Departures: Defense hawk, climate skeptic dies at 89

James Inhofe

A former Republican lawmaker known for political conservatism and global warming skepticism, Inhofe died July 9. He was 89. After attending the University of Tulsa and serving a stint in the Army, Inhofe pursued business ventures and entered state politics in the 1960s, spending a decade in the Oklahoma Legislature (1967-1977) and becoming mayor of Tulsa. He went to Washington as a congressman in 1987, spending two terms in the U.S. House and winning election to the Senate five times. As a lawmaker, he opposed abortion and LGBTQ activism and supported gun rights and balanced budgets. He called climate change alarmism an environmental “hoax,” once tossing a snowball to a colleague on the Senate floor.

Kinky Friedman

An eclectic raconteur of verse and prose—and quizzical gubernatorial candidate—Friedman died on June 27. He was 79. Born Richard Friedman, his curly hair earned him the nickname Kinky while he attended the University of Texas. There in Austin, Friedman began a novelty act as a Jewish country and western singer lampooning cultural sensitivities of the left and the right. By the mid-1970s his act, Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, was on tour with Bob Dylan. Achieving a measure of local fame through his act, a series of novels, and a Texas Monthly column, Friedman ran for governor in 2006 (“How hard could it be?” he asked). He managed to win 12.4 percent of the vote.

Donald Sutherland

Sutherland, a near-­constant presence on screen who was considered by many the greatest actor never to be nominated for an Oscar, died on June 20, aged 88. The gangly and taciturn Canadian actor found his way into a trio of beloved war films that launched a long career. For his 1967 breakout role, Sutherland joined an ensemble cast for The Dirty Dozen, his smart aleck character sometimes stealing the show from tough-guy co-stars Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, and others. In 1970, Sutherland played Hawkeye Pierce in the acclaimed Robert Altman film M*A*S*H and provided comic relief in Kelly’s Heroes. He worked prolifically even late in life, landing a role in the Hunger Games films.

Willie Mays

An electrifying talent ranked by some as the best all-around baseball player in history, Mays died on June 18 at age 93. Mays broke into the recently desegregated major leagues as a center fielder with the New York Giants in 1951 and became an instant success with the bat and the glove, his basket catches in the spacious Polo Grounds becoming a symbol of his defensive prowess. After a stint in the Army, Mays returned for the 1954 season, won his first of two National League MVP awards, and led the Giants to a World Series victory. At the time of his retirement in 1973, Mays had been selected for 24 All-Star teams and slugged 660 home runs, more than anyone except Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

Jerry West

The model for the NBA’s silhouetted logo whose success as a player was nevertheless superseded by success running a franchise, West died on June 12. He was 86. West, who grew up poor in a series of West Virginia hamlets, made a name for himself as a standout guard at West Virginia University before going pro with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1960. He made an All-Star team in each of his 14 seasons as a professional and helped lead his team to the 1972 championship. After his playing career, West coached the team and then began a stint as a Lakers executive, ultimately helping to construct six championship teams.

Paul Pressler

Pressler, a former Southern Baptist leader brought low by allegations of sexual abuse, died on June 7 at age 94. His death went unreported in the press until his funeral the next week. Pressler, a lawyer and appeals court judge in Texas, worked the politics of the Southern Baptist Convention as a layman, eventually becoming a denominational leader. Pressler and others launched an effort in 1978 to wrest control of the SBC away from moderates and put political and theological conservatives in charge. But according to accusations that became public in the last decade, he used his power in the church to gain access to and sexually assault boys and young men. Pressler and the SBC settled a sexual abuse case in December.

Editor’s note: The entry on Willie Mays was corrected to reflect that Mays was behind Hank Aaron in career home runs when he retired in 1973.