Milestones

By Melissa August, Elizabeth L. Bland, Kate Novack, Deirdre Van Dyk And Rebecca Winters

APPOINTED. ELENA KAGAN, 42, as first woman dean of Harvard Law School; in Cambridge, Mass. A teacher at Harvard since 1999, Kagan also served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and as a White House aide to President Bill Clinton.

RECOMMENDED. That DRUG CONVICTIONS of 38 people, almost all black, be overturned; in Tulia, Texas. After hearings that raised doubts about the uncorroborated testimony of a white undercover officer, Thomas Coleman--who bragged to the press about pulling suspects from their beds in July 1999--a judge strongly urged that all charges be dropped. A final determination will be made by a higher court. Coleman no longer works in law enforcement.

DIED. LESLIE CHEUNG, 46, smoldering, pansexual icon of Chinese films and music; a suicide, having jumped from a hotel terrace; in Hong Kong. Though best known to American audiences as the tragic artist in Farewell My Concubine, he also played the soft naif (A Better Tomorrow), the wily warrior (The Bride with White Hair) and the demon romancer (Happy Together). Early death has assured his standing as the great tragic male diva of the late 20th century.

DIED. MICHAEL JETER, 50, mousy but endearing Tony and Emmy award-winning actor; of undetermined causes; at his home in Los Angeles. Kids knew him as the Other Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street, while adult TV viewers remember him best as the wimpy assistant football coach on Evening Shade. He won the Tony for his portrayal of a dying clerk in the 1990 musical Grand Hotel.

DIED. EDWIN STARR, 61, burly Motown soul singer; of a heart attack; at his home in Nottingham, England. The Nashville native gained fame with hits such as Agent Double-O Soul, but will be best remembered for his Grammy-winning 1970 hit War, which included the lyrics "War, what is it good for?/Absolutely nothing."

DIED. LUCIAN ADAMS, 80, World War II hero; in San Antonio, Texas. As a U.S. Army sergeant whose company had been wiped out in France, Adams single-handedly charged forward to kill nine Germans, eliminate three machine guns and reopen a severed supply line to an isolated American battalion--for which he won the Medal of Honor. Later, as a benefits counselor for the Veterans Administration, he never mentioned that he had been in combat.

DIED. RUSTY DRAPER, 80, country singer of the 1950s and '60s, responsible for such million sellers as Gambler's Guitar and The Shifting, Whispering Sands; of pneumonia; in Bellevue, Wash.

DIED. ARTHUR GUYTON, 83, eminent cardiovascular physiologist; of injuries suffered in an automobile accident; in Jackson, Miss. While recovering from polio in 1947, he invented a special leg brace and an electric wheelchair. Later he wrote The Textbook of Medical Physiology, first published in 1956 and a best seller ever since.