Died On This Date - Feb. 11

Knowles, Abiather J.
b. March 15, 1830 d. February 11, 1905
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He served as a Captain in the Union Army. He was awarded the Medal of Honor as a Private in Company D, 2nd Maine Infantry for action on July 21, 1861 at Bull Run, Virginia. His citation reads "Removed the dead and wounded under heavy fire."

Allabach, Peter H.
b. September 9, 1824 d. February 11, 1892
Civil War Union Army Officer. He served as a Colonel in the 131st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, which was a nine-month regiment; the regiment was at Antietam, Maryland (where it was not engaged) and fought at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Chancellorsville, Virginia. He commanded the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, V Corps, Army of the Potomac at all three battles. On May 23, 1863, he was mustered out at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Conrad, William
b. September 27, 1920 d. February 11, 1994
Actor, Movie Director. His baritone voice made him a natural for radio starting in the late 1930s. William Conrad's career encompassed radio and the movies but achieved National stardom for his series roles on television. He was born as William Cann in Louisville, Kentucky. His professional career began as a musician while showing promise as a fairly good singer. Conrad made a singing debut late in Gilbert & Sullivan's 'The Mikado' in 1984.

Clinton, DeWitt
b. March 2, 1769 d. February 11, 1828
New York Governor, US Senator. Born in Little Britain, New Windsor, Orange County, New York, he was the son of James Clinton, a veteran of the French and Indian War and a Continental Army General of the American Revolution. He graduated from Columbia in 1786 and studied law in New York where he was admitted to the bar in 1788. He became the secretary to his uncle, George Clinton, the governor of New York.

Benchley, Peter Bradford
b. May 8, 1940 d. February 11, 2006
Author. Wrote numerous novels of which some ("Beast," "The Island," "The Deep") became major motion pictures or made-for-television films, but it was his 1974 novel "Jaws" and its subsequent blockbuster film which scared millions world-wide into staying out of the water. He had since become a leading advocate for shark conservation, encouraging the protection of the great white shark that was the villian in his book.

Booke, Sorrell
b. January 4, 1930 d. February 11, 1994
Actor. He is best remembered for his role of 'Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg' on the "Dukes of Hazard" television series. Born in Buffalo, New York, the son of a local physician, his family encouraged him to entertain relatives and friends by doing impressions and telling jokes. While studying in Yale and Columbia University, he mastered five languages, and following his graduation, went into the Army as a Lieutenant, where he worked in counter-intelligence during the Korean War.

Doubleday, Ulysses
b. August 31, 1824 d. February 11, 1893
Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. Brother of Gettysburg hero Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday. Volunteered at the very beginning of the war and served in a number of commands. First appointed as Major and commander of the 4th New York Heavy Artillery, then on the staff of his brother. Later rose to Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd United States Colored Troops, and as Colonel and commander of the 45th United States Colored Troops.

Allen, Ethan
b. January 21, 1738 d. February 11, 1789
Revolutionary War Vermont Militia Officer. A fiercely independent soldier who often caused problems for the American side as well as the British during the war, he served in the French and Indian War at Fort William Henry, acquiring land in Vermont for his services. When the area that would become the State of Vermont came under Land Grant disputes between New York and New Hampshire in the late 1760s, he formed and became Colonel of the "Green Mountain Boys" militia unit to discourage New York.

Messer, Carlos Page
b. October 3, 1833 d. February 11, 1907
Civil War Union Army Officer. Served in the Union Army first as Captain and comander of Company D, 5th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, with who he served from May 1, 1861 until the unit's muster out on July 31, 1861. On November 7, 1862 he was commissioned Colonel and comander of the 50th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which was a 10-month enlistment unit. He served with the regiment until his honorable discharge on August 24, 1863.

Cobb, Lee (Leo Jacoby) J.
b. December 8, 1911 d. February 11, 1976
Actor. Best known for the films "12 Angry Men " and "The Exorcist."

Plath, Sylvia
b. October 27, 1932 d. February 11, 1963Author, Poetess. The daughter of Aurelia and Otto Plath, Sylvia's father died when she was eight, a trauma that affected her deeply for the rest of her life and became the subject of one of her best known poems, "Daddy." Sylvia was writing from the time she was very small and had her first poem published when she was eight years old; she had stories and poems being published almost constantly for the rest of her life.

Powell, Eleanor
b. November 21, 1912 d. February 11, 1982
American motion picture actress and champion tap dancer of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Married to actor Glenn Ford for 15 years. Mother of actor Peter Ford.

Fornieles, Mike
b. January 18, 1932 d. February 11, 1998
Major League Baseball Player. Born Jose Miguel (Torres) Fornieles. A native of Havana, Cuba, he was a pitcher for twelve seasons (1952 to 1963) with the Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. His best year was in 1960 when he matched his season high in victories with 10 and led the league with 70 appearances and 14 saves while posting a 2.64 ERA. He was a member of the 1960 American League All Star Team.

Bonnett, Neil
b. July 30, 1946 d. February 11, 1994
Auto Race Car Driver. He earned 18 Winston Cup Series victories during his 18-year career. Among his 18 wins were back-to-back victories in NASCAR's longest (miles) race -- the Coca-Cola 600 (1982 and 1983). He also won back-to-back Busch Clash (now Bud Shootout) races at Daytona International Speedway (1983 and 1984). His highest finish in the series points chase was in 1985 when he finished fourth and his teammate, Darrell Waltrip, won the championship.