Obit of the Day

Looking at the famous, infamous, not-so-famous, and unique lives that have shuffled off this mortal coil.

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Posts tagged "Chicago"
Obit of the Day: “Better Stuff Than Anyone from 40 Feet” Kevin Hickey played parts of six seasons in major league baseball over ten years. And he got there because he hit four consecutive home runs off Chicago Sun Times columnist Mike Royko in a 16-inch softball game in 1977. Up till then Kevin Hickey’s life was disappointing. He had lost a basketball scholarship to high school. He was fired from his first real job within 30 days. He was 21, jobless, and living at home without much of a future. Then he hit those homers. In the crowd was White Sox scout Joe Begani and he invited Hickey to an open tryout at Comiskey Park. When Hickey arrived and found there were 250 other guys trying to make the team, he nearly walked out. Instead Begani arranged for Hickey to pitch second, and the next day the Sox signed him to a minor league deal - at $500 a month with a $500 signing bonus. After three years in the minors, Hickey made the White Sox roster in 1981 and pitched in 124 games over three seasons. In 1983, as the Tony LaRussa-led Sox headed toward the American League West division pennant, Hickey blew out his shoulder. His career looked over. Then six years later Roland Hemond, former Sox general manager and now head of the Orioles found him and signed him to another minor league deal. He worked his way back to the club in 1989. He pitched with the O’s until they released him in the middle of the 1991 season. (Here are Hickey’s career stats.) Once again Hickey was rudderless. He worked as a greeter at Oriole Park at Camden Yards hoping for his next break. And it came in the guise of the casting director for the upcoming Major League II. Hickey was not only cast, but given a line, and befriended Charlie Sheen (to whom he sold his AAA championship ring) and Corbin Bernsen. Then nothing. Again. Until the White Sox called and asked if he could pitch batting practice for the team. He agreed, tried out, and for the first time in two decades, Kevin Hickey was wearing a White Sox uniform again. Hickey would pitch batting practice and travel with the team for $30,000 a year. He loved it, and the White Sox loved him. After winning the 2005 World Series, the Sox players voted Hickey a full share of the bonus - ten times Hickey’s salary. (The most Hickey ever made as a pro was $250,000 in 1990.) On April 5, 2012, the day before Opening Day against the Texas Rangers, Hickey was found unconscious in his room. He had an apparent seizure. After six weeks in a coma, Hickey passed away. He was 56 years old. (Image of Hickey, circa 1982-1983, is courtesy of rattleradio.mlbblogs.com.)

Obit of the Day: “Better Stuff Than Anyone from 40 Feet”

Kevin Hickey played parts of six seasons in major league baseball over ten years. And he got there because he hit four consecutive home runs off Chicago Sun Times columnist Mike Royko in a 16-inch softball game in 1977.

Up till then Kevin Hickey’s life was disappointing. He had lost a basketball scholarship to high school. He was fired from his first real job within 30 days. He was 21, jobless, and living at home without much of a future.

Then he hit those homers. In the crowd was White Sox scout Joe Begani and he invited Hickey to an open tryout at Comiskey Park. When Hickey arrived and found there were 250 other guys trying to make the team, he nearly walked out. Instead Begani arranged for Hickey to pitch second, and the next day the Sox signed him to a minor league deal - at $500 a month with a $500 signing bonus.

After three years in the minors, Hickey made the White Sox roster in 1981 and pitched in 124 games over three seasons. In 1983, as the Tony LaRussa-led Sox headed toward the American League West division pennant, Hickey blew out his shoulder. His career looked over.

Then six years later Roland Hemond, former Sox general manager and now head of the Orioles found him and signed him to another minor league deal. He worked his way back to the club in 1989. He pitched with the O’s until they released him in the middle of the 1991 season. (Here are Hickey’s career stats.)

Once again Hickey was rudderless. He worked as a greeter at Oriole Park at Camden Yards hoping for his next break. And it came in the guise of the casting director for the upcoming Major League II. Hickey was not only cast, but given a line, and befriended Charlie Sheen (to whom he sold his AAA championship ring) and Corbin Bernsen.

Then nothing. Again. Until the White Sox called and asked if he could pitch batting practice for the team. He agreed, tried out, and for the first time in two decades, Kevin Hickey was wearing a White Sox uniform again. Hickey would pitch batting practice and travel with the team for $30,000 a year. He loved it, and the White Sox loved him. After winning the 2005 World Series, the Sox players voted Hickey a full share of the bonus - ten times Hickey’s salary. (The most Hickey ever made as a pro was $250,000 in 1990.)

On April 5, 2012, the day before Opening Day against the Texas Rangers, Hickey was found unconscious in his room. He had an apparent seizure. After six weeks in a coma, Hickey passed away. He was 56 years old.

(Image of Hickey, circa 1982-1983, is courtesy of rattleradio.mlbblogs.com.)

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Obit of the Day: The Quiet Knight Richard Harding’s club, The Quiet Knight, was only open from 1969 to 1979. But during that decade the 400-seat concert venue saw of the biggest names in music whether it was rock, jazz, or reggae. Located at 953 West Belmont in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, The Quiet Knight occupied the second floor of an otherwise non-descript brick building. But what went on inside was music history. Herbie Hancock, John Denver, Linda Ronstadt (backed by Don Henley and Glenn Frey), Bob Marley, Arlo Guthrie, Muddy Waters and Loudon Wainwright all made appearances at the Knight. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band first performed in Chicago in Harding’s club. Jimmy Buffett performed outside of the South for the first time at the Knight. Random note: Buffett also wrote the song “He Went to Paris” about the Quiet Knight’s one-armed classical pianist, painter and veteran of the Spanish Civil War, Eddie Balchowsky, who also cleaned the club and practiced Shambhala. When Harding closed the club in 1979 he moved around the U.S. At one point he worked in water quality control in San Francisco and then moved back to Chicago where he drove a cab. He opened his last club Da Vinci’s Music Gallery in 1985 and Tom Waits and Studs Terkel were in the audience on opening night. Richard Harding died at the age of 82. (Image of the June 1975 schedule from the Quiet Knight is courtesy of midnightraverblog.com. Chuck Mangione was best known for his flugelhorn instrumental hit, “Feels So Good.” Martin Mull is the well-known comedian and actor, known to many fans as Gene Parmesan in Arrested Development. Ricky Jay is a magician who also appeared in Boogie Nights. John Stewart wrote the Monkees’ #1 hit “Daydream Believer.” The Deadly Nightshade was one of the music industry’s first all-female bands.)

Obit of the Day: The Quiet Knight

Richard Harding’s club, The Quiet Knight, was only open from 1969 to 1979. But during that decade the 400-seat concert venue saw of the biggest names in music whether it was rock, jazz, or reggae. Located at 953 West Belmont in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, The Quiet Knight occupied the second floor of an otherwise non-descript brick building.

But what went on inside was music history. Herbie Hancock, John Denver, Linda Ronstadt (backed by Don Henley and Glenn Frey), Bob Marley, Arlo Guthrie, Muddy Waters and Loudon Wainwright all made appearances at the Knight. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band first performed in Chicago in Harding’s club. Jimmy Buffett performed outside of the South for the first time at the Knight.

Random note: Buffett also wrote the song “He Went to Paris” about the Quiet Knight’s one-armed classical pianist, painter and veteran of the Spanish Civil War, Eddie Balchowsky, who also cleaned the club and practiced Shambhala.

When Harding closed the club in 1979 he moved around the U.S. At one point he worked in water quality control in San Francisco and then moved back to Chicago where he drove a cab. He opened his last club Da Vinci’s Music Gallery in 1985 and Tom Waits and Studs Terkel were in the audience on opening night.

Richard Harding died at the age of 82.

(Image of the June 1975 schedule from the Quiet Knight is courtesy of midnightraverblog.com.

  • Chuck Mangione was best known for his flugelhorn instrumental hit, “Feels So Good.”
  • Martin Mull is the well-known comedian and actor, known to many fans as Gene Parmesan in Arrested Development.
  • Ricky Jay is a magician who also appeared in Boogie Nights.
  • John Stewart wrote the Monkees’ #1 hit “Daydream Believer.”
  • The Deadly Nightshade was one of the music industry’s first all-female bands.)
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Obit of the Day: Designer of the Daley Center The Richard J. Daley Center opened in 1965. The 648-foot glass-and-steel skyscraper, then known as the Chicago Civic Center, once again showed that the City of Big Shoulders took its architecture seriously. No sterile governmental buildings for Chicago instead Jacques Brownson designed a structure that some thought outdid his mentor, modernist legend Mies van der Rohe. The building, named for the first Mayor Daley in 1976, was constructed of Cor-ten steel which purposefully rusts into a uniform reddish color. The famed Picasso statue (which is the artist’s abstract take on an Afghan hound) is made of the same material. Following his work on the Daley Center, Brownson worked at the University of Michigan, with Chicago Public Schools, and as the State of Colorado’s director of state buildings. He died at the age of 88. (The image of the Daley Center and the Picasso statue - which the artist simply donated to the city in 1966 - is courtesy of www.theconnectedlawyer.com)

Obit of the Day: Designer of the Daley Center

The Richard J. Daley Center opened in 1965. The 648-foot glass-and-steel skyscraper, then known as the Chicago Civic Center, once again showed that the City of Big Shoulders took its architecture seriously. No sterile governmental buildings for Chicago instead Jacques Brownson designed a structure that some thought outdid his mentor, modernist legend Mies van der Rohe. The building, named for the first Mayor Daley in 1976, was constructed of Cor-ten steel which purposefully rusts into a uniform reddish color. The famed Picasso statue (which is the artist’s abstract take on an Afghan hound) is made of the same material.

Following his work on the Daley Center, Brownson worked at the University of Michigan, with Chicago Public Schools, and as the State of Colorado’s director of state buildings. He died at the age of 88.

(The image of the Daley Center and the Picasso statue - which the artist simply donated to the city in 1966 - is courtesy of www.theconnectedlawyer.com)

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Obit of the Day: Virginia, Where Do You Keep the Parachute? Virginia Rabung first stepped into a cockpit in 1943 at the age of 26. For the next 65 years she never stopped flying. Ms. Rabung, who worked as a secretary for more than 30 years at International Minerals and Chemical Corp., literally took off after work.  A competitive pilot she flew in dozens of races beginning with the 1953 All Women Transcontinental Air Race from Massachusetts to California. Two years later she flew in the All Women’s Trans-Ocean Air Race from Washington, D.C. to Cuba, where she and the other pilots were feasted by President Fulgencio Batista. When not racing she participated in search-and-rescue missions of the Illinois Civil Air Patrol. Ms. Raburg was inducted into the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame in 1998 and in 2004 was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award from the FAA which “recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise maintaining safe operations for 50 or more years.” She died at the age of 94. Note: The title of the post is also the title of her self-published autobigraphy. If you would like, you can buy a copy from a gentleman named Dave - here. (Image of Ms. Raburg and her Cessna is courtesy of taildraggeraviation.com)

Obit of the Day: Virginia, Where Do You Keep the Parachute?

Virginia Rabung first stepped into a cockpit in 1943 at the age of 26. For the next 65 years she never stopped flying. Ms. Rabung, who worked as a secretary for more than 30 years at International Minerals and Chemical Corp., literally took off after work. 

A competitive pilot she flew in dozens of races beginning with the 1953 All Women Transcontinental Air Race from Massachusetts to California. Two years later she flew in the All Women’s Trans-Ocean Air Race from Washington, D.C. to Cuba, where she and the other pilots were feasted by President Fulgencio Batista. When not racing she participated in search-and-rescue missions of the Illinois Civil Air Patrol.

Ms. Raburg was inducted into the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame in 1998 and in 2004 was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award from the FAA which “recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise maintaining safe operations for 50 or more years.” She died at the age of 94.

Note: The title of the post is also the title of her self-published autobigraphy. If you would like, you can buy a copy from a gentleman named Dave - here.

(Image of Ms. Raburg and her Cessna is courtesy of taildraggeraviation.com)

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