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Claude Earl Jones was born on 29 April 1933 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor, known for Miracle Mile (1988), Battlestar Galactica (1978) and Bride of Re-Animator (1990). He was married to Nancy Langdon. He died on 25 November 2019 in Claremont, California, USA.

Amanda Rabb was born on 27 September 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She died on 9 May 2021 in Claremont, California, USA.

David Foster Wallace was born on 21 February 1962 in Ithaca, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009), The Rescue (2014) and Lesenswert (2013). He was married to Karen Green. He died on 12 September 2008 in Claremont, California, USA.

Lea Vernon was born on 1 September 1927 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for The Dream Chasers (1984) and The Love Boat (1977). She was married to Harold Gould. She died on 13 March 2024 in Claremont, California, USA.

Norma Tanega was born on 30 January 1939 in Vallejo, California, USA. She died on 29 December 2019 in Claremont, California, USA.

Deborah Couples was born on 2 March 1958. She was an actress, known for Venus on the Halfshell (2003) and Burning Heart (2000). She was married to Fred Couples. She died on 26 May 2001 in Claremont, California, USA.

Amanda Webb was born on 6 May 1929 in Tampa, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for The Ten Commandments (1956), Science Fiction Theatre (1955) and M.U.G.E.N (1999). She was married to Brad Johnson. She died on 28 August 2020 in Claremont, California, USA.

Robert Allen was born on 20 March 1969 in the USA. He was an editor, known for Dateline NBC (1992), Battle Dome (1999) and My New Best Friend (2003). He died on 19 July 2006 in Claremont, California, USA.

Hunter Hancock was a disc jockey generally regarded as the first DJ in the western U.S. to play R&B to a mostly white audience (in the mid-1940s), and is also generally credited with being the first DJ to play rock 'n' roll in the area in the early 1950s (most L.A. DJs of the time wouldn't touch it). In 1950 the Arbitron radio ratings system called Hunter's show the #1 program among black listeners in southern California, and the black-owned newspaper The Los Angeles Sentinel said that Hunter was the most popular DJ in L.A. among blacks--and Arbitron and the Sentinel were both astounded to discover that Hunter was white. He entered the radio field in San Antonio, Texas, soon took a broadcasting job in Laredo, then moved to Los Angeles and got a job with a radio station as a weekend announcer. A local clothing store chain that catered specifically to blacks bought air time, and Hancock was hired to host the show. He parlayed that into a career that saw him become the most popular DJ in Los Angeles for years.

In his later years, however, he ran into some trouble. In 1961 he was convicted of failing to declare more than $10,000 on his income tax return, given a hefty fine and probation.

Mrs. Elva Miller rates highly as one of the single most colorful, unlikely, and hence oddly endearing musical celebrities to ever achieve a considerable amount of fame in the mid-1960's. Armed with an off-key, quivering, sub-Ethel Mermanesque operatic vibrato soprano voice, a sweetly humble, matronly, and old-fashioned persona, and a delightfully dotty penchant for strange bird-like wobbly whistling, Mrs. Miller belted out renditions of such songs as Petula Clark's "Downtown," "A Hard Day's Night" by The Beatles, Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," and "A Lover's Concerto" by The Toys with an enthusiastic ineptitude that was truly something to behold.

She was born as Elva Ruby Connes on October 5, 1907 in Joplin, Missouri. Elva was the third of seven children born to Edward Connes and Ada Martin. Mrs. Miller grew up in Kansas and began her music career as a member of a Lutheran church choir (she also did some broadcasting on the radio station KGNO in Dodge City, Kansas). She moved to Oklahoma after graduating from high school and worked as a live-in housekeeper for a minister's family. Elva married her much older investor husband John Richardson Miller in 1934. The couple moved to Claremont, California in 1935. Mrs. Miller studied music theory, voice, and composition at Pomona College and sang in the choir at the Claremont Presbyterian Church. It was during this time that Elva began recording 45 singles of gospel, classical, and children's songs as a hobby.

Mrs. Miller was discovered by organist/pianist/arranger Fred Bock, who in turn convinced her to record a cover of "Downtown." Capitol Records A&R man Lex de Azevedo heard a demo recording of "Downtown" and signed Elva to a contract with the label. Her debut album "Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits" was released in 1966, when Elva was 59 years old. It went on to sell over 250,000 copies within the first three weeks of its release. Mrs. Miller became an immediate star: Her rendition of "Downtown" cracked the Billboard charts at #82 in 1966, she appeared on such TV programs as "The Ed Sullivan Show," "Toast of the Town," "Malibu U.," "The Mike Douglas Show," and "The Hollywood Palace" (she sang a duet with host Jimmy Durante for the song "Inka Dinka Do"!), performed at the Hollywood Bowl, the Coconut Grove, and the Sahara Club (she shared a bill with the Kingston Trio on this latter gig!), entertained American troops in Vietnam as part of a two week USO show with Bob Hope, and pops up as herself singing "It's Magic" in the 1967 comedy feature "The Cool Ones." Capitol Records released her second album "Will Success Spoil Mrs. Miller?" in late 1966. Alas, her third and last album for Capitol "The Country Soul of Mrs. Miller" proved to be a flop when it was issued in 1967. Elva's fourth and final album "Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing" was released by the obscure Amaret record label in 1968. Undaunted, Mrs. Miller recorded two unsuccessful 45 singles on her own label called Mrs. Miller's Records in the early 1970's. She spent her latter years living in Hollywood, where she took care of her niece and nephews, frequently contributed to many local charities and organizations, and regularly attended the LA Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. Elva Ruby Miller died at age 89 on July 5, 1997 at the Garden Terrace Retirement Center in Vista, California.

Although she's sadly no longer with us, Mrs. Miller's unique brand of lovably amateurish singing and genuine (if misguided) passion for music shall continue to amuse and entertain countless folks for all eternity.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was born on 29 September 1934 in Fiume, Italy (now Rijeka, Croatia). He was a writer, known for The Flow (2018), Flow (2011) and Innovation: Where Creativity and Technology Meet (2013). He was married to Isabella (Selega) and Isabella Selega. He died on 20 October 2021 in Claremont, California, USA.

Valentin Berezhkov was the last living man who personally dealt with Hitler, Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill at the times of the Second World War.

He was born Valentin Mikhailovich Berezhkov on July 2, 1916, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Young Berezhkov was interested in history and languages. He graduated from Kiev University in 1938, then served in the Pacific Fleet in 1938-1939. At that time Berezhkov was recruited by the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs because interpreters were in short supply due to the purges during the "Great Terror" under dictatorship of Joseph Stalin.

Berezhkov was First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Berlin. In November of 1940 he served as interpreter at the talks between Vyacheslav Molotov and Adolf Hitler and Joachim von Ribbentrop. On June 22, 1941, the day Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Berezhkov interpreted at a meeting between German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and the Russian Ambassador to Germany Vladimir Dekanozov. Ribbentrop explained invasion as a preemptive attack, although, he plead "Make it known in Moscow that I was against the invasion!" In July of 1941 Berezhkov was appointed to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow as Assistant to Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov for Soviet-American relations.

Berezhkov served as personal interpreter to Joseph Stalin and Molotov at the Teheran conference in 1943, and also at the Yalta conference in 1945. In Teheran he interpreted Stalin's communication with Franklin D. Roosevelt when the two leaders met for the first time. Berezhkov also interpreted at the tree-way meetings between Stalin, Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in Teheran. Berezhkov was chosen for the job by Vyacheslav Molotov, although, he was not entirely confident in English at that time. By the time of the Yalta conference he further upgraded his English and was appointed the principal interpreter. Berezhkov's service at the Teheran and Yalta conferences became the highlight of his career. He also interpreted the intelligence unit's transcripts of conversations inside the bugged rooms of other delegates, which was typed in English, so that Berezhkov had to translate it orally to Stalin, as the leader prepared his agenda for the day's session of talks.

At historic conferences Berezhkov had to work under pressure without much rest or sleep, or even a mealtime. At the Yalta conference he was especially overloaded with work. One episode he recalled later with humor. He was so busy with interpreting between English, American, and Russian officials that he did not have a moment to eat and became really hungry at the end of the first day. The dinner was served to Roosevelt, Curchill, and Stalin, but they kept talking, obligating Berezhkov to translate. At one moment he took a bite, and the same moment Stalin asked Roosevelt a question. Berezhkov was not able to translate with his mouth full for a few seconds, and received an angry comment from Stalin: "You came to work, not to eat!" Berezhkov later recalled that his appetite was immediately gone.

Molotov shielded Berezhkov from prosecution, but could not prevent the termination of his diplomatic career. In 1945 Berezhkov turned to journalism and became an editor of the Soviet weekly 'New Times'. From 1969-1988 he was Chief Editor for the Soviet monthly journal 'USA-Economics, Politics, Ideology'. Berezhkov received a doctorate from the Institute of USA and Canada Studies in 1974, and taught at Moscow State University and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. From 1978-1983 he served in the Soviet Embassy in Washington as First Secretary. He also taught at the Monterrey Institute of Internationl Studies, Claremont Colleges and Occidental College in California. He wrote seven books with a circulation in Russian and English of over two million copies, including his last book "I was Stalin's Interpreter" (1991), which was re-issued in the United States in 1994 as 'At Stalin's Side'.

Valentin Berezhkov was living in California during the later years of his life. Berezhkov was the last living person who personally dealt with Hitler, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt. He died on November 20, 1998, in Los Angeles.

Ralph E. Pray was born on 12 May 1926 in Troy, New York, USA. He is known for Modern Marvels (1993). He was married to Beverley Margaret Ramsey. He died on 30 May 2014 in Claremont, California, USA.

Winifred Landis was born on 1 March 1872 in Ottawa, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The Great Sensation (1925), Dante's Inferno (1924) and Geared to Go (1924). She died on 2 November 1956 in Claremont, California, USA.

Paul d'Estournelles de Constant was born on 8 June 1897 in France. He was a writer and actor, known for Si l'empereur savait ?a (1930), Le masque d'Hollywood (1930) and Les frères Karamazoff (1931). He was married to Elizabeth. He died on 19 December 1955 in Claremont, California, USA.

David Lindley was born on 21 March 1944 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Streets of Fire (1984), Zabriskie Point (1970) and Made in America (1993). He was married to Joan Darrow. He died on 3 March 2023 in Claremont, California, USA.

Leonard Simon was born on 9 December 1936 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Blue Thunder (1984), Columbo (1971) and Stitches (1985). He died on 3 June 2014 in Claremont, California, USA.

Ray Collins was born on 19 November 1937 in Pomona, California, USA. He died on 24 December 2012 in Claremont, California, USA.

Dorothy Chase was born in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. She was married to Charles Chase. She died on 11 June 2005 in Claremont, California, USA.

She the last survivor of the American team that competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin; she was a 15-year-old swimmer. She did not win any medals at the Olympics, but she went on to win three national titles in the 200-meter breaststroke.

While she was still swimming competitively, she began taking flying lessons and earned a pilot's license. By the time the United States entered WWII, she had enough experience to join the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs). She flew fighter planes and bombers assembled in California to an airport in New Jersey, where they were loaded onto ships and sent to England. She met her future husband, Howard Critchell, a bomber pilot stationed in Louisiana, when she stopped there for refueling.

After the war, she received a bachelor's degree with a concentration in science and mathematics from the University of Southern California, where she went on to teach aviation. She developed manuals for the Federal Aviation Administration and worked as a pilot examiner for more than 20 years.

Cedric Worth was born on 18 February 1900. He was a writer and producer, known for When You're in Love (1937), Girl on the Run (1953) and Naked Africa (1957). He died on 3 January 1983 in Claremont, California, USA.

Richard Armour was born on 15 July 1906 in San Pedro, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Do You Remember Love (1985), Story of Paul Harris and the Founding of Rotary International (1955) and Anyone for Tennyson? The Master Poets Collection (1976). He was married to Kathleen Fauntleroy Stevens. He died on 28 February 1989 in Claremont, California, USA.

Jeremy Giambi was born on 30 September 1974 in San Jose, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Arli$$ (1996) and Sunday Night Baseball (1990). He died on 9 February 2022 in Claremont, California, USA.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, conductor, violinist and teacher, educated at the Eastman School of Music (with a scholarship at age 14), the American Conservatory (Master of Arts) with Leo Sowerby, and Harvard University with Walter Piston ad Nadia Boulanger. He taught violin and composition at Monmouth College and composition and music history at Columbia University (1937) and Teachers College. Joining NBC as staff composer in New York in 1940, he was music director for the Motion Picture Bureau at the Office of War Information (OWI). During World War II, he composed and conducted films, and from 1946 he was guest professor at USC. Joining ASCAP in 1945, he had a Guggenheim fellowship (the first post-service grant) and was awarded the American Prix de Rome. From 1960 he was a lecturer under the auspices of UNESCO.

Jerry Voorhis was born on 6 April 1901 in Ottawa, Kansas, USA. He died on 11 September 1984 in Claremont, California, USA.