Otto Lang 1908 -2006 Otto Lang shows off his circa-1940 skiing style. The former director of the Sun Valley Ski School died Monday. He was 98. The following concerning Washington State ski instructor Otto Lang, born in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, of a Croat mother and Austrian father. John Kraljic Otto Lang, 1908-2006: Northwest icon founded first ski school at Mount Rainier Thursday, February 2, 2006 By DEBERA CARLTON HARRELL P-I REPORTER Otto Lang, a skiing pioneer and filmmaker, was a Northwest icon who had few equals in elegance, work ethic and zest for life. Lang, who touched the lives of neophyte skiers and Hollywood stars alike, died Monday at his West Seattle home at the age of 98. He had been suffering from heart disease. Lang, who was born in Bosnia and spent part of his childhood in Austria, pioneered skiing in the United States, bringing European cache and technique to the United States in the 1930s. He founded the first ski school at Mount Rainier in 1937 and directed Sun Valley’s ski school before and after World War II. Then he launched a successful career as a Hollywood filmmaker. He also became an accomplished photographer, woodworker and writer. He wrote ski columns for the Seattle P-I and two books. “He was an unbelievable human being,” said skiing filmmaker and longtime friend Warren Miller. “He is the last of the old Austrian ski instructors; it is the absolute end of an era.” Miller also called Lang a “Renaissance man.” “Otto was successful at multiple careers and always kept his mind active,” Miller said. “He was a great athlete, yet he’d always wear a cravat or necktie; he dressed to the nines. But he was always gracious.” Gerard Schwarz, music director for the Seattle Symphony and a friend of Lang’s, said in a statement Wednesday that tonight’s previously scheduled performance of Mozart’s C Minor Mass will be dedicated to Lang, “a dear friend to our orchestra … (and) a continual inspiration to us all in so many ways.” Lang was born in 1908 in the small village of Zenica, Bosnia, to an Austrian father and Croatian mother. It was the year Bosnia became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After World War I, the family left for Salzburg, Austria. Otto, then 10, found his first pair of skis — Austrian army surplus from the war — for 10 cents, friends said. The young Lang became smitten with skiing, proving adept as a racer and jumper. He was hired in 1929 by Hannes Schneider, considered the father of modern skiing, to teach at the famed Austrian ski area, St. Anton am Arlberg. Lang brought the so-called Arlberg turning technique to the United States, revolutionizing a sport that had no chair lifts, no groomed runs and long, tough-turning skis. In the winter of 1937, Lang opened the first official North American branch of the Hannes Schneider Ski School on Mount Rainier. He opened two more Schneider schools at Mount Baker and Mount Hood in the winter of 1937-38. One of his best-known pupils was Gretchen Kunigk of Tacoma, who later won an Olympic gold medal for the United States in 1948 under her married name, Gretchen Fraser. In 1939, Mr. Lang joined the Sun Valley Ski School, becoming its executive director from 1941 to 1942 before the Idaho resort closed because of World War II. Mr. Lang resumed his position in 1946 when the resort reopened, remaining until 1950. One of his Sun Valley students was Hollywood film producer Darryl Zanuck, who asked him to direct the ski-action sequences for the movie “Sun Valley Serenade,” starring ice skater Sonia Henje. That work led to a job as an assistant director at 20th Century Fox, where he directed and produced dozens of films and TV shows. He shot all over the world and worked with some of the biggest entertainment names of the time, earning four Academy Award nominations for short subjects and documentaries. He also wrote two books, the autobiographical “Bird of Passage” and “Around the World in 90 Years,” a travel-photography memoir. But he never lost his love for skiing and participated in the sport into his 90s. Seattle skier Debbie Armstrong, who won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, near where Lang was born, had a special bond with Lang. Both shared a love of Bosnia, a passion for skiing and a grounded, clear-eyed approach to life. In an article published last fall in The Professional Skier magazine, Armstrong wrote about contacting her friend Lang in early 2005 after doctors ordered her off the slopes after a medical ordeal that nearly killed her. “I learned how Otto is viewed in West Seattle,” Armstrong wrote. “He is a celebrity! (A word he detests, by the way. He sees himself as a very ordinary guy.)” Lang is survived by his companion of more than 20 years, June Campbell, and two sons — Peter Lang of Santa Rosa, Calif., and Mark Lang of Coronado, Calif. His wife, Sinclair Gannon, preceded him in death. SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/257952_langobit02.html P-I reporter Debera Carlton Harrell can be reached at 206-448-8326 or deberaharrell@seattlepi.com . ——————————————————————————– Ski legend Otto Lang dies By Karen Bossick For The Times-News SUN VALLEY — Former Sun Valley Ski School Director Otto Lang died early Monday, a little more than a week after he celebrated his 98th birthday. Longtime friend Susan Moffett of Seattle said Lang had a heart attack in his sleep at his Seattle home and never woke up. “He was doing fine to the very end — able to go to lunch and give an interview to my husband, Dave, right up to the very end,” Moffett said. Lang was a good friend of Sun Valley Resort owners Carol and Earl Holding. In fact, Carol mentioned Sunday afternoon during a community-wide tribute to the Holdings that Lang had called and expressed regrets that he couldn’t make it to Sun Valley for the celebration. He was, however, present when Carol Holding threw a party celebrating the opening of her Dollar Mountain Lodge in December 2004. The Bosnian-born Lang opened America’s first ski school in 1935 at Mt. Rainier. He visited Sun Valley in 1937 at the invitation of Nelson Rockefeller and was asked to join Sun Valley’s ski school in 1939. He happily accepted, becoming instructor to such celebrities as Groucho Marx, Gary Cooper and Gerald Ford. And, in 1941, he became the ski school’s director when Friedl Pfeifer was arrested on suspicion of being a spy for the Germans, a charge that was later dropped. It was one of his students, Twentieth Century-Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck, who started him on a Hollywood career that resulted in four Academy Award nominations. He directed the skiing sequences in the ski film classic “Sun Valley Serenade.” And he made several ski movies, including “Ski Flight,” which premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York in 1938. Following World War II, Lang became a full-time Hollywood director, directing such TV series as “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” as well as episodes of such shows as “Bat Masterson,” “The Rifleman,” and “Sea Hunt.” He was a producer for such films as “Tora! Tora! Tora!” and “Call Northside 777” and assistant director on such films as “Viva Las Vegas,” “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing,” “Call Me Mister” and “The Ox-Bow Incident.” http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2006/02/03/news_localstate/news_local_state.1.txt
Category: In Memoriam
(E) Vjekoslav Mihic, 75, of Timberlake
Vjekoslav Mihic Obituaries 08/21/2005 Funeral services for Vjekoslav Mihic, 75, of Timberlake, will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Monreal Funeral Home, 35400 Curtis Blvd., Eastlake. Vjekoslav Mihic Funeral services for Vjekoslav Mihic, 75, of Timberlake, will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Monreal Funeral Home, 35400 Curtis Blvd., Eastlake. Born March 30, 1930, in Zagreb, Croatia, he lived in Euclid before moving to Timberlake 30 years ago. Survivors are his wife of 31 years, Elinor (Reed); son, John; sister, Ana (Josip) Svircevic; niece, Tia Svircevic; nephew, Daniel Svircevic; and many cousins living in Croatia. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ivan and Ecija Mihic. Friends may call 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in All Souls Cemetery, Chardon Township. Online at www.monreal.com. http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1698&dept_id=21847&newsid=15071355&PAG=461&rfi=9
(E) Milan Zudic, 83
Milan Zudic Mr. Zudic died Dec. 27, 2005, at his residence. Funeral services for Milan Zudic, 83, of Euclid, will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Christine Catholic Church, 840 E. 222 St., in Euclid. Milan Zudic Funeral services for Milan Zudic, 83, of Euclid, will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Christine Catholic Church, 840 E. 222 St., in Euclid. Mr. Zudic died Dec. 27, 2005, at his residence. Born July 27, 1922, in Croatia, he had lived in Cleveland before moving to Euclid 30 years ago. He came to the United States in 1967, from Croatia. He was a hard worker, honest, loyal and firm in his beliefs. Mr. Zudic retired from Cleveland Twist Drill, where he had worked as a mason/machinist. Survivors are his wife, Ana; son, Mirko (Ann) of Euclid; daughters, Maria Kobal of Euclid and Nevia Avzlahar of Wickliffe; grandchildren, Alex (Heidi) Kobal, Erik (Nadia) Kobal, Michael Zudic, Michelle Zudic and Daniel Zudic; great-grandson, Joseph Kobal; brother, Joe Zudic of Canada; sister, Stefi Rosen of Australia; and many brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews. His brother, Zeljko Zudic; sister, Maria Zudic; and son-in-law, Drago Avzlahar, are deceased. Friends may call 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the DeJohn-Flynn-Mylott Funeral Home of Willoughby Hills, 28890 Chardon Road, (between Bishop Road and Route 91). Burial will be in All Souls Cemetery in Chardon Township. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to Hospice of the Western Reserve, 300 E. 185th St., Cleveland 44119, or the charity of your choice. Directions online at www.DeJohnFuneral.com. http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1698&dept_id=21847&newsid=15830851&PAG=461&rfi=9 News-Herald serving northeast Ohio
(E) In Memoriam – Francis Violich
Francis Violich, emeritus professor of city planning and landscape architecture, dies By Kathleen Maclay, Media Relations | 07 September 2005 BERKELEY – Francis Violich, professor emeritus in city and regional planning and in landscape architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, and a founder of the Telesis Group, which lent a progressive status to city planning in the Bay Area, died Aug. 21 of natural causes at his home in Berkeley. He was 94. Francis Violich Born to Croatian parents in San Francisco in 1911, Violich grew up in a home a few hundred feet to the south of Golden Gate Park and credited his interest in landscape architecture to his mother’s passion for gardening and her affinity for the environment. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1934 with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. Two years later, he was awarded a Heller Charitable & Educational Fund fellowship for graduate studies in city planning at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he learned how to design urban places to resolve social inequality. Violich conducted study tours in Europe, Yugoslavia and Latin America that he said helped him establish a multi-cultural approach to his professional practice, teaching, research and community activities. In 1941, he joined the landscape architecture and city and regional planning faculties at UC Berkeley. He served as chair of the department of landscape architecture and environmental planning from 1962-1964. In the late ’40s and 1950s, Violich helped found Telesis, which the American Planning Association has lauded as the “first volunteer-based group to bring multiple fields together successfully in a comprehensive approach to environmental development in a regional context.” The association awarded Telesis national historical landmark status. Telesis also laid the groundwork for the establishment of UC Berkeley’s city and regional planning department in 1948 and the formation 10 years later of the College of Environmental Design, which included the departments of city and regional planning, visual studies, landscape architecture and architecture. Violich published his first book, “Cities of Latin America: Planning and Housing in the South,” in 1944. It was considered the first comprehensive work on planning and housing in Latin America and, after its publication, Violich was invited by what became the Organization of American States to start an exchange program on urban planning in the region. His second book, “Urban Planning for Latin America: The Challenge for Metropolitan Growth,” was co-written with Robert Daughters, the head of the urban development section at the Inter-American Bank in Washington, D.C. It was published in 1987 and drew upon decades of their work applying American methods to the needs of Latin American cities as they evolved into vast metropolitan regions. When Violich retired from UC Berkeley in 1976, Donald Foley, then chair of the city and regional planning department, recognized his contribution to promoting interest in Latin American planning and his influence on the character of urban planning and environmental design. Foley also noted Violich’s effectiveness in attracting and advising Latin American students to the College of Environmental Design. Violich served as a planning consultant to Sao Paulo and Caracas and as an adviser to educational programs in Venezuela and Chile and to the Peace Corps, Pan American Union, Ford Foundation and other groups interested in urban planning in Latin America. “Throughout all of this,” Foley said, “Francis Violich has brought an intense commitment: a persistent belief that we can improve the environment around us and that we can improve the environmental design processes by which we intervene.” In Violich’s 1998 book, “The Bridge to Dalmatia: A Search for the Meaning of Place,” he examined post-war reconstruction, environmental eco-history, planning of urban areas in Croatia, and particularly the environmental cultural identity of people along Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. “The concept of the bridge, in my mind,” he wrote, “applies to the foreign people who come to the U.S. and bring us their cultural concepts and in that way both enrich and take away from the Anglo-Saxon culture which is more materialistic and individualist, breaking up families and shifting the economic gain into the hands of a few.” Today, there is an active exchange program between the urban planning departments at UC Berkeley and the University of Zagreb in Croatia, where Violich spent a year in 1979 on a Fulbright Fellowship. His earliest research in Dalmatia began in 1937. Violich launched the exchange program in 1996, contributing royalties from his Dalmatia book, and vowed to leave his Dalamatian research collection to UC Berkeley. Violich won several awards, including a National Planning Pioneer designation by the American Institute of Planners in 1992 and recognition in 1997 as co-founder of UC Berkeley’s city and regional planning department. He was given a Distinguished Alumnus Award by the College of Environmental Design and its alumni in 1999 in recognition of his accomplishments. Violich placed in the finals of the Prix De Rome twice and was a member of the American Academy in Rome. “Fran’s life is a reminder that we stand on the shoulders of very special human beings,” said Harrison Fraker, dean of the college. Violich is survived by his sister, Clementine Nelson of San Francisco, and by a brother, John Violich of Kentfield, Calif. He is also survived by three sons: Antonio Violich of Watsonville, Calif., Frano Violich of Boston and Mario Violich of Venice, Calif.; daughters, Carmen Violich-Goodin of Berkeley and Francesca Violich Arango of Coconut Grove, Fla.; and 13 grandchildren. Violich’s wife, Mariantonia Sanabria Violich, died in 1989. The couple was married for 43 years. Memorial contributions can be made to the Francis Violich Dalmatian Fellowship Fund care of UC Berkeley’s Department of City and Regional Planning at 228 Wurster Hall, Berkeley, Calif., 94720-1850, Attention: Malla Hadley, Management Services Officer. A campus memorial will be held at The Faculty Club on campus from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30.
(E) Andronico Luksic – Croatian Billioner Dies at 78
Andronico Luksic – Croatian Billioner Dies at 78 Antofagasta billionaire dies at 78 By Melanie Feisst (Filed: 20/08/2005) The Chilean billionaire Andronico Luksic, who founded the Antofagasta copper mining and rail empire, has died of cancer aged 78. Mr Luksic, whose family emigrated to Chile from Croatia after the First World War, took control of the company, then known as the Antofagasta (Chile) & Bolivia Railway Company, in 1980. He led it through a resurgence in international demand to enter the FTSE 100 at £11.40 in March 2004. Since then its share price has risen 25pc, adding another 36 yesterday to reach £14.26. Mr Luksic, who leaves a widow, Iris, and five children, last year was credited by Antofagasta director and friend Philip Adeane with turning the company from a £100m business in 1980 to one worth more than £2.4billion. The media-shy mogul, who had returned recently to Croatia to invest in a chain of war-affected hotels, was estimated to be worth £1.6billion. He was chairman of Antofagasta group from 1982 until his retirement from the board last November, when he was succeeded by his youngest son Jean-Paul Luksic, the former chief executive. Mr Luksic senior also had interests in brewing, fishing and telecommunications. http://www.money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/08/20/cnanto20.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2005/08/20/ixfrontcity.html
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(H) Dr. Ivo Korsky (1918 -2004)
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(E) John Percic March 24, 1925 – Oct. 18, 2004
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