Mishaal bin Abdulaziz served as Chairman of the Allegiance Council from 2007 until his death in 2017 and a senior member of the House of Saud. He held different cabinet posts in the 1950s such as Minister of Defense from 1951 through 1953. He served as Governor of Makkah Province from 1963 through 1971. His father was King Abdulaziz. He was born in Riyadh.
In October 2009, Mishaal bin Abdulaziz was rushed to hospital in Geneva, apparently having suffered a stroke. Then, he returned to Saudi Arabia from unspecified medical treatment in Beirut in December 2009. He died in Riyadh on 3 May 2017, aged 90.
Bob Givens
Robert "Bob" Givens (March 2, 1918 – December 14, 2017) was an American animator, character designer and layout artist.
Givens worked for many animation studios during his career, including Disney, Warner Bros. Cartoons, Hanna-Barbera and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. He began his career during the 1930s and continued until the early 2000s. During his career, Givens created the first design for Bugs Bunny. He worked a lot with director Chuck Jones, working under Jones both at Warner Bros. and Jones' own production company.
On December 14, 2017, Givens died in Burbank, California of respiratory failure at the age of 99.
Abbas Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji
Abbas Abdullahi Sheikh Siraji (Somali: "Cabaas Cabdulaahi Sheikh Siraaji") (15 August 1985 – 3 May 2017) was a Somali politician. He briefly served as the Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction from 4 April 2017 until his death in 3 May 2017.
Siraji was shot and killed on 3 May 2017 when soldiers opened fire as he drove his vehicle near Villa Somalia at the age of 31. The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear. Media reports said the soldiers may have perceived Siraji's vehicle as a threat.
Leo K. Thorsness
Leo Keith Thorsness (February 14, 1932 – May 2, 2017) was an American colonel in the United States Air Force and politician. He was born in Walnut Grove, Minnesota.
Thorsness received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War. He was awarded the medal for an air engagement on April 19, 1967. He was shot down two weeks later and spent six years in captivity in North Vietnam as a prisoner of war with future United States Senator John McCain. After his military service, Thorsness served one term in the Washington State Senate from 1988 through 1992 after beating the current State Senator Eugene V. Lux. He was a Republican.
In 1974, Thorsness ran for the United States senate in South Dakota, but lost the general election to George McGovern.
Thorsness died on May 2, 2017 in St. Augustine, Florida from leukemia at the age of 85.
Moray Watson
Moray Watson (25 June 1928 – 2 May 2017) was an English actor. His career began in 1953. He retired in 2014. He appeared in several movies, including "Operation Crossbow" and "The Grass Is Greener". He was known for his roles as Col. Arthur Maiford in "The Darling Buds of May" (1991–1993) and George Frobisher in "Rumpole of the Bailey" (1978–1992).
Watson was born in Sunningdale, Berkshire. He studied at Eton College and at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. In 1955, he married Pamela Marmont. They had two children. Marmont died in 1999. Watson died on 2 May 2017 at a hospital in London, England from pneumonia at the age of 88.
Eugene V. Lux
Eugene Victor "Gene" Lux (August 16, 1926 – June 21, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party. He was a member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 35th Legislative District and then the 11th Legislative District from 1973 through 1988.
Lux was also appointed to two brief tenures in the Washington State Senate in the 35th and 11th legislative districts in 1973 and 1988, respectively. He lost his re-election bid to the Washington Senate in 1988 to Colonel Leo K. Thorsness.
Lux was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. He worked as a self-employed building contractor. Lux died on June 21, 2019 at his Seattle home at the age of 92.
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The Saint Lawrence Seaway is a navigable waterway in North America. It is long and allows marine vessels to go from the Atlantic Ocean to all of the Great Lakes. Most of it is in Canada, but a small part of it is in the United States. It gets its name from the Saint Lawrence River, the river which goes from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
Before the Seaway was built, there was no way for boats and ships to get around the rapids and dams on the Saint Lawrence River. Big ships could not pass Niagara Falls, the waterfalls on the Niagara River between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. In the early 20th century, the governments of both Canada and the U.S. saw that the cities near the Great Lakes could grow and become an important part of the economy of both countries. There were people in both countries who did not want the Seaway to be built, but the project went ahead.
In 1954, construction began on a system of canals from Montreal in the east to Port Colborne in the west. It included 15 locks where the water level changes, and several places where electricity could be made from the flow of water. The project also involved making the Welland Canal bigger so that large ships can pass through it.
The Seaway was completed in 1959 at a cost of C$470 million. Today, thousands of vessels use it every year, from small recreational boats to huge ocean liners. About 40 to 50 million tonnes of cargo are moved on these ships and they go to all parts of the world including Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It has been an important part of the economic growth of cities like Toronto, Hamilton, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago. There are plans to make the Seaway even wider so that container ships as big as those that travel through the Panama Canal can use it.
Ernest E. West
Ernest Edison "Ernie" West (September 2, 1931 – May 1, 2021) was a United States Army soldier. He was a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart, for his actions in the Korean War.
West was born on September 2, 1931, in Russell, Kentucky. He was drafted from Wurtland in 1950.
After his unit was ambushed near Sataeri on that day, he ran through heavy fire to rescue his wounded commander, Capt. George Gividen. As he was pulling the man to safety, three hostile soldiers attacked. West shielded the commander with his body and killed the attackers with his rifle, suffering a wound which resulted in the loss of his eye in the process.
Despite this injury, he remained on the field and assisted in the evacuation of other wounded men, at one point killing three more hostile soldiers. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor just over a year later, on January 29, 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
West died on May 1, 2021 in Greenup County, Kentucky at the age of 89.
Howard V. Lee
Lieutenant Colonel Howard Vincent Lee (August 1, 1933 – March 23, 2019) was a United States Marine Corps officer. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in August 1966 during the Vietnam War. He was promoted in July 1972 to lieutenant colonel and retired in 1975 from the Marine Corps. Lee studied at Pace College.
On October 25, 1967, Major Lee was presented the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon Johnson in a ceremony at the White House.
Lee died on March 23, 2019 in Virginia, at the age of 85.
Arthur J. Jackson
Captain Arthur J. Jackson (October 18, 1924 – June 14, 2017) was a United States Marine. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions on Peleliu during World War II.
PFC Jackson single-handedly destroyed 12 enemy pillboxes and killed 50 enemy soldiers.
On September 30, 1961, while serving at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Jackson fatally shot Rubén López Sabariego, a Cuban worker at Guantanamo, and unsuccessfully attempted to hide his body in a shallow grave.
Wilburn K. Ross