Eugenio Martinez obit

Last Living Watergate Burglar and Longtime Operative Eugenio Martinez Dies at 98

Martinez was part of "hundreds" of other covert operations, including the 1972 Watergate burglary and the failed Bay of Pigs invasion 

He was not on the list.

Eugenio Martinez, the last living burglar involved in the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon has died. He was 98.

Martinez, who was one of four men in the failed break-in, died Saturday at his daughter's home in Minneola, Florida, according to The Miami Herald and The New York Times.

His death was announced by the Brigade 2506, an anti-Communist veterans group of Cuban exiles, the Times reported. Martinez is survived by a son and several daughters as well as four grandchildren, according to the Herald.

Born in western Cuba in 1922, Martinez was later exiled from the country because of his opposition to then-Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. After Batista was overthrown, Martinez briefly returned to Cuba but was exiled again in 1959 for his criticism of Fidel Castro, then the country's leader.

Backed by the CIA, Martinez and the Brigade 2506 group led an infamously failed 1961 invasion at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba and he was later said to have covertly traveled back to Cubs "hundreds of times" for CIA missions throughout his life, according to the Times.

The Herald described him as "a prolific asset" for the CIA and a granddaughter told the paper he took part in 365 missions.

But it was Martinez's involvement in the 1972 burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex that came to define his public persona.

He and three other operatives were recruited by White House consultant E. Howard Hunt, a former U.S. intelligence officer and fellow Bay of Pigs veteran, to break into the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in June 1972.

The operation was blown when a security guard at the building noticed the men and called the police, triggering a cycle of investigations and coverups. Nixon resigned in 1974 rather than face impeachment over the scandal.

Martinez served 15 months for his role in the break-in and later said he believed he was recruited to aid the burglary in order to find evidence of links between Castro and the Democratic presidential candidate Sen. George McGovern.

"If an operation were presented to me in the same way as then, I would accept again," he told Spanish newspaper El Mundo in 2009.

In a 1974 Vanity Fair piece about his life and role in Watergate, Martinez revealed he had been divorced earlier in the day before the bungled burglary.

"I had just gotten my divorce that day and had gone from the court to the airport and from the airport to the Watergate," he wrote. "The environment in each one of us was different, but the whole thing was bad; there was tension in those people."

Martinez, who had become a citizen after leaving Cuba, according to the Herald, worked as a car salesman in Miami Beach once he was released from prison. He was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, having been twice denied by Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

Martinez also remained active in his community, even into his advanced age, his granddaughter told the Herald.

"We could have 20 interruptions while we were eating and he would have a smile on his face," she said. "Whoever would call him, he would answer their questions. That's why when you Google him you see so many pictures of him."

Other than Nixon, Martinez was the only person involved in Watergate to receive a pardon.

He told El Mundo he kept one keepsake from the failed operation. It was a gold clover with a Spanish inscription carved into it: "Good luck. Richard Nixon."

John Chaney - # 255

John Chaney, commanding Temple basketball coach, dies at 89

 He was number 255 on the list.

John Chaney’s raspy, booming voice drowned out the gym when he scolded Temple players over a turnover — at the top of his basketball sins — or inferior effort. His voice was loudest when it came to picking unpopular fights, lashing out at NCAA policies he said discriminated against Black athletes. And it could be profane when Chaney let his own sense of justice get the better of him with fiery confrontations that threatened to undermine his role as father figure to scores of his underprivileged players.

Complicated, cranky, quick with a quip, Chaney was an imposing presence on the court and a court jester off it, all while building the Owls perched in rugged North Philadelphia into one of the toughest teams in the nation.

“He wrapped his arms around you and made you a part of his family,” said Chaney’s successor, Fran Dunphy.

Chaney died Friday, just eight days after his 89th birthday, after a short, unspecified illness.

Chaney led Temple to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances over 24 seasons, including five NCAA regional finals. Chaney had 741 wins as a college coach. He was twice named national coach of the year and his teams at Temple won six Atlantic 10 conference titles. He led Cheyney, in suburban Philadelphia, to the 1978 Division II national championship.

When Chaney retired in 2006, the scowl was gone, the dark, deep-set eyes concealed behind sunglasses, and the over-the-top personality turned subdued: “Excuse me while I disappear,” he said.

He became a de facto father to dozens of his players, many coming to Temple from broken homes, violent upbringings and bad schools. He often said his biggest goal was simply to give poor kids a chance to get an education. He said the SAT was culturally biased and he joined Georgetown’s John Thompson -- another giant in the Black coaching community, who died in August -- in denouncing NCAA academic requirements that seemed to single out “the youngster who is from a poor, disadvantaged background.

Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie, perhaps Chaney’s two best players, were Prop 48 recruits who parlayed their Temple years into successful NBA careers. McKie is now Temple’s coach and leaned on his mentor when he had to shape the program.

“Coach Chaney was like a father to me,” McKie said. “He taught not just me, but all of his players more than just how to succeed in basketball. He taught us life lessons to make us better individuals off the court. I owe so much to him. He made me the man I am today.”

When Chaney joined Temple in 1982, he took over a program that had only two NCAA tournament bids in the previous decade and wasn’t widely known outside Philadelphia. Often, as he exhorted his team, he put himself in situations he later regretted. He was known for a fiery temper -- sending a player he called a “goon” into a 2005 game to commit hard fouls. Chaney served a suspension and apologized.

In 1994, he had a heated exchange following a game against UMass in which he threatened to kill coach John Calipari. Chaney apologized and was suspended for a game. The two later became friends.

“Coach Chaney and I fought every game we competed – as everyone knows, sometimes literally – but in the end he was my friend,” Calipari tweeted. “Throughout my career, we would talk about basketball and life. I will miss those talks and I will my friend.”

In 1984, Chaney grabbed George Washington coach Gerry Gimelstob by the shoulders at halftime during a game.

Chaney, whose deep, dark eyes seemed fitting for a school whose mascot is the Owl, was intense on the sidelines. His loud, booming voice could be heard across an arena, and his near-perfect designer clothes were in shambles after most games. After an especially bad call, he would stare down referees. He once gazed at a referee for an entire timeout with a look he dubbed the “One-Eyed Jack.”

Though he seemed permanently cranky, especially during games, Chaney was often tender and funny. He loved telling stories. His postgame news conferences were sometimes more entertaining than the games that preceded them. His retirement news conference in March 2006 wasn’t about hoops but about education’s role in helping the poor and disadvantaged. They included amusing anecdotes, pokes at the school administration and playful threats to slap the mayor.

After losing to Michigan State in his last trip to the NCAA regional finals, in 2001, he was the same old John Chaney -- with water-filled eyes, wearing a tie torn open at the collar and waxing poetic about another missed chance at the Final Four.

“It is something we all dream about, but very often dreams come up short,” he said. “Very often you don’t realize everything. But you have to realize that the growth you see in youngsters like these is probably the highest accomplishment you can reach.”

Temple’s style of play under Chaney’s guidance was never as pretty as that of Duke or North Carolina. Slow, patient and disciplined, his best teams rarely made errors, rarely turned the ball over and always played tough defense. Chaney was simply fearless in all aspects of his work.

He refused to load his schedules with easy teams, and instead traveled to hostile courts to play teams supposedly brimming with talent. He was outspoken about the NCAA’s recruiting rules, which he said hurt players trying to improve their standing in life.

“John Chaney was more than just a Hall of Fame Basketball coach. He was a Hall of Fame in life,” Dunphy said. “He touched countless lives, including my own.”

Chaney arrived at Temple before the 1982-83 season. sitting in one of Philadelphia’s toughest neighborhoods, Temple was the perfect match for a coach who prided himself on helping players turn their basketball skills into college degrees.

He was 50 and already had success at Cheyney State University, where he had a record of 225-59 in 10 seasons.

Chaney was born on Jan. 21, 1932, in Jacksonville, Florida. He lived in a neighborhood there called Black Bottom, where, he said, flooding rains would bring in rats. When he was in the ninth grade, his family moved to Philadelphia, where his stepfather got a job at a shipyard.

Though known as a Hall of Fame coach, he also was one of the best players ever to come out of Philadelphia. He was the Philadelphia Public League player of the year in 1951 at Benjamin Franklin High School.

A graduate of Bethune-Cookman College, he was an NAIA All-American and an NAIA tournament MVP before going pro in 1955 to play with the Harlem Globetrotters. With black players still being discriminated against in the NBA, he spent 1955 to 1966 in the Eastern Pro League with Sunbury Mercuries and Williamsport Billies, where he was a two-time league MVP.

“He knew what I needed when I started coaching. He just fostered that and allowed me to grow and allowed me to make mistakes and was there to pick me up when things weren’t working out as I thought they should,” said South Carolina coach and former Owls coach Dawn Staley. “Everybody in their lives, whether they’re in coaching, outside of coaching, or whatever profession, needs a person like coach Chaney in their life.”

On December 20, 2004, during a win over Princeton, Chaney became the fifth active coach and 19th all-time to appear on the sidelines for 1,000 games, joining Lou Henson (New Mexico State, Illinois), Bob Knight (Army, Indiana, Texas Tech), Eddie Sutton (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, San Francisco), and Hugh Durham (Florida State, Georgia, Jacksonville).

The testimonials were very moving. Aaron McKie and Eddie Jones were two of the players who spoke at the event. McKie and Jones had stellar college and NBA careers. McKie grew up in North Philadelphia and played his scholastic basketball for Simon Gratz. Jones hailed from Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Fla. McKie and Jones played on three NCAA tournament teams including one of Chaney’s five Final Eight teams. Both are Temple graduates. Both spoke glowingly of their coach.

“Coach came to get a little kid out of North Philadelphia who really didn’t have much going for him,” said McKie, now an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. “You injected life into [me] coach. I appreciate everything. When I go different places people recognize me. They know I’m from Philadelphia and Temple University. The first thing they asked me is how is it playing for Coach Chaney? How were the 5 o’clock (morning) practices? You know, I get a joy and a pleasure to talk about coach because he’s well respected. Not only is he a Hall of Famer. He’s a Hall of Fame coach and an even better person.”

 

Michael Cox obit

Remembering Granada TV's Michael Cox

 

He was not on the list.

We have learned that Michael Cox, producer of the landmark Sherlock Holmes series on Granada TV, has passed away at the age of 86.

His wife Sandra passed along the news that Michael passed away peacefully on January 29 after an extended illness.

Michael Cox was born on November 28, 1934 in Bristol. He began his career in entertainment first as an actor, then as a stage manager, advertising agent, and for an artistic agency before joining the ranks of Granada Television in 1960. He literally worked his way up, beginning as a bus driver and handyman before being given responsibility for local programs and archival material.

He was tapped as an assistant director for Coronation Street in 1965 before joining other shows in the following years, such as Mr. Rose and Pardon the Expression. His fledgling experience as a producer began in 1968 with a couple of episodes of Coronation Street, followed by a proper producing career in 1972 with A Family at War and Holly.

The Sherlock Holmes connection began in 1981, when Cox realized that Granada, which already had a commitment to dramatizations of classics from the likes of H.G. Wells, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Evelyn Waugh, should turn its attention to Sherlock Holmes.

According to the definitive biography of Cox by The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia,

"Cox is really the father of the Sherlock Holmes series. Without him, it would not have existed. Indeed, it was he who, a fine connoisseur and fervent admirer of Arthur Conan Doyle, realized that Sherlock Holmes' stories had finally fallen into the public domain and that the great detective had hardly been seen on television screens for ten years. He was the one who convinced Granada's management that it was possible to achieve a great success by producing a colour version of Sherlock Holmes' adventures for a new generation of spectators."

While the accountants were looking to cut expenses in any way, Cox realized the value for the Granada brand that classics afforded them. While they were never huge ratings successes, these lavishly produced dramas brought the studio respect in the domestic market and exposure on public television in the United States.

David Plowright, managing director (and Michael's boss) at Granada Television, gave Cox two conditions on which he would green-light the production: there had to be a financial commitment from an American partner before production began, and they needed someone of star quality — "Someone like Jeremy Brett," he said.

As they listed their criteria, the casting directors determined that they were unable to find "someone like Jeremy Brett" to fill the role—they could only find Jeremy Brett himself! So that was settled. As to the U.S. partner turned another lovely coincidence is that PBS's popular MYSTERY! series was produced by Joan Wilson, who just happened to be Jeremy Brett's wife.

In bringing the series to life, David Plowright provided another bit of inspiring leadership: he suggested that a full-scale replica of Baker Street be constructed as an exterior set. This iconic thoroughfare lent a great deal of realism and credibility to the Granada series over time, and is as essential and iconic as Brett himself in the title role.

The other piece of preparation that Michael Cox introduced to the production, along with associate producer Stuart Doughty and researcher Nick Cooney, was The Baker Street File. Now a collector's item, it was described as "A guide to the appearance and habits of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson specially prepared for the Granada Television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." There were 100 copies published in 1983 for the cast and crew of the series — photocopied typed sheets between manilla card stock. Then in 1997, Calabash Press published a paperback version. We're fortunate to have both.

In addition to such production details, Cox also had to deal with copyright lawyers (because what would a Sherlock Holmes production be without a request from the Conan Doyle Estate?), collaborating with John Hawkesworth to develop the series for teleivions, hiring sceenwriters such as Jeremy Paul, determining which directors to use, scouting exterior locations, and securing other cast members such as David Burke as Dr. Watson and Rosalie Williams as Mrs. Hudson.

The interior set had to be designed, and Michael Grimes was the man for that. Music—such an important part of Sherlock Holmes's personality—had to be commissioned, and Patrick Gowers composed the main theme and incidental music, including period- and geography-specific pieces that were variations of the original.

The series finally debuted on ITV in England in April 1984.

Cox remained attached to the production for its entirety, through The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes in 1991. By that time, Cox was engaged as an independent producer (Granada had cut costs and eliminated a number of executive positions; by 1992, Plowright was outsted as CEO) and Jeremy Brett's health was in a precipitous decline. The age of Sherlock Holmes was over at Granada Television Cox went on to produce one more television movie in 1991: Thatcher: The Final Days.

Since that time, Michael Cox enjoyed retirement and participated in Sherlockian activities from time to time: he traveled to the United States to join the From Gillette to Brett conferences and attended gatherings of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, which made him an Honorary Member last year (a well-deserved accolade).

His contributions to the world of Sherlock Holmes will forever be with us.

Director

After the War (1989)

After the War

6.5

TV Mini Series

Director

1989

1 episode

 

Sam (1973)

Sam

8.0

TV Series

Director

1973–1975

2 episodes

 

A Family at War (1970)

A Family at War

7.7

TV Series

Director

1970

4 episodes

 

Peter Adamson, Jean Alexander, Johnny Briggs, Margot Bryant, and Doris Speed in Coronation Street (1960)

Coronation Street

5.6

TV Series

Director

1965–1969

18 episodes

 

British Film Academy Awards. A Cinema Special

TV Movie

Director

1968

 

Diane Cilento in Rogues' Gallery (1968)

Rogues' Gallery

7.7

TV Series

Director

1968–1969

 

Doris Hare and Ken Jones in Her Majesty's Pleasure (1968)

Her Majesty's Pleasure

TV Series

Director

1968

1 episode

 

Charles Hyatt and William Lucas in City '68 (1967)

City '68

7.6

TV Series

Director

1968

2 episodes

 

Richard Beckinsale, Freddie Fletcher, Arthur Lowe, Jack Rosenthal, and Paula Wilcox in ITV Playhouse (1967)

ITV Playhouse

7.3

TV Series

Director

1968

1 episode

 

Death by Misadventure? (1967)

Death by Misadventure?

TV Series

Director

1967

1 episode

 

Mr. Rose (1967)

Mr. Rose

8.0

TV Series

Director

1967

6 episodes

 

Robert Dorning and Arthur Lowe in Turn Out the Lights (1967)

Turn Out the Lights

TV Series

Director

1967

2 episodes

 

Arthur Lowe in Pardon the Expression (1965)

Pardon the Expression

7.4

TV Series

Director

1966

25 episodes

 

Actor

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991)

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

8.7

TV Series

Zoo Cleaner (uncredited)

1991

1 episode

 

Producer

Sylvia Syms in Thatcher: The Final Days (1991)

Thatcher: The Final Days

6.9

TV Movie

producer

1991

 

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991)

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

8.7

TV Series

producer

1991

6 episodes

 

Peter O'Toole and Mare Winningham in Crossing to Freedom (1989)

Crossing to Freedom

6.8

TV Movie

executive producer: Granada

1989

 

After the War (1989)

After the War

6.5

TV Mini Series

executive producer

producer

1989

10 episodes

 

Dead Man Out (1989)

Dead Man Out

6.2

TV Movie

co-executive producer

1989

 

Jeremy Brett in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988)

The Hound of the Baskervilles

7.8

TV Movie

executive producer

1988

 

The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986)

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

8.7

TV Series

executive producer

1986–1988

11 episodes

 

Jeremy Brett, Kiran Shah, and John Thaw in The Sign of Four (1987)

The Sign of Four

7.9

TV Movie

executive producer

1987

 

Shades of Darkness (1983)

Shades of Darkness

7.6

TV Series

executive producer

1983–1986

9 episodes

 

Time for Murder (1985)

Time for Murder

6.2

TV Series

executive producer

1985

6 episodes

 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

8.7

TV Series

producer

1984–1985

13 episodes

 

Kevin McNally in A Brother's Tale (1983)

A Brother's Tale

TV Series

executive producer

1983

3 episodes

 

Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House (1982)

Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House

7.0

TV Series

executive producer (uncredited)

1982

8 episodes

 

Joanne Whalley and Clive Wood in A Kind of Loving (1982)

A Kind of Loving

8.5

TV Mini Series

executive producer

1982

10 episodes

 

Judy Holt in My Father's House (1981)

My Father's House

5.4

TV Mini Series

executive producer

1981

7 episodes

 

Christmas Spirits (1981)

Christmas Spirits

6.5

TV Movie

executive producer

1981

 

The Double Dealer (1980)

The Double Dealer

TV Movie

executive producer

1980

 

Alan Dobie in The ITV Play (1968)

The ITV Play

TV Series

producer

1976–1980

2 episodes

 

Bedroom Farce (1980)

Bedroom Farce

8.6

TV Movie

executive producer

1980

 

Robert Longden in Watch All Night (1980)

Watch All Night

7.7

TV Series

executive producer

1980

1 episode

 

Del Henney in Fallen Hero (1978)

Fallen Hero

7.9

TV Series

executive producer

1978–1979

9 episodes

 

The Danedyke Mystery (1979)

The Danedyke Mystery

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

1979

6 episodes

 

This Year Next Year (1977)

This Year Next Year

8.6

TV Mini Series

executive producer

1977

13 episodes

 

Twiggy in Victorian Scandals (1976)

Victorian Scandals

8.1

TV Series

producer

executive producer

1976

6 episodes

 

Sam (1973)

Sam

8.0

TV Series

producer

1973–1975

39 episodes

 

Don Henderson, Diane Keen, Peter Sallis, and Don Warrington in Crown Court (1972)

Crown Court

7.3

TV Series

executive producer

1974

5 episodes

 

Ray Davies in Late Night Drama (1974)

Late Night Drama

8.7

TV Series

producer

1974

1 episode

 

Brigit Forsyth and Paul Moriarty in Holly (1972)

Holly

TV Series

producer

1972

6 episodes

 

A Family at War (1970)

A Family at War

7.7

TV Series

producer

associate producer

1970–1972

45 episodes

 

Peter Adamson, Jean Alexander, Johnny Briggs, Margot Bryant, and Doris Speed in Coronation Street (1960)

Coronation Street

5.6

TV Series

producer

1967–1968

22 episodes

 

Self

Ian Fleming and Geoffrey Boothroyd in Timeshift (2002)

Timeshift

7.1

TV Series

Self - Producer, 'Sherlock Holmes', ITV

2005

1 episode