of riders and drivers and has been an integral part of the rally throughout its history," the Dakar Rally said.

Nancy Bush Ellis, sister and aunt of presidents, dies

BOSTON | Nancy Bush Ellis, a longtime Democrat who helped her Republican brother and nephew get elected president, has died of complications of the coronavirus. She was 94.

"We are sad to share that President Bush's beloved sister, Nancy Bush Ellis, has passed away. Our condolences and prayers are with the Ellis and Bush families as we remember a remarkable woman who brought joy and light to the world," the George and Barbara Bush Foundation posted on social media.

She died on Sunday at an assisted living facility in Concord, Massachusetts, her son Alexander Ellis III told The New York Times. She was hospitalized on Dec. 30 with a fever and tested positive for the coronavirus, he said.

Although she was a Democrat for decades who backed environmental and antipoverty causes, she was first and foremost fiercely loyal to her family.

"She was a Democrat for whom family came first," George H.W. Bush biographer Jon Meacham told the Times.

One of five children who was born and spent much of her life living in Massachusetts, she is survived by four children, nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. No services were announced.

Native American land activist Carrie Dann dies in Nevada

RENO, Nev. | Carrie Dann, a Native American land rights activist, Nevada rancher and longtime leader of the Western Shoshone Nation, has died.

Dann and her older sister Mary Dann, who died in 2005, fought with the federal government for decades over ownership of their ancestral lands in central Nevada.

Born in Nevada's Crescent Valley in 1932, Carrie Dann co-founded the Western Shoshone Defense Project in 1991.

She died Jan. 1 at home of natural causes with family members near, said Julie Cavanaugh-Bill, a friend and lawyer in Elko who worked with Dann on numerous defense project cases. She was believed to be between 86 and 88, but didn't have a birth certificate, Cavanaugh-Bill said.

Carrie Dann helped lead efforts to block several northern Nevada mining projects; was a staunch opponent of shipping nuclear waste to the Yucca Mountain site in southern Nevada; and sought relief for tribal residents affected by nuclear weapons testing.

Romania Holocaust survivor Tucarman dies from COVID-19 at 98

BUCHAREST, Romania | Iancu Tucarman, one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in Romania, was buried Monday after dying from COVID-19 last week. He was 98.

Dozens gathered at Tucarman's funeral in Bucharest to pay respects and mark a horrific legacy of World War II. The funeral was held in line with anti-virus measures.

Tucarman died on Jan. 8 after battling the coronavirus. Romania has been hit hard in the outbreak, recording more than 16,000 deaths in the country of 19 million people.

Tucarman was 18 years old in June 1941 when German and pro-Nazi Romanian troops rounded up thousands of other Jews in the northwest city of Iasi during the events that became known as the "Iasi Pogrom."

Tucarman was also known for supporting young musical talents in Romania. He is survived by his partner.

Radford, key backup on Indiana's basketball title team, dies

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. | Former Indiana star Wayne Radford, a prominent backup on the Hoosiers' 1976 unbeaten national championship team, has died. He was 64.

Athletic department officials confirmed Radford's death Sunday with one of his family members, but did not provide any details.

Radford spent his entire career playing for in-state teams — Indianapolis Arlington High School, the Hoosiers and the NBA's Indiana Pacers. He is best known for scoring 16 points to help spur a 72-67 overtime victory over Michigan that kept Indiana's perfect record intact at 32-0.

Las Vegas Sands founder and CEO Adelson dies

LAS VEGAS | Sheldon Adelson, founder, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, has passed away at the age of 87 from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma , the casino company announced Tuesday.

At one point the third richest man in the world, Adelson brought singing gondoliers to the Las Vegas Strip and went all-in betting Asia would be a bigger jackpot than Sin City.

He was the son of Jewish immigrants, raised with two siblings in a Boston tenement, who over the second half of his life became one of the world's richest men. The chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation brought singing gondoliers to the Las Vegas Strip and foresaw correctly that Asia would be an even bigger market. In 2018, Forbes ranked him No. 15 in the U.S., worth an estimated $35.5 billion.

"If you do things differently, success will follow you like a shadow," he said during a 2014 talk to the gambling industry in Las Vegas.

Sheldon Adelson adopted his first wife's three children and had two children with his second wife. Among numerous philanthropic projects, he and Miriam Adelson were especially committed to the research and treatment of substance abuse, a personal cause for Sheldon Adelson. His son Mitchell, from his first marriage, died of an overdose in 2005. (Sheldon Adelson would spend millions opposing state efforts to legalize marijuana).

Sheldon Garry Adelson was born in 1933, in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. His father was a taxi driver, his mother the manager of a knitting store. A natural entrepreneur, he was selling newspapers by age 12 and running a vending machine business at 16. After dropping out of City College of New York and serving in the Army, he attempted to start dozens of businesses, from toiletries to de-icing windshields.

Adelson, who said he disdained email, began to amass his fortune with a technology trade show, starting computer convention COMDEX in 1979 with partners before selling his stake in 1995 for more than $800 million.

Saudi racehorse owner Prince Khalid dies at 83

NEWMARKET, England | Khalid bin Abdullah, the Saudi prince who owned the Juddmonte Farms horse-racing operation which produced superstar thoroughbreds like Frankel and Dancing Brave, has died. He was 83.

The prince's death was announced by the Juddmonte group on Tuesday. The organization did not give a cause of death, saying only that he died "peacefully."

A passionate supporter of horse racing as a young man, Prince Khalid founded Juddmonte in 1980 and oversaw the breeding of more than 440 winners — including 102 at top-tier Grade One level worldwide — who carried his green, pink and white silks.

"Prince Khalid will always be remembered as a quiet, dignified, benevolent family man, whose horses spoke for him," said Douglas Erskine Crum, Juddmonte's chief executive.

"He leaves a legacy that will stand the test of time. His contribution to the development of the thoroughbred will have long-lasting effects."

Dancing Brave, bred in Kentucky, was his star horse in the 1980s, winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1986 as well as a string of major races in Britain that year including the 2,000 Guineas.

Prince Khalid was a three-time champion owner in Britain.

Away from horse racing, he ran Mawarid Holding, a Riyadh-based private investment company.

Kentucky basketball walk-on, pitcher Ben Jordan dies at 22

LEXINGTON, Ky. | Kentucky says Ben Jordan, a right-handed pitcher who played last season on the men's basketball team because of a shortage of players, has died. He was 22 years old.

The school announced Jordan's death on Monday in a release and a Kentucky baseball spokesman said coach Nick Mingione has spoken with the player's family. The school release did not specify a cause of death.

Mingione said in a release Tuesday that the program was devastated to learn of Jordan's passing.

"There are no words to express the shock and heartache our team is feeling with the loss of Ben," the coach said. "He was an absolute joy to coach and be around. ... We are all hurting and will find a way carry Ben's legacy forward and keep him in our heart always."

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Jordan joined Kentucky's basketball team last season when it lacked enough players for practice. He played just one minute in two games, but practicing against 6-11 Nick Richards was cited in helping Richards become a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection by The Associated Press and coaches.

Former Australia national soccer coach Frank Arok dies at 88

SYDNEY | Former Australia coach Frank Arok has died in Serbia due to an undisclosed illness, Football Australia said. He was 88.

Arok migrated to Australia from Yugoslavia in the late 1960s and became head coach of the Socceroos in 1983, having previously coached a National Soccer League team.

He held that position for seven years and coached the national team in 89 matches with 41 victories and 22 draws. Australia did not qualify for the World Cup during his coaching tenure.

Arok re-entered the Australian club coaching scene after his national team duties ended, taking charge of a number of teams. He led Marconi to the National Soccer League grand final in 1993 and coached 429 NSL matches overall, the second-most of any coach behind Zoran Matic.

Former Australia and Premier League goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer said on Twitter: "Very sad to hear about the passing of Frank Arok. Your knowledge, passion and dedication of the game was infectious. The 2 years I had the privilege to work with you . . . were some of my most enjoyable times in football."

Arok was also an inaugural inductee into Football Australia's Hall of Fame in 1999. He returned to Serbia in 2003 when he retired.

Football Australia said Arok is survived by his daughter, Marijana Novakovic, and granddaughter Gordana, who was named after Arok's late wife.

Meredith Anding Jr., member of the 'Tougaloo Nine,' dies

JACKSON, Miss. | Meredith C. Anding Jr., a member of the "Tougaloo Nine," who famously participated in a library "read-in" in segregated Mississippi 60 years ago, has died. He was 79.

Anding was diagnosed with leukemia and had been sick since March, his son Armaan Anding said. He died Friday in Brandon, Mississippi.

The Tougaloo Nine were students at the historically Black institution Tougaloo College who staged a peaceful sit-in at Jackson's white-only library on March, 27, 1961. It is widely considered the first student protest of segregation at a public institution in Mississippi.

Anding is the second member of the Tougaloo Nine to die, after Ameenah Evelyn Pierce Omar in 2010.

Anding's son described him as cheerful, easygoing and calm. Anding had a deep love for the outdoors, especially camping and fishing.

In recent years, Anding and his wife moved back to Mississippi to be closer to family.

Anding remained involved in the Tougaloo community, attending events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the protest. He was present at a dedication of a Freedom Trail Marker at the site of the protest in 2017.

Anding, like other members of the Tougaloo Nine, felt the Tougaloo Nine should have received more recognition for their place within the civil rights movement in Mississippi, his son said.

After the Tougaloo Nine protest, the college became known as "cradle of the Civil Rights Movement" in Mississippi and a "safe haven" for activism, said Chamberlain, who studies children's effect on the movement.

Tougaloo holds an annual "read-in" demonstration around March 27 to remember the Tougaloo Nine. The school is in the process of planning a 60th-anniversary celebration this year to honor the activists.

Attorney Fred Levin, who fought tobacco industry, dies at 83

PENSACOLA, Fla. | Florida attorney Fred Levin, who won a major legal battle against the tobacco industry in the 1990s, died Tuesday, several days after contracting the coronavirus. He was 83.

Levin's death from complications of COVID-19 was confirmed by Levin Papantonio Rafferty attorney Mark Proctor.

In the 1990s, Levin was able to get the Florida Legislature to change Florida's Medicaid law, allowing it to recoup money for the cost of treating lung cancer. That change helped Levin lead an effort to reach a $13 billion settlement with the tobacco industry.

Levin also became boxing manager to fellow Pensacola native Roy Jones Jr. in 1989, leading up to the prizefighter's heavyweight championship in 2003.

Levin's career began in 1961 when he joined the Levin and Askew law firm founded by his brother David and Reubin Askew, the Pensacola News Journal reported.

Levin used his success in his law career to pursue philanthropy work, donating more than $35 million. The University of Florida named its law school after Levin in 1999 after he gave $10 million to the school where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1958 and his law degree in 1961.

Levin was investigated by the Florida Bar on four separate occasions for making controversial remarks in public. One investigation in 1990 led to a public reprimand from the bar over his criticism of law enforcement prosecuting gambling crimes.

University of Memphis' first Black professor dies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. | Miriam DeCosta-Willis, the University of Memphis' first Black professor and a participant in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, has died, the school said. She was 86.

DeCosta-Willis died Thursday at home, surrounded by family, the university said in a statement. A cause of death wasn't released.

DeCosta-Willis was denied entrance to what was then Memphis State University in 1957, but she went on to graduate from Johns Hopkins University with a master's degree and a doctorate.

She later became the first Black professor at Memphis State University in 1966 as a Spanish teacher.

DeCosta-Willis participated in the Montgomery bus boycott, helped lead a boycott of Memphis Public Schools and joined protest marches in Washington, the university said. She also wrote or edited 15 books.

DeCosta-Willis also worked at Howard University, George Mason University, and University of Maryland, Baltimore.

The University of Memphis dedicated a historical marker to her in December.

David Barclay, billionaire twin Telegraph owner, dies at 86

LONDON | David Barclay, one of the billionaire identical twins whose business empire includes Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, has died, the newspaper said Wednesday. He was 86.

The Telegraph said he died Sunday after a short illness.

Born in London in 1934, sons of a traveling salesman, David and his twin Frederick Barclay left school aged 14. They began their working lives as painter-decorators before moving into property and hotels — including London's iconic Ritz, which they owned from 1995 until 2020 — as well as shipping, breweries, retail and newspapers.

They owned weekly newspaper The European from 1992 until it closed in 1998, owned The Scotsman from 1995 to 2005 and bought the Telegraph Media Group, publisher of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, from Canadian mogul Conrad Black's Hollinger International in 2004.

The Daily Telegraph said the brothers had "operated as one" throughout their business career, while steadfastly avoiding personal publicity and media scrutiny.

They had a rare foray into the headlines last year when a family legal dispute produced allegations that David's sons had bugged the conservatory of the Ritz to eavesdrop on Frederick.

Frederick Barclay said he and his brother were "twins from the beginning until the end."

"He was the right hand to my left and I was his left hand to his right," he said in a statement. "We'll meet again."

Barbara O'Malley, Martin O'Malley's mother, dies at 93

BALTIMORE | Barbara A. O'Malley, the mother of former presidential candidate and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and a longtime staffer for former Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski known around Capitol Hill as "Mrs. O," has died. She was 93.

O'Malley died last Wednesday at a nursing home in Timonium, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, The Baltimore Sun reported. Martin O'Malley told the newspaper she died from complications of old age.

"I was glad that she didn't live to see her beloved Capitol stormed, a place she loved so dearly," he said. "She also wanted to live long enough so that she could vote for Biden and see Trump defeated, and she was able to do that."

O'Malley, whose maiden name is Barbara Ann Suelzer, was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She followed in the footsteps of her father -- who served as the chair of the Democratic Party in Indiana's Allen County — with her love for politics, working in a congressional campaign before she was even able to vote.

O'Malley's husband died in 2006. She is survived by three other sons, Patrick, Peter and Paul; two daughters, Bridget Hunter and Eileen Schempp; 15 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

A funeral Mass service will be held Thursday morning at a church in Baltimore.

Guy Coates, longtime AP reporter in Louisiana, dies at 80

NEW ORLEANS | Guy Coates, a former Associated Press correspondent who covered Gulf Coast hurricanes and civil rights, dodged gunfire during a New Orleans sniper's shooting spree and chronicled the tumult of politics in his native Louisiana for four decades, died late Tuesday. He was 80.

His wife Jonica said Wednesday that he died at their Baton Rouge home of natural causes.

A graduate of Northeast Louisiana University in his hometown of Monroe, Coates worked stints at the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times; The Times of Shreveport; KNOE-TV in Monroe; and KSLA-TV in Shreveport. He joined The AP in New Orleans in 1968, where assignments could be mundane — hours on the broadcast rewrite desk — or dangerous.

"He and I almost died together in a near mid-air plane collision during the 1971 campaign," former four-term Gov. Edwin Edwards said Wednesday in a statement issued through his biographer, Leo Honeycutt. "We laughed about that but much later," he added, recalling the close call came shortly after takeoff from Natchitoches, Louisiana, during his first campaign for governor.

Besides his wife, Coates is survived by one son, three daughters and four grandchildren. No funeral service is planned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kathleen Heddle, Canadian Olympic rowing champ, dies at 55

VANCOUVER, British Columbia | Kathleen Heddle, a three-time Olympic rowing champion for Canada, has died. She was 55.

She died Monday at home in Vancouver, Rowing Canada said Wednesday in a statement on behalf of her family. Heddle had breast and lymph-node cancer followed by melanoma and brain cancer for six years.

Heddle and Marnie McBean won Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996 in the coxless pair and double sculls. Heddle also earned gold in the women's eight in 1992. Heddle and McBean carried Canada's flag at the closing ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Games.

"I am crushed and without words today at this loss," McBean wrote in a social media post. "Too soon."

Heddle and McBean are the only Canadian athletes to win three gold medals in the Summer Olympics. They also claimed gold in the coxless pair at the 1991 and 1995 world championships.

Heddle and McBean were inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Tricia Smith, the Canadian Olympic Committee president and a former Olympic rower, was Heddle's friend.

"Kathleen was the greatest of Olympians in every sense of the word and a rock for all who knew her," Smith said in a statement. "A proud Canadian of such depth of character, she approached everything she did with integrity and grace."

Heddle is survived by her husband, Mike, and children Lyndsey and Mac.

Doctor who backed Trump's health boasts dies at age 73

NEW YORK | Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, the physician who once declared that Donald Trump would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency," died Jan. 8. He was 73.

Bornstein's death was announced Thursday in a paid notice in The New York Times. The cause and location of his death were not disclosed.

A poet and gastroenterologist, Bornstein treated Trump for decades, once telling an interviewer, "I like Donald Trump because I think he likes me."

The unconventional Bornstein, known for his shoulder-length hair, drew media attention in late December 2015 when he released a letter saying that Trump, a devout fan of fast food who by his own proclamation does not vigorously exercise, would "unequivocally" be the healthiest president in history. He further deemed the celebrity businessman's condition "astonishingly excellent."

Bornstein later revealed that Trump himself had dictated the glowing assessment, calling it "black humor" and admitting he had written it in five minutes while a limo sent by the then-candidate waited outside his office.

"I just made it up as I went along," he told CNN in 2018. "It's like the movie 'Fargo': It takes the truth and moves it in a different direction."

He's survived by his wife, Melissa, and five children, according to the notice.

"Dr. Bornstein devoted his life to the practice of medicine, which he regarded as a sacred privilege," the death notice says. "His devotion to his patients was unparalleled and he continued a traditional style of personal medicine, making house calls and holding the hands of those in need until the end."

Siegfried Fischbacher, of illusion duo Siegfried & Roy, dies

LAS VEGAS | Siegfried Fischbacher, namesake partner in the iconic entertainment duo Siegfried & Roy, has died in Las Vegas at age 81.

Fischbacher died Wednesday at his home from pancreatic cancer, said publicist Dave Kirvin of Kirvin Doak Communications. The news was first reported by German news agency dpa.

Fischbacher's long-time partner on and off the Las Vegas Strip, Roy Horn, died last year at a Las Vegas hospital of complications from COVID-19. He was 75.

The duo astonished millions with their extraordinary magic tricks until Horn was critically injured in 2003 by one of the act's famed white tigers.

In a statement announcing Horn's death in May, Fischbacher said, "From the moment we met, I knew Roy and I, together, would change the world. There could be no Siegfried without Roy, and no Roy without Siegfried."

Joanne Rogers, widow of TV's famed Mister Rogers, dies at 92

Joanne Rogers, an an accomplished concert pianist who celebrated and protected the legacy of her husband, the beloved children's TV host Mister Rogers, has died in Pittsburgh. She was 92.

Rogers died Thursday, according to the Fred Rogers Center. No cause of death was given. The center called her "a joyful and tender-hearted spirit, whose heart and wisdom have guided our work in service of Fred's enduring legacy."

Joanne and Fred Rogers were married for more than 50 years, spanning the launch and end of the low-key, low-tech "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which presented Fred Rogers as one adult in a busy world who always had time to listen to children. His pull as America's favorite neighbor never seemed to wane before his death in 2003.

"I can't think of a time when we've needed him so much," Joanne Rogers told The Associated Press in 2018. "I think his work is just as timely now as it was when it came out, frankly."

Born Sara Joanne Byrd in 1928, Joanne Rogers met her future husband at Rollins College in Florida. After Fred Rogers' death, she helped develop the Fred Rogers Center Center for Early Learning and Children's Media at St. Vincent College in his hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

"Joanne and Fred were Pennsylvania treasures committed to improving our communities and the lives of our children. We will never forget their legacy of kindness," Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement.

She is survived by two sons, James Byrd Rogers and John Rogers.

Noted character actor Peter Mark Richman dies at 93

LOS ANGELES | Peter Mark Richman, a character actor who appeared in hundreds of television episodes and had recurring roles on "Three's Company" and "Beverly Hills 90210," has died. He was 93.

Richman died Thursday at his home in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Harlan Boll announced.

Born in Philadelphia, Richman was a pharmacist but turned to acting. He joined the Actors Studio and in 1953 he starred on stage in the play "End as a Man." He appeared on Broadway in "A Hatful of Rain" and "Masquerade." He also portrayed Jerry in more than 400 New York performances of Edward Albee's "The Zoo Story," Boll said.

His moves included 1958's "The Black Orchid" with Sophia Loren, "The Strange One," "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear" and "Friday the 13th, Part 8."

Bu he was best known for his TV work, appearing in more than 500 episodes of various shows over a decades-long career, from "Bonanza" and "The Fugitive" to "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

In 1990, he received the Silver Medallion from the Motion Picture & Television Fund for outstanding humanitarian achievement.

Richman is survived by his wife, Helen, five children and six grandchildren.

Philip J. Smith, who led Shubert Organization, dies at 89

NEW YORK | Philip J. Smith, who rose from box office treasurer at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway to chairman and co-CEO of the theatrical giant Shubert Organization, has died from complications from COVID-19, according to his daughters. He was 89.

In a career that spanned 63 years, Smith worked in every department of the Shubert Organization and was named general manager of all Shubert Theatres in 1964. The Shubert Organization owns and operates 17 Broadway theatres and six off-Broadway venues.

Smith "influenced every aspect of the professional theater and earned the respect and admiration of everyone from the stage doormen to the greatest performers and creative talents of our time," Robert E. Wankel, chairman and CEO of The Shubert Organization, said in a statement.

He is survived by his daughters, Linda and Jennifer.

Dorothy Schmidt Cole, oldest living Marine, dies at 107

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. | Dorothy Schmidt Cole, recognized last year as the oldest living U.S. Marine, has died at age 107.

Beth Kluttz, Cole's only child, confirmed Friday that her mother died of a heart attack at Kluttz's home in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on Jan. 7.

The Charlotte Observer reports Cole enlisted as one of the earliest female Marine reservists following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She had left her Ohio home to head to Pittsburgh, where she hoped to volunteer for the Navy, but because she was only 4 feet, 11 inches tall, she was deemed too short to meet Navy standards.

Undaunted by her rejection, Cole decided to learn how to fly an airplane and persuade the Marine Corps to let her be a pilot.

In July 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Marine Corps Women's Reserve into law, giving women the chance to fill positions left open by men headed to combat. The Corps delayed formation of the branch until February 1943, and Cole enlisted five months later at age 29, becoming one of the earliest volunteers for the branch.

Despite putting in 200 hours in the cockpit of a Piper Cub, Cole completed six weeks of boot camp at Camp Lejeune with the Women's Reserve's First Battalion and wound up "behind a typewriter instead of an airplane."

Cole's husband, Wiley, was in the Navy and served on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, which sailed in both the Pacific Theater and the Solomon Islands campaign during World War II before it was torpedoed and sunk in October 1942.

Cole moved to San Francisco after the war to be with Wiley. They married and had their only child in 1953. The couple were both hired by the Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley in California before Wiley Cole died of a heart attack in 1955.

Kluttz moved from California to North Carolina in 1976 and Cole followed her to the area around 1979.

Former Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller dies

ANNAPOLIS, Md. | Thomas V. Mike Miller, a major force in Maryland politics for decades and the nation's longest-serving state Senate president, has died, his family said. He was 78.

A Democrat, he was first elected Maryland Senate president in 1987. He stepped down from the leadership position in 2019 as he battled Stage 4 prostate cancer and resigned from his Senate seat in December.

In a nod to Miller's stature, one of the Senate's office buildings already carried his name when he wasn't even halfway through his unprecedented tenure.

"It is impossible to think of the Maryland Senate and not think of Mike —- not just because of his historical longevity -- but because each member of the Senate has his or her own Mike story," said Senate President Bill Ferguson, Miller's successor. "Whether it's the senator who he quietly consoled through family matters, the senator who he mentored to compromise and pass legislation, or those who experienced the personal care of Mike to truly listen to their concerns."

Miller could be a heavyweight political brawler and power broker who knew how to play well to the crowd. He once declared at a 2006 luncheon with fellow Democrats that they would put Republicans "in the ground" in the upcoming election.

Miller kept a keen eye on politics statewide, particularly state Senate races. He regularly presided over a strong Democratic majority in the chamber in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.