As the year 2009 turns into 2010, we note those local and national African-Americans who died this year and we remember the contributions they made to our communities, our culture and our country. May perpetual light shine on them, and grant them peace:

BERNIE HAMILTON, actor; Dec. 30, 2008

IDA KENNEY, oldest African-American in the San Fernando Valley (104); Jan. 1

ERIC SCROGGINS, former USC linebacker; Jan. 10

DAVID ‘FATHEAD’ NEWMAN, saxophonist; Jan. 20

VEATRICE RICE, TV security guard/comedienne; Jan. 22

HANK CRAWFORD, saxophonist; Jan. 29

EDDIE LOGAN, Negro Baseball League player; Jan. 31

RODNEY WINFIELD, comedian; Feb. 9

ESTELLE BENNETT, “Ronettes” singer; Feb. 11

JAMES FLOURNOY, the first Black nominated by a major party (GOP) to run for statewide (California) partisan office; Feb. 21

DAVE BRIGGS SR., longtime LAPD shoeshine “doctor;” Feb. 24

WILBERT TATUM, editor/publisher/CEO of Amsterdam News; Feb. 26

KENNETH GARNER, LAPD deputy chief; March 1

DAVID WILLIAMS, guitarist; March 6

WILLIE KING, blues singer/guitarist; March 8

REV. CLAUDE WILLIAM BLACK JR., fought for civil rights along side MLK Jr.; March 13

ANNE BROWN, opera singer, the original “Bess”; March 13

ALTOVISE DAVIS, dancer, widow of Sammy Davis Jr.; March 14

LESTER ‘MAD DOG’ DAVENPORT, blues musician; March 20

MEL BROWN, blues guitarist; March 20

URIEL JONES, drummer; March 24

JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN, historian/scholar; March 25

MARVIN WEBSTER, basketball player; April 6

DAVID ‘POP’ WINANS SR., gospel singer; April 8

RANDY CAIN, “Delfonics” singer; April 9

REV. TIMOTHY WRIGHT, gospel singer; April 23

ERNIE BARNES, artist; April 27

FRANKIE ‘MUSCLEHEAD’ MANNING, dancer; April 27

GREG PAGE, boxer; April 27

MARL YOUNG, pianist, desegregated L.A.’s musicians unions; April 29

GLENN BELL, Dorsey High School football coach; May 4

ELSIE B. WASHINGTON, romance novelist/journalist; May 5

VIOLA WILLS, pop singer; May 6

FRANK MELTON, mayor of Jackson Miss.; May 7

EUGENE SMITH, gospel singer; May 10

CHARLES ‘BUDDY’ MONTGOMERY, jazz musician; May 14

WAYMAN TISDALE, basketball player/jazz musician; May 15

RODERICK BURTON ‘DOLLA,’ rapper; May 18

CAROLE ‘COOKIE’ COLE, actress, adopted daughter of Nat King Cole; May 19

DR. HENRY LUCAS, dentist/Republican activist; June 2

KOKO TAYLOR, blues singer; June 3

ROBERT COLESCOTT, artist; June 4

RANDY SMITH, basketball player; June 4

SHERYL FLOWERS, radio producer; June 8

HUEY LONG, guitarist/singer; June 10

ROGER ‘BILL’ TERRY, Tuskegee Airman; June 11

BETTY ALLEN, opera singer; June 22

EDDIE PRESTON, jazz trumpeter; June 22

MICHAEL JACKSON, ‘King of Pop;’ June 25

STEVE McNAIR, NFL quarterback; July 4

JUDI ANN MASON, playwright/screenwriter; July 8

BOBBY WILKS, first Black Coast Guard aviator and captain; July 13

E. LYNN HARRIS, novelist; July 23

VERNON FORREST, boxer; July 25

JOHN HOLLOMAN, businessman/publisher; July 24

INOLA HENRY, political activist/educator; July 26

HOWARD RANSOM JR., educator; July 26

REV. FREDERICK J. EIKERENKOETTER II, ‘REV. IKE,’ preacher; July 28

TITUS GLOVER, ‘BAATIN,’ rapper; Aug. 1

NAOMI SIMS, model/businesswoman; Aug. 1

KITTY WHITE, singer; Aug. 11

MARGARET BUSH WILSON, first Black woman to head national NAACP board; Aug. 11

RASHIED ALI, jazz drummer; Aug. 12

MARY HENRY, activist/community leader; Aug. 14

BURL TOLER, first Black game official in pro sports; Aug. 16

ERNST ‘BROWNIE’ BROWN, tap dancer; Aug. 21

JOHN E. CARTER, “Dells” and “Flamingos” singer; Aug. 21

MARIE KNIGHT, gospel singer; Aug. 30

JESSE FORTUNE, blues singer; Aug. 31

WYCLIFFE ‘STEELY’ JOHNSON, musician; Sept. 1

JOHN STEPHENS, football player; Sept. 1

SKIP MILLER, music industry executive; Sept. 4

ROBERT SEARCY, Tuskegee Airman; Sept. 7

ZAKES MOKAE, actor; Sept. 11

GERTRUDE BAINES, world’s oldest person (115); Sept. 11

SARAH E. WRIGHT, writer/novelist; Sept. 13

TREVOR RHONE, playwright; Sept. 15

ROBERT SEARCY, Tuskegee Airman; Sept. 16

MARGUERITE JUSTICE, former L.A. police commissioner; Sept. 17

SAM CARR, drummer; Sept. 21

ALFRED OGLESBY, football player; Sept. 26

LAURA MAE GROSS, nightclub owner; Oct. 3

BEN ALI, restauranteur; Oct. 7

WOODROW ‘WOODY’ FLEMING, political/labor activist; Oct. 8

CULLEN BRYANT, football player; Oct. 13

ROY DeCARAVA, photographer; Oct. 27

EARSELL MACKBEE, football player; Nov. 9

TOMMY JACQUETTE, community activist; Nov. 16

BUCKY WILLIAMS, second oldest (102) Negro League baseball player; Nov. 16

AVERY CLAYTON, African-American Museum founder; Nov. 26

NELLE BECKER SLATON, educator; Dec. 1

DONALD WASHINGTON SR., tenor saxophonist; Dec. 1

MARIE HARRIS, Pacoima activist, started Valley secession drive; Dec. 2

LUTHER SMITH, Tuskegee Airman; Dec. 9

NAPOLEON A. JONES JR., San Diego’s second Black federal judge; Dec. 12

JOHN EDMOND JR., first Black golf pro on L.A. city golf course; Dec. 14

ALAINA REED HALL, actress/singer; Dec. 17

CHRIS HENRY, football player; Dec. 17

ANN NIXON COOPER, 107-year symbol of Obama’s “heartbreak and hope” of the last century; Dec. 21

PERCY SUTTON, civil rights lawyer/politician/media mogul; Dec. 26

AND FINALLY — We also mourn the closure this year of almost 150 newspapers in the United States and the loss of the venerable Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Co. when it was seized by state insurance regulators in October because it was running out of money. Once hailed as the largest Black-owned business west of the Mississippi, Golden State Mutual served Southern California’s African-Americans for 84 years.