She was the first in Puerto Rico to change a gender designation on a birth certificate and the first there to reveal that she’d had sex-reassignment surgery. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Deaths (Obituaries)”
Grace Meo, Skilled Seamstress and Serious Sinatra Fan, Dies at 93
By Gotham Rex on October 1, 2020
Ms. Meo could sew anything, and she loved her family, but her heart belonged to the Voice. She has died of Covid-19. Source: New York Times
Bette Dewing, Columnist for a ‘Gentle City,’ Dies at 97
By Gotham Rex on September 28, 2020
For more than 40 years, Ms. Dewing urged New Yorkers to reclaim civility in her column in Our Town, an Upper East Side weekly. She died of the coronavirus. Source: New York Times
Donald Kendall, Pepsi’s Chief During the Cola Wars, Dies at 99
By Gotham Rex on September 24, 2020
He faced off against Coke, wooed a ‘Pepsi generation’ and bought Frito-Lay, fast food chains and 7Up. Ever loyal, he downed a Pepsi for breakfast. Source: New York Times
Sterling Magee, Bluesman Known as ‘Satan,’ Dies at 84
By Gotham Rex on September 24, 2020
As half of the duo Satan and Adam, he played blues on the streets of Harlem and later on stages around the world. He died of complications of Covid-19. Source: New York Times
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Photos of Her Rise to the Supreme Court
By Gotham Rex on September 19, 2020
Pictures capture moments in her legal career, from law school professor to associate justice on the high court. Source: New York Times
Steve Carter, Playwright in a Black Theater World, Dies at 90
By Gotham Rex on September 17, 2020
He emerged from the Black Arts movement and the famed Negro Ensemble Company, writing dramas and satires about the Black and Caribbean-American experiences. Source: New York Times
DJ Jaffe, Ad Man Turned Mental Health Crusader, Dies at 65
By Gotham Rex on September 16, 2020
He pushed for passage of Kendra’s Law in New York, which mandates outpatient psychiatric treatment for patients deemed dangerous. It became a model for similar programs nationwide. Source: New York Times
Jack (‘Murph the Surf’) Murphy, Heist Mastermind, Dies at 83
By Gotham Rex on September 14, 2020
He stole the Star of India and other gems from the Museum of Natural History. Two days later he was under arrest. Source: New York Times
Florence Howe, ‘Mother of Women’s Studies,’ Dies at 91
By Gotham Rex on September 13, 2020
In 1970, she helped found the Feminist Press. It was hailed for making available “a legacy of writings by and about women.” Source: New York Times
Ron Gorchov, Painter Who Challenged Viewers’ Perceptions, Dies at 90
By Gotham Rex on September 9, 2020
Seeking “a new kind of visual space” and using a vivid palette, he stacked multiple canvases with gently curved, round-cornered tops. Source: New York Times
Gene Norman, Who Helped Landmark Broadway Theaters, Dies at 85
By Gotham Rex on September 5, 2020
As chairman of New York’s preservation commission, he also oversaw the preservation of St. Bartholomew’s Church, the Coney Island Cyclone and Ladies’ Mile. Source: New York Times
David Graeber, Caustic Critic of Inequality, Is Dead at 59
By Gotham Rex on September 4, 2020
He wrote about crushing debt, pointless jobs and the negative effects of globalization. And he played a leading role in the Occupy Wall Street movement. Source: New York Times
Sophia Farrar Dies at 92; Belied Indifference to Kitty Genovese Attack
By Gotham Rex on September 2, 2020
For decades, the conventional narrative that defined urban anomie overlooked a good Samaritan who heeded a dying woman’s cries for help. Source: New York Times
Charles Cook, Ground Zero Volunteer for Months, Dies at 79
By Gotham Rex on August 27, 2020
After the planes hit on 9/11, he walked from his home in Harlem, against the tide of people fleeing, to help. After Hurricane Katrina, he lent a hand in New Orleans. Source: New York Times