Died On This Date: Mar 28

Eisenhower, Dwight David
b. October 14, 1890 d. March 28, 1969
34th United States President, United States General of the Army. One of seven sons of a poor Kansas family, he discovered he could receive an education for free if he was accepted at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He passed the 1911 entry exam and graduated in the top half of his class. As the conflicts in Europe became World War II, he found himself on a rapid ascent.

Thorpe (Wa-Tho-Huk), Jim
b. May 22, 1888 d. March 28, 1953
Indian Sports Athlete. Jim Thorpe was a Sac and Fox Indian, born in a cabin on the North Canadian River near Prague, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). He was a rough, tough youngster while growing up with his twin brother, Charlie on a farm located in the Indian Territory. He honed his athletic skills on his father's homestead, where the entire village would gather each Saturday for a picnic and participate in running events, jumping and wrestling. Cause of death: Heart Attack

Rachmaninoff (Rachmaninov), Sergei Vasilievitch
b. April 1, 1873 d. March 28, 1943
Composer, Orchestera Conductor. He is best remembered for his piano work, including four concertos, the popular "Prelude in C Sharp Minor" and for "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," which he wrote for piano and orchestra. Born in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, he studied music in St. Petersburg and in Moscow, where he won the gold medal for composition. In 1917, he fled the Russian Revolution, and ended up in the United States. An early convert to the composer Piotr Tchaikovsky.

Ustinov, Peter
b. April 16, 1921 d. March 28, 2004
Actor, Motion Picture Director, Educator. He is best remembered for his film roles of vain, selfish, insolent and rude characters. Born of Russian descent, where his grandfather, an officer in the Czar's Army, was exiled for refusing to convert to the Eastern Orthodox Church (he was Protestant), his mother was Nadia Benois, also of a Russian exile family in London. He began acting at age 17, sold his first screenplay at age 24, and directed his first film at age 25. Cause of death: Heart failure.

Woolf (Stephen), Virginia (Adeline Virginia)
b. January 25, 1882 d. March 28, 1941
The daughter of Julia and Leslie Stephen, Adeline Virginia married Leonard Woolf in 1912. A prolific writer who has had a great influence on 20th century English literature, Woolf wrote novels, essays, short stories and literary criticism. Several volumes of her letters and journals have been published as well. Among her best known works are the novels To the Lighthouse, Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando and The Waves and the essay, A Room of One's Own. Cause of death: Suicide.

Kelly Sr., Emmett
b. December 9, 1898 d. March 28, 1979
Entertainer. A World famous Circus Clown during the 1930s and 1940s, he best remembered for his sad-faced, silent "Weary Willy" hobo clown, who as the perpetual underdog never gave up, and for his comic act of sweeping the spotlight. Born in Sedan, Kansas (where a museum honors him today), his parents worked for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad, where his father, Thomas Kelly, was part of a railroad crew, and his mother, Mollie, ran a boarding house for the Railroad. Cause of death: Heart attack.

von Trapp, Maria
b. January 26, 1905 d. March 28, 1987
Wife of Captain George Ritter von Trapp, their story was made famous in the musical film, “The Sound of Music” (1965), in which her role was played by Julie Andrews. Born Maria Augusta Kutschera on a train enroute to Vienna, Austria, her mother died when she was just two years old. Her father left her with a cousin, so that he could travel, and she was raised as a socialist and atheist, becoming cynical towards all religions.

Stahl, Charles Sylvester
b. January 10, 1873 d. March 28, 1907
Major League Baseball Player. Known to fans and the baseball world as "Chick" Stahl, he was a star outfielder with the Boston Red Sox, and is considered by baseball historians to be one of the most feared and reliable hitters in the "dead ball" era. He batted .354 his rookie 1897 season with the Boston Beaneaters and averaged over .300 his first six seasons. He also had six hits in one game in 1899, and hit three triples in the 1903 World Series.

Weinberger, Caspar Willard
b. August 18, 1917 d. March 28, 2006
Presidential Cabinet Secretary. Born in San Francsico, California, he was appointed as Secretary of Defense by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and served until 1987, becoming the second-longest serving Secretary. A 1941 graduate of Harvard's law school, he served in three Republican administrations, becoming Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission in 1970 and then moved to the Office of Management and Budget. Cause of death: Pneumonia

Thomas, George Henry
b. July 31, 1816 d. March 28, 1870
Civil War Union Major General. A career Army officer, he graduated from West Point in 1840, was a veteran of the Seminole and Mexican wars and a cavalry instructor at the academy. At the start of the Civil War, he was a Colonel in the 2nd Cavalry in the Department of the Shenandoah. Promoted Brigadier General in August 1861, he commanded the 1st Division, Army of the Ohio and the 14th Corps, Army of the Cumberland, 1862 to 1863. On September 19, 1863, at the Battle of Chickamauga, after most of...[Read More] (Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith)Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, Rensselaer County, New York, USA

Waybur, David C.
d. March 28, 1945
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Born in Oakland, California, he served in the United States Army during World War II as a First Lieutenant in the 3rd Reconnaissance Troop, 3rd Infantry Division. Near Agrigento, Sicily, July 17, 1943, he volunteered to lead a 3-vehicle patrol into enemy held territory to locate an isolated Ranger unit. Proceeding under cover of darkness, the patrol's progress was halted at a destroyed bridge and was suddenly cut off from its supporting.

Buford, Napoleon Bonapart
b. January 13, 1807 d. March 28, 1883
Civil War Union Brigadier General. Graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1831, and resigned his commission in 1835. Joined the Union Army in August 1861, and saw service at the Battles of Belmont, Island No. 10, Corinth, and in the Vicksburg campaign. In April 1862 he was appointed Brigadier General, US Volunteers and commanded District of East Arkansas. His half brother was Major General John Buford of Gettysburg fame.

Tozier, Andrew J.
b. February 11, 1838 d. March 28, 1910
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He served during the Civil War as a First Sergeant in Company I, 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during the defense of Little Round Top, at the battle of Gettysburg, July 1863. The citation reads: "At the crisis of this engagement this soldier, a color bearer, stood alone in an advanced position, the regiment having been borne back, and defended his colors with musket and ammunition picked up at.

Matthews, Daniel Paul
b. December 31, 1931 d. March 28, 1953
Korean War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War as a Sergeant in Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). He was awarded his medal posthumously for service at Vegas Hill, Korea, on March 28, 1953. 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 squad leader of Company F, in action against enemy aggressor forces.