 The year 2004 is another busy one at Henkels & McCoy. Below are some of the highlights, catalogued by Line of Business.
POWER
Significant achievements in Power work include the successful, on-budget completion of the Grand Coulee-Bell transmission project in the Pacific Northwest (right). Over 84 miles of 500kV transmission line is built, installed and energized for Bonneville Power Authority (BPA) a federally funded energy company, relieving a major electrical bottleneck between Spokane and Grand Coulee Dam and points west… In California, H&M is awarded a four-year contract with Southern California Edison (SCE) performing power distribution work in two regions in and around the metropolitan Los Angeles area… Meanwhile in the Midwest, Henkels & McCoy signs a three-year contract with ComEd-Exelon performing URD and conventional distribution work in the Chicago market… Power work in the South includes ongoing work for Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), upgrading substations and performing routine maintenance in Tennessee and…  We are also kept busy by Southern Company and Alabama Power, having been awarded a multi-year contract upgrading substations… In late summer Henkels & McCoy dispatches approximately 200 Central Region and Eastern Region power workers to help restore power and communications in Florida and Alabama, following a series of record hurricane strikes and devastation in the southern states. Our crews travel to Dixie from as far as Pennsylvania and Indiana to assist H&M personnel permanently based there. In total, Henkels & McCoy people make four separate trips to these states. Local residents give the company a big "thumbs up" for keeping on the job until the lights come back on… Henkels & McCoy joins with other contractors and industry groups as a founding member of the OSHA ET&D Safety Partnership, a group committed to developing "Best Practices" and training programs specifically targeting the T&D industry. Henkels & McCoy is a signatory to the original agreement and serves as a proud Charter Member of the OSHA ET&D Safety Partnership.
COMMUNICATIONS
The Communications industry experiences a great turnaround, with significant growth in fiber-to-the-home in a number of US markets… We are able to retain existing yearly unit contracts with traditional customers such as Citizens (New York), Commonwealth (Pennsylvania) and Verizon in Pennsylvania and Maryland and expand into other Verizon areas... We are awarded a portion of the first phase of the Empire State Independent Fiber Network, a project linking multiple New York State Independent Telephone Companies. Our portion of the project is 30 miles of aerial fiber optic cable construction and eight miles of buried. The job is suspended due to weather, but restarts in the spring and is completed prior to the release of the second phase of construction in 2005. Member companies in the consortium are spread from the Hudson River to the Finger Lakes so that coordination in the movement of manpower, equipment and material is a major challenge… Henkels & McCoy is awarded Fiber to the Home work in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The project consists of placing innerduct underground, primarily in upscale housing developments, for the future placement of fiber optic cable to the home. We place nearly 500,000 feet of innerduct, passing approximately 5,000 homes. The major challenge in the project is avoiding the multitude of existing underground facilities as well as satisfying property owners with the restoration of lawns. Scheduling for this work is extremely aggressive, requiring substantial manpower and related supervision… Henkels & McCoy continues to bid Government projects around the country. We are awarded a major outside plant upgrade for Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania. The project consists of placement of conduit systems, manholes and copper and fiber optic cable, as well as their splicing, termination and testing. More than 75 manholes and over 30,000 lineal feet of multiple conduits are placed. In addition, we splice and test over 56,000 copper cable pairs and 2,000 strands of fiber optic cable. Henkels & McCoy is also awarded a similar project at Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in suburban Harrisburg… For a Nuclear Power Plant in the Northeast, H&M provides a security system using fiber optic cable for cameras and as motion detectors in fencing, leading the company to hope that the project's success will bring similar projects in other strategic or sensitive facilities… Henkels & McCoy is awarded a  22-mile long-haul project, in the rugged, mountainous area of western Maryland, the first project of this type in several years. The job is unique in that portions of it require the removal of abandoned lead cable so that innerduct can be placed. The rocky terrain requires the use of specialized equipment such as rock saws, and air systems on the horizontal directional drills to make the operation environmentally friendly. The project consists of direct burying innerduct and pulling the fiber optic cable into the duct… Other Communications work for H&M includes the use of our Railroad Mounted Cable Plow (shown right) in northern Canada for the Canadian National railroad… In Kentucky, Henkels & McCoy’s Central Region, using the resident engineering firm Telplexus of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is awarded a fiber-to-the-home project by Foothill Rural Telephone Company of Salyersville. This project, making high-speed voice, video and data capabilities available to subscribers, is one of six to be built over the next few years. It consists of 103 miles of fiber optic cable and is mainly aerial construction due to the topology/terrain of the area. As H&M passes a residence or business, a drop and Network Interface Device (NID) is placed and the drop terminated. When the subscriber purchases the new services, an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) is installed replacing the NID.
NETWORK CABLING SOLUTIONS
The Network Systems and Solutions Division (NSS) continues its support of General Dynamics in the re-wiring of the Pentagon, headquarters for the Department of Defense. H&M's work is part of a 10-year effort to upgrade, refurbish and modernize voice and data connectivity in the Pentagon infrastructure... The National Accounts (NA) arm of H&M continues to service insurance agents nationwide, operating as a key vendor for State Farm's corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. The H&M/State Farm relationship moves into its sixth year... The NA team also supports AT&T Solutions in providing cabling services to Honeywell, among other key customers. The highlight of 2004, with respect to AT&T Solutions, is an extensive inside-plant/outside-plant project designed and completed at Honeywell's Torrance, California location late in the year. H&M also performs routine break-fix services to Honeywell locations nationwide... Providing service and supporting major installations for Fuji Camera, Circuit City Stores, Blockbuster Video and a long list of other customers is now part of the NA team's day-to-day routine… NSS offices in other parts of the nation continue to support the information technology needs of Clayton County, Georgia, Dow Chemical in Michigan, and Mitsubishi Corporation in Texas, and many others.
 The Year 2004 is also a tumultuous one on the world stage. The war in Iraq, though strategically completed continues to dominate headlines, with insurgents and foreign fighters in bitter firefights against US and allied soldiers. There will be continued roadside bombs, suicide bombings, murders, televised beheadings and kidnappings of ordinary Iraqi people as well as soldiers, contractors and even humanitarians. There will also be allegations of torture in Iraq and Guantanamo and photos of prisoner abuse. Terms such as Abu Ghraib, Back Door Draft and Stop Loss become part of the American lexicon. The death toll in Iraq will continue to rise. Color-coded "Terror Alerts" appear sporadically and the 9/11 Commission listens to evidence and makes its report. Terrorists strike in Madrid, Spain, killing hundreds of commuters in multiple train bombings. Iraqi sovereignty will be handed back to Iraqis. The first-ever free national elections will be scheduled for Afghanistan. A US Presidential election will also be held this year.
 January 3
Rover lands on Mars (left) and sends back pictures of the planet's surface to Earth. A second Rover, named Opportunity, will land on Mars on January 29.
January 4
Afghan leaders approve new constitution, grant equal rights to women, establish an elective political system and rename that country the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
January 14
President George W. Bush announces plans to send American astronauts back to the moon by 2020.
 January 15-16
At the age of 14, golf prodigy Michelle Wie (right) becomes the youngest woman (and only the fourth overall) to play at a PGA TOUR event, shooting 72-68 (even par) at the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in her hometown of Honolulu. She missed the cut by one stroke.
January 19
Democratic Presidential contender senator John Kerry of Massachusetts wins in the Iowa caucuses, coming from behind and displacing Vermont Governor Dr. Howard Dean, who finishes third (behind Senator John Edwards of South Carolina).
January 26
A so-called Worm virus, called My Doom or Novarg, spreads through Internet servers around the world, infecting one in every twelve e-mail messages.
February 1
In the 38th annual Super Bowl contest the New England Patriots defeat newbies Carolina Panthers 32-29 in Houston, Texas.
 February 3
Senator John Kerry wins primaries in Missouri, Delaware, Arizona, New Mexico, and North Dakota. Connecticut Senator and 2000 VP hopeful Joe Lieberman drops out of the race. On the terror front the deadly poison ricin is found in the DC office of Senate majority leader Bill Frist.
February 12
South Korean scientists say they have created 30 human embryos through cloning and have removed embryonic stem cells from them.
February 15
In NASCAR action, the Daytona 500 is won by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (shown left)
February 22
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader announces his candidacy for US President running as an independent.
 February 29
It's Oscar Night and the Hobbit and pals win in every category nominated for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The list of awards include Best Picture, Best Director (Peter Jackson), Best Costumes, Art Direction, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Sound, Visual Effects, Makeup, Original Score, and Original Song (Into The West). Some of the remaining awards went to…Best Animated Picture: Finding Nemo (Pixar/Walt Disney).... Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn, for Mystic River ...Actress in a Leading Role: Charlize Theron, for Monster... Actor in a Supporting Role: Tim Robbins, for Mystic River... Actress in a Supporting Role: Renee Zellweger (right), for Cold Mountain... Cinematography: Master and Commander/The Far Side of the World... Best Original Screenplay: Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation. Honorary Award: to Blake Edwards, creator of the Pink Panther series.
March 2
NASA 's robot explorer Opportunity detects positive signs that water once covered a small crater on Mars.
 March 9 - 10
Convicted DC Sniper John Muhammad is sentenced to death for his role in the 2002 shootings in the Washington, DC area. His young accomplice Lee Malvo is sentenced to life without parole.
March 11
Ten bombs detonate on four commuter trains in Madrid, Spain during morning rush hours, causing the deaths of over 200 and wounding 1,400.
March 15
NASA scientists report the discovery of a distant "planetoid" object within our solar system. The object will be called Sedna.
March 19
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu are shot by would-be assassins on the eve of national elections. Neither sustain life-threatening injuries. Chen will be reelected, in a tight race winning by 50.1% to 49.9%.
March 22
Israeli forces kill Hamas founder and leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and seven others in a missile attack in Gaza City. Hamas appoints a new leader, Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi as its leader in the Gaza Strip the following day. He will likewise be assassinated by Israel.
 March 23 -24
Medicare Board reports that the Medicare trust fund may run out of money within 15 years because of rising prices and the cost of new Medicare law.
March 25
Tony Blair meets Muammar Qaddafi in Libya (left), ending nearly 30 years of diplomatic isolation after the Libyan leader renounced its nuclear weapons program in December 2003 and promised to battle terrorism. Libya had been linked to a terrorist bombing of PanAm Flight 103 which crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland killing 259 aboard and 11 villagers on December 21, 1988.
March 29
NATO welcomes former adversaries and Warsaw Pact members Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia into that mutual defense organization. Also today: Massachusetts Legislature votes 105-92, in favor of an amendment to create civil unions and bar same-sex marriage.
March 31
Fifty nations pledge $4.4 billion in aid to Afghanistan in the form of grants and loans. The US pledges over half of the total amount.
April 2
The US Labor Department reports the addition of 308,000 jobs in March. Also today: Fourteen twisters rip through Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, killing at least eight people.
April 5
In NCAA Men's Basketball Championship action the UConn Huskies win 82-73 over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
April 13
Another member of the Nuke Club: Pakistani scientist reports that North Korea has a nuclear weapon.
April 18
Fulfilling a campaign promise, the newly sworn-in Spanish premier orders Spain's soldiers withdrawn from Iraq. Leaders of Honduras and Dominican Republic also announce plans to withdraw troops.
April 21
Five coordinated car bomb suicide attacks kill 68 people in Basra, in southern Iraq.
April 30
California state officials prohibit use in the November election of 14,000 electronic voting machines manufactured by Diebold Corporation.
May 1
Wonder horse Smarty Jones (right) wins the Kentucky Derby.
May 5
An early Pablo Picasso painting, Boy with a Pipe goes for $104.1 million at a Sotheby’s auction in London.
May 15
Smarty Jones wins the Preakness Stakes by a record margin of 11-1/2 lengths. Also this day: London’s Arsenal football team (that’s soccer to Yanks) complete their last game of the Premier League season with a victory, becoming the first team to go unbeaten for a whole season in the top division of English football since Preston North End in 1889.
May 16
Changes in US AIDS drug policy allows poor countries in Africa and the Caribbean access to lower cost generic antiretroviral drugs.
 May 22
Hello Hello We Are The Busby Boys! Manchester United (left) win their record 11th Football Association Cup, defeating London’s Millwall team 3-0.
May 23
At least five people are killed at a new terminal in Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris when a section of the curved roof collapses. Faulty construction is blamed for the tragedy.
May 26
Floods caused by heavy rains in the island of Haiti and Dominican Republic kill at least 1,950 people. Also this day: Oklahoma City bombing accomplice Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 counts of first-degree murder in state court. He had been earlier convicted in federal court.
 May 27
Cervical, kidney, pancreatic, and stomach cancers join the list of cancers (in addition to lung cancer and heart disease) related to cigarette smoking and tobacco, according to the new US Surgeon General report.
May 29
The National World War II Memorial is finally dedicated. About 200,000 people, including almost 100,000 veterans, attend the Washington, DC ceremony.
May 30
The Indianapolis 500 is won by Buddy Rice.
 June 2
In a controversial move, the US military extends tours for active and reserve troops.
June 5
Former President Ronald Wilson Reagan (left) dies following a long, dark battle with Alzheimers Disease.
June 5
Birdstone wins the Belmont Stakes, denying the Triple Crown to Smarty Jones. In the NBA Finals the Detroit Pistons defeat the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 1.
June 6
World leaders and former allies and foes gather at Normandy, France to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Allied landings. Aged Germans and Frenchmen and British and Americans and Belgians and others  gather once more, perhaps for the last time, to remember their young and fallen comrades and to privately contemplate the utter waste and futility of war.
June 7
Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Calgary Flames 4 games to 3 to win the Stanley Cup.
June 11
After a week-long series of tributes, "the Gipper's" mortal remains are laid to rest at sunset in his beloved California on the grounds of his Presidential library. An extensive state funeral -- designed by Reagan himself - is held in Washington, DC. The ceremony is attended by world leaders, and friends and former adversaries alike. Notable is the presence of former Soviet leader and arch-rival Mikhail Gobachev, of whom in 1987 Reagan publicly demanded to "tear down this wall" separating East and West Berlin since 1961. The wall did come down, finally, in 1989.
June 21
Michael Melvil at the controls of Space Ship One enters outer space, and becomes the first person to do so in a privately developed craft.
June 28
In an unscheduled ceremony, designed to foil anticipated attempts by insurgents to mar the handover, the US administrator formally hands over the reigns of power to the government of Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi. The ceremony was supposed to be held on June 30.
June 29
Widely seen as a back door draft, the Pentagon announces it will call up 5,600 former soldiers for service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also today: Paul Martin is reelected Prime Minister in Canada, though his Liberal party loses its majority in the House of Commons.
July 4
During a symbolic ceremony at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, construction begins when the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is put into place.
 July 6
John Kerry names former primary opponent Senator John Edwards as his running mate (left).
July 15
In an alarming report by the UN Development Program, life expectancy is seen to drop below 40 in the AIDS-ravaged African countries of Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Zambia, Malawi, Central African Republic, and Mozambique.
July 20
Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, announces it will pay shareholders a total dividend payout of $32 billion.
July 26-29
Democratic National Convention held in Boston. Speakers include Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Rising star and shoo-in candidate for US Senate seat for Illinois Barack Obama delivers the keynote address. Ron Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan, urges voters to support stem-cell research.
July 30
The Bush White House projects a $445 billion deficit for the current fiscal year, representing 3.8% of Gross Domestic Product, the largest budget deficit amount in US history.
August 3
The Statue of Liberty reopens to the public for the first time since the September 11, 2001 attacks. However, visitors and tourists are not allowed to climb to the crown because of cited security concerns.
August 12
Storm Season Begins
Tropical storm Bonnie slams into the Florida Panhandle.
August 13
At least 13 people perish when Hurricane Charley rips into Florida's Gulf coast. Winds of 145 miles an hour are recorded.
August 13 - 29
Athens, Greece, scene of the first Games, hosts the XXVII games of the Modern Olympics. Despite sluggish ticket sales due to fear of terrorist strikes, the Games are a success. Over 10,000 athletes from 200 countries compete. The US will take 35 Gold, 39 Silver and 29 Bronze medals; China wins 32G, 17S and 14B; Russia is awarded 27G, 27S and 38B.
 August 22
Oh Nooooo! Edvard Munch paintings, "The Scream" (left) and "Madonna" are stolen from Oslo’s Munch Museum.
August 25
Two Russian Aeroflot passenger planes crash within minutes of each other, killing 90 people. Traces of explosives are found on the wrecked planes, indicating acts of terrorism.
August 26
Census Bureau reports that the US poverty rate increased to 12.5% in 2003, up from 12.1% in 2002. The rate of Americans living without health insurance increased to nearly 16% in 2003, from 14.2% in 2000.
August 26
United States wins the Olympic women's football (soccer) tournament, defeating Brazil 2-1 in extra time.
August 28
Argentina wins the Olympic men's football (soccer) tournament, defeating Paraguay 1-0.
August 30 - September 2
GOP Convention opens in New York City. Speakers include Rudolph Giuliani, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Laura Bush and Georgia Democrat Zell Miller. President George W. Bush accepts the nomination on September 2.
September 1
Armed Islamic terrorists, most of them Chechen, take about 1,200 schoolchildren, parents, and teachers hostage in Beslan, Russia on the first day of the school year. The standoff ends tragically two days later when the insurgents blow up the school's gymnasium where the hostages are kept prisoner. About 340 people are lost.
September 4
Hurricane Frances lumbers into Florida, causing about $40 billion in damage.
September 7
Former president Bill Clinton undergoes quadruple coronary bypass surgery to clear four blocked arteries. A full recovery is expected.
September 11
In New York City, solemn ceremonies at Ground Zero mark the third anniversary of the attacks. A replica of the Liberty Bell on a flatbed truck is parked on Church Street. Passersby are invited to toll the massive brass bell. Throughout the city, multiple free "September Concert" sites attract thousands in crowds who come out to celebrate Life in New York City. Entertainers donate their time and talent and include everything from Folk to Jazz to Rock to Rap and Hip Hop to poetry, juggling, acrobatics, street performance and spontaneous Samba lessons.
September 12
US Airways seeks bankruptcy protection for the second time.
September 13
A Federal law lapses which had banned 19 types of semiautomatic, assault-type weapons.
September 15
Hurricane Ivan slams into Alabama and Florida, creating tornadoes and killing about 100 people in the Caribbean and US and causing the evacuation of over two million people. Also this day: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says the war in Iraq is illegal and violates the UN charter.
September 20
Floods and mudslides caused by Tropical Storm (later Hurricane) Jeanne claim more than 550 people in Haiti.
 September 26
Hurricane Jeanne hits Florida, causing five deaths and severe flooding. Jeanne is Florida’s fourth hurricane of the season.
September 28
In an unusually happy ending to a far too familiar scenario, Italian aid workers Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, (right) both 29, are freed -- unharmed --three weeks after being kidnapped by armed men in Baghdad.
September 29
Major League Baseball announces the Montreal Expos will relocate to Washington, DC, for the 2005 season as the Nationals. It's the first Major League team to play in DC since the old Senators team was sold and became the Texas Rangers in 1971.
September 30
It's Round One as President George W. Bush and John Kerry square off for first of three presidential debates, discussing foreign policy and the war in Iraq.
October 1
Thar she blows…. again! The Washington volcano, Mount St. Helens erupts again after nearly two decades of dormancy. Thankfully, no deaths, damage, or injuries are reported this time.
October 5
Flu vaccine supply is declared contaminated, creating a shortage for the upcoming flu season. Also today: In the Veep-Stakes, incumbent Vice President Richard Cheney and challenger Senator John Edwards meet in their first and only debate.
October 8
Round Two: President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry participate in a town-hall-style debate, fielding questions from undecided voters.
October 14
Round Three: In their final encounter, the Presidential candidates debate domestic policies.
October 15
Director of the Malaria Vaccine Initiative says a new vaccine tested on children in Mozambique completely prevented disease in 30% of cases and prevented life-threatening illness 58% of the time.
October 19
Margaret Hassan, British-Iraqi director of CARE International, is abducted in Baghdad. It will later be reported that the Irish-born Hassan, married to an Iraqi national, was murdered.
October 25
The US Supreme Court announces that Chief Justice William Rehnquist is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer.
October 27
Bambino Curse Broken! The Boston Red Sox sweep the St. Louis Cardinals, four games to none, to win the World Series for the first time in 86 years. The once lowly Sox steamrolled over the erstwhile invincible New York Yankees in the American League pennant race.
October 28
It's a small world after all. Australian and Indonesian archaeologists unearth skeletons of three-foot-tall humans. Features include very long arms and grapefruit sized heads. The species, homo floresiensis, are believed to have disappeared 13,000 years ago, or less.
November 2
President George W. Bush is reelected in one of the most hard fought elections in recent history. President Bush also wins the popular vote by 3.5 million, (51% of all votes cast). Republicans also widen their margin in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Also this day: Sixty-nine percent of Californians vote in favor of a referendum to fund embryonic stem cell research.
 November 3
Hamid Karzai is declared the official winner in Afghanistan's October presidential election, taking 55.4% of the vote. He will be inaugurated on December 7.
November 11
Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat (left) dies in Paris, France following treatment for an undiagnosed stomach disorder. The PLO quickly elects former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas as its leader.
November 18
The $165 million Clinton Presidential Library opens in Little Rock, Arkansas.
 November 21
In Ukraine, presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko claims he was poisoned by state security officials at a private dinner at their headquarters after his body becomes horribly disfigured. Pictured at left before and after the poisoning.
December 3
Ukranian Supreme Court overturns disputed election results and orders a new runoff election to be held by December 26. Viktor Yushchenko will become the elected president.
December 7
Technology pioneer IBM sells its personal computer division to a Beijing, China company for $1.75 billion.
 December 26
In South Asia, an earthquake off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra with a Richter scale rating of 9.0 spawns huge tsunami waves striking coastal sections of Burma, India, Indonesia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Thailand and even reaches as far as Tanzania and Kenya. With no advance warning system in place, millions are exposed to the walls of water as they crash ashore. Estimates (early February 2005) place the dead and missing at over 250,000 persons, with millions more left homeless.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
www.redcross.org
www.unicefusa.org/tsunami
https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp
www.google.com/tsunami_relief
http://www.mercycorps.org/welcome/
That's Show Biz
Biggest Grossing Movie of 2004: Shrek 2 (US) $436,721,703.00
The EMMYS
Drama Series - The Sopranos (HBO)
Comedy Series - Arrested Development (FOX)
Miniseries - Angels in America (HBO)
Variety, Music or Comedy Series - The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (Comedy Central)
Made for TV Movie - Something the Lord Made (HBO)
Reality Competition Program - The Amazing Race (CBS)
Actor, Drama Series - James Spader - The Practice (ABC)
Actor, Comedy Series - Kelsey Grammer - Frasier (NBC)
Actor, Miniseries or Movie - Al Pacino - Angels in America (HBO)
Actress, Drama Series - Allison Janney - The West Wing (NBC)
Actress, Comedy Series - Sarah Jessica Parker - Sex and the City (HBO)
Actress, Miniseries or Movie - Meryl Streep - Angels in America (HBO)
Among the top 20 music albums for the year are:
1) OutKast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
2) Usher - Confessions
3) Alicia Keys - The Diary of Alicia Keys (Call her the Aretha Franklin of the New Millennium)
   
Left to right: Marlon Brando, Ray Charles, Alistair Cooke, Tony Randall
Deaths
We say goodbye to...
Tug McGraw, 59, former MLB relief pitcher with the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. "Tugger" played for two World Champions: in 1969 with the Mets, and in 1980 with the Phils, and coined the phrase "You Gotta Believe!"
Ann Miller, US dancer
Bob Keeshan, televison actor (Captain Kangaroo)
Jack Paar, the first Tonight Show host
Bart Howard, composer (Fly Me To The Moon )
Marge Schott, one-time controversial MLB owner (Cincinnati Reds)
Paul Winfield, actor (Sounder)
Sir Peter Ustinov, actor
Alistair Cooke, naturalized American, broadcaster and transatlantic commentator
Estée Lauder, cosmetics products pioneer
Alan King, comedian/actor
Tony Randall, actor (The Odd Couple)
Elvin Jones, genius jazz drummer (John Coltrane Quartet), bandleader
Sam Dash, chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee (Watergate)
William Manchester, historian, author (Making of the President, Selling of the President)
Ray Charles, singer and soul pioneer
Marlon Brando, actor
Isabel Sanford, actor (The Jeffersons)
Jerry Goldsmith, movie and television composer
Henri Cartier-Bresson, photographer
Rick James, funk singer (Super Freak)
Paul "Red" Adair, oil well fire-fighter
Fay Wray, actor (appeared in the original King Kong )
Julia Child, author and television hostess on French cuisine
Elmer Bernstein, composer
Johnny Ramone, (Cummings) guitarist and founding member of The Ramones
Marvin Mitchelson, divorce lawyer to the stars, indirect creator of the term "palimony"
Skeeter Davis, country music singer
Janet Leigh, actor
Gordon Cooper, original Mercury Seven astronaut
Rodney Dangerfield, "dissed" comic, actor
Christopher Reeve, actor
Pierre Salinger, press secretary to JFK, newsman
Elizabeth Rogers, actor (Lt. Palmer on Star Trek)
Howard Keel, actor and singer
Yasir Arafat, Palestine Liberation Organization leader, President of the Palestinian Authority
Jerry Scoggins, singer (The Ballad of Jed Clampett)
Reggie White, former NFL player and cleric (Minister of Defense)
Susan Sontag, author
Jerry Orbach, actor (Law and Order)
Artie Shaw, jazz musician, composer (Begin the Beguine) |