But let's do it differently this time because I'm so behind on the passing of famous people. Remember, this is the column I do to celebrate the lives of people who have touched our lives in some way over the past few decades. It's a societal thing to do.

 

And it is important to remember where we've come from, so we can know where we are going. Without further ado, here is the latest (and condensed from the past eight months.)

 

Molly Ivins was a wonderful humorist; a Texas original. She died of breast cancer at the age of 62 in February. Her wit was awesome! She referred to President George W. Bush as "Shrub" because he was the son of the elder "Bush."

 

Ivins wrote columns herself about political stuff and other subjects; always thought provoking and humorous. She wrote for the Dallas Times Herald and the Fort Worth Star Telegram here locally and was the first woman reporter at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I will miss Ivins' humor; I loved to read her column. If I thought about it, I'd say that in every one of my columns, there is some of her in them. She taught me a lot without even knowing I existed. Thank you, Molly Ivins!!!

 

Who can forget Momofuku Ando?!

 

What?! You don't know who that is? Well, just the inventor of instant noodles - ramen - that sustained American college students for decades. He died earlier this year at the age of 96. It was in post war Japan that Ando came up with the idea of a quick, easy meal for the masses in a food shortage era for the Japanese. He came up with Chicken Ramen in 1958 and introduced Cup Noodle in 1971; this was the meal and the cooking container all in one concept. Now, you can't forget him, can you?!

 

Oh, my gosh! I thought she'd live forever! But Yvonne DeCarlo died in January at the age of 84. She had been living at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Healthcare Center at the time. Surely, you remember Yvonne?!

 

"Oh, Herman!" "Now, Grandpa......" "Eddie Munster!"

 

Yes, she played Lilly Munster, the matriarch of the ghoulish clan on Mockingbird Lane in TV Land! The show only last for three years but has been in reruns since the mid 1960s. She became a star again after a career in movies in the 1940s and 50s. (She played Moses' wife in The Ten Commandments.)

 

I loved Lilly as I watched those episodes the second time around in the late 1960s. It was so cool and funny to watch that television family, especially when they were in that souped up car! And DeCarlo kept them all together. Thank you, Lilly Munster!

 

Unless you are a "I Love Lucy" buff, you don't know Bob Carroll, Jr. I didn't either but he is worthy of mention because he wrote all those episodes for Lucille Ball and the escapades of her television character, Lucy Ricardo. And if you're counting, that's 180.

 

Wow! Anyone who can do that - and at such a high quality rate - is simply the best. Of course, he had help: his writing partner of 50 years, Madelyn Pugh Davis. And there were other writers along the seven year run but it was the two, Carroll and Davis, that created the character for radio in the late 1940s and moved to television in 1951.

 

Carroll died in late January at the age of 88. He was also involved with the later shows starring Ball and wrote a memoir about the experience of being with the iconic series.

 

Thank you, Mr. Carroll!

 

In April, we lost Don Ho, who died of heart failure at the age of 76. The "Tiny Bubbles" singer was pure Hawaiian. He spent much of the 1960s and 70s as a television favorite and no visit to Hawaii was complete without seeing his show. He was even named one of the "50 coolest guys ever." Thanks, Don Ho!

 

Roscoe Lee Brown wasn't a household name but I liked him. He was this distinguished man with a wonderful baritone voice who did many voiceovers and won an Emmy for his television work. He died of cancer in April at the age of 81.

 

He played the butler on the show, "Soap" and was in several memorable episodes of "All in the Family" and "The Cosby Show." He was in movies and appeared on Broadway as well. He wrote and read poetry during his career in addition to acting. He was even a gifted athlete who ran the 800M race in world championship form. Brown also did audiobooks - imagine that - in his storied if well-kept career. Thank you, Mr. Brown!

I didn't watch "Mr. Wizard" but I did hear of him a decade after he did his thing on television. Don Herbert was 89 when he died earlier this year. He literally taught the baby boomers how to think "like a scientist" in everyday life. He showed them how to predict results, measure and analyze data; that's cool! He brought science to everyday people by showing how experiments could be done with everyday items from home. For that feat, I simply say, "Thank you, Don Herbert!"

 

And Frank Stanton, who died in the spring of natural causes at the age of 98, basically invented the concept of television networks and news. He built CBS into the "Tiffany Network" and guided the new television medium through its infancy. He teamed with William Pauley to create a global network of stations out of a few radio stations in the late 1940s. He discovered Jackie Gleason and agreed to put "I Love Lucy" on television. And to boot, as a psychologist, Dr. Stanton invented the data gathering technique that became the Nielson Ratings System. From all of us TV fans, "Way to Go, Dr. Stanton!"

 

Now, this catches us up to the last three months or so. I will probably do another CD column soon, so be watching for it! Until then, remember your past to plot your future!