Obituaries of note

PAULA DANZIGER, 59, an award-winning children's author best known for her classic The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and the Amber Brown book series, died Thursday after suffering complications from a heart attack in New York. Danziger published more than 30 books, becoming one of America's most popular authors for young adults. Her works were translated into dozens of languages, bringing her signature style of humor and honesty to readers around the world.

ROBERT BURCHFIELD, 81, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionaries from 1971 to 1984, died Monday in Oxfordshire, central England, Oxford University Press said. Interested in all brands of English, he included in the dictionaries words from North America, Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan and the Caribbean, as well as his native land, New Zealand. He went to court to defend the OED's right to include derogatory terms, arguing that a dictionary describes language as it is, not as readers would like it to be.

BILL WOHLFORD, 59, who helped engineer Bob Dole's 1974 re-election to the U.S. Senate, died July 3 of skin cancer. Raised in Geneseo, Kan., Mr. Wohlford attended the University of Kansas and played football, being selected twice for the All-Big Eight team. After getting his law degree, he worked with Dole's re-election campaign. Three years later, he returned to Kansas and became chief counsel for Slawson Cos., an oil, gas and real estate business based in Wichita. He worked there 26 years.

JOHN CULLEN MURPHY, 85, the illustrator best known for the Prince Valiant cartoon strip for more than three decades, died July 2 in Greenwich, Conn., his son said. He drew Prince Valiant until a few months before his death. He retired in March, turning his strip over to his chosen successor, illustrator Gary Gianni of Chicago. Prince Valiant continues to appear weekly in more than 300 newspapers nationwide, including the St. Petersburg Times, according to Rose McAllister of King Features Syndicate, distributor of the strip.

CHARLES E. ANDREWS, 88, a writer at the dawn of television who helped create an informal, intimate approach to programming for Dave Garroway, Studs Terkel and other early stars, died July 2 in New York City. He helped originate what has become known as the Chicago school of television. He wrote just an outline of the plot for a show and actors then made up their own lines. The closing credits read: "Dialogue by the Cast."

NIKOS KESSANLIS, 74, one of Greece's foremost contemporary artists, died Sunday in Athens, state media reported. A former dean of the Athens School of Fine Arts, he was best known for blending photography and painting. He lived in Rome in the late 1950s and then worked in Paris during the 1960s, returning to Greece in 1980.

SYREETA WRIGHT, 58, a Motown recording artist who collaborated with her ex-husband, Stevie Wonder, in writing several hits, including Signed, Sealed, Delivered and If You Really Love Me, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. She had breast cancer.

HUGH SHEARER, 81, a prime minister of Jamaica from 1967 to 1972, in the early stages of the country's independence, died Monday in Kingston. He succeeded Donald Sangster, who died in office, to become prime minister five years after Jamaica gained independence from Britain. Many credited him with overseeing one of Jamaica's most stable economic periods.

CHARLES VINCENT CORRADO, 64, the longest-serving musician in the U.S. Marine Band who played keyboard for 10 presidents, died June 26 in Potomac, Md., next to his black baby grand piano and surrounded by photographs of his performances for world leaders. He died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis less than a year after retiring as the longest active-duty enlisted man in the history of the Marine Corps. He had served 45 years, 41 of them at the White House. At President Bush's inauguration in 2000, former President George Bush spotted Mr. Corrado at the piano and called out: "Charlie! Are you still here?"

ANDRIAN NIKOLAYEV, 74, an astronaut whose 1962 flight into space set an endurance record at the time, died July 3 after a heart attack in Cheboksary, the Interfax news agency reported. He became Russia's third astronaut to travel into space when he and Pavel Popovich were launched in separate crafts in August 1962. The pair made the first simultaneous flights, and Mr. Nikolayev set a separate endurance record, circling the Earth 64 times in 96 hours.

C.J. HART, 93, who helped create the country's first commercial drag strip, died June 25 in Placentia, Calif., his son said. He and two partners ran the strip in 1950 on a runway at the Orange County Airport, according to the National Hot Rod Association.

HUGH BARNETT CAVE, 93, an English-born American writer who started turning out pulp fiction at 18 and kept it up for 75 years, died June 27 in Vero Beach. His death was announced by Milt Thomas, whose biography, Cave of a Thousand Tales, appeared this spring. Mr. Cave's latest novel, The Mountains of Madness, came out two months ago, and another book is ready for publication next year. He produced at least 1,000 pieces of fiction and they sold well.

PETER BARNES, 73, the British playwright, screenwriter and director best known for The Ruling Class, his satirical 1968 play that attacked the church and British aristocracy, died July 1 in London. The 1972 movie version of the black comedy about the heir to a British lordship who thinks he's Jesus Christ earned Peter O'Toole an Academy Award nomination.

JOHN W. "JACK" LUNDY, 95, a lumber company owner who agreed to pay $30 in 1939 to sponsor one of the first three Little League teams, died June 26 in Williamsport, Pa. In its opening day, the Lundy Lumber team defeated Lycoming Dairy 23-8 on June 6, 1939. He remained active in the league for more than half a century, retiring from Little League's international board of directors in 2000.

MILDRED HASTINGS, 82, the mother and political adviser of U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, died June 24 in Plantation, her family said. Her son was Florida's first black U.S. district judge. When he was impeached on bribery allegations, his mother testified during his criminal trial. He was acquitted in 1983.

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