Thursday, Jun. 05, 2008

Milestones

DIED During more than a quarter-century as director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Anne d'Harnoncourt became one of the most powerful and respected women in her field, driving a massive expansion-and-renovation project that helped turn the museum's collection of modern and contemporary art into one of the world's finest. Following in the footsteps of her father Rene d'Harnoncourt, noted director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, she presided over numerous widely praised exhibitions, including a large Paul Cezanne retrospective in 1996 and a showing of Salvador Dali's later work in 2005. She died of a heart attack at age 64.

A Northwestern University sociologist and Army veteran, Charles Moskos pushed President Bill Clinton's Joint Chiefs of Staff to adopt the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays and lesbians in the military, arguing that while the policy was not ideal, openly gay soldiers could undermine the morale of their comrades. A draftee who served for two years in the 1950s, he never lost his dedication to the military or his belief that all citizens should give back to their country. He was 74.

An Emmy-winning actor and a regular on The Carol Burnett Show for more than a decade, Harvey Korman got his start in sketch comedy with appearances on The Red Skelton Show in 1961. But it was his work as a straight man opposite Burnett's over-the-top characters that truly marked him as a comic genius. He also graced the big screen, notably as the conniving Hedley Lamarr in the 1974 western comedy Blazing Saddles. He was 81.