MICHAEL HAMMERSCHMIDT, 58

Coral Gables police chief

Coral Gables Police Chief Michael Hammerschmidt, who took the post in 2004 after 32 years with Miami-Dade County police, died Wednesday of cancer at 58.

WELLINGTON N. GILBERT, 64

School band director who had a big smile, big heart

Wellington N. Gilbert, a band director in the Miami-Dade County schools for almost 30 years -- most notably at the old Booker T. Washington Middle School -- has died at 64.

GRAYSTON L. LYNCH, 85

CIA agent was hero at Bay of Pigs

Grayston L. Lynch, a hero of the anti-Castro movement for his leadership in the Bay of Pigs invasion who fired the first shot of the battle, died at 85 on Aug. 10.

OSWALDO MARTIN ALVAREZ, 49

Firefighter always ready for action

Oswaldo Martin ''Ozzie'' Alvarez, a 25-year city of Miami firefighter, trail-riding horseman and son of a pre-Castro Cuban politician, died Monday of cancer. He was 49.

JAMES MADDOX 'MAX' ROBERTS, 63

Longtime Miami Herald Home & Design editor

A No. 2 lead pencil and reams of copy paper are the indelible images that colleagues remember about former Miami Herald copy editor James Maddox ''Max'' Roberts, 63, who died Aug. 11 near his boyhood home in Columbus, Ga.

Band of pranksters loses loyal soldier

This much is known about the late Sgt. Skeeter: At 49, he was the youngest member of Coxie's Army, the shadowy North Miami cabal that each Halloween impales a pumpkin atop the town library steeple.

HENRYK EHRLICH, 85

Holocaust survivor, former owner of Pumpernik's delis

Henryk Ehrlich's life came full circle in the Austrian town of Steyr. months in hiding and 11 labor and death camps -- he began anew there in 1945.

LEOLA 'LEE' McCOY, 70

Fort Lauderdale civic activist

Leola ''Lee'' McCoy, the Fort Lauderdale civic activist who fought environmental pollution in the city's largely black Northwest neighborhoods, died on Sunday at 70.

JACK ZINK, 61

Longtime South Florida arts critic

Jack Zink, longtime critic and cultural affairs reporter who covered the arts in South Florida from 1969 until illness forced him to step away from the work he loved, died Monday at age 61.

JAMES HOYT, 83

U.S. soldier discovered Nazi camp

(AP) -- James Hoyt, one of four U.S. soldiers who discovered the Buchenwald concentration camp as World War II neared its end, has died.

JERRY WEXLER, 91

Music mogul took R&B mainstream

Jerry Wexler not only coined the phrase rhythm and blues, the legendary music producer was one of the key architects of the genre.

SANDY ALLEN, 53

World's tallest woman was proud of notoriety

(AP) -- A woman who grew to be 7 feet, 7 inches tall and was recognized as the world's tallest woman died early Wednesday, a friend said. She was 53.

EVA REICH, 84

Lectured on father's experiments

(AP) -- Dr. Eva Reich, daughter of Dr. Wilhelm Reich and lecturer on the controversial work on orgonomy that he pioneered more than a half century ago, died Sunday at her home. She was 84.

HOWARD G. MINSKY, 94

'Love Story' producer, talent agent, film exec

(AP) -- Howard G. Minsky, a former Hollywood talent agent and producer of the 1970 movie Love Story, has died in West Palm Beach. He was 94.