Skip to contentSkip to site index

Obituaries

Highlights

  3. Lillian Schwartz, Pioneer in Computer-Generated Art, Dies at 97

    Early in the digital era, she worked at Bell Labs on the intersection of art and technology, making films and at one point arriving at a novel theory about the “Mona Lisa.”

     By Chris Kornelis

    Ms. Schwartz at work at Bell Labs in about 1975. Her collaborators there included computer engineers and program designers.
    Creditvia the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of the Lillian F. Schwartz & Laurens R. Schwartz Collection

  1. Abdul Salaam, Quiet Member of the Jets’ ‘Sack Exchange,’ Dies at 71

    A defensive tackle, he teamed with Joe Klecko, Mark Gastineau and Marty Lyons in the 1980s on a line that terrorized quarterbacks.

     By Richard Sandomir

    Abdul Salaam of the Jets during a game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1981. His defensive play, along with that of three teammates, represented a high point in the Jets’ fraught history.
    CreditGeorge Gojkovich/Getty Images

  2. Allan Blye, 87, Dies; ‘Smothers Brothers’ Writer and ‘Super Dave’ Creator

    In his wide-ranging career, he also helped write Elvis Presley’s comeback special and appeared on an early version of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

     By Richard Sandomir

    Allan Blye in an undated photo. His long career as a writer and producer included associations with the Smothers Brothers, Elvis Presley and Sonny & Cher.
    Creditvia Blye family

  3. David Garrard Lowe, Defender of Historic Architecture, Dies at 91

    For over 50 years, as a historian, lecturer and author, he fought to protect Beaux-Arts buildings in New York and Chicago from falling to the developer’s wrecking ball.

     By Clay Risen

    The architectural historian David Garrard Lowe on the steps of the Frank F. Fisher Apartments in Chicago. He grew dismayed that architecture that spoke to the grandeur of urban life in both Chicago and New York was coming down.
    Creditvia Lowe family

  4. Joseph H. Reich, Charter School Pioneer, Dies at 89

    When he and his wife opened the Beginning With Children school in Brooklyn to offer more educational opportunities to children, they set off a national trend.

     By Trip Gabriel

    Joseph H. Reich and his wife, Carol, in 1990 in front the donated building in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn that two years later would become Beginning With Children, one of New York City’s first independently run public schools.
    CreditDith Pran/The New York Times

  5. Ethel Kennedy, Passionate Supporter of the Family Legacy, Dies at 96

    She never remarried after the assassination of her husband, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and she devoted herself to working on behalf of the causes he had championed.

     By Douglas Martin

    Ethel Kennedy campaigning with her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, in 1968. Her passion for politics was so consuming that she was often said to be “more Kennedy than the Kennedys.”
    CreditGeorge Tames/The New York Times

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Overlooked

More in Overlooked ›

  1. Overlooked No More: Mariama Bâ, Voice of African Feminism

    She became a literary star in Senegal with novels that addressed women’s issues as the country, newly free from French colonial rule, was discovering its identity.

     By Steven Moity

    Mariama Bâ in 1980. Her literary career was cut short when she died the next year at 52.
    CreditJörg Schmitt/picture alliance, via Getty Images

  2. Overlooked No More: Ellen Armstrong, ‘Marvelous, Mystifying’ Magician of Mirth

    Carrying on a family tradition, she brought her singular act, full of illusion and humor, to Black audiences in the segregated South and on up to Philadelphia.

     By Vanessa Armstrong

    Ellen Armstrong as a teenager in a costume she would typically wear while performing.
    Creditvia Michael Claxton Collection

  3. Overlooked No More: Gwendolyn B. Bennett, Harlem Renaissance Star Plagued by Misfortune

    She was a talented young poet and artist who was central to a fledgling cultural movement, but her life was shrouded by one tragedy after another.

     By Dan Saltzstein

    Gwendolyn Bennett was one of the earliest Black artists of the Harlem Renaissance movement to put race at the forefront of her work.
    CreditSchomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library

  4. Overlooked No More: Mabel Addis, Who Pioneered Storytelling in Video Gaming

    She was a teacher when she participated in an educational experiment with IBM. As a result, she became the first female video game designer.

     By Anna Diamond

    Mabel Addis, at the keyboard, in 1964 with students. Her Sumerian Game taught the basics of economic theory.
    CreditR.W. Burghardt/IBM, via Devin Monnens

  5. Overlooked No More: Renee Carroll, ‘World’s Most Famous Hatcheck Girl’

    From the cloakroom at Sardi’s, she made her own mark on Broadway, hobnobbing with celebrity clients while safekeeping fedoras, bowlers, derbies and more.

     By Julie Besonen

    Renee Carroll in the 1940s. She worked at Sardi’s for 24 years, beginning on the day it opened in 1927.
    Credit
  1.  

  2. Ethel Kennedy: A Life in Pictures

    Her life took a tragic turn when her husband, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated, but she continued to engage in social advocacy and was recognized for her devotion to her family and nation.

    By The New York Times

     
  3.  
  4.  
  5.  
  6.  
  7.  
  8.  
  9.  
  10.  
Page 1 of 10

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT