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passedmadepresent.bsky.social
Passed Made Present
@passedmadepresent.bsky.social
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Teacher posting an obituary from the past, daily

www.passedmadepresent.org
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passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"As the leading light of his monastery, he found himself all but condemned by his abbot to sit at the typewriter and produce wisdom of the ages."

#ThomasMerton
1915-1968
Born on this day

www.nytimes.com/1968/12/11/a...
Thomas Merton Is Dead at 53; Monk Wrote of Search for God; Thomas Merton Is Dead at 53; Monk Wrote of Search for God (Published 1968)
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 4:35 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"... Engelbart had a massive impact on the world of computing via what became known as 'the mother of all demos,' which he gave at a computer conference in San Francisco in 1968."

#DouglasEngelbart
1925-2013
Born on this day

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Doug Engelbart obituary
Silicon Valley visionary who invented the computer mouse
www.theguardian.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:41 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"Thus derailed, Mr. Shirley took to playing at nightclubs and invented what amounted to his own musical genre."

#DonShirley
1927-2013
Born on this day

www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/a...
Donald Shirley, a Pianist With His Own Genre, Dies at 86 (Published 2013)
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:16 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"... she found herself with 300 hives, a lot of farm work to do and a lot of debt to deal with."

#SueHubbell
1935-2018
Born on this day

www.nytimes.com/2018/10/18/o...
Sue Hubbell, Who Wrote of Bees and Self-Reliance, Dies at 83 (Published 2018)
www.nytimes.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:10 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"Mr. Rhoads produced more than 300 ball-machine sculptures, which can be found at Logan International Airport in Boston, science museums, children’s hospitals, shopping malls from Cincinnati to Seoul and in various museum collections..."

#GeorgeRhoads
1926-2021
Born on this day

wapo.st/4k4kGEM
George Rhoads, creator of whimsical ‘ball machine’ sculptures, dies at 95
His audiokinetic sculptures were a combination of engineering, artistry and humor.
wapo.st
January 27, 2026 at 10:32 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"At age 81, Zamperini — a five-time Olympic torch-bearer — ran a leg in the torch relay for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Nagano. During his visit, he attempted to meet with his most brutal wartime tormentor..."

#LouisZamperini
1917-2014
Born on this day

apnews.com/movies-gener...
WW2 hero, Olympian Zamperini dies at 97
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Louis Zamperini, an Olympic distance runner and World War II veteran who survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific after his bomber crashed, then endured two years in Japanese priso...
apnews.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:16 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"... she had to wait 40 years before winning major recognition from the music industry."

#EttaJames
1938-2012
Born on this day

www.bbc.com/news/enterta...
Obituary: Etta James
A look at the life of Grammy award-winning blues singer, whose influence was only recognised late in her career
www.bbc.com
January 25, 2026 at 3:46 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"At the height of her career she was considered to be the most technically brilliant ballerina the US had ever produced."

#MariaTallchief
1925-2013
Born on this day

www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/a...
Maria Tallchief obituary
Brilliant ballerina celebrated for her lengthy association with New York City Ballet
www.theguardian.com
January 24, 2026 at 8:14 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"Ms. Chong, a former airman in the Air Force, had grown up watching her mother, a hair stylist..."

#LatishaChong
1990-2022
Born on this day

www.nytimes.com/2022/08/20/s...
Latisha Chong, Hair Stylist Who Helped Change Fashion, Dies at 32 (Published 2022)
www.nytimes.com
January 23, 2026 at 11:12 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"... a musician's musician, whose guileless lyrics about love and isolation found significant fans who brought his singular songs to a wider audience."

#DanielJohnston
1961-2019
Born on this day

www.npr.org/2019/09/11/7...
Daniel Johnston, Acclaimed Singer-Songwriter, Dies At 58
The outsider musician struggled with mental health issues throughout his adult life but found devoted fans, including major rock stars. He was found dead at his Texas home Wednesday morning.
www.npr.org
January 22, 2026 at 10:23 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"... she was just starting to succeed in business after a long struggle as the founder of a hair-lotion company."

#ChrisTiaDonaldson
1979-2021
Born on this day

www.wsj.com/style/fashio...
Harvard-Trained Lawyer Founded Hair-Lotion Maker tgin
Chris-Tia Donaldson, who has died of cancer at age 42, created products for Black women who want a natural look.
www.wsj.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:01 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
'Professor Prettyman struggled with accusations, often subtle but not always so, that she was a token hire."

#QuandraPrettyman
1933-2021
Born on this day

www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/e...
Quandra Prettyman, Champion of Black Women’s Literature, Dies at 88 (Published 2021)
www.nytimes.com
January 19, 2026 at 11:03 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"Be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed."

#BinyavangaWainaina
1971-2019
Born on this day

www.bbc.com/news/world-a...
Binyavanga Wainaina: Kenyan author and gay rights activist dies
Prize-winning writer and critic Binyavanga Wainaina dies at the age of 48 in Nairobi.
www.bbc.com
January 19, 2026 at 12:19 AM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"Her paternal grandfather was born into slavery and became a pharmacist after being freed."

#JewelPlummerCobb
1924-2017
Born on this day

www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/o...
Jewel Plummer Cobb, 92, Dies; Led a California Campus (Published 2017)
www.nytimes.com
January 17, 2026 at 10:40 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"She offered a reorientation of American cultural horizons."

#SusanSontag
1933-2004
Born on this day

www.theguardian.com/news/2004/de...
Obituary: Susan Sontag
The Dark Lady of American intellectual life, an aesthete who reorientated its cultural horizons.
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:18 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"His first writing experience was writing letters for illiterate workers who asked him to embellish their news to far-off relatives."

#ErnestGaines
1933-2019
Born on this day

apnews.com/article/e9fe...
Acclaimed novelist Ernest Gaines dies at 86
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Novelist Ernest J. Gaines, whose poor childhood on a small Louisiana plantation germinated stories of black struggles that grew into universal tales of grace and beauty, has died.
apnews.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:22 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"... an early feminist and a prolific author who wrote 54 books and more than 200 articles for The New Yorker..."

#EmilyHahn
1905-1997
Born on this day

www.nytimes.com/1997/02/19/a...
Emily Hahn, Chronicler of Her Own Exploits, Dies at 92 (Published 1997)
www.nytimes.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:04 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"... he was the first person in the world - by about a second - to understand how cells read genes to make proteins."

#SydneyBrenner
1927-2019
Born on this day

www.economist.com/obituary/201...
Obituary: Sydney Brenner died on April 5th
The molecular biologist who shared Francis Crick’s office for 20 years was 92
www.economist.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:15 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"Her name graces no labels, but millions wear Ruth Benerito creations daily."

#RuthBenerito
1916-2013
Born on this day

www.latimes.com/local/la-me-...
Ruth Benerito dies at 97; chemist helped develop wrinkle-resistant cotton
The innovation spared homemakers hours of ironing and breathed new life into an industry smothered in synthetics.
www.latimes.com
January 12, 2026 at 11:24 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"... he worked as a youth counselor for troubled kids around Newark, New Jersey. At night, he played sax in the many bars off the Jersey Shore – and in 1971 he became part of Springsteen’s backing band..."

#ClarenceClemons
1942-2011
Born on this day

www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
E Street Band's Clarence Clemons Dies at 69
The legendary saxophonist had suffered a stroke on June 12th
www.rollingstone.com
January 11, 2026 at 10:43 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"The young camera repairer, fresh out of the air force, quickly learned that his part-time gig could become a lifelong career."

#RonGalella
1931-2022
Born on this day

www.economist.com/obituary/202...
Ron Galella, the original paparazzo, died on April 30th, aged 91
The snapper to the stars was best known for his run-ins with Jackie Kennedy
www.economist.com
January 10, 2026 at 11:04 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"Among his clients had been Saddam Hussein of Iraq; the Romanian despot, Nicolae Ceausescu; the dictator of former Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko..."

#EdwardvonKloberg
1942-2005
Born on this day

www.theguardian.com/news/2005/ma...
Obituary: Edward von Kloberg
Obituary: For many years, the world's most reviled tyrants had at least one friend in Washington they could call upon. He was Edward von Kloberg, public relations consultant and lobbyist for the loath...
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 10:13 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"There, at age 22, she designed and patented a device that detected high-altitude winds that were previously untraceable."

#VirginiaNorwood
1927-2023
Born on this day

www.npr.org/2023/03/31/1...
Virginia Norwood, a pioneer in satellite land imaging, dies at age 96
Norwood is best known for developing the Multispectral Scanner System that flew on the first Landsat satellite. That was the first satellite launched to study and monitor Earth's landmasses.
www.npr.org
January 8, 2026 at 10:22 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"Her achievement came in 1954, just 23 days after Roger Bannister’s sub-four-minute mile, but with only a fraction of the acclaim, because of the low regard in which athletics held women’s distance running at the time."

#DianeLeather
1933-2018
Born on this day

www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/s...
Diane Leather obituary
First woman to run a sub-five-minute mile, who had to wait years for the recognition she merited
www.theguardian.com
January 7, 2026 at 9:38 PM
passedmadepresent.bsky.social
"Singleton became the first black director — and at 24 the youngest — to receive an Academy Award nomination..."

#JohnSingleton
1968-2019
Born on this day

apnews.com/c2be83bc5333...
John Singleton, maker of 'Boyz N the Hood,' dies at 51
NEW YORK (AP) — Director John Singleton, who made one of Hollywood's most memorable debuts with the Oscar-nominated "Boyz N the Hood" and continued over the following decades to probe the lives of bla...
apnews.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:08 PM