Final Cadence

The late Milt Jackson receiving Berklee's honorary doctorate from President Lee Eliot Berk at the 1989 Convocation exercises.

Victor Hogan Jr. '47 of Orleans, Massachusetts, died at the Veterans Administration Hospital in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, after a brief illness. He was 73. He had served as a Navy musician in the South Pacific during WWII. He later studied and then taught at Schillinger House (now Berklee College of Music).He performed with several notable Boston-area bands during the big band era and later became a salesman for International Harvester. He is survived by his wife Barbara, and four daughters.

Anthony Parker '49 of Wayland, Massachusetts, died on November 23, 1999. He worked as a pianist and composer and was a member of the Boston Musicians Union Local 9. He leaves his wife Barbara and sons David and Gregory.

Patricia (Whitehouse) Robinson '54 of Taunton, Massachusetts, died on December 2, 1999, at home after a lengthy illness. She was 64. She is survived by her daughters Kim Robinson and Cheryl Sousa, her sons William and Robert Robinson, and five grandchildren.

John T. Brown '76 of Beverly, Massachusetts, died on September 9, 1999, at home after a long illness. He was 44. Brown played trumpet and had worked at Ames Safety and Envelope Company in Somerville and as director of music at St. Mary's Annunciation School in Danvers, Massachusetts. He performed frequently with several groups around Boston's North Shore area. He leaves his wife, Kristine, and two sons, Jason and Scott Brown.

James Cirrone Jr. '90 of Saugus, Massachusetts, died on May 28. He was 32. Cirrone played drums and worked with the band Tonguelash.

Richard Yindra '99 of Old Lyme, Connecticut, died on October 27, 1999. He was 36 years old and was enrolled as a Berklee student at the time of his passing.

Two renowned recipients of Berklee's honorary doctoral degrees have passed away. Famed vibes player Milt Jackson H'89 of the Modern Jazz Quartet died October 13, 1999, after a long bout with liver cancer. He is survived by Sandy Jackson, his wife of 41 years, and his daughter Cheryse. Jackson was 76.

Jazz vocalist Joe Williams H'88 died on March 29, 1999, in Las Vegas. He was 80. Williams had discharged himself from a Las Vegas hospital where he was being treated for a respiratory ailment. He walked three miles from the hospital and collapsed a few blocks from his home. Williams got his start with the Lionel Hampton and Count Basie bands early in his career. He is remembered for his hit song "Everyday I Have the Blues." Despite suffering from emphysema, the 80-year old singer still worked 40 weeks a year and had performed in Seattle just a week before his death.

Word has reached us belatedly that three other alumni passed away last year. Hal McIntyre '64 died in June. He had been living in Sandwich, MA. Clifford Jarvis '64 died in November. He played drums and was living in England most recently. Leo Hodges '86 of Lovettsville, Virginia, a guitarist, also passed away recently.