The Memorial Wall

Tennis player who transformed the appeal of the sport in Spain by winning Wimbledon
Manuel Santana playing Owen Davidson in the semi-final at Wimbledon in 1966. He went on beat Dennis Ralston in the final.

Manuel Santana playing Owen Davidson in the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 1966. He went on beat Dennis Ralston in the final. Photograph: Hulton Deutsch/Corbis/Getty Images
Richard Evans

Few people played tennis as beautifully as Manuel Santana. And few have played a greater role in popularising their sport in a major nation. It is not an exaggeration to say that millions of people play tennis in Spain today because Santana, who has died aged 83, won Wimbledon in 1966.

It was not just that a Spaniard won Wimbledon, although he was the first to do so, but that he was the son of a groundskeeper at a tennis club in Madrid. He was a ball boy. He came from the working classes who, in the days of the dictator Francisco Franco, were not supposed to play rich men’s sports.

And tennis in Spain, right up to the 1960s, was a sport reserved for those who could afford to belong to a country club. More so than in most European nations, you had to be almost connected to the aristocracy to wield a racket. The immensity of Santana’s achievement was enhanced by the fact that he ended up being the frequent squash partner of the former king, Juan Carlos. And, for that, the beguiling, delightful Manolo could thank his charm as much as his talent.

Manuel Santana playing his Wimbledon final against Dennis Ralston
The moment Franco reacted to the national outpouring of happiness for their new humble hero by clutching Santana to his chest when he returned from Wimbledon, the class wall that separated the game from the masses came down. Santana had been honoured by Franco before because Wimbledon was not the first of Santana’s grand slam triumphs. He had won the French title in 1961 and 1964, and the US in 1965. But Wimbledon stood head and shoulders above every other tennis tournament in public awareness at that time, and his victory over Dennis Ralston in the final flipped a switch with sports fans in Spain.

Tennis was suddenly a sport everyone wanted to play. The children who used to grab 10 minutes to hit leftover balls with dilapidated rackets were given proper opportunities to play.

Almost immediately the next generation started to come through, led by the talented Manuel Orantes, a Catalan from a poor family, and soon after that José Higueras, a ballboy at the upper-crust Real Club de Barcelona, who eventually settled in California because he still found it difficult to mingle with the members when he became No 1 in Spain. “We owe everything to Manolo,” said Higueras, referring to Santana: “He opened the door.”

For Spain, Manuel Santana became one of the most successful Davis Cup players of all time. Born in Madrid, to Mercedes Martínez and Braulio Santana, an electrician, Manolo (Manuel) left school when he was 10, and began working as a ballboy at Club Tenis de Velázquez. At the age of 13, he won the club’s ball boys’ tournament. After Braulio died when Manolo was 16, he was supported by Gloria Giron and her family. “By then I was beginning to play a little but I could only continue to do so because a family who were members of the club helped my mother with expenses, not just for my tennis but for my education,” he explained.

His natural ability, highlighted by exquisite touch, quickly became obvious and by the time he played at Roland Garros, reaching the quarter-finals in 1960, he was developing a first serve of considerable power and a forehand that was becoming one of the game’s great strokes. The following year he announced his arrival at the top of the game in tremendous style, beating Roy Emerson and Rod Laver on the way to the final, where the reigning champion, Nicola Pietrangeli awaited him.

“Nicola had been my idol growing up,” said Santana. “To play him in the final of the French and then to beat him in five sets was very emotional for me. I wanted to jump the net but I was scared so I climbed under the net as I had always done as a ball boy and there was Nicola with his arms wide open. I fell on his shoulder crying.”

For this reporter it remains one of the great sights of sport – the new champion being consoled in the arms of the champion he had just defeated. They would remain lifelong friends.

After winning Roland Garros for the second time in 1964, Santana made a brave, career-changing decision. “Tennis in those days was dominated by the Anglo-Saxon world and their preferred surface – grass,” Santana recounted when we spoke in Madrid several years ago. “Three of the grand slams were played on grass in those days and I knew I had to win on the surface to be taken seriously. So, in 1965, I decided not to play in Paris so that I could tune my game to the faster courts.”

At Forest Hills that year, he claimed the US title by beating Cliff Drysdale in the final and was carried to the clubhouse on the shoulders of his cheering supporters.

At Wimbledon, Emerson, the champion for two years and hot favorite to win again in 1966, crashed into the umpire’s chair after chasing a shot that hurt his shoulder. The Australian struggled on but could not serve and was beaten by the left-handed Owen Davidson, a great doubles player with a modest singles record. Nevertheless, Davidson nearly made the most of his own good fortune by taking Santana to 7-5 in the fifth in the semi-final.

Meanwhile, Santana had been busy becoming one of the most successful Davis Cup players of all time. With 92 singles and doubles victories in 46 ties, he cemented a position at No 3 behind Pietrangeli (120 wins) and Ilie Nastase of Romania (109) as the player with the most wins in the history of the competition. Largely as a result of his efforts, frequently supported by Juan Gisbert, Orantes and the Arilla brothers, Spain reached the Davis Cup Challenge Round twice, in Sydney in 1965 and Brisbane in 1967. But on grass Australia was virtually invincible in those days and the likes of Emerson, Laver, and John Newcombe ensured easy victories.

Retiring from the game in 1970 without the fortune now accrued by top stars, Santana, who spoke excellent English, was hired as a public relations officer by Philip Morris in Madrid and worked for the company for many years.

He became Davis Cup captain for a spell in the late 90s, but had been replaced by the time Spain finally won the cup against Australia in Barcelona in 2000.

Later, he established himself with his third wife, Otti Glanzelius, a Swede, as owner of the Manolo Santana Racquet Club in Marbella after several years as director of tennis at the nearby Puente Romano hotel. After testing the water by running a Europe v Latin America team match in Madrid in the 70s, Santana assumed the role of tournament director of the ATP Masters Series event in Madrid (2002) and the WTA Championships at the same venue (2006-08). He was latterly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Santana’s first three marriages ended in divorce. In 1962 he married Maria Fernanda González-Dopeso, with whom he had a daughter and two sons. He also had a daughter with his second wife, Mila Ximenez, a journalist, and another from a relationship with Bárbara Oltra. In 2013 he married his fourth wife, Claudia Rodríguez.

Robert Hatoff Sr., a retired Baltimore City firefighter whose career spanned nearly four decades and who was also an Air Force veteran, died of Parkinson’s disease Dec. 10 at a daughter’s home in New Park, Pennsylvania. The White Marsh resident was 85.

Robert Hatoff Sr., son of Samuel Barton Hatoff, a graphic designer, and his wife, Naomi Rueben Hatoff, a Baltimore Sun employee, was born in Baltimore and raised in Northeast Baltimore.

He attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and then enlisted in the Air Force where he served in the Philippines and earned his GED diploma. After being discharged from the service‚ he joined the Baltimore City Fire Department in 1957, eventually becoming an arson investigator in the department’s Fire Investigation Bureau.

Mr. Hatoff enjoyed playing Sparky, the fire dog, in parades and going to area schools to educate children about fire prevention. At the time of his retirement in 1995, he had attained the rank of captain.

He had been an active member of Christian Firefighters.

A longtime resident of Pembroke Avenue in Gardenville, he considered family the “center of his life,” relatives said. He was active in the Hamilton Little League, where he had served as an umpire, coach, and league president. He was also a past PTA president.

Known for his humor, he was a huge fan of “The Three Stooges,” family members said.

Mr. Hatoff, who later moved to Rosedale and finally White Marsh, was a longtime member of Hamilton Presbyterian Church where he was active in church activities and had served as an elder.

Mr. Hatoff is survived by a son, Robert Hatoff Jr. of York, Pennsylvania; two daughters, Debra Susan DiCarlo of Bel-Air and Anita Janice Hatoff of New Park, Pennsylvania; two sisters, Barbara King of Cockeysville and Doreen Gantz of Great Mills; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

The city of Huntsville has lost a beloved doctor, a humanitarian, and a philanthropist; and Huntsville Hospital lost one of its biggest cheerleaders.

Dr. Carl Grote, Jr. has died at the age of 93 from Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Grote practiced medicine in Huntsville for over 40 years, passed away on December 5 in Huntsville. He was 93. Born and raised in Huntsville, Dr. Grote graduated from Columbia Military Academy and earned undergraduate and medical degrees from Vanderbilt University. After his medical internship at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he served in Germany as a Captain in the United States Army Medical Corp. He returned to Huntsville in 1958 where he entered private medical practice with his father.

Dr. Grote dedicated his adult life to the service of others, and he was tireless in his devotion and service to the healthcare and wellbeing of his many patients. Throughout his career, Dr. Grote committed himself to the betterment of healthcare at the local, state, and national levels.

In addition to his large medical practice, Dr. Grote was President and Chairman of the Madison County Medical Society, Associate Professor at UAH School of Primary Medical Care, President of the Medical Association of the State Alabama, Chairman of Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners, Chairman of Medical Association of the State of Alabama Board of Censors, and Alabama's delegate to American Medical Association. In recognition of his service and numerous accomplishments, Dr. Grote was inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame and was awarded the Samuel Buford Word Award, the highest honor given by the state medical association. Dr. Grote's father, also a physician and who is considered the patriarch of Huntsville Hospital, was fond of saying that he practiced medicine for fun and Huntsville Hospital was his hobby.

These words are equally true of Dr. Grote. Following in his father's footsteps, Dr. Grote's love and commitment to Huntsville Hospital was life-long and boundless. He was a board member of the Health Care Authority of the City of Huntsville, the governing board for Huntsville Hospital, for almost 20 years and served as its Chairman from 1990 to 1992. He was also President of the Huntsville Hospital Medical Staff and a longtime member of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees. In appreciation of his many years of service and dedication to the hospital, in 2007, the Hospital Foundation established The Carl A. Grote, Jr., M.D. Outstanding Physician Advocate Award in his honor.

Each year, this award is presented to an outstanding physician philanthropist. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Carole Grote; his parents, Dr. Carl August Grote, Sr. and Willie Barrier Grote; and his sister, Jane Grote Roberts. He is survived by his children, Mary Eleanor McKenzie (Wade), Carl August Grote, III (Leslie), Jane Hipp (Van), and Charles Grote. He is also survived by eight grandchildren, Camille Chaffin (Davis), Elizabeth Frist (Bryan), Carl August Grote, IV (Fran), Rachael Nusbaum (Michael), Ann Randolph McKenzie, Trey Hipp, Sarah Camille Godfrey (Will), and Jackson Hipp; and his eight great-grandchildren, Bo, Oliver, and Mary Farris Chaffin; Amelia Fearn, Ward, and Jack Frist; Liam Godfrey, and Emerson Grote. A visitation will be from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 9 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntsville, where Dr. Grote was an active member. A memorial service at the church will follow at 1:00 p.m. 

Bruce Jeffrey McDermott, former Visalia Police Chief, went home peacefully to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on December 3, 2021.

Bruce McDermott was born in Visalia to Noel and Dorothy McDermott on April 18, 1951. He attended George McCann School and graduated from Redwood High School in 1969. He moved to the central coast where he attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science in 1973. Shortly after graduating, Bruce applied for a job at the Visalia Police Department on a whim upon encouragement from a friend. He was a natural and quickly rose through the ranks to the positions of sergeant, lieutenant and police chief in 1992. He was not your ordinary chief, as he would be seen walking down Main Street in uniform, talking to citizens and business owners seeking input to improve the community he loved. Under his leadership, he oversaw the implementation of the Chaplain's Program, the Citizen's Police Academy, the Gang Suppression Unit and many other programs. Known for his adventurous ride-alongs, he gave people the opportunity to see an officer's job from the lens of a patrol car. Bruce retired in 1997, after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, leaving behind a legacy of innovative approaches to improving both the Visalia Police Department and the community he loved.

In retirement, Bruce maintained an active commitment to the community serving on numerous charities, boards, and philanthropic efforts including: Visalia Rotary Club, Friends of the Fox, City of Visalia Parks and Recreation Foundation, Foodlink, Visalia Emergency Aid, Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Army, and the Creative Center. He became actively involved in fundraising to increase awareness and research for Parkinson's. Gifted with quick wit and charisma he was a masterful fundraiser who could not be refused.

Bruce led a rich personal life. He was the fourth of six children: Shari Akkerman (Joe), Denni Pearson, Mike McDermott (Deborah), Christine Fischer (Pat), and Brian McDermott (Debbie). All six siblings remained close into adulthood making annual gatherings a priority. He raised four daughters with their mother Toni Northrop. Bruce beamed with pride when he spoke of his children: Cambria Panuwat (Matthew), Shevonne Swanson (Matthew), Elizabeth Anders (Joe), and Danyelle Quitazol (Reylee), who provided him with eleven grandchildren.

In 2002, Bruce married Veronica Jimenez. They enjoyed spending time with family and friends. They traveled frequently in the United States and abroad experiencing many boxcar adventures. Their favorite pastimes were at the family beach house in Cayucos.

Bruce had a real zest for life and was truly a unique individual. He was always approachable and eager to help anyone in need. As an eternal optimist, his love for people led him to develop long-lasting friendships.

Bruce continues to give by donating his earthly body to science to help find a cure for Parkinson's Disease and other medical research. While Bruce's absence is felt, we are comforted knowing he is now with his Heavenly Father. End of Watch, Car 54.

Abdelkarim Elkabli, a Sudanese singer, songwriter, and composer whose music — an exuberant marriage of modern and traditional sounds — embodied the hopes of many ordinary Sudanese in their struggle for progress and national identity, died Dec. 2 at a hospital in Flint, Mich. He was 89 and lived with family in Alexandria, Va.

The cause was complications from Parkinson’s disease, said his son Saad Alkabli, who transliterates his surname differently.

His death was mourned by top Sudanese social and political figures including Sudan’s civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, who described Mr. Elkabli in a tweet as “a symbol of Sudanese art, a large literary monument who engraved his name in the consciousness of our people with letters of light.”

Reflecting Sudan’s far-ranging musical heritage, Mr. Elkabli performed solo with an oud (a lute) or backed by a big-band orchestra, and his songs addressed love, folk song themes of heroism, and chivalry, and politics.

“It was the first time he performed in front of an [public] audience — in front of Nasser,” said Omer Elgozali, a longtime Sudan Television presenter as well as his brother-in-law. “His performance echoed widely.”

Mr. Elkabli never belonged to a political party, but he marked important political developments in song. His piece “In the University’s Path” honored Sudan’s 1964 student-led October Revolution, the first nonviolent popular uprising in the region to successfully topple a military dictatorship.

But Mr. Elkabli’s greatest popularity derived from his many songs that elegantly celebrated love, beauty, and nature. They include “Habibat Umri” (“The Love of My Life”) and “Zaman al-Nas” (“People Used To”) and the lighthearted upbeat hit “Sukkar Sukkar” (“Sugar Sugar”), inspired by the 1960s American dance craze the Twist. He also composed music to accompany a 10th-century classical Arabic poem, “Arak ‘Assi al-Dam’ ” (“I See You Holding Back Tears”), sang about the ancient city of Marawi in northern Sudan along the Nile River, and paid homage to Darfur’s picturesque environment with “Mursal Shog (Jebel Marra)” (“Message of Longing (Mount Marra)”).

In his music, Mr. Elkabli advocated for women’s rights in “Fatat al-Yom wa al-Ghad” (“The Woman of Today and Tomorrow”) and children’s rights during times of war in “Limaza?” (“Why?”). In 2004 he was named a United Nations Population Fund goodwill ambassador, joining grass-roots peace efforts in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region. He settled in the Washington area in 2012, arriving on a visa offered to individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement.

“Elkabli will not only be remembered for his great role in developing the modern Sudanese song but also for his significant role in preserving the heritage of Sudanese music and culture in his own unique style,” said Souad Ali, an associate professor of Arabic literature and Middle East and Islamic Studies at the University of Arizona.

The eldest of three siblings, Abdelkarim Abdelaziz Elkabli was born in the eastern Sudanese town of Port Sudan on the Red Sea on April 13, 1932. His paternal grandfather migrated to Sudan during Egyptian-Ottoman rule in the early 19th century from Kabul (hence the name Elkabli, the Kabulian) and settled in the ancient port city of Suakin, where he became a merchant. Mr. Elkabli’s mother had roots in eastern Sudan and the western region of Darfur. This multiethnic and regional background would influence his outlook and music.

“The east [part of Sudan] is my region, [but I] consider all of Sudan my place,” he said in a 2019 documentary that aired on Sudanese TV.

As a child during joint Anglo-Egyptian colonial rule in Sudan in the first half of the 20th century, he first received a traditional religious education in his maternal uncle’s khalwa (Koranic school). He then continued to modern public schools, first in Port Sudan, where he showed an early interest in Arabic poetry and music after hearing the songs of contemporary Sudanese and Egyptian singers on a phonograph in a neighborhood cafe.

He taught himself to play the pennywhistle, flute, and oud and sang in a boy’s school group. At 16, he continued his schooling in Omdurman.

Survivors include his wife, Awadia Elgozali; five children; two sisters; and nine grandchildren.

While tremendously popular at home and in neighboring countries, Mr. Elkabli didn’t receive the same level of global attention that producers of “world” music have given to other African and Middle Eastern singers and musical styles.

“Elkabli’s subtle playing and tremendous ability deserves wider recognition, but Western attention to Sudanese music has always been patchy at best,” said researcher Peter Verney, who included some of Mr. Elkabli’s songs in the 2005 CD compilation “The Rough Guide to the Music of Sudan.”

Beyond performing, Mr. Elkabli lectured on Sudanese music and folklore at universities and institutions, including the Library of Congress in 2015. That same year, he co-wrote a book in English, “Melodies Not Militants: An African Artist’s Message of Hope.”

At an event in Khartoum honoring Mr. Elkabli in 2019, almost anticipating his death and expressing his spirituality, he recited from his poem “The Divine Essence”:

I look forward to meeting you my Lord
In the eagerness of a Sufi at ecstasy
My soul to Your sky precedes me
As for my mortal hands and body
Will return to Your soil as flowers and roses
A workshop of colors

He was a mastermind of the overhaul of Barcelona in preparation for the 1992 Summer Olympics, which helped transform much of the city.

His death was confirmed by his son Josep Bohigas, who added that his father had had Parkinson’s disease for several years.

Working for Barcelona’s city government, Mr. Bohigas was one of the masterminds of the city’s overhaul in preparation for the 1992 Olympic Games, particularly the transformation of its seafront, which had become a derelict industrial area.

In partnership with two other architects, he designed a new yachting port, which hosted the Olympic sailing competitions, as well as a public park and a village to house the athletes, known as the Vila Olimpica. The city rehabilitated almost three miles of the seafront as beaches, and the area became a popular residential neighborhood once the Games had finished.
Pere Aragonès, the regional leader of Catalonia, paid tribute to Mr. Bohigas on Twitter, calling him the “great transformer of Barcelona.”

The impact of the Summer Olympics on Barcelona was a model for London and other cities that later hosted the event, while Mr. Bohigas and his partners used their success as a springboard to add buildings and help redesign other parts of Barcelona, including its run-down Raval neighborhood. Some of their landmark projects overhauled unused infrastructure, like the army barracks that became the new campus of Barcelona’s Pompeu Fabra University, which opened in 2000.

Mr. Bohigas “was fundamental not only in the transformation of Barcelona but in our understanding of cities,” Martha Thorne, the dean of the IE School of Architecture and Design in Madrid, said by email. “His ideas of urban acupuncture — small actions over time that could be understood as part of a whole, including new squares and small green spaces — were embraced by the residents and made a positive impact on neighborhoods.”

Although Mr. Bohigas kept his focus on Barcelona, he also contributed to the other major international event held in Spain in 1992: Expo ’92, in Seville, for which he and his partners built a pavilion. It was left abandoned for decades afterward, but it was reopened this year as the new home of the regional archives.

He and his partners also undertook projects in Germany, France and Italy, as well as Latin America. These included a block of apartments on Kochstrasse in Berlin, a hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and the urban planning for new neighborhoods in the cities of Aix-en-Provence in France and Salerno in Italy.

Oriol Bohigas Guardiola was born on Dec. 20, 1925, in Barcelona. His father, Pere Bohigas, worked for the City of Barcelona and briefly managed the city’s theater school. His mother, María Guardiola, was a homemaker.

Mr. Bohigas enrolled at Barcelona’s school of architecture in 1943, just as Gen. Francisco Franco was consolidating his dictatorship after winning the Spanish Civil War. Mr. Bohigas was appointed director of the architecture school in 1977, shortly after Franco’s death. He considered it part of his life’s mission to free architecture and urban planning from the conservative rigidity of Franco’s dictatorship, and to return Barcelona to the kind of innovative thinking associated with the main cultural movements that reshaped the city in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

“I remember that I spent my whole architecture studies, which I finished in 1951, only listening to people talk about classical architecture and defend ultraconservatism, in every aspect.” he recalled in an interview in 2010. “We learned nothing about contemporary architecture. Yes, I believe my generation is the one that made efforts to recover the modernity that was lost in the first stage of Franco.”

In 1951, Mr. Bohigas joined with two other architects, Josep Martorell and David Mackay, to set up a firm that took its name from the initials of their surnames: MBM. The firm gained prominence in 1974 with an award-winning project to build a school, called Thau, without classrooms and with as few walls as possible.

His final significant project was the building for Barcelona’s Design Museum, which opened in 2014. But like an earlier MBM project to extend the flagship Barcelona store of the Spanish retailer El Corte Ingles, the design museum didn’t please everybody; a travel article in The New York Times, describing the building as a “squat, zinc-clad structure with front and rear cantilevers,” noted that it “hasn’t exactly been celebrated for its exterior form,” adding, “Some have taken to calling it ‘the Stapler.’”

Mr. Bohigas was proud never to have joined a political party, but he espoused left-wing ideas and held different jobs in Barcelona’s city government — in urban planning in the 1980s and then as the official in charge of Barcelona’s culture ministry in the early 1990s, when the city hosted the Olympics. He also backed the secessionist movement in Catalonia that started to gather momentum a decade ago.

His involvement in Barcelona’s cultural life extended well beyond City Hall. He was a founder of the publishing house Edicions 62. In the 1980s, he was president of the Foundation Joan Miró, which was created by the painter for whom it is named, and which has a museum in Barcelona that exhibits his works. He was also president of the Ateneo Barcelonés, one of the city’s most influential cultural associations, stepping down in 2011 after eight years in the post.

In addition to his son Josep, Mr. Bohigas is survived by his wife, Isabel Arnau, from whom he was separated; four other children from their marriage, Gloria, María, Eulalia and Pere; nine grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; and his companion, Beth Galí.

In recent years, Mr. Bohigas was critical of many aspects of Barcelona’s development, including the extension of the city’s Broadway-style thoroughfare, a project known as Diagonal Mar. And he lamented the rise of property speculation in Barcelona and defended the right of squatters to live in abandoned buildings.

“It is clear,” he said in 2010, just as Spain was sinking into a banking crisis triggered by bad property loans, “that a society that has so many empty houses and so many people without a home is a sick society that faces a problem in terms of sharing its public and private assets.”

Kennedy was an English footballer who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal and Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s. Kennedy played as a forward for Arsenal, and then played as a left-sided midfielder for Liverpool. He scored 148 goals in 581 league and cup appearances in a 15-year career in the English Football League and also won 17 caps for England between 1976 and 1980, scoring three international goals.

Kennedy turned professional for Arsenal in November 1968. He made his first-team debut 10 months later and went on to win the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970, the First Division and FA Cup Double in 1970–71, and then play on the losing side in the 1972 FA Cup Final. His form then declined, and he was sold to Liverpool for a club record £200,000 fee in July 1974, at the same time that Bill Shankly resigned as manager. He initially struggled at the club, but after manager Bob Paisley converted him to a left-sided midfielder he went on to help Liverpool to become the dominant club of English football from 1975 to 1982. During his time at the club Liverpool won the First Division five times (1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, and 1981–82), the FA Charity Shield four times (1976, 1977, 1979 and 1980), the European Cup three times, (1977, 1978, and 1981), and the UEFA Cup (1976), UEFA Super Cup (1977), and League Cup (1981). He also picked up runners-up medals in the FA Cup (1977), UEFA Super Cup (1978), League Cup (1978), and World Club Championship (1981) and won the Match of the Day's Goal of the Season award in 1978–79.

He was a strong player with an excellent first touch, intelligence, and all-round ability. This allowed him to transition from a forward to a midfielder during his time at Liverpool. Despite his trophy successes with Arsenal and Liverpool, after winning six caps for the England under-23 side he was unable to translate his club form into a good international career and was used as a stand-in for Trevor Brooking before he retired from international football in frustration in March 1981. His only international tournament appearance was at Euro 1980. Bob Paisley described him as "one of Liverpool's greatest players and probably the most underrated".

Kennedy joined Swansea City for a £160,000 fee in January 1982 and added a Welsh Cup winners medal to his collection four months later. However, the effects of Parkinson's disease began to reduce his effectiveness on the pitch, and he dropped into the Fourth Division with Hartlepool United in November 1983. During the 1984–85 season he spent a brief time as player-manager of Cyprus club Pezoporikos and later played for Northern League club Ashington. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in November 1984. His life after football was difficult, as he had to deal with the effects of Parkinson's, the loss of his business, and the breakdown of his 15-year marriage. He remained reliant on charity to fund his medical expenses and was forced to sell his medal collection and caps in 1993.

Kennedy was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease by a specialist on 4 November 1984. He gave permission for his image to be used to promote a public campaign to increase awareness of the disease. His involvement in the Parkinson's Disease Society led to him meeting his childhood hero Muhammad Ali. He was also invited to do some coaching at Sunderland in the 1986–87 season by manager Lawrie McMenemy, and worked as a part-time coach from February to April 1987, at which point he was promoted to first-team coach.

His wife, Jennifer, left him in October 1987 after he punched her in the face and kicked her down the stairs of the family home; this ended a difficult 15-year marriage blighted by frequent infidelity on his part. They had two children: Cara (born July 1976) and Dale (born January 1981). Former Liverpool teammate Ray Clemence recalled how Kennedy "worked hard and played hard". Other teammates Steve Heighway and Phil Thompson noted that Kennedy was a "quiet man", though "women were always chasing after him" and "off the pitch he needed to be handled quite gently, and everything had to be organised just right otherwise there would be trouble". Completing a bad end to 1987, his licence at the Melton Constable was revoked. His prescribed L-DOPA medication also became less effective and he became increasingly isolated. His condition improved when he began injections of apomorphine. He was reliant on the Professional Footballers' Association to pay his medical expenses, and his divorce as well as business and tax problems wiped out his savings. A testimonial game was held between Arsenal and Liverpool in April 1991. A charity appeal was also set up to help pay his living costs. In late 1992 he began suffering from extreme paranoia, mostly due to the side effects of his medication, but regained his mental faculties following a short stay in hospital.

He published his autobiography Ray of Hope in 1993, co-authored by Dr. Andrew Lees, who at that time treated Kennedy for Parkinson's disease. Later that year he sold his collection of medals and international caps to raise funds. In 2002, he was reported as living alone in a bungalow in New Hartley. In an interview two years later, he said that he suffered from loneliness and hallucinations due to his condition and the side effects of his medication. Following the interview a Liverpool fan bought Kennedy a computer, which allowed him to make friends on football chat rooms. Kennedy remained a favourite amongst Liverpool supporters decades after leaving the club, and was voted in at No. 25 on the 2013 poll '100 Players Who Shook The Kop'. He died on 30 November 2021, at the age of 70.

LaFleur was born in Gary, Indiana. He played football in 1962 as a redshirt at the University of Kentucky under Coach Charlie Bradshaw as chronicled in a 2007 book, The Thin Thirty. He was a sportscaster on ESPN and on CBS.

LaFleur has had many guest-starring roles on television series, including Angel and JAG. In 1983, he was cast in the ABC sitcom pilot Another Ballgame alongside Alex Karras and Susan Clark. The series went through many development changes before its fall premiere, with Emmanuel Lewis being added to the show and LaFleur, in lieu of, being dropped from the regular cast. Once the series experienced its final title change—to Webster—LaFleur was only kept as a guest star in the pilot.

In 1993, LaFleur played baseball player Babe Ruth in The Sandlot. He had another notable role as the eccentric and obsessive character Red Sweeney (Silver Fox), in the 1995 family comedy film Man of the House. He also appeared in one episode of the television series M*A*S*H, in season 9 ("Father’s Day”) as an MP, looking for the people responsible for a stolen side of beef. LaFleur played US Army soldier, Mittens in the 1985 science fiction film Zone Troopers.

In addition to playing Babe Ruth, LaFleur also appeared as baseball player Chick Gandil of 1919 Black Sox infamy, in Field of Dreams. In terms of military and national security film roles, he appeared as the White House's security chief in Disney's First Kid (1996), as "McNulty" in both Trancers (1985), Trancers II (1991), and as 1st Sgt. Brandon T. Williams in In the Army Now (1994). He played pilot, Jack Neely in Air America (1990), appeared as Banes in The Replacements (2000), and in Beethoven's 4th (2003) as Sergeant Rutledge.

LaFleur played a coach for the New York Yankees in the 1992 film, Mr. Baseball. He also appeared in The Santa Clause 2 in 2002, and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause in 2006 as the tooth fairy.[3] In 2005, he appeared in Hostage as a deputy sheriff of Bruce Willis. In 2009, he appeared in the Direct-to-DVD film Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective and in the Science-Fiction horror film "The Rig".

He also appeared on House M.D. in 2005 as Warner Fitch, in the episode entitled "Sports Medicine." He also appeared on Home Improvement as Jimbo in season 1 episode 7 (Nothing More Than Feelings).

LaFleur died from Parkinson's disease on November 17, 2021, at the age of 78.

Lefkowitz, Gloria M., 88, of Cranston, passed away on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at Westview Nursing Home in Rhode Island.  

She was the beloved wife of the late Carl Lefkowitz. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Isador and Dorothy (Bernstein) Krasnoff, she had previously lived in Cranston for over 35 years. 

She was the customer service manager for Citizens Bank for 23 years, retiring in 1995. Gloria was a past treasurer and board member of Temple Torat Yisrael and a member of Cranston Senior Guild.

Devoted mother of Jess Lefkowitz of East Greenwich and Neil Lefkowitz of NC. Dear sister of Charles Krasnoff and his wife, Harriet, of Lake Worth, FL. Loving grandmother of Kayla, Michael, Sidney, and Jasmine. Cherished great-grandmother of Madison and Mason.

Graveside services will be held on Friday, November 19th at 10:00 a.m. in Lincoln Park Cemetery, 1469 Post Road, Warwick.

Shiva will be private.

Wantage adventurer Alex Flynn was set to be the first man with Parkinson’s to climb Mount Everest. However, he passed away in Nepal ahead of his planned trip to scale the world’s highest mountain.

The 49-year-old was just 36 when he was diagnosed in 2008 and dedicated his life to completing adventures.

An explorer who took part in a series of daunting challenges to highlight the impact of Parkinson's disease has died.

Alex Flynn was in Nepal as he sought to become the first person with the condition to climb Mount Everest.

Mr Flynn, from Oxfordshire, was 36 when he was diagnosed in 2008 and completed adventures including a 3,256 mile (5,240km) voyage across the US on foot, bike and kayak.

His family said they had been left with "broken hearts" following his death.

In a statement on Mr. Flynn's website, his family added: "He went out exactly how he would have wanted to, off the high of having completed another adventure on top of the world about to step into a helicopter ready to take on the next challenge."

Mr. Flynn's previous challenges included a 160-mile (257km) run in the Bavarian Alps, an ultra-marathon in the Sahara desert and a 279-mile (450km) expedition in the Swedish Arctic.

Last year, during lockdown, he climbed the equivalent of 2.3 times the height of Mount Everest by walking up and down the stairs in his home in Wantage, over seven and a half days.

Lord Mayor of Oxford Mark Lygo said Mr Flynn was "a superhuman who never gave up", who "will be missed by everyone" he met.

Mike Ayre, the chairman of trustees of Wantage-based Parkinsons.Me charity, said Mr. Flynn's death had been a "terrible shock" and added it had been "humbled" to receive donations in his memory.