Obituaries in the news
Author: The Associated Press
Apr 18, 2009
Ed Blake
SWANSEA, Ill. (AP) — Ed Blake, an Illinoisan whose 15 seasons of professional baseball included time spent with the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Athletics, died Wednesday. He was 83.
Blake died at Rosewood Care Center after a long illness, Belleville alderman Catherine Kreher said Friday.
Blake was 17 when he pitched batting practice for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1943 World Series. He later served in the Army during World War II and was wounded in the Philippines.
He pitched in 15 professional seasons, mostly in the high minor leagues. In six major-league games with the Reds and Kansas City in the 1950s, he was 0-0 with a 6.23 ERA. He pitched a total of eight innings.
___
Carl Camras
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Carl Camras, a renowned glaucoma researcher who spent part of his career at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, died Tuesday. He was 55.
The Chicago native died of heart failure at his home in Omaha. The Heafey-Heavey-Hoffmann Dworak & Cutler funeral home in Omaha confirmed his death.
Camras helped develop latanoprost, sold under the trade name Xalatan, which has been the most effective drug to treat glaucoma. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, affecting more than 2 million Americans.
Camras joined UNMC's staff in 1991. He served as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences since 2000.
___
Jody McCrea
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jody McCrea, an actor who appeared in "Beach Party" movies in the 1960s, died April 4. He was 74.
McCrea's brother Peter told the Los Angeles Times that after working in Hollywood, the actor became a cattle rancher in New Mexico, where he died. McCrea died of cardiac arrest.
McCrea appeared in about two dozen films and television shows, a number of which were western-themed, including "Wichita Town," "The Broken Land," "Young Guns of Texas" and "Cry Blood, Apache."
McCrea also appeared in a string of "Beach Party" movies, comedies starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, including "Muscle Beach Party," "Bikini Beach" "Pajama Party," "Beach Blanket Bingo" and "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini."
___