Deaths Elsewhere

Published 10:55 am Thursday, November 21, 2013

Deaths of note from around the world:

George Thomas Thornton, 84: An Oregon highway engineer whose 1970 decision to use a half-ton of dynamite to blast away a beached dead whale became an Internet sensation. The Oregon Department of Transportation says Thornton was a highly respected engineer who worked for the agency for 37 years. Died Oct. 27.

Sid Yudain, 90: Created what he called a community newspaper — Roll Call — for what he called “the most important community in the world, probably” — U.S. Congress. Yudain had scant experience as a professional journalist — he had been a reporter in Hollywood — when he arrived in Washington in 1951 to work as a press secretary for Rep. Albert P. Morano. Died Oct. 21 in Arlington, Va.

Ulysses “Crazy Legs” Curtis, 87: A two-time Grey Cup champion and the first black player for the Toronto Argonauts. Curtis played for the CFL team from 1950 to 1954 and was one of the most productive running backs in the club’s history. He made nine playoff appearances, winning titles in ’50 and ’52.