The Good People Who Passed On in 2012 | Eastern North Carolina Now

Junior Seau: Above.
    Another sad football story is that of Junior Seau, NFL linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots.

    Before Junior came into the NFL with the Chargers, and played for 20 years with the three teams, he was born Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. on January 19, 1969 in San Diego, California, played college football at the University of Southern California before moving up to the Chargers. As a linebacker, Junior was fast, smart, strong and tough, with outstanding instincts to go to the offensive man with the ball and deliver a punishing hit. Junior was All Pro for 10 seasons, was selected on the NFL all decade team and will be selected to the NFL Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible.

    Sadly, from all those hard, some devastatingly hard hits, Junior discovered he suffered with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a form of brain disease caused by continuous head trauma of a linebacker's lot. The young man, with much of his life ahead of him, suffered a great deal.

    Junior, despondent and punch drunk from too much football, took his own life on May 2, 2012.

Larry Hagman: Above.
    Born Larry Martin Hagman on September 21, 1931, the son of Actress Mary Martin in Fort Worth Texas, Larry Hagman was the star of two successful television shows. The first was "I Dream of Jeanie" and the second was "Dallas", where he played one of the most popular "white collar" villains in the history of television - the conniving oil baron J.R. Ewing.

    Larry Hagman passed on November 23, 2012.

Levon Helm: Above.
    Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm was born on May 26, 1940 in Elaine, Arkansas, and the world was so much the better for it. Levon grew up a poor son of a cotton farmer, learned to play a number of instruments, learned to sing, create music, and fortunately met up with Robbie Roberson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson to form The Band, an iconic assemblage of musicians that made near perfect music, and, tragically, quit performing, creating music, and left us all wishing there could be more, but thankful for what they did leave us.

    Click here to access Levon Helm's obituary here in BCN.

   Levon Helm passed on April 19, 2012 after his terrible bout with cancer.

The Band performing the classic "The Weight," and just below the first video, "The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down," both from the classic film, "The Last Waltz."



Mike Wallace: Above.
   Myron Leon "Mike" Wallace was born on May 9, 1918 in Brookline, Massachusetts to parents of Russian Jew descent, with their former last name being Wallik.

    Mike began his very public career in radio, before joining the United States Navy to serve his country as a communications officer during World War II. Mike continued to do radio after the war, and even was a spokesman for sponsoring products for many of programs at the stations, first radio and then television, where Wallace worked.

    Eventually, Wallace moved into news reporting, and found , due to his curious nature and smooth demeanor, that this format of delivering information suited him, eventually winding up at CBS, and eventually becoming one of the charter members of "60 Minutes." It was often said, quite jokingly, "that you have never really had a bad day until you find Mike Wallace in your lobby, asking you for just a few words."

    Reporter Wallace never considered himself a Liberal, but more of a moderate in his political beliefs. The "Mike's in your lobby" notwithstanding, Wallace always appeared to be more fair, than not, in ferreting out the truth from complex situations, where fault was a large piece of the equation.

    Mike Wallace passed on April 7, 2012.
Neil Armstrong: Above.
    Where were you when Man first walked on the Moon?

    If you can remember where you were, you should absolutely remember that it was Neil Armstrong that humbly stated, "One small step for Man, one large step for Mankind," as Astronaut Armstrong stepped down of of the ladder of the Luna Landing Module to the dusty floor of the Earth's one orbiting moon.

    The type of man who is tasked to be the first man to walk on the Moon is one that was flying jet aircraft off of carriers tossed in the South China Sea, flies over 70 combat missions over Korea in that bloody conflict, by the age of thirty has graduated from Perdue University with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering, re-joined active and is a test pilot flying planes faster than the speed of sound, and beyond.

    Neil Armstrong was a brave patriot, a great American, and by his deeds, and because of his great humility, is the prototype for Man most parents would love to see their children grow into.

    Neil Alden Armstrong was born August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio and died August 25, 2012 of complications from heart surgery.
"4 star" General "Storm'n" Norman Schwarzkopf: Above and below.

    Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. was born on August 22, 1934 in Trenton, New Jersey, and immediately after high school received an appointment to West Point.

    Norman Schwarzkopf taught at West Point, fought in the Vietnam Wasr, and was promoted to General in 1988, just a few years before Operation Desert Storm, where General Schwarzkopf promoted to operation commander for the entire victorious command. After this huge success in Desert Storm (First Gulf War), Schartzkopf was asked to take the Army Chief of Staff position of the U.S. Military Joint Chiefs of Staff; however, the battle weary General sought retirement instead.

    Norman Schwarzkopf died from complications from pneumonia on December 27, 2012.