Died. George Seferiades, 71, the Greek career diplomat who, as Poet George Seferis, won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1963; of pneumonia; in Athens. Derived from the Arabic word sefer, meaning journey, the poet's name reflected the literary role he relished: that of Homeric chronicler. "My poems," he once said, "are my own voyages over the world." His lyrical work was often tinged with pessimism, as when he contrasted modern Greece with the Golden Age:

And the country like a great

plane-leaf dragged down

By the torrent of the sun,

With the ancient monuments and

the present sorrow.

As a diplomat, he served in many capitals before his final assignment as Ambassador to Britain (1957-62). An ardent democrat, he took advantage of his special status as Greece's only Nobel prizewinner to criticize the present Greek military regime publicly.

Died. Billy Gilbert, 77, comedian and consummate practitioner of the suspense-filled cinema sneeze; of a stroke; in North Hollywood. Though he claimed not to have had a cold since 1918 and said that sneezing was only a small part of his repertoire, Gilbert kerchooed his way to stage and screen success in the 1930s and '40s. His 300 films included The Outcasts of Poker Flat and Chaplin's classic Hitler spoof, The Great Dictator.

Died. Dr. William F. Albright, 80, dean of U.S. biblical archaeologists; of a stroke; in Baltimore. His books, which include such well-known works as From the Stone Age to Christianity and The Archaeology of Palestine, are considered primers for laymen and serious students alike. But Albright, professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins, was perhaps best known for his field work during the 1920s and '30s when he perfected the use of potsherds as dating yardsticks.

Died. Dr. Bernardo A. Houssay, 84, first South American scientist to win the Nobel Prize; in Buenos Aires. Houssay won the 1947 prize in medicine for discovering the role of pituitary hormones in the metabolism of sugar--a breakthrough that played a significant part in the understanding and treatment of diabetes. To the embarrassment of Argentine Dictator Juan Peron, Houssay was awarded the prize shortly after being fired from his post at the University of Buenos Aires for signing a pro-democratic manifesto. The fiercely independent scientist was reinstated following Peron's ouster in 1955.

Died. Hugo L. Black, 85, who retired two weeks ago as a Supreme Court Justice (see THE NATION).

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