The Memorial Wall

Dr. Robin L. Line, 77, of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Clayton, GA, Atlanta and Knoxville, died September 20, 2024, of Parkinson’s Disease and Parkinson’s Dementia. Robin was a devoted husband, a spectacular father, an engaging grandfather (Gunga), a thoughtful and kind physician, a loyal friend, an enthusiastic Tennessee Vols supporter, and one of the nicest men you could ever wish to meet.

Robin was born November 5, 1946, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Drs. Mary Lee and Felix Line. He was educated at the Webb School of Knoxville, obtained a B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee in 1968, and an M.D. degree at U.T. School of Medicine in 1971. He completed his residency and became Board Certified in Family Medicine at the University of South Carolina in 1975.

Robin and Mary (Bolch) met during college and in 1969 they were married in Marion Jct , Alabama . Their three children Chris (Jackie) [Costen & Safina], Julie (Everette)[Charlie, Edie & Katie] and Cory (Amandalynn) [Felix & Remy], were all devoted to their Dad. Life was just more fun with Robin around and family and friends will miss his wit and humor. 

Robin pursued many hobbies including wood turning, gardening, bee keeping, painting, scuba diving for old bottles in Charleston, searching for fossils and reading. His endless curiosity and lifelong searching filled his library shelves with books on World religions, the power of myth, literature and history. 

Robin enjoyed a variety of opportunities during his medical career: a rural practice in Sparta, NC with the National Health Service Corps, a suburban practice in Atlanta, Ga, and later as a physician for an inner city clinic for the working poor. A sabbatical year in 1983-84 took Robin and the family to the South Pacific in American Samoa where he treated patients with unique tropical diseases , and then to New Zealand to teach residents. Eventually Robin became a faculty member at Morehouse and Emory Schools of Medicine and finished his career in a part time family medicine position in Clayton, Ga. Throughout these different positions, teaching med students, residents and nurse practitioners e b brought him great satisfaction.

Robin was involved in several professional and civic activities, among them, publishing in scientific journals, active membership in the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, Central Presbyterian Church, and Leadership Atlanta. In 1991 he received the Georgia Family Physician of the Year Award. 

Dr. Robin L. Line, 77, of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Clayton, GA, Atlanta and Knoxville, died September 20, 2024, of Parkinson’s Disease and Parkinson’s Dementia. Robin was a devoted husband, a spectacular father, an engaging grandfather (Gunga), a thoughtful and kind physician, a loyal friend, an enthusiastic Tennessee Vols supporter, and one of the nicest men you could ever wish to meet.

 Robin was born November 5, 1946, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Drs. Mary Lee and Felix Line. He was educated at the Webb School of Knoxville, obtained a B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee in 1968, and an M.D. degree at U.T. School of Medicine in 1971. He completed his residency and became Board Certified in Family Medicine at the University of South Carolina in 1975.

 Robin and Mary (Bolch) met during college and in 1969 they were married in Marion Jct , Alabama . Their three children Chris (Jackie) [Costen & Safina], Julie (Everette)[Charlie, Edie & Katie] and Cory (Amandalynn) [Felix & Remy], were all devoted to their Dad. Life was just more fun with Robin around and family and friends will miss his wit and humor. 

Robin pursued many hobbies including wood turning, gardening, bee keeping, painting, scuba diving for old bottles in Charleston, searching for fossils and reading. His endless curiosity and lifelong searching filled his library shelves with books on World religions, the power of myth, literature and history. 

 Robin enjoyed a variety of opportunities during his medical career: a rural practice in Sparta, NC with the National Health Service Corps, a suburban practice in Atlanta, Ga, and later as a physician for an inner city clinic for the working poor. A sabbatical year in 1983-84 took Robin and the family to the South Pacific in American Samoa where he treated patients with unique tropical diseases , and then to New Zealand to teach residents. Eventually Robin became a faculty member at Morehouse and Emory Schools of Medicine and finished his career in a part time family medicine position in Clayton, Ga. Throughout these different positions, teaching med students, residents and nurse practitioners e b brought him great satisfaction.

Robin was involved in several professional and civic activities, among them, publishing in scientific journals, active membership in the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians, Central Presbyterian Church, and Leadership Atlanta. In 1991 he received the Georgia Family Physician of the Year Award. 

Luther Minor, a former professional golfer at the Harlan County Country Club, has died.

Minor is from Wise County, Va. He was 84 years old and died after his long battle with Parkinson’s and onset COVID-19 on Sept. 29, 2024.

Memphis lawyer W.J. Michael Cody, who during a decades-long career as one of the most influential, respected and progressive public figures in the city advised Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., exposed corruption in the office of Tennessee Gov. Ray Blanton and busted nightclub kingpins, has died. 

Cody, 88, died Sunday at Baptist Memorial Hospital, after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease.

A lifelong Memphian, Cody never avoided a good race. An avid runner who logged 80,000 miles and participated in more than a dozen Boston Marathons, Cody ran successfully for City Council and unsuccessfully for Memphis mayor. An editorial cartoon in The Commercial Appeal that accompanied the newspaper’s endorsement of Cody for mayor in 1982 depicted the candidate in running shoes and shorts beneath his jacket and tie, next to a sign that read: “Sign Up Here for a Unified City Marathon.”

Although a longtime active Democrat and notable liberal, Cody’s service transcended partisan politics, and he was a favorite of officials of both major parties. In 1984, when Cody was appointed Attorney General of Tennessee, Republican Lamar Alexander was governor. In 2005, a Democratic governor, Phil Bredesen, appointed Cody to serve as co-chair of the Tennessee Commission on Ethics, to recommend revisions to state ethics laws.

Cody didn't pull punches or play partisan politics as a public prosecutor. In 1980, Cody's office indicted Democratic state Rep. Emmitt Ford on insurance fraud charges. Ford, who was sent to prison after being convicted, was the brother of powerful Memphis Congressman Harold Ford; Cody had served as Harold Ford's campaign coordinator in 1974.

“We were probably in the top three districts out of the 93 in the country in terms of pursing corruption,” said Memphis lawyer W. Hickman Ewing Jr., 82, who was an Assistant U.S. Attorney under Cody, before being appointed U.S. Attorney for West Tennessee by President Ronald Reagan. “The Democratic party was like, ‘If Cody’s U.S. Attorney, he shouldn’t be prosecuting us,' but Mike was totally honest. He never let politics color his decisions.”

A lawyer at the top Memphis firm of Burch Porter & Johnson since 1961, Cody represented Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when the civil rights leader was in Memphis, in support of the city’s striking sanitation workers. As part of the BP&J legal team representing King, he successfully convinced a judge to lift the injunction that prevented strikers from marching in Memphis. He met with King at the Lorraine Motel not long before King was assassinated on the balcony outside his hotel room on April 4, 1968.

Cody once said he was motivated to be a lawyer “to change and better people’s lives.” The title of a book he co-authored in 1992 expressed his legal and political philosophy: “Honest Government: An Ethics Guide for Public Service.”

He served on the Memphis City Council from 1975 to 1977. He was the United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee from 1977 to 1981, and the Attorney General of Tennessee from 1984 to 1988.

While state Attorney General, Cody argued four cases before the United States Supreme Court, which Nashville lawyer John Knox Walkup — who was state AG in the 1990s — labeled "an extraordinary achievement, inasmuch as few lawyers argue any cases before that court." Walkup called Cody "a model of integrity, fairness and courage."

Cody's four years as chief federal prosecutor in West Tennessee were especially consequential. At the U.S. Attorney's office, he partnered with Nashville prosecutors to bring income tax and bid-rigging charges against members of the Blanton family, involving Blanton-owned construction companies. The corruption was so egregious it was dramatized in a Hollywood movie, "Marie," starring Sissy Spacek as a whistle-blower in the governor's office.

He also successfully prosecuted multiple Shelby County officials after exposing a 1978 scheme involving pay-offs from real estate developers, and his office exposed the drug-running and violence orchestrated by so-called "topless nightclub kingpins" in Memphis, during the heyday of the city's adult-entertainment venues.

In another high-profile case, Cody brought charges against popular WHBQ radio deejay and Elvis pal George Klein, who was indicted and convicted of mail fraud in 1977, for "conspiring to steal" the research diaries that collected data on radio audiences.

Additionally, Cody inherited some of the high-profile obscenity cases that had been originated in Memphis by his predecessor, but Cody took a pragmatic approach to such prosecutions. In 1979, he asked the federal court to dismiss obscenity charges connected to the pornographic film "The Devil in Miss Jones," citing the expense and mixed results of Memphis' "Deep Throat" trials as a reason.

"I look upon this job as a public trust," Cody said, when he was sworn in as West Tennessee's chief federal prosecutor in 1977, after being appointed by President Jimmy Carter. He pledged that "no innocent person in this distric need ever fear the operation of the law nor should any guilty person expect any consideration not dictated by justice and the law."

In a 1984 editorial, The Commercial Appeal praised Cody for his “understanding of the public’s needs” and for his “sensitivity to the concerns and problems of all the city’s citizens.”

An affable charmer with a ready smile who sometimes was described as a Kennedyesque figure, Cody as a law student was an active John F. Kennedy supporter during the 1960 presidential campaign, helping to set up “Kennedy clubs” at the University of Virginia, where Cody attended law school.

In 1982, Cody finished third in the Memphis mayoral race, earning 26 percent of the vote, behind J.O. Patterson Jr. (40.6 percent) and Dick Hackett (30 percent). The top two vote-getters faced each other in a runoff election, which Hackett won. 

Cody’s bid was endorsed by both The Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Press-Scimitar, the evening daily newspaper, which ceased publication in 1983. He also had the support of much of the Memphis business community.

“Many voters saw in Cody’s candidacy a chance to set a new direction for local politics — a break with a political establishment that had held Memphis back,” The Commercial Appeal wrote, after the election.

A member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Cody was captain of the track and basketball teams at East High School. He also ran cross-country and played basketball at Southwestern (now Rhodes College), where he earned his bachelor's degree and set several track records. In addition to running numerous marathons, he once completed a two-day, 70-mile run along the Appalachian Trail.

Lawyer Les Jones, 65, who started at Burch Porter & Johnson in 1989, said he met Mike Cody when “he was 50-something years old and looked like a Greek god,” because he was so healthy due to his running. 

Also a runner, Jones participated in several marathons in Boston and elsewhere. He said Cody was “a public person but also a private person. He was not a socialite. What he liked to do was spend time with (his wife) Suzi, and his family, read about a thousand books a year, and go run.”

A nationally recognized figure, Cody was hired as technical adviser on various Hollywood legal thrillers filmed in Memphis, including Sydney Pollack's "The Firm," with Tom Cruise, Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rainmaker," with Matt Damon, and Joel Schumacher's "The Client," with Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon. He also served as local legal representative for the Rolling Stones when the British band performed in Memphis at the Liberty Bowl in 1994.

Through the years, Cody received numerous national and local awards and honors, and he served on the boards of many significant organizations, including the National Civil Rights Museum and the Memphis in May International Festival.

In 1968, in the wake of King's assassination, Cody and his friend, Memphis pastor and civil rights tactician James Lawson (who died in June at the age of 95), formed a neighborhood legal services operation to offer free aid to the sanitation workers. The idea expanded into the organization now known as Memphis Legal Services.

"When you live in the South, you can’t ignore — particularly in those years — the awfulness of segregation and oppression," said Cody, in an interview posted on the Burch Porter & Johnson website. "You are motivated to say, 'We have to keep on the case.'"

Cody leaves his wife of 42 years, Suzanna Cody; two daughters, Jane Cody of Corrales, New Mexico, and Mia Cody of Memphis; a son, Michael Cody of Germantown; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorial Park Funeral Home has charge.

Wilma June Wagel Wallace, 93, passed away from complications of Parkinson's Disease on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Highlandspring in Ft. Thomas.

Wilma was born on June 19, 1931 in Bracken County, to the late Harry Walter Wagel and Carrie Mabel (Redden) Wagel.

She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Mack Lee Wallace, whom she married in Georgetown, Ohio on March 30, 1956.

Wilma is also survived by her eldest daughter, Amy (Jeffrey) Jones of Foster; two granddaughters, Kelly (Austin) Miller of Bedford, Ind. and Kara (Sullivan) Simpson of Lexington; two great grandsons, Walker Miller and Brooks Simpson; and her son-in-law, Mark Thornberry of Newport.

Along with her parents, Wilma was preceded in death by her youngest daughter, Melinda Wallace Thornberry, who passed on Oct. 15, 2021.

Wilma was a 1951 graduate of Bracken County High School in Brooksville. After graduating High School, Wilma traveled by train to attend Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond.

EKU was where Wilma met her future husband, Mack, from Pulaski County.

Wilma was a 1955 graduate of EKU with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics and later earned her 5 Year Graduate Degree from Morehead State University.

Wilma taught Home Economics for 37 years.

For 17 years, from 1955 to 1972, Wilma taught at High Schools in Southwest Ohio, then for 20 years, Wilma taught at Augusta High School until she retired in 1992.

For 33 years, from 1981 to 2014, Wilma and her husband, Mack, owned Jeans and Such Clothing Store on Main Street in Augusta.

Wilma was a member of the Augusta Christian Church, a Friend of the Augusta Independent Educational Foundation, a member of the Augusta Rotary Club, the Augusta Eastern Star-Chapter number 362, the Bracken County Retired Teachers, the Bracken County Chamber of Commerce, the Bracken County Extension Homemakers, and a Pioneer Member of the EKU Alumni Association.

The life of Bob Charlie can be remembered for his involvement in politics, journalism and music. 

His friends and family also remember another of Charlie's gifts: a steady supply of corny dad jokes.

Charlie, a former chief of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (CAFN), was also a prominent Yukon musician and his involvement in the two fields combined to earn him the nickname the "Singing Chief." He died Sept. 14 after struggling with Parkinson's disease and cancer.

Charlie was a member of the Wolf Clan. His traditional names were Zhäwa Tà and Bobbyshän.

"We will miss Chief Bob Charlie and all the joy and happiness he shared through his music, kindness, and humour," current CAFN Chief Barb Joe said in a statement.

Speaking to CBC Yukon's Midday Cafe host Leonard Linklater, Charlie's daughters Lenna and Gina remembered their father as a kind, loving and talented man.

"I always remember him with the guitar in his hands, always playing guitar," Lenna said. "We grew up around his music, going to dances, him just playing his guitar around the house."

Bob Charlie played in numerous bands over the years, including the Klukshu Flats Boogie Band. His nephew, Gary Baillie, said Charlie introduced him to rock n' roll through the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and Buddy Holly.

Baillie also remembered his uncle as a firm but fair disciplinarian.

"My brother Darcy and I were pretty rambunctious," Baillie said. "[Charlie] kept us in line and it was good in a good way and very respectful."

Charlie also worked as a journalist for the Whitehorse Star, CBC North and CHON-FM. Linklater remembered Charlie talking about an important rule for all broadcasters: never give up control of the microphone to the person you're interviewing.

"He told the story about never letting an elder or anyone take your mic," Linklater said. "Because when he talked to someone about moose, the elder would be pointing with the mic all over: 'It's good hunting over there and there,' and just cracked us up."

Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai paid tribute to Charlie's efforts as chief to develop a protocol to have the centuries-old remains of a Southern Tutchone hunter returned to the community.

"Mr. Charlie lived a rich life filled with humour, music and community," Pillai said in a statement.

Most of all, said Charlie's daughter Gina, she'll remember the music.

"When we were kids, he'd be playing music around the house. We'd be trying to go to sleep and we'd be falling asleep to him playing his guitar and singing his songs," she said.

"And a lot of the time when I was taking him out for his drives and all that, if he heard one of his songs come on the radio, he would look over, turn up the volume and say, 'Oh, it's a good tune.'" 

Dr. Keith Davis passed away on Saturday, September 14, 2024. Born at Clifton, NC in a cabin on the North Fork of the New River. He was the son of the late Ted Eugene Davis and Mary Flossie Roland Davis.

He attended Duke University for his BA and PhD degrees in Psychology. He taught at Princeton University, University of Colorado, Rutgers University and the University of South Carolina. At Carolina, he served as Professor, Chairman of the Department, Interim Dean of Humanities and Social Science, and University Provost.

He was most proud of his accomplishments as teacher and researcher, with over 120 publications. He served as founding associate editor of the journal, "Personal Relationships," series editor of "Advances in Descriptive Psychology" and Executive Editor of the "Journal of Social Psychology." He was elected as a Fellow of the American Psychological Society. In 2001, he was selected to receive USC’s Educational Foundation Award for Research in Humanities and Social Sciences. After his Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis, he embraced his role as teacher, sharing his knowledge with anyone who was interested.

He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, a Woodrow Wilson National Fellow, a founding member of the Society for Descriptive Psychology, a member of the Golden K Kiwanis Club and Chamber Pots.

Surviving are his wife of 56 years, Dorothy Reeves Davis; four daughters, Rachel Newhouse (Jeff) of Alexandria, VA, Rebecca Davis (Francene Machetto) of Falls Church, VA, Jessica Davis (Jonathan Zilinski) of Alexandria, VA, and Kristin Davis of Los Angeles, CA; six grandchildren, Zoe Newhouse, Elias Newhouse (Simona), Will Newhouse, Jakob Zilinski, Gemma Davis, and Wilson Davis; and two great-grandchildren, Carter and Kyrese Newhouse.

The family wishes to thank Still Hopes Sanders R. Guignard Rehabilitation Suite and Solutions for Living at Home for their excellent care in his last months.

Former UMNO Information Chief Tan Sri Hussein Ahmad died of old age at his home near Kampung Lemal, here today. He was 90.

His grandson, Mohamad Radzuan Rosli, 34, when contacted, said his grandfather, better known as ‘Hussein Serama’, had been frail for a long time and suffered from Parkinson’s disease.

He died at 7 am with family members by his side, said Mohamad Radzuan, adding Hussein’s remains would be buried at the Kubur Besar Bandar Pasir Mas Muslim cemetery after the Friday prayer today.

Mohamad Radzuan said his grandfather was admitted to Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian a week ago due to shortness of breath.

Hussein left six children, over 30 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

He was Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar from 1978 to 1982 and UMNO Information Chief for 14 years from 1982 to 1999.

He was also in the Cabinet as Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government from 1987 to 1990.

Meanwhile, UMNO secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki expressed his sadness over Hussein’s death in a post on his social media page, Facebook. — BERNAMA.

Dr. David Diamond, 81, died from the progression of Parkinson's disease on September 10, 2024. David was an extremely patient father to two sons, and a psychologist who helped many people for his entire professional life. He was a dedicated advocate for peace and understanding. He loved learning new languages and was an active hiker, canoeist, and bicyclist.

He was born in Bridgeport, CT in 1942 to Roger and Marion Diamond. David grew up in Keene and Alstead, NH. When he went on to attend the University of New Hampshire, he bicycled across the width of New Hampshire from Keene to Durham in one day. In 1961, he refused to participate in a civil-defense drill which he viewed as “an exercise in the acceptance of nuclear war”. Those drills were subsequently discontinued.

After UNH, David did Peace Corps service in 1964-66 in Togo (west Africa). While in Peace Corps training, he met Sallie Munch. When teaching Math and English in Togo, David and Sallie married in 1965. After returning to the United States David studied until he had his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina.

Dave and Sallie settled in Dover, NH and had two children, Dan and Steve. David worked at Strafford Guidance Center, then later went into private practice. In so doing he helped countless people. He was an early advocate of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. 

For decades David enjoyed hiking, canoeing, and other outdoor activities with his family and friends. In addition to regular outdoor activities, this "Outing Club" would have a large yearly gathering at Drake's Island (Wells, Maine).

David was a passionate proponent of peace and social justice issues. He was a member of "Beyond War" for many years. He was a founding member of and main organizer for "Seacoast Peace Response" for over a decade. David helped organize peace vigils on Friday evenings in Portsmouth and Saturday mornings in Dover. He wrote many letters to the editor and op-eds on war and peace issues. He was one of the “Newington 5” who were arrested for civil disobedience in 2002 in an attempt to stop the U.S. from attacking Iraq over their alleged "weapons of mass destruction" program. The electronic newsletter he sent connected hundreds to the issues at hand. He traveled to participate in important protests, including in Washington, New York, Georgia, and Quebec.

David loved languages and was constantly studying to add to that body of knowledge. He liked being able to communicate with diverse peoples. He enjoyed travel, including in Europe, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba.

He is survived by his sons, Daniel and Steven Diamond, and his grandson Ian Diamond.

Marek Breiger was born in Urbana, Illinois on July 12, 1951 and died in Seattle, Washington on September 10, 2024. He grew up in Stockton, California where his parents moved in 1956 from Chicago.

He was devoted to his family and proud of his Jewish heritage. He had a love of literature, great sense of humor and a keen appreciation of life.

He was accepted into the prestigious writing program at San Francisco State University where he earned a Master's degree in creative writing. He went on to write for a number of publications, including, Jewish Currents, California English and he published a book about California writers entitled, “The City and the Fields”. His work was included in a number of anthologies including, “Updating the Literary West”.

He was an inspiring teacher and he taught for over 20 years AP English at Irvington High School in Fremont, California.

He fought a long, courageous battle with Parkinson's disease. His last 2 years were spent in Seattle where his brother David was his tireless advocate overseeing his care.

He is preceded in death by his beloved father, Boris and sister, Mimi. He is survived by his mother, Florence, brother David, sister-in-law Amy and nephews Josh and Micah.