Died On This Date - Feb. 9

Hayes, Gabby (George)
b. May 7, 1885 d. February 9, 1969
American motion-picture actor of the 1920s through 1950s. Well-known for playing the sidekick role to several star actors, including John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and Randolph Scott. He hosted "The Gabby Hayes Show" on television in the 1950s.

Haley, Bill (William John Clifton)
b. July 6, 1925 d. February 9, 1981
Singer. A Rock 'n' Roll singer from the 1950s to the early 1980s, he was considered a pioneer of the rock music genre. In the 1950s with his group, 'The Comets,' he recorded several hits including, "Rocket 88" (1951), "Rock The Joint" (1952), "Crazy Man Crazy" (1953), "Dim Dim The Lights" (1954), "Shake Rattle And Roll" (1954) and "Rock Around The Clock" (1955). He also appeared in many films as well including, "Blue Suede Shoes" (1980), "The London Rock And Roll Show" (1973).

Tucker, Sophie
b. January 13, 1884 d. February 9, 1966
Vaudeville Singer/Comedienne and Actress. The daughter of Russian emigrants, she joined the Ziegfeld Follies in 1909 as a fill-in singer. Due to her size and girth, she was initially made to perform in black face because they thought people would not like her natural appearance. She became so popular that by 1911 she was the headliner. That same year she recorded her lifelong theme song, "Some Of These Days." Later she went into Vaudeville and became legendery for her bawdy songs.

Metcalf, Shelby
b. December 23, 1930 d. February 9, 2007
Basketball Coach. He was the winningest coach in Southwestern Conference History, compiling 438 wins while losing 306 games during his 27 season career at Texas A and M University. The Aggies won six league championships under his leadership (1964, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1980 and 1986) and two of his teams advanced to the NCAA basketball tournaments "Sweet Sixteen" round. As an All-American college player he helped East Texas State to a NAIA national championship in 1955. After a stint in the Air.

Parkinson, C. Northcote
b. July 30, 1909 d. February 9, 1993
Author. He is famous for "Parkinson's Law", he was born in Barnard's Castle, County Durham, and was educated at St. Peter's School in York, Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and King's College, London, at the latter of which, in 1935, he obtained his Ph.D. in History. With the exception of his War years, in which he served with the Queen's Royal Regiment and reached the rank of Major, he taught in various schools in Great Britain and, from 1950 to 1958, in Malaya, but remained unknown to the.

Cafego, George
b. August 29, 1915 d. February 9, 1998Professional Football Player. A native of Whipple, West Virginia, he went to the University of Tennessee, where he became a two time All-American tailback and safety. He was the first pick in the 1940 National Football League draft. He played professionally for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Redskins and Boston Yanks. His professional career was briefly interrupted so he could serve in the United States Army during World War II.

Maus, Marion Perry
b. August 25, 1850 d. February 9, 1930
Indian Campaigns Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Maus served as a First Lieutenant, 1st United States Infantry. He was awarded his medal for service at Sierra Madre Mountains, Mexico, on January 11, 1886. His citation reads-Most distinguished gallantry in action with hostile Apaches led by Geronimo and Natchez.

Eappen, Matthew Spellman
b. May 24, 1996 d. February 9, 1997
Murder Victim. He was killed by his nanny, Louise Woodward, a British au pair who was convicted of second-degree murder for having shaken him violently. The trial brought to light an unregulated business, in-home nanny care, i.e. untrained people hired to help care for children while their parents are both working for a living. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, the only child of Doctors Sunil and Deborah Eappen, both physicians, he was left in the care of a British au pair, Louise Woodward.

Prom, William Raymond
b. November 17, 1948 d. February 9, 1969
Viet Nam Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Served in the United States Marine Corps during the War in Viet Nam as a Lance Corporal in Company I, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division (Rein), FMF. He was awarded the CMOH for his bravery near An Hoa in the Republic of Vietnam on February 9, 1969. His citation reads “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a machinegun squad leader with Company I.

Leach, Kimberly Diane
b. October 28, 1965 d. February 9, 1978
Ted Bundy's last victim. Kimberly was last seen being led to a white van by a man who was later identified as Bundy. He had caught her walking between buildings at her school. Her body was found in July, 1978. Bundy was convicted of her murder and confessed before his execution.

Kaufman, Louis
b. 1905 d. February 9, 1994
Violinist. He was regarded to be the most recorded violinist during the 1900s. In a career that spanned 70 years he made more than 125 recordings of classical repertoire and was heard on movie soundtracks from 1934 to 1948 including "The Merry Widow" and "The Wizard of Oz." Born in Portland, Oregon, he went to New York in 1918 to study with Franz Kneisel at the Institute of Musical Art. In 1927 and 1928 he won the Loeb Prize and the Nuremberg Prize.

Quesada, Elwood Richard
b. April 13, 1904 d. February 9,
is best remembered a member of the famous "Question Mark" endurance crew of 1929. In the first week of January, then Second Lieutenant Quesada flew as a crew member with Major Carl Spaatz, Captain Ira Eaker, and others in the "Question Mark" plane which set a sustained in-flight refueling record of 151 hours - more than six days in the air over Los Angeles. The trimotor Fokker with Wright engines flew 11,000 miles and was refueled 43 times; nine refuelings were at night.

Duchin, Eddy
b. April 1, 1909 d. February 9, 1951
Pianist, Bandleader, Actor. Duchin recorded on the Columbia, Brunswick, Take Two and the RCA Victor Labels. He was very popular in the 1930s until the 1940s when he was active in military life and ill. He appeared in the motion pictures, "Hit Parade Of 1937" (1937), "Coronado" (1935), "Eddy Duchin And His Orchestra" (1933), and "Mr. Broadway" (1933). Duchin's hits included, "Nocturne In E Flat," "Time On My Hand," "Stardust," "Just One Of Those Things," "How About You?," "Shine On Harvest Moon,".

Bauer, Hank
b. July 31, 1922 d. February 9, 2007
Major League Baseball Player, Manager. Born Henry Albert Bauer, in East St. Louis, Illinois. He was an outfielder for fourteen seasons (1948 to 1961) with the New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics. During his career, Bauer was a member of nine American League Pennant-winning teams (1949 to 1953, 1955 to 1958 Yankees) and seven World Championship teams (1949 to 1953, 1956, 1958 Yankees).