The Memorial Wall

Another veteran actor has said goodbye to the cinema world. Veteran Malayalam actor Mohan Raj, famous for playing the role of villain Kirikkadan Jose in Mohanlal's film 'Kireedam', died at the age of 70. He was battling a serious illness for a long time. Mohan Raj died at his residence on Thursday, October 3. The actor was undergoing treatment at his home in Kanjiramkulam, Kerala. It is significant to note that having worked with several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam superstars, Mohan Raj made his own identity in the entertainment world.

Malayalam actor Mohan Raj died due to a disease called Parkinson's. For those who don't know, this disease damages the movements of the human body and hollows it from the inside. During this disease, patients have a problem of tremors. The symptoms are usually different for everyone. It often starts from one side of the body and then starts happening on the other side. Due to Mohan Raj's critical condition, his family was getting him treated at home.

After the untimely demise of Mohan Raj, his friends and fans expressed their grief and condolences on their social media handles. Senior actor Mohanlal wrote in Malayalam on his Facebook handle, 'Being called by the name of the character is a blessing that not everyone gets... This blessing is received only by the artist who rules the hearts of the people. Dear Mohan Raj, who played the immortal character of Kirikadan Jose in Kireedam, left us, my dear friend.' Recalling the time when he worked with Mohan Raj in 'Kireedam' released in 1989, Mohanlal further wrote, 'I still feel as if it was yesterday when we met. A tearful farewell to my dear friend, who was a very good actor and human being.'

Mammootty also expressed his condolences on his social media handle and wrote, 'Tribute to Mohan Raj.'

Mohan Raj was known for playing villainous roles in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu cinema. The actor earned fame by playing the role of Kirikadan Jose in 'Kireedam', after which his fans started calling him by the name of his character. He also worked in the television industry sometime before the end of his career. The veteran star started his career with Mohanlal in 1988. Both the actors also worked together in a film named 'Moonam Mura'. Mohan Raj was last seen on-screen in the 2022 film 'Rorschach' alongside Mammootty.

Dennis Wright, a former Livonia mayor who helped bring jobs back to a long-vacant former General Motors plant and give residents' dogs a place to play, has died.

Wright, 72, died Thursday, the city announced in a news release. He had suffered from Parkinson's disease, a progressive nervous system disorder.

Wright was elected mayor in 2015 and served from 2016-19. In February 2019, he announced he would not seek reelection that November, in order to focus on his health.

The city listed construction of the Livonia Dog Park at Bicentennial Park, a community build for a universally accessible playground at Rotary Park, reinstitution of a holiday event with the Merry & Bright Holiday Parade and hosting the five-day Vietnam Moving Wall at the city's Ford Field among his most notable accomplishments as mayor.

Wright also helped shepherd redevelopment of the long-closed GM plant on Amrhein and Eckles roads into Amazon and Republic National Distributing facilities.

He was twice elected city treasurer before running for mayor.

"Mayor Wright was a true servant leader,” said Livonia's current mayor, Maureen Miller Brosnan. “He leaves behind a legacy of caring for children and families in need in our community. As founder of Livonia Kids and Families, he harnessed the power of civic-minded business leaders, like himself, who came together to provide food, Christmas gifts and financial support to families in need.”

A U.S. Air Force veteran, he owned Wright’s Hardware on Five Mile Road for 18 years, the city said. He also served on the board of the Livonia Chamber of Commerce.

“Dennis was as real as they come,” said Dan West, president of the chamber. “He always wanted to help people. He raised money to help kids play sports or help a family in need; he would go to people’s house to help them fix their lawnmower; and he took time to help a small business owner solve a problem. He was genuinely happy watching people solve problems and that’s why he deeply connected with so many people.”

Lawrence M. “Larry” Laughlin of Concord, NH, beloved husband, father, grandfather and highly respected former Associated Press journalist, passed away September 30 at his home, surrounded by his loving family. He was 75.

A native of Taunton, MA, Larry is survived by Cheryl Laughlin (also of Taunton) his wife of 51 years, a pianist, music educator, an downer/director of The Music Workshop of Concord; sons Jason of Arlington, Matthew of Washington, IA, Travis of Concord, NH and Jonathan of Rhode Island; and Matthew’s wife, Wilhelmina Grow, and their two sons Lars (Lawrence L. Laughlin) and Auggie (Augustus), Larry and Cheryl’s grandsons. Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Louise and Lawrence, and his sister, Luanne.

After graduation from Providence College, Larry began his journalism career as a reporter for the Taunton (MA) Daily Gazette in 1971. He joined the Associated Press in the news services in 1976, transferred to Providence, RI, in 1978, and was the correspondent in charge of the AP office there from 1979-1982. Among the many stories he covered was the trial of Claus von Bülow, which he later described as the most interesting reporting assignment of his career.

In 1982, Larry was named the AP news editor for Virginia, and he and his family moved to Richmond. In late 1988, he was promoted to Chief of Bureau for Northern New England. Based in Concord, NH, Larry supervised AP news operations in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont for more than two decades. He was responsible for the Concord bureau’s coverage of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primaries in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. Larry was a member of the New England AP News Executives Association and a founding director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, an organization established in partnership with Northeastern University in Boston.

Larry retired in 2009. Looking back on his decades in the news business, he took great pride in having been part of the AP’s long history of excellence, accuracy and objectivity in news coverage, and he nurtured those values in the many young journalists he mentored over the years.

Colleagues from around the AP revered him for his professionalism, unfailing calm under constant deadline pressures, wonderful writing and editing skills, kindness, and lively sense of humor.

The most important part of Larry’s life was his family. Larry also was an avid reader, former youth sports coach, church volunteer and gardener, and a lifelong fan of the Boston sports teams. He enjoyed working with wood, building a fence for the family’s yard in Concord and bookcases

for his home among many other projects. He loved the family dogs, Sisko and Brody. Sisko died in 2007; Larry had to take Sisko to the veterinarian to be put to sleep, and Larry’s son Jason recalls that afterward was one of the few times he ever saw his father cry.

“After Sisko died, Dad read that when you go to Heaven, every dog you've ever loved will be there waiting for you,” Jason recalled. “It'd be nice to think that's true, particularly now.”

After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012, Larry started taking boxing classes to help manage the symptoms, and enjoyed walking with Cheryl and Brody in their Concord neighborhood.

Barry R. Sheppard died on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024 of complications from Parkinson's Disease.

Barry is survived by his wife Patricia, his children Harrison and Alycia, his sister Marlene, and many nieces and nephews.

Barry was born March 20, 1946, and grew up in the Logan neighborhood of Philadelphia as one of five children of Ruth and Herman Sheppard.

As the 2nd youngest of his siblings, Barry was a mischievous child who liked attention. He grew into an athletic and tough, but fun-loving teen. He used to declare to his children that he never started fights in high school - but he always ended 'em.

Barry played football in school and enjoyed everything but his classwork. He was around 14 when he met Ann Brilliant, introduced by Ann's lifelong friend, Ruth Farber. A year apart in age, they graduated together from Olney High School. He later told his children that the reason he was held back a year in school was so Ann could catch up to him.

After graduation, Barry joined the Army Reserves but also focused on helping with the family business, Sheppard Detective System, Inc. which Herman had founded in 1958.

Barry had started in the business as a teen, working for his father as a security guard. When he would spend nights guarding the Academy of Natural Sciences, Ann would come to visit him and his mischievous side would come out: He delighted in scaring her by popping out from the dark and shining his flashlight on the animal exhibits.

The early 1970s marked a transitional time for Barry. He married Ann in May 1970 and Herman died the next year. Barry was just 25 and suddenly found himself in charge of a small-but-growing enterprise.

Soon Ann and Barry would move to Cherry Hill. Their family would grow with the birth of their children Harrison and then, six years later, Alycia.

In the meantime, he continued to work hard to build the business, putting in long hours and continuing to add clients and employees. At its peak in the 1980s, Sheppard Detective employed several hundred security guards and had divisions that provided alarm services, K-9s, limousine services, corporate investigations and even armored truck transportation for cash and valuables.

Ann and Barry divorced in January 1983.

Barry enjoyed playing racquetball at this time and that was what brought him together with Patricia Mackin, who was working near the athletic club.

After being together for several years, they married in June 1991.

Less than a year later, Barry was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

By that time, he was comfortable taking more time away from work to enjoy life. Barry and Patti traveled often and some of their best memories were made on trips to the Jersey Shore, Aruba, the Bahamas, and Mexico.

He kept a boat on the Chesapeake Bay and many fond memories with Patti and his children were created on weekend trips.

He sold the business in 2012. Even as he slowed down due to the effects of Parkinson's, he kept a twinkle in his eye and continued to take pride in his children and enjoy life with Patti, who remained by his side caring for him as the disease progressed.

Howard William Embree 78, of Franklin passed away September 28th surrounded by his family. He passed away from Parkinson’s Disease.

Born in Norwood and raised in Bellingham, he graduated from Bellingham High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bryant University. He spent many years working as and managing engineers in various fields, including aerospace and medical technology.

His fondness of his friends, brothers, and parents carried over to a family of his own. Howard was a loving husband who cared for his wife as she battled ALS and Lyme Disease, a selflessly devoted father who worked hard to give his daughters endless love and the most amazing lives, and an adoring grandad, who filled his grandchildren’s days with love, hugs, and fun. He loved his brothers and especially valued how close they were. It was an example his daughters and grandchildren witnessed daily and therefore emulate as they have become each other’s respite. He also cherished his father and mother – a love that his daughters inherited as they love their mom and dad with all their hearts.

Howard often reminisced of his younger days, passing down his stories to future generations. His face lit up the room when he talked about his childhood and teen years, his family, and his passion for music. There was always music when Howard was around, and he always had his own personal connection to most songs. This was how he shared himself with those he loved. Now, when his family hears those songs, they will forever know that he is with them, enjoying all of life’s moments and loving us through its tribulations.

Howard is preceded in death by his loving and devoted wife, Celeste (Introini), his caring mother and father, Edna and John Embree, and his brother, John Embree, all of whom we are sure were there to greet him in heaven. He leaves behind three daughters, Jennifer (husband Aviv) Kaufmann and their three children (Kai, Emma, and Adam), Jaime (husband Brian) Chung and their four children (Mia, Madi, Millie, and Brody), and Jodie (husband Craig) Shiosaki and their three children (Colton, Carter, and Conor). He is also survived by his brother, Murray Embree and his wife, Lynda. Howard also leaves behind in-laws, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Clive Everton, the legendary commentator who was widely regarded as the ‘voice of snooker’, has died at the age of 87.

Having first commentated for the BBC at the 1978 World Championship, on just 20 minutes notice, he was a mainstay on their snooker coverage for more than 30 years and – following the retirement of lead commentators Jack Karnehm and Ted Lowe in the mid 1990s – Everton became the voice of the sport.

His commentary soundtracked Stephen Hendry’s dominance of the decade and the rise of all-time greats such as Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams as the 90s turned into the 2000s.

Although the BBC moved on to a combination of younger broadcasters and well-known former players in the commentary box at the start of the 2010s, much to Everton’s dismay, he continued to commentate on snooker for Sky Sports and later ITV, until the Covid pandemic hit in 2020 and his Parkinson’s disease meant he was unable to travel to tournaments.

He was also editor of snooker magazine Snooker Scene for more than 50 years, a journalist for newspapers such as The Guardian and The Independent on Sunday and a contributor on BBC Radio Five Live as he became synonymous with the sport.

He was inducted into snooker’s Hall of Fame in 2017 and was awarded an MBE for his services to the sport two years later. In 2022, the trophy for the British Open – which is being played in Cheltenham this week – was named in his honour.

Current ITV and Eurosport commentator David Hendon announced Everton’s death on social media, writing: “I have some very sad news. Clive Everton has passed away at the age of 87. A giant of broadcasting and journalism. A much valued colleague and friend. We all owe him so much. The Voice of Snooker is silent now but will forever be remembered by the sport he loved.”

Snooker’s governing body WST tweeted: “Clive Everton, one of snooker’s greatest ever commentators and voice of the sport, has died at the age of 87. Everton devoted his life to snooker and covered the some of the sport’s most historic moments as a broadcaster and journalist.”

Everton’s snooker commentary style was generally understated as he effectively used silence and put a premium on the words he chose but he still came up with a number of memorable lines during his decades-long career in the sport.

When Hendry claimed his record seventh world title in 1999, Everton remarked: “Ray Reardon six times world champion in the 70s, Steve Davis six times in the 80s, but it’s a magnificent seven times for Stephen Hendry in the 90s.”

When qualifier Shaun Murphy completed his stunning run to the 2005 World Championship title, Everton simply said: “Amazing, astonishing, astounding.”

He had initially found relative success as an amateur snooker and billiards player, winning junior national billiards title and then turning professional in snooker in 1981 – achieving a highest ranking of 47th in the world before fully focusing on journalism and commentary from 1991.

Everton also wrote more than 20 books about cue sports and played county-level tennis for Worcestershire.

Thomas Rhodes Rockwell, 91, a resident of LaGrangeville, NY since 1955, passed away peacefully with his daughter by his side at Regional Hospice in Danbury, CT on September 27, 2024.

Thomas Rhodes Rockwell was the beloved children's book author of "How To Eat Fried Worms" and many other children's books. He was born in New Rochelle, NY on March 13, 1933 to school teacher, Mary Barstow Rockwell, and illustrator, Norman Rockwell. The family moved to West Arlington, VT in 1939, this ushered in the golden period in the family's life; a childhood of swimming in the famed Battenkill River under the covered bridge, playing ball on the village green and helping out at the dairy farm next door. Tom excelled at school, first at Oakwood School in New York and then at Arlington Memorial High School in Vermont, where he graduated as Valedictorian. He moved on briefly to Princeton, finally settling at Bard College where he met radiant artist, Gail Sudler, whom he married in 1955. The couple made their home in LaGrange, NY.

Gail illustrated a number of her husband's first children's books. Tom's "How to Eat Fried Worms" met with great success; he was awarded the Mark Twain Award in the 1970's. Many years later, a film of the book was made. For almost 40 years Tom was the manager of the Norman Rockwell Family Agency. He was also the co-writer of his father's autobiography, "My Adventures as an Illustrator".

Tom was a dogged advocate for his father and with his daughter, Abigail, fought determinedly against a fraudulent 2013 biography of Norman Rockwell. He was a great lover of Shakespeare, Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith, a dedicated poet, and the kind of man who always returned wrong change. He worked at his typewriter every day of his life.

He leaves behind his son, Barnaby and daughter, Abigail; daughter-in-law, Melanie and granddaughter, Emily; his older brother, Jarvis, as well as one devoted cat, Pippa, who very much loved "The Grandfather". In addition to his parents, Thomas was predeceased by his wife in 2010; and his younger brother, Peter.

Jazz great Benny Golson, a tenor saxophonist and composer of standards such as “Killer Joe” and “Along Came Betty,” has died. He was 95.

Golson died Saturday at his home in Manhattan after a short illness, said Golson’s longtime agent, Jason Franklin.

Over his seven-decade musical career, Golson worked with some of the biggest luminaries in jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and John Coltrane. He built much of his reputation not as a performer but from his compositions, which also included “I Remember Clifford,” written in 1956 after trumpeter Clifford Brown, a friend, died in a car crash at age 25.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Golson began learning the piano at age 9 and switched to the saxophone at age 14. He was still in high school when he started performing with other local musicians, including Coltrane, a childhood friend.

Golson began writing and arranging music while attending Howard University.

After stints in Gillespie’s big band and in drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Golson co-founded The Jazztet in 1959 with flugelhorn master Art Farmer.

The Jazztet disbanded in 1962, and Golson moved on to writing music for movies and for television shows such as “Mannix,” “M-A-S-H” and “Mission: Impossible.” He also arranged music for performers including Peggy Lee, Lou Rawls and Dusty Springfield.

After a hiatus of more than a dozen years, Golson resumed playing the saxophone in the mid-1970s and launched a new version of the Jazztet with Farmer in 1982. He continued performing and writing music into his 90s.

He published “Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson” in 2016.

Franklin, who worked with Golson for 25 years, said Golson stopped performing when COVID-19 shut down music venues in 2020 but continued working on projects, such as giving interviews for a forthcoming documentary, “Benny Golson: Looking Beyond The Horizon.”

Franklin said Golson saw a rough cut of the film a few weeks ago and loved it. “He was so happy he got to see it,” he said.

Golson released dozens of albums as a solo artist and as a member of various ensembles.

He appeared as himself in the 2004 Steven Spielberg movie “The Terminal,” in which the main character, played by Tom Hanks, travels to New York from a fictional Eastern European country to obtain Golson’s autograph, which he needs to complete a collection of signatures of all of the 58 jazz musicians who assembled for the famous 1958 group photo “A Great Day in Harlem.”

Actor and musician Steve Martin recalled the film scene in a post on X on Sunday and said, “Thanks for all of the great music.”

With Golson’s death, Sonny Rollins is the last living subject of the photo who was an adult when it was taken.

Golson’s survivors include his wife, Bobbie Golson, daughter Brielle Golson and several grandchildren. Three sons preceded him in death.

Luther Minor, a former professional golfer at the Harlan County Country Club, has died.

Minor is from Wise County, Va. He was 84 years old and died after his long battle with Parkinson’s and onset COVID-19 on Sept. 29, 2024.

Memphis lawyer W.J. Michael Cody, who during a decades-long career as one of the most influential, respected and progressive public figures in the city advised Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., exposed corruption in the office of Tennessee Gov. Ray Blanton and busted nightclub kingpins, has died. 

Cody, 88, died Sunday at Baptist Memorial Hospital, after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease.

A lifelong Memphian, Cody never avoided a good race. An avid runner who logged 80,000 miles and participated in more than a dozen Boston Marathons, Cody ran successfully for City Council and unsuccessfully for Memphis mayor. An editorial cartoon in The Commercial Appeal that accompanied the newspaper’s endorsement of Cody for mayor in 1982 depicted the candidate in running shoes and shorts beneath his jacket and tie, next to a sign that read: “Sign Up Here for a Unified City Marathon.”

Although a longtime active Democrat and notable liberal, Cody’s service transcended partisan politics, and he was a favorite of officials of both major parties. In 1984, when Cody was appointed Attorney General of Tennessee, Republican Lamar Alexander was governor. In 2005, a Democratic governor, Phil Bredesen, appointed Cody to serve as co-chair of the Tennessee Commission on Ethics, to recommend revisions to state ethics laws.

Cody didn't pull punches or play partisan politics as a public prosecutor. In 1980, Cody's office indicted Democratic state Rep. Emmitt Ford on insurance fraud charges. Ford, who was sent to prison after being convicted, was the brother of powerful Memphis Congressman Harold Ford; Cody had served as Harold Ford's campaign coordinator in 1974.

“We were probably in the top three districts out of the 93 in the country in terms of pursing corruption,” said Memphis lawyer W. Hickman Ewing Jr., 82, who was an Assistant U.S. Attorney under Cody, before being appointed U.S. Attorney for West Tennessee by President Ronald Reagan. “The Democratic party was like, ‘If Cody’s U.S. Attorney, he shouldn’t be prosecuting us,' but Mike was totally honest. He never let politics color his decisions.”

A lawyer at the top Memphis firm of Burch Porter & Johnson since 1961, Cody represented Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when the civil rights leader was in Memphis, in support of the city’s striking sanitation workers. As part of the BP&J legal team representing King, he successfully convinced a judge to lift the injunction that prevented strikers from marching in Memphis. He met with King at the Lorraine Motel not long before King was assassinated on the balcony outside his hotel room on April 4, 1968.

Cody once said he was motivated to be a lawyer “to change and better people’s lives.” The title of a book he co-authored in 1992 expressed his legal and political philosophy: “Honest Government: An Ethics Guide for Public Service.”

He served on the Memphis City Council from 1975 to 1977. He was the United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee from 1977 to 1981, and the Attorney General of Tennessee from 1984 to 1988.

While state Attorney General, Cody argued four cases before the United States Supreme Court, which Nashville lawyer John Knox Walkup — who was state AG in the 1990s — labeled "an extraordinary achievement, inasmuch as few lawyers argue any cases before that court." Walkup called Cody "a model of integrity, fairness and courage."

Cody's four years as chief federal prosecutor in West Tennessee were especially consequential. At the U.S. Attorney's office, he partnered with Nashville prosecutors to bring income tax and bid-rigging charges against members of the Blanton family, involving Blanton-owned construction companies. The corruption was so egregious it was dramatized in a Hollywood movie, "Marie," starring Sissy Spacek as a whistle-blower in the governor's office.

He also successfully prosecuted multiple Shelby County officials after exposing a 1978 scheme involving pay-offs from real estate developers, and his office exposed the drug-running and violence orchestrated by so-called "topless nightclub kingpins" in Memphis, during the heyday of the city's adult-entertainment venues.

In another high-profile case, Cody brought charges against popular WHBQ radio deejay and Elvis pal George Klein, who was indicted and convicted of mail fraud in 1977, for "conspiring to steal" the research diaries that collected data on radio audiences.

Additionally, Cody inherited some of the high-profile obscenity cases that had been originated in Memphis by his predecessor, but Cody took a pragmatic approach to such prosecutions. In 1979, he asked the federal court to dismiss obscenity charges connected to the pornographic film "The Devil in Miss Jones," citing the expense and mixed results of Memphis' "Deep Throat" trials as a reason.

"I look upon this job as a public trust," Cody said, when he was sworn in as West Tennessee's chief federal prosecutor in 1977, after being appointed by President Jimmy Carter. He pledged that "no innocent person in this distric need ever fear the operation of the law nor should any guilty person expect any consideration not dictated by justice and the law."

In a 1984 editorial, The Commercial Appeal praised Cody for his “understanding of the public’s needs” and for his “sensitivity to the concerns and problems of all the city’s citizens.”

An affable charmer with a ready smile who sometimes was described as a Kennedyesque figure, Cody as a law student was an active John F. Kennedy supporter during the 1960 presidential campaign, helping to set up “Kennedy clubs” at the University of Virginia, where Cody attended law school.

In 1982, Cody finished third in the Memphis mayoral race, earning 26 percent of the vote, behind J.O. Patterson Jr. (40.6 percent) and Dick Hackett (30 percent). The top two vote-getters faced each other in a runoff election, which Hackett won. 

Cody’s bid was endorsed by both The Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Press-Scimitar, the evening daily newspaper, which ceased publication in 1983. He also had the support of much of the Memphis business community.

“Many voters saw in Cody’s candidacy a chance to set a new direction for local politics — a break with a political establishment that had held Memphis back,” The Commercial Appeal wrote, after the election.

A member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Cody was captain of the track and basketball teams at East High School. He also ran cross-country and played basketball at Southwestern (now Rhodes College), where he earned his bachelor's degree and set several track records. In addition to running numerous marathons, he once completed a two-day, 70-mile run along the Appalachian Trail.

Lawyer Les Jones, 65, who started at Burch Porter & Johnson in 1989, said he met Mike Cody when “he was 50-something years old and looked like a Greek god,” because he was so healthy due to his running. 

Also a runner, Jones participated in several marathons in Boston and elsewhere. He said Cody was “a public person but also a private person. He was not a socialite. What he liked to do was spend time with (his wife) Suzi, and his family, read about a thousand books a year, and go run.”

A nationally recognized figure, Cody was hired as technical adviser on various Hollywood legal thrillers filmed in Memphis, including Sydney Pollack's "The Firm," with Tom Cruise, Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rainmaker," with Matt Damon, and Joel Schumacher's "The Client," with Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon. He also served as local legal representative for the Rolling Stones when the British band performed in Memphis at the Liberty Bowl in 1994.

Through the years, Cody received numerous national and local awards and honors, and he served on the boards of many significant organizations, including the National Civil Rights Museum and the Memphis in May International Festival.

In 1968, in the wake of King's assassination, Cody and his friend, Memphis pastor and civil rights tactician James Lawson (who died in June at the age of 95), formed a neighborhood legal services operation to offer free aid to the sanitation workers. The idea expanded into the organization now known as Memphis Legal Services.

"When you live in the South, you can’t ignore — particularly in those years — the awfulness of segregation and oppression," said Cody, in an interview posted on the Burch Porter & Johnson website. "You are motivated to say, 'We have to keep on the case.'"

Cody leaves his wife of 42 years, Suzanna Cody; two daughters, Jane Cody of Corrales, New Mexico, and Mia Cody of Memphis; a son, Michael Cody of Germantown; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorial Park Funeral Home has charge.