DIED. Lawrence A. Kimpton, 67, chancellor of the University of Chicago (1951-60); after a long illness; in Melbourne, Fla. Administrator of the University of Chicago's atom bomb project during World War II, Kimpton returned to head a campus stirred by the innovations of Robert M. Hutchins but also faced dropping enrollment, encroaching slums and a $1.4 million deficit. During his tenure Kimpton restored specialization and contributed to community redevelopment.

DIED. Guy Lombardo, 75, Canadian-born bandleader who for 48 years ushered in the New Year with "the sweetest music this side of heaven"; in Houston. When he was twelve, Lombardo recruited his brothers Carmen and Lebert for a small band that played for dances in London, Ont. After a so-so success, they were invited to play at an Elks' convention in Cleveland and stayed on in the U.S. Billed as Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians, the group developed a smoothly distinctive sound that was heard coast to coast on radio, sold over 100 million records and introduced some 600 hits including Boo-Hoo and Little White Lies. Cheerfully ignoring critics who called his music 'corny," Lombardo survived as the last great dance-band leader. His New Year's Eve concerts in New York City, which Began in 1929, became an institution. First on radio, then TV, Lombardo's rendition of Auld Lang Syne marked the nation's rite of passage from the old year to the new.

DIED. Joseph Zerilli, 79, godfather of the Detroit Mafia; of heart disease; in Grosse Pointe, Mich. A Sicilian immigrant who started as a construction worker, Zerilli rose to underworld prominence during the Prohibition era and reportedly built a narcotics, prostitution and loan-sharking empire that annually netted $150 million during the '60s. Although he repeatedly denied that he was involved in organized crime--maintaining that he was simply the owner of the Detroit Italian Baking Co.--FBI bugging transcripts linked him to the underworld. After the 1975 imprisonment of his son, Zerilli came under scrutiny by police investigating the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.

DIED. Leonard Sinclair Hobbs, 80, aviation engineer who developed the powerful J57 jet engine; of a stroke; in Hartford, Conn. Hobbs, who designed the carburetor for Charles Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis, joined Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in 1927. As their chief engineer, he developed the R-2800 Double Wasp workhorse engine of World War II planes!

His J57 engine--first used commercially in Boeing's 707s--made possible the industry's transition from propeller to jet travel.

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