The Chronic Curmudgeon

4. Rosa Parks She wasn't the first to take a stand against the racist bus policy in Montgomery, Alabama -- and she benefitted from having friends in high places who could make her a cause celebre. But Rosa Parks was the kind of woman who had the strength to stand -- or, more appropriately, sit -- as the face of civil rights resistance, to deal with the hatred that she faced, to set the dignified example she set... and to become the leader she became even after that first moment of defiance and justice. Rosa Parks was the kind of person we should all want to be. And when she died in October at 92, she left the world a much better place than when she came to it. That's saying something.

5. Arthur Miller "The Crucible" is a damning indictment of McCarthyism -- and someone ought to get the bright idea to re-do The Crucible as an allegory for what the Bush-Cheney-Rove-Coulter-DeLay crowd has tried to do to America and American society in the last five to six years. But Arthur Miller's magnum opus was "Death of a Salesman," which still stands as the ultimate expression, I think, of the reality of the American Dream: a sad mirage for most, yet nobility comes from its pursuit and not its attainment. The single best production I've ever seen on Broadway was the revival of "Salesman" in 1999 starring Brian Dennehy - the entire audience was moved to audible sobs. Miller, the greatest playwright of his generation, died in February at 89.

6. Paul Winchell Don't know him? Think again. Click here, and then tell me you never heard him. The Winnie The Pooh cartoons were my absolute favorite when I was a kid, and though I loved Eeyore the most (and still do), Tigger was irrepressible. No one will ever replace that original voice and the life he brought to the bouncy tiger. Winchell died in June at 82.

7, John Spencer Not only was he Leo McGarry, the wizened chief of staff for the president America wishes we'd had over the last five years, but Spencer played a pivotal role in "The Negotiator," which is on my list of top ten most underrated movies. Spencer died just two weeks ago of a heart attack; he was 58.

8. Sam Mills. A walking example to anyone who's ever been told they couldn't do something, Mills was supposed to be too small and too slow to play linebacker in the NFL. All he did was become a five time Pro Bowl linebacker and one of the best of his decade. You can't measure heart or guts on a chart, but somehow you always know who has it. Mills died in April after a long battle with intestinal cancer; he was only 45.

9. Simon Wiesenthal. The tireless champion of justice served taught us that neither time nor the desire to forget can absolve us from the need to do what is right. Adolf Eichmann and dozens of others were brought to justice through Wiesenthal's courageous efforts. I hope that I someday have a fraction of this man's dedication. Wiesenthal died in June at 96.

10. Ossie Davis. He wasn't just an extremely talented actor; he was a powerful and dignified voice for civil rights from the earliest days of the movement. Davis could bring gravitas and dignity to any role -- especially the one he played in life. His talent moved us, but his passion and beliefs changed us. Davis died in February at 87.

11. Anne Bancroft She was great in "The Miracle Worker," but of course everyone will remember Anne Bancroft for being Mrs. Robinson. And how can we not pay homage to the woman who set the standard for the older woman fantasy? (Of course, we all know my history goes in the other direction, but that's why they call it a fantasy.) Bancroft died in June at 73,

12. Don Adams. Not because of "Get Smart" -- I'm not at all a fan of Mel Brooks humor, I find it obvious and uncreative -- but because Don Adams was the voice of Tennessee Tuxedo, who was one of the staples in my cartoon diet as a kid in the 70s (UHF syndication rocked!). Adams died in September at 82.