Died On This Date - Feb. 12

Schulz, Charles Monroe
b. November 26, 1922 d. February 12, 2000Cartoonist. He was the creator of the enormously popular "Peanuts" comic strip, as well as the characters of 'Charlie Brown', "Snoopy", Linus Van Pelt" and others. He died the evening before his last Sunday comic strip ran nationally, which ran Sunday, February 13, 2000. During World War II he served in the United States Army as a Staff Sergeant and commander of a machine gun squad, seeing a great amount of combat.

Landry, Thomas 'Tom'
b. September 11, 1924 d. February 12, 2000
Hall of Fame Professional Football Coach. A native of Texas, he served during World War II as a bomber pilot. After the war he attended the University of Texas. In 1949 he played for the New York Yankees in the old All-America Conference. That league folded and Landry played for the New York Giants from 1950 through 1955, the last two years as a player coach. He is credited with inventing the 4 - 3 defense which is most used in football today.

Penney, James Cash
b. September 16, 1875 d. February 12, 1971
Businessman and entrepreneur; the founder of the JC Penney Company. Born in Hamilton, Missouri, his father was an impoverished farmer and part-time Baptist preacher. He was raised to be a devout Christian, a man whose foundation was the Golden Rule, to be self-reliant, self-disciplined, and with a strong concept of personal honor. James attended the local high school, and went to work for a local butcher and later, worked for a local dry goods merchant.

Wood, Grant
b. February 13, 1891 d. February 12, 1942
Artist. Mainly self taught, as a child used charred black sticks and charcoal from the cooking stove and old paper and began drawing things around him: barnyard animals, chickens, trees, farm scenes and people. In elementary school, he won a prize in a national art contest held by the Crayola Company. In high school, he did drawings for the yearbook and designed stage sets, and more formal training was undertaken later on trips to Europe with art study in Paris.

Hall, Rosie Lee Moore
b. June 22, 1899 d. February 12, 1967
Spokeswoman. Rosie Moore was the last woman to represent the character "Aunt Jemima" for the Quaker Oats Company. She was discovered while working for the advertising department at Quaker Oats in Oklahoma, and became the new spokesperson for Aunt Jemima pancake mix. She toured the country in character until the late 60s when the image was revamped to an artist's rendering of a more modern black woman.

Toler, Sidney
b. April 28, 1874 d. February 12, 1947
Actor. He is best remembered for his role of 'Charlie Chan' in the "Charlie Chan" series of movies. Of Scottish ancestry, he was the second non-Asian to play the role of the Chinese Hawaiian detective. Born in Warrensburg, Missouri, and a veteran of the stage, he entered the movie industry in 1929, taking a variety of supporting roles in such films as "The Gay Nineties" (1929), "Madame X" (1929), "Strickly Dishonorable" (1931), "Blonde Venus" (1932), "King of the Jungle" (1933), "

Murphy, Isaac Burns
b. January 1, 1861 d. February 12, 1896
Horse Racing Jockey. An African-American whose father was a Union soldier who died in a Confederate prison, he was the top jockey of his era and is still considered by many to be the greatest jockey in history. He had a horse racing career that saw him win over 600 races, by far the most in his time. His style was a marked contrast to the accepted jockey practices of the day - he rarely used his whip or his spurs, preferring to talk to the horse.

Mineo, Sal
b. January 10, 1939 d. February 12, 1976
Actor. Best remembered for his roles in such films as "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), "Giant" (1956), "Exodus" (1960), and "The Longest Day" (1962), and “Singer”, he received two Oscar nominations, for his roles in "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Exodus”. Born Salvatore Mineo Jr., in the Bronx part of New York City to Italian immigrants who had come from Sicily, he was thrown out of school at age 8, and quickly became a member of a street gang.

Crosby, Frances J. 'Fanny'
b. March 24, 1820 d. February 12, 1915
Hymn Writer. Although she was blind from the age of six weeks, she wrote more than three thousand hymn lyrics, including "Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross", "Blessed Assurance" and "Safe in the Arms of Jesus." She was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1975. She was born in Southeast, New York.

Long, Charles Richard
b. 1923 d. February 12, 1951
Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company M, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Hoengsong, Korea, 12 February 1951. Entered service at: Kansas City, Mo. Born: 10 December 1923, Kansas City, Mo. G.O. No.: 18, 1 February 1952. Citation: Sgt. Long, a member of Company M, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United.

Lindley, John Marshall
b. April 12, 1831 d. February 12, 1874
Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. Served in the Civil War as Lieutenant Colonel and commander of the 19th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was brevetted Brigadier General, US Volunteers on March 13, 1865 for "gallantry and good coduct at the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa.".

Smith, Sammi (Jewel Kay)
b. August 5, 1943 d. February 12, 2005
Country Singer. A native of Orange, California, Smith is best remembered for her singing of Kris Kristofferson's, "Help Me Make It Through The Night." Noted for her husky singing voice Smith also had successes with other recordings including, "So Long Charlie Brown, Don't Look For Me Around," "Then You Walk In," "Today I Started Loving You Again," "Loving Arms," "Days That End In Y," "Norma Jean," "What A Lie," "I Cry When I'm Alone," "For The Kids," "Kentucky," "Long Black Veil,"

Gregory, Gerald Davis
b. June 10, 1934 d. February 12, 1999
Legendary bass singer. His career became a reality with the Original Spaniels, which extended for over four decades. Gerald "Bounce" Davis Gregory was known as the last bass singer of the R&B "Doo Wop" music era. He provided the bass vocal for The Spaniels' popular song "Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight." His entertainment career included performances with other artists such as the Ink Spots and Sonny Til and the Orioles.

Sakall (Szakall), S.Z. (Szöke) 'Cuddles'
b. February 2, 1883 d. February 12, 1955
Hungarian-born stage and motion picture actor of the 1920s thru the 1950s. Immortalized as 'Carl, the headwaiter' in the all-time classic film drama, "Casablanca" (1942).
Kurtzman, Harvey
b. October 3, 1924 d. February 12, 1993
Cartoonist. He was a creator and editor of "Mad Magazine".

Groh, David
b. May 21, 1939 d. February 12, 2008
Actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he is best remembered for his role as Joe Gerard, the title character's husband in the 1970s television series "Rhoda". His other notable TV credits include, "Police Story", "Fantasy Island", "Murder, She Wrote", "Melrose Place" and "Law and Order". He also appeared in the Broadway production "The Twilight of the Golds".