DEATHS IN THE NEWS

Laurindo Almeida, 77, one of Brazil's greatest guitarists and thewinner of five Grammy awards, died July 26 in Los Angeles. He movedto the United States nearly 40 years ago and help popularize thebossa nova style, a combination of Brazilian music and jazz. Heplayed with such renowned jazz musicians as Stan Kenton and HerbieMann and toured with the Modern Jazz Quartet. Among hisaward-winning albums was "Viva Bossa Nova," which rose to No. 13 onthe music charts in 1962. William B. Decker, 60, a newspaper photographer who hit the lotteryjackpot the day before he lost his job, died of cancer in Delphi,Ind. Mr. Decker worked for Chicago Today and its predecessornewspapers for 21 years when the Chicago Tribune announced that itwould close its afternoon daily on Sept. 13, 1974. Mr. Decker wasassigned to cover the Illinois State Lottery drawing when he learnedhe was a finalist. He was given the day off to participate and won$300,000. John K. "Ric Diederichs, 74, a noted Chicago financial expert, diedJuly 26 in Chicago. From 1965 to 1982, he was a vice president ofSunbeam Corp., where he played a role in the appliance manufacturer'srise in the marketplace. After retiring, he founded a financialconsulting firm, Diederichs & Associates. He was a board member ofWFMT-FM, the classical radio station, and was chief executive officerof its magazine in the 1980s. Robert C. Ekstrom, 78, the City of Chicago's former music director,died July 29 in Duluth, Minn. In the 1970s, he directed most of thecity's choirs, with nearly 110,000 singers, in Soldier Field for thecity's annual Fourth of July celebration. He also directedperformances at the Civic Center and for the State Street Council.Mr. Ekstrom taught music privately and in public schools. He waswell-known in the Beverly, Morgan Park, Blue Island and Oak Lawnareas, where he directed choral groups. Les Elgart, 77, a musician and big-band leader who gained popularitywhen other groups were going flat, died July 29 in Dallas. A trumpetplayer, Mr. Elgart got his start playing with other bands, includingWoody Herman's, in the 1940s. In 1952, he put together the LesElgart Orchestra with his brothers when the big-band sound waspractically dead. Yet, the band was successful, recording on theColumbia label as the Les and Larry Elgart Band. In later years, thebrothers would sometimes split up, with each leading his own group. Murray H. Finley, 73, a labor leader who led a bitter campaign onbehalf of textile workers, died Monday in Ann Arbor, Mich. Mr.Finley, a lawyer, got his start in labor with the AmalgamatedClothing Workers Union of America in Chicago and Detroit. In 1972,he became president and shortly after presided over a bitter campaignto pressure J.P. Stevens, the maker of Farah slacks, to accept unioncontracts in Texas. J.P. Stevens capitulated after Mr. Finleynegotiated a merger between his union and the Textile Workers Unionof America. Eleanore Griffin, 91, a screenwriter who shared an Academy Award fora 1938 story that recently stirred political debate, died July 26 inWoodland Hills, Calif. Miss Griffin wrote or helped write severalfilm scripts during her career. But her most noteworthy work was"Boys Town," the film starring Spencer Tracy about a school fordelinquent juveniles. The movie's message of self-help was broughtup last year when House Speaker Newt Gingrich used it as evidencethat private philanthropic work could make up for cuts in governmentspending. Dale Niece, 64, a noted Chicago interior designer, died of cancerJuly 21 in Chicago. As a vice president of Lubliner and Himmel, hedesigned the interior of the Playboy Club in Lake Geneva that servedas the prototype for subsequent clubs. In 1979, he was one ofseveral designers selected by the American Society of InteriorDesigners to participate in its North Suburban Showcase House, acharity event that gives designers the opportunity to showcase theirtalents in a vacant, private home. Since 1980, he was co-owner ofDale Niece and Associates. Alison Reindl, 29, a nationally known expert in franchising, diedJuly 31 in Olympia Fields of injuries suffered in an automobileaccident. Mrs. Reindl was executive vice president of Francorp, amanagement consulting firm that specializes in franchising. Sheevaluated the franchise potential of companies to determine whetherthey had the resources to expand. Over the years, Francorp's clientshave included Texaco, Popeye's Fried Chicken and Valvoline, amongothers. Mrs. Reindl appeared on television and on radio, besidesbeing featured in both Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurial Womanmagazines. Sylvia Weinberger, 89, who built a successful business on choppedliver, died July 23 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She was the creator ofwhat became Mrs. Weinberg's Chopped Liver when her full name wouldnot fit on her first labels. She began making the product for aluncheonette that she and her husband ran in New York. By the timeshe retired in 1989, she headed a $2 million-a-year business thatproduced a leading brand of chopped liver.