The Memorial Wall

Jeff Cook, a co-founding member of the trendsetting Country Music Hall of Fame band Alabama, died Monday at age 73.

For a decade, Cook battled Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement and causes tremors. He publicly disclosed his diagnosis in 2017.

A representative for the band confirmed his death Tuesday afternoon to the Tennessean. Cook died at his beachside home in Destin, Florida.

As a guitarist, fiddle player and vocalist in Alabama, Cook — alongside cousins Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry — helped sketch a blueprint for what a hitmaking band can achieve in country music. He and the band filled in that sketch with a slew of hits now considered by many to be essential country music listening: "Song of the South," "Mountain Music," "I'm In A Hurry," "Cheap Seats," and "My Home's In Alabama," among many others.

A native of small-town Fort Payne, Alabama, Cook began chasing his love of music on radio airwaves as a disc jockey in his hometown. In 1969, he co-founded the band Young Country alongside Owen and Gentry — planting the seeds for what later grew into Alabama. By the mid-1970s, the cousins performed as Wildcountry, cutting their teeth in nearby cities — like Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the band embraced a balance of country songwriting and Southern rock sensibilities on long nights inside local club the Bowery.

The band adopted a new name in 1977: Alabama. Two years later — after a run of modest radio success and adopting full-time drummer Mark Herndon — Cook, Owen and Gentry accepted an invitation to play the tastemaking "New Faces" showcase at the annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville.

What came next? It might as well be country music history.

The band inked a deal later that year with RCA, beginning a remarkable run on the country radio charts. Alabama landed eight No. 1 songs on the country charts between spring 1980 and summer 1982, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame. That run included pop crossover hits "Love In The First Degree" and "Feels So Right," as well as "Tennessee River" and "Mountain Music" — staple Alabama songs that the group continued playing for decades to come.

And success didn't stall after this rocket-launched start in the early '80s. Between 1980 and 1993, at least one Alabama song topped the country charts every year. The band earned a slew of awards in that time, including a three-year run at CMA Entertainer of the Year from 1982-1984 and five ACM Award Entertainer of the Year trophies from '81-'85.

In a city dominated by solo artists and vocal groups, Alabama proved an instrument-playing band could forge a path to country success matched by few artists at the time.

“Country music was always about solo artists, and I think they capitalized on what the [o]utlaws had started, which was amassing a youth audience for the genre," country music historian Robert K. Oermann said in 2017. He added, "Jeff was the instrumental wizard who could do fiddle and guitar."

On stage, Cook held down fiddle, guitar playing and keyboards, adding layered backing vocals to the band's smooth, inviting melodies. His playing? It sent "people dancing all over the place," said Country Music Hall of Fame member Joe Galante, a former RCA executive who helped shepherd Alabama's career.

"... while he wasn’t front and center all the time, his contributions really made a difference when you listen for the hook," Galante told the Tennessean in 2017. "Those are hallmarks of records that will last well beyond our lifetimes."

For some, Cook's on-stage showmanship and behind-the-scenes friendship helped shape a class of entertainers to follow. Country hitmaker Kenny Chesney — who shared stages with Alabama early in his career — described Cook and the band as being "so generous with wisdom" during the singer's formative years.

"[Alabama] showed a kid in a t-shirt that country music could be rock, could be real, could be someone who looked like me," Chesney said Tuesday. "Growing up in East Tennessee, that gave me the heart to chase this dream."

After an initial farewell tour that wrapped in 2004, Alabama reunited in 2011 for a charity concert benefitting tornado victims in the group's namesake state. In his time away from Alabama, Cook released a handful of solo projects. He toured with his Allstar Goodtime Band and released collaborations with Charlie Daniels and "Star Trek" star William Shatner.

Cook entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005 as a member of Alabama — joining the most sought-after club in country music.

Alabama returned to touring in earnest with a 40th-anniversary celebration in 2013. Four years later, Cook scaled back performances with the band due to the ongoing impact of his Parkinson’s diagnosis.

He stopped touring with Alabama around 2018. As of 2019, his bandmates told the Tennessean they ensured his gear was set up before each show — just in case he wanted to step on stage.

He co-wrote a song on a 2015 comeback album called "No Bad Days" that in time took a new meaning for the Hall of Fame musician.

“After I got the Parkinson’s diagnosis, people would quote the song to me and say, ‘No bad days,’ ” Cook told The Tennessean in 2019. “They write me letters, notes and emails and they sign ‘No Bad Days.’ I know the support is there. They join me. People I don’t know come up to me and say, ‘How ya feeling?’ You just got to live it every day and take it as it comes. Prayer does work. And I know there was a lot of praying going on.”

Cook is survived by Lisa Cook, his wife of 27 years.

Diane Marie Colonna Prigorac, 71, of Aliquippa, passed away in the comfort of her home, Monday, November 7, 2022, following a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Born April 29, 1951, in Rochester, PA, she was the daughter of the late Victor and Mary Jane (Masciantonio) Colonna. Diane leaves to cherish her memory her beloved husband of 45 years, Rudy Prigorac, and four devoted and loving children: Mira (Chris) Raso, Jonathan (Olivia) Prigorac, Joshua Prigorac, and Jeremy Prigorac. Also surviving are her two stepchildren: Amy (Bill) Taylor and Matthew Prigorac. She was “Nonni” to four beautiful grandchildren: Gabriel, Nathan, and Alexandra Raso and Lucija Prigorac. Diane also leaves behind her loving and loyal brothers and sisters: Victor (Jill) Colonna, David (Renee) Colonna, Marianne (Anthony) Marsilio, and Christopher (Deana) Colonna. She will also be remembered warmly by several nieces and nephews.

As a Special Education teacher at Hopewell High School, Diane helped countless students and was known affectionately as “Mrs. P.”. She adored her children, and especially looked forward to putting her grandkids on the bus every morning. She had fun bowling, collecting clocks, playing cards and going out to lunch with her family, traveling with her husband, and watching “The Voice” and “Dancing with the Stars”. She watched her sons play football on Friday nights, and in the fall, football was always on the television. Her favorite teams were Penn State and the Steelers. Diane enjoyed hosting the family’s Christmas Eve celebration every year, where she put out an elaborate spread, including roasted pig, lupini beans, her homemade grape leaves, Russian torte, stuffed cabbage, and Italian baccala. Diane was a devout Catholic and lifelong member of St. Titus Church. She will be missed by all who knew her.

Friends will be received Wednesday, November 9, 2022, from 4pm until 7pm at TATALOVICH FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICES, INC., 2205 McMinn St., Aliquippa, PA, 15001, where a service will be held Thursday, November 10, 2022, at 9:30am, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10am, at St. Titus Catholic Church, Aliquippa, PA. Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery, Hopewell Twp.

The family would like to thank her caregivers, Megan, Lissa, Cindy, and Dr. Sam Urick, for all their kindness and loving care.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Maureen on November 2, 2022. She was 65 years of age.

She was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, on June 27, 1957. She was predeceased by her father, John Kennah. She leaves behind her loving husband of 41 years, Irwin, her daughter Jennifer (Matt) Sigston, and their two sons Levi and Max, and her son Ryan (Kelly Barbeau).
After being diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s in 2007 at 49 years old, she spent the next 15 years “trying everything” to minimize the many symptoms and side effects of the disease. After a valiant effort which included DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) surgery in 2019, she made the decision to investigate MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying).

She leaves behind her mother, Evelyne Kennah, her two sisters Jane (Gary) Williams, and Ann (Lyle) Walker, and her brother, John (Hélène) Kennah and many nieces and nephews.

Maureen and Irwin and their children moved to Salmon Arm in 1992 and she began teaching at Eagle River Secondary in Sicamous until Parkinson’s forced her to stop doing the job that she loved in 2009.
Maureen loved to spend time in her beautiful back yard under her magnificent White Wonder Dogwood with Jellybean, her much loved Yorkshire terrier.

Even though she was an extremely private person, Maureen was committed to making a contribution to Parkinson’s awareness. She described it as a cruel disease and felt compelled to use her personal journey as a way to show the true reality of the disease through a series of articles and videos in the Salmon Arm Observer.

When her symptoms progressed to the point where DBS became the necessary next step, she went to work with the support of her family and friends to lobby for more timely access to this life-changing surgery. Maureen was especially proud of her role in decreasing wait time for DBS surgery in the province of BC and for lobbying to hire a second neurosurgeon.

Because of Covid this has not yet been accomplished. She hopes that others will carry the torch forward and hold the provincial government to their word.

Another project that Maureen was proud to be involved in was the creation of the so-well-used skateboard park in Salmon Arm.

Maureen chose to pass away at 11 a.m., November 2, in Salmon Arm surrounded by her family.

Patrick Derouen, 84, of Lake Charles passed away Wednesday, November 2, 2022, in the comfort of his home surrounded by his children. He was born, raised and lived most of his life in Holmwood. He received his BS and Master of Education at McNeese State University. Started his career in Lacombe, LA teaching and coaching. Later he worked for Lockheed Martin in New Orleans as a draftsman. While there, he assisted teams that designed the Saturn V rockets for the Apollo missions to the Moon and later transferred to Lake Charles. Later he became an instructor at SOWELA Tech until he retired. During his retirement he continued working at Northland Pioneer College in Holbrook, AZ and later worked at Galveston Community College.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and sports. He also enjoyed traveling around the world and spending time with his family.

He is survived by his four children, Jody Derouen and wife Cindy of Bridge City, Timothy Derouen and wife Michelle of Gonzales, Suzanne Chapman and husband Randall of Moss Bluff and Laura Fruge and husband Thomas of Moss Bluff; 13 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandchild and brothers, Rodney Derouen of Woodville, Ralph Derouen and wife Wanda of Lake Charles.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Lionel and Eunice Derouen and Wife of 55 years, Patsy Derouen and brother, Phil Derouen and his loving partner for 8 years, Ruth Baranello.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 12 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM hosted by his children at 1052 Kincade CT, Lake Charles (Moss Bluff).

Interment will follow at a later date at the Derouen Cemetery in Hayes.

Special thanks from the family to all the employees at Brookdale Assisted Living Care facility for giving our father a loving and caring environment. We also would like to thank the employees of Amedisys Hospice who provided the compassion and support for our family.

Scott Richard Temple, who led efforts to ensure the broad ethnic diversity of the U.S. Assemblies of God, died Nov. 1 after a battle with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. He was 68.

Temple retired because of the illnesses in October 2020 after 40 years of ministry with the Assemblies of God. His final 17 years of ministry came at the national office in Springfield, where he started leading the newly created Office of Ethnic Relations in 2009. Temple’s duties included serving as a resource to the presidents of fellowship/language groups, assisting groups desiring to pursue conference or district council status, and helping fellowship groups focus on discipleship and building up churches.

In part because of Temple’s endeavors, the Assemblies of God is now the most diverse evangelical body in the U.S. More than 44% of AG adherents are nonwhite. Many ethnic fellowship leaders considered the welcoming, cheerful, and convivial Temple one of their own.

“Scott Temple provided outstanding leadership to our language/ethnic fellowships,” says AG General Superintendent Doug Clay. “Through his relational influence, he brought these fellowships into the life and missional activity of this church. Scott was truly a Kingdom ambassador for the Assemblies of God.”

Dennis J. Rivera, who succeeded Temple in the post, says his predecessor left a legacy of loving service and pastoral ministry to AG ethnic language fellowships and language districts.

“Scott, with the skill and dedication of a true shepherd, walked side by side with many of the leaders of our 24 fellowships as they organized,” Rivera says. “Scott loved these leaders and spent many hours in one-on-one conversations with them as a leader, mentor, and friend.”

Once in the position, Rivera soon realized Temple’s huge heart for racial reconciliation, noting how Temple coined the phrase, “the multiethnic church is God’s antidote to the sin of racism.” Rivera came to understand how much ethnic fellowship leaders embraced Temple.

“They loved Scott because they knew he genuinely loved them and had their interests and ministry success in his heart,” Rivera says. “Scott worked with the goal to make the AG look more like ‘heaven on earth,’ according to Revelation 7:9. Scott will be greatly missed. He served with distinction.”

Even earlier, Temple worked as a catalyst to facilitate healing the divide between ethnic communities. He spent 20 years as an AG pastor before becoming national director of U.S. Missions Intercultural Ministries in 2003. Only eight ethnic/language fellowships existed when Temple started at the national office. In his 17 years, he oversaw the inclusion of 14 ethnic and two language groups, including Samoan, Vietnamese, Nigerian, Japanese, Haitian, Ghanaian, Korean, and Myanmar, the latest to join in 2019. In all, 1,250 ethnic/language congregations now are part of the AG.

Temple grew up in a loving home, the oldest of five children. His father, Donald, worked as an executive with Woolworth’s in New York City.

Yet nobody in the family knew the Lord. All his siblings followed his path into alcohol and illegal drugs in the 1970s. His involvement in drugs and alcohol deepened, and he earned a reputation as a drunk in high school.

He found the Lord through a cross-country trip as a hippie in a minivan as a widow named Dorothy Minnick shared Scripture with him. His family couldn’t deny the witness of his transformed life. Following his baptism in the Holy Spirit, one by one, his parents, brothers, sisters, and their spouses came to accept Jesus as Savior.

He married his wife, Susan, in 1981 and graduated from the AG’s University of Valley Forge in 1982. The couple co-pioneered Lewisburg Assembly of God in Pennsylvania before spending a year at a Bible college in Nigeria. Back in the States, Temple pastored New Testament Assembly of God in Millville, Pennsylvania; Englewood Assembly of God in New Jersey; and Parkcrest Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri.

Survivors include his mother, Grace; wife, Susan; and five children: Kathryn, Amy, David, Christine, and Alyssa.

Producer Stephen C. Grossman, who worked in the entertainment industry for 35 years, including eight as coordinating producer on the comedy hit Newhart, has died. He passed away on Wednesday from coronavirus complications, his family confirmed. He was 76 years old.

Grossman’s 35 years in the entertainment industry began in the late 1960s, when acting aspirations brought him to New York City from his home in Silver Spring, Maryland. He understudied on Broadway, stage-managed at Circle in the Square Theatre, and worked for director Gil Cates.

A job offer brought Grossman, his wife, and newborn daughter to Hollywood in 1977. He served at Mary Tyler Moore Enterprises when it was among the busiest producers in television. In addition to Newhart, Grossman worked in production and post-production on numerous pilots and series, including The Betty White Show, Mary, and The Mary Tyler Moore Comedy Hour.

After leaving MTM in 1990, Grossman was active at numerous production companies, including Warner Bros., Paramount TV, Disney; Turner TV, Spelling Prods., NBC Prods., Carsey Werner Co., Steven Bocho Prods., and CBS Prods.

In the early 21st Century, Grossman served as copresident of The American Association of Producers. He was instrumental in the merger of that group with the Producer’s Guild of America, which at the time doubled its size to about 1,000 members. “It came at a time of huge transition in the production of content and the use of technology,” Grossman recalled for a trade paper.

Grossman’s activity at the PGA included helping launch the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Joan; his daughter, Jennifer; a son-in law, Spencer Burke; and a grandson, Brenden, as well as two sisters and a brother.

Dennis Mathew Haggerty, 79, of Kingston, RI, passed away peacefully on October 25, 2022. He was the beloved father of Dennis and Andrew Haggerty.

Born in Santa Ana, California, he was the son of the late Gerald and Leonie (Navas) Haggerty. Dennis had a love for math and was a professor for many years at various colleges in New England, most recently CCRI. He was a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, where he received his M.S. in mathematics, and a graduate of the New York School of Visual Arts, where he obtained his M.F.A.

He loved taking pictures since he was a young man, first as an enthusiastic amateur and later as a professional photographer and photography teacher. He traveled regularly from Kingston to Daytona. Florida to photograph a local biker bar, the Boot Hill Saloon. His series on Boot Hill was prominently displayed at the URI library.

Almost everyone who knew him was impressed by his generosity and sense of humor. He came from an incredibly rich family background, and it deeply enhanced his understanding of life and the way he saw the world. Dennis enjoyed traveling, telling old stories, telling outrageous joke, going to the movies, going for bike rides, and going to the bookstore. He especially loved doing all these things with his children. His sons were his whole world and he loved them dearly.

In addition to his two sons, Dennis also leaves behind his uncle, renowned pianist Robert Page of New Jersey, as well as several cousins and friends.

Robert Neal Harvey of North Tustin, CA, passed away peacefully at home at age 80, enveloped in the love of his family. Neal was born in Orlando, Florida, the son of Zibie Newton Harvey and Alice Taylor Crux Harvey, an original Orlando family.

Neal attended Boone High School in Orlando and graduated with degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering from M.I.T. in Boston, Mass., where he met Sheila McDevitt, his wife of 56 years. They married in 1966 and together had two children, Kimberly Ann Harvey and Bryan Patrick Harvey. While at M.I.T. Neal was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.

Neal began his professional career at General Motors Research Labs in Michigan where he began his lifelong research in automotive testing and developing instrumentation for measurement of auto emissions. This work led Neal around the world working with private manufacturers as well as government officials tasked with creating ever cleaner vehicles and reducing noxious air pollutants. Along the way Neal invented several processes and instruments critical to this process. Neal continued his scientific endeavors at Beckman Instruments in Fullerton, Ca. and Horiba Instruments in Irvine, Ca.

But life was not all work and no play, for Neal enjoyed the many family camping trips, ski vacations, international travel, golf outings, and times spent with close friends. His enjoyment of golf led Neal and Sheila to their vacation home in Palm Desert, Ca. at Ironwood Country Club.

Neal is survived by his wife Sheila, brother Larry C. Harvey of Orlando, son Bryan Harvey and wife Aisling Malone Harvey, grandchildren Bayla and Caelyn of San Francisco, and daughter Kimberly Ann Harvey of Corona Del Mar, Ca.

Services will be held Saturday, December 17th at 11:00 AM in the chapel at Fairhaven Memorial Park, 1702 Fairhaven Ave., Santa Ana, Ca. Reception will follow at the family home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Parkinson’s Resource Organization of Palm Desert, CA.

Former U.S. Attorney General Benjamin R. Civiletti, who investigated President Jimmy Carter’s brother while in the administration and who later became one of the nation’s most expensive private attorneys, has died. He was 87.

The Baltimore Sun reported that Civiletti died Sunday evening of Parkinson’s at his home in Lutherville, Maryland.

In a statement Monday night, Attorney General Merrick Garland, who worked at the Justice Department with Civiletti in 1979, hailed his former boss’s “skill, integrity and dedication.”

“I would describe myself as a hardworking lawyer with good judgment who gets things done,” Civiletti told the Baltimore Sun not long after he became, in 2005, the nation’s first lawyer to charge $1,000 an hour.

He considered one of these documents — the Principles of Federal Prosecution, a blueprint for when and how federal prosecutors would bring criminal cases — to be his most lasting contribution.

In his statement Monday, Garland said: “Attorney General Civiletti wrote into policy the norms established to ensure the Department’s independence, fair application of our laws, and adherence to the Rule of Law. Today, thanks in large part to him, those norms continue to guide the work of every Justice Department employee, every single day.”

Civiletti oversaw two legal efforts aimed at responding to the Iranian hostage crisis. With Americans held in Tehran, he put into action Carter’s order to deport Iranian immigrants in the country illegally. He also argued for the release of the hostages before the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

One of the last attorneys general to dispense with a bodyguard of FBI agents, Civiletti did not wrap himself in the trappings of high public office. Even as attorney general, he left the office alone nearly every day, at times whistling “As Time Goes By,” and he could be seen taking a public bus home. Occasionally, he was spotted shopping alone at downtown department stores on his lunch hour.

After leaving the Justice Department in January 1981, Civiletti resumed his legal career in Baltimore. He specialized in commercial litigation, banking, white-collar crime, government regulation and corporate governance.

After the National Law Journal reported that Civiletti billed clients at a rate of $1,000 an hour, he told the Baltimore Sun, “As a lawyer, I always said I couldn’t afford myself.”

In May 2006, Civiletti stepped down as chair of the 470-attorney firm Venable LLP, which by then was recording annual revenue of $239 million. He remained a member of the firm’s board and continued to practice as a corporate investigations attorney.

Benjamin Richard Civiletti was born July 17, 1935, in Peekskill, New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Johns Hopkins University in 1957 and a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1961.

He was named an assistant U.S. attorney in Baltimore in 1962. Two years later he joined the Baltimore law firm of Venable, Baetjer & Howard, where he spent the next 13 years, becoming a partner and leading its litigation department.

Civiletti had been mentioned as a possible replacement for Bell several months before Bell resigned amid a Cabinet shakeup in July 1979. Unlike others among the five Cabinet officers who left, Bell had retained Carter’s favor — he had wanted to depart before the 1980 presidential campaign got underway — and was able to name his successor.

Civiletti, an avid golfer and gardener, was married to Gaile Lundgren; they raised two sons, Benjamin and Andrew, and a daughter, Lynne.

Mukhtar Thakur spent his life traveling the world, each time returning home with a desire to bridge divided communities.

The engineer worked in particular to connect Minnesota's South Asian and Muslim communities, and to promote political engagement.

Following a battle with Parkinson's disease, Thakur died at his Woodbury home on Oct. 7. He was 67.

Thakur was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, before living in London and Saudi Arabia. In the 1980s, he settled in the Twin Cities to raise his family. A graduate of the University of Wales in Swansea, he also earned a master's degree in management of technology from the University of Minnesota.

Thakur's daughter, Azra Thakur, described her father as a "community connector" who enjoyed watching the news and paying close attention to world events and politics.

"[He was] really caring about what people were experiencing in other parts of the world, and wanted to know," she said.

Often, Mukhtar Thakur was at the forefront of hosting or helping lead events to involve the Muslim community in political activism.

"He was out there doing it and trying to tell us how important it was that we engage in the politics around us, and getting to know our political representatives, and getting active in elections," said close friend Irfan Ali.

In 1991, Thakur started a KFAI radio program called "Sangam" with his longtime friend Sarjit Bains. The show played music from India, Pakistan and other South Asian communities for more than 30 years, ending last September.

"He did a tremendous amount for the community, both within the Muslim community from India, and then beyond that. So his interests were not myopic in any way," Bains said. "He was just one of those unique people who could bring people together when there were problems that had to be solved, and he did that across the spectrum."

During car rides to the radio station, Bains recalled, they would have deep conversations about family life, politics and their upbringings in different parts of the world.

Thakur also produced two TV shows: "Geetmala," a music-based program; and "Diversity in Focus," a program diving into diverse perspectives focused on immigrant communities.

In 2008, Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed Thakur to the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans. Thakur also served as a longtime member of the India Association of Minnesota.

Thakur spent his entire career at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), where he played a major role as an engineer for the design of the Hiawatha light rail line. He retired in 2019.

"Mukhtar spent many hours per day to ensure that the public got the best and safest transportation infrastructure. But he also found time to work for the opportunities, growth and success of MnDOT employees, some of whom were not in the mainstream," said Ed Clarke, a longtime friend who served with Thakur on MnDOT's diversity committee. "Mukhtar was highly intelligent and a skilled communicator, who was patient when he had to be, but always persistent. I'm sure he believed that some internal organizational struggles would always be there, but he did much to move the ball forward."

Thakur is survived by his wife, Rashida Thakur; children Azra Thakur of Woodbury, Nasra Thakur of Chicago, and Shakil Thakur of Roseville; and siblings Abida Hussein, Maryam Quadir and Ashfaq Thakur, who live in London.