By Donald James, Senior Writer Gone, but not forgotten. The year 2024 witnessed the passing of many notable and extraordinary people locally and nationally. As we reflect on their lives, achievements, and legacies, it is done so with the hope of inspiring future generations to excel. While it would be difficult to chronicle all the notable people who passed in 2024, it’s only fitting to name some in alphabetical order.   Earl “The Twirl” Cureton (former basketball star with the Detroit Pistons)                                                                        September 3, 1957 – February 4, 2024 Earl Cureton was a native Detroiter who went on to star for the Philadelphia 76ers (1980 – 1983) and the Detroit Pistons (1983 -1986) before hooping with the Chicago Bulls, LA Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, Houston Rockets, and Toronto Raptors. Before going pro, Cureton played basketball at Detroit Finney High School and later at Robert Morris College and Detroit Mercy University. Affectionally called “The Twirl,” Cureton won two NBA championships during his 12-year  career. When his playing days were over, Cureton ultimately joined the Pistons’ Front Office as a community liaison and ambassador in 2013. “All of us are hurting,” former Pistons teammate Isiah Thomas said in a statement. “He was a tremendous teammate, tough competitor, a champion, and a great human being. Earl always held the Detroit community close to his heart and worked tirelessly to make a difference for the city he loved. He will be greatly missed.”   Duke Fakir (founding member of Detroit’s legendary “The Four Tops)                                                December 26, 1935 – July 22, 2024 Duke Fakir never moved from his native Detroit, even after his group, “The Four Tops,” gained global fame. After graduating from Pershing High School with Levi Stubbs, who would become the group’s lead singer, Fakir, Stubbs, Obie Benson, and Lawrence Payton signed with Motown Records in 1963; Fakir was the glue and a prominent supporting vocalist that held the group together for 60-plus years. Some of The Four Tops’ mega hits included “I Can’t Help Myself, “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” Standing in the Shadows of Love, “It’s the Same Old Song,” and more.   Nikki Giovanni (American poet and writer)                                                                                                              June 7, 1943 – December 9, 2024 Nikki Giovanni was a world-renowned forward-thinking poet and author of the Black Arts Movement, with deep roots connected to Black Nationalism and Black Power Movements of the 1960s. Giovanni graduated from Fisk University and earned advanced degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. In her early years as a poet and writer, Giovanni called literary icons Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, and Paul Laurence Dunbar her major influencers. Giovanni went on to teach at Virginia Tech, where she was a professor in the Department of English for 35 years. The literary legend was known for penning hundreds of poems, essays, and more than 25 books, most of which tackled social, race, and gender issues.   Her latest book, “The Last Book,” will be released in the fall of 2025.   James Earl Jones (actor, who was raised in Michigan)                                                                                                         January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024 Unbeknownst to many, actor James Earl Jones was raised in Dublin, Michigan, but was born in Mississippi. Moving North with his family as a five-year-old, Jones’ biographic profile states that he graduated in 1949 from Dickson Rural Agriculture School (now Brethren High School) in Brethren, Michigan.   He later graduated from the University of Michigan in 1955,  earning a Bachelor of Arts in drama. After beginning his acting career at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee, Michigan, Jones went on to star in hundreds of stage plays, films, and television productions in a career spanning almost 70 years. Jones will always be remembered for his distinctive voice in such movies as Star Wars and The Lion King.   Quincy Jones (Record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, and trumpeter)             March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024 Quincy Jones, the master of all things musical, was a music titan. His musical fingerprints are on thousands of recordings spanning more than seven decades. He worked with diverse recording artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Count Basie to Michael Jackson. Jackson’s “Thriller” album, classified as the “best-selling album ever with 20 million sold – and counting – was recorded under Jones’ supervision. Showing a philanthropic heart to make the world a better place, in 1985, Jones produced “We Are The World,” featuring a bevy of superstar recording artists, including Jackson, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, Bruce Springsteen, Al Jarreau, Harry Belafonte, and others. Over his illustrious career, Jones won 28 Grammy Awards, a Tony, four Golden Globe Awards, and countless other accolades associated with music, television, film, and other creative arts projects.   Ed Vaughn (Owner of Detroit’s first Black bookstore)                                                                                  July 30, 1934 – October 8, 2024 Ed Vaughn opened Vaughn’s Bookstore in 1965, on Dexter Avenue south of Davidson St.  The bookstore became famous for stocking provocative and socially empowering books by Black authors in areas such as Black history and culture, Black Nationalism, The Pan-African Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement. Born in Alabama, Vaughn ultimately moved to the Motor City in the 1950s, but not before earning a bachelor’s degree in history and government from Fisk University in Nashville. In addition to his affinity for books written by and for African Americans covering a broad spectrum of topics across the African Diaspora, Vaughn twice served in the Michigan House of Representatives (1979 to 1980 and 1995 to 2000).   Dr. William (Bill) F. Pickard (business and entrepreneur titan, educator, philanthropist)                                                January 28, 1941 – June 12, 2024 Dr. Pickard was a brilliant leader who realized that education was paramount. As a result, he earned his associate degree in 1961 from Flint Mott College, a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Western Michigan University, an M.A. degree in social work from the University of Michigan, and his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Pickard was a trailblazer in many ways. As an entrepreneur, he was one of the first African Americans in the country to buy a McDonald’s franchise, which he opened in Greater Detroit. Pickard was perhaps best known as the Chairman of Detroit-based Global Automotive Alliance (GAA) Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, a business conglomeration reported to have generated more than $5 billion in sales. A proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Pickard was deeply invested in finding ways to serve and empower Black communities. Understanding the power of the Black Press, Pickard co-owned Real Times Media, publisher of historic Black American newspapers, including the Michigan Chronicle, Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier, and Atlanta Daily World. In addition, he was an education advocate, mentor, and visionary. As an author, he penned the book, “Millionaire Moves – Seven Proven Principles of Entrepreneurship.” Other notable African Americans who passed in 2024 include but are not limited to Maxcel Hardy (Master Chef, Detroit restaurateur, and community advocate), Judith Jamison (former artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater), Sheila Jackson Lee (U.S. Congresswoman from Texas), Cissy Houston (two-time Grammy singer and mother of the late Whitney Houston). Louis Gossett, Jr. (Oscar-winning actor), Frankie Beverley (Maze’s lead vocalist), Carl Weathers (storied Black actor who played Apollo Creed in Rocky, Chubbs in Happy Gilmore, and Greef Karga in The Mandalorian), Clifton R. Wharton Jr. (first Black president of Michigan State University and first Black president of a predominantly white institution nationally), and John Amon (award-winning actor most notable for his role as James Evans on Good Times and Cleo McDowell in Coming to America). While there are so many others who have passed on, as previously stated, they are gone, but not forgotten.   The post Remembering the Lives Lost in 2024, Locally and Nationally appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.