Thursday, Oct. 02, 2008

Milestones

DIED Dick Lynch, former defensive back and longtime radio announcer for the New York Giants, led the NFL in interceptions in 1961 and '63. Sometimes chided for peppering his broadcasts with greetings to his family and stories about his football glory days, Lynch did have a solid career to boast about. He played college ball at Notre Dame, and as an eight-season Giant, he helped the team advance four times to the championship game, which wouldn't be called the Super Bowl until 1967. He played in 97 regular-season games and scored seven career touchdowns. Lynch was 72.

o J.B. Jeyaretnam, often called J.B.J., gave up life as a high-flying lawyer to become Singapore's most tenacious government critic and, in 1981, the first opposition leader elected to Parliament. The bewhiskered Jeyaretnam served in Parliament from 1981 to '86 and from 1997 to 2001. A fierce advocate for Singapore's disadvantaged, he faced sporadic bankruptcy as a result of defamation suits filed by several Singaporean politicians. Earlier this year, in a return to politics, he helped found the Reform Party and planned to run in the 2011 elections. He was 82.

o Singing alongside Frank Sinatra as one of the lead vocalists for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Connie Haines made her mark with rhythmic, up-tempo songs like "Oh, Look at Me Now" and "Snooty Little Cutie." Haines got her start at the age of 4, performing in theaters in her native Savannah, Ga. She later made radio appearances with Abbott and Costello, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and television appearances with Milton Berle and Ed Sullivan. She also performed for five U.S. Presidents, a testament to her enduring career. Haines was 87.