In Remembrance 2002
A tribute to some of entertainment’s dearly departed

by Kendra Evensen
Scroll Staff

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“Dream big,” was an unlikely motto for the 3-foot-2-inch, 20-year-old, Josh Ryan Evans.

Evans had achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, but he didn’t let his height destroy his dreams.

“It’s not the size of the dreamer, it’s the size of the dream,” Evans once said.

Evans’ height proved to be an asset to achieve his stardom. He was able to play the part of both a child and an adult and be believable as both.

Evans received his first contract role for a TV series, NBC’s soap opera, Passions, in 1999. He played Timmy, a troublemaking living doll. He also played the part of child lawyer, Oren Koolie, on Fox’s Alley McBeal and played the young “Grinch” in the 2000 version of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

He remains the only Passions actor to receive a Daytime Emmy nomination.

Evans died Aug. 5, 2002, of a congenital heart condition complicated by his growth condition.

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Norma Deloris Egstrom, better known as Peggy Lee, began her musical career at the age of 14, earning 50 cents a night at performances for local PTAs. Later, she sang on a local radio station in Fargo, N.D. The manager of the radio show suggested she change her name, and Peggy Lee was born.

Lee’s big break came when she was hired by Benny Goodman. She recorded the song “Elmer’s Tune”, which was a huge success, according to The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Lee went on to record songs such as the 1958 hit single, “Fever,” and Grammy winning “Is That All There Is?”

Lee also wrote songs and acted. She performed in the remake of The Jazz Singer. Her performance in the movie Pete Kelly’s Blues led to an Oscar nomination. She composed a song for Disney’s The Lady and the Tramp and was the voice of Peg, the Siamese cats and another feline.

In 1987 Lee received the Women’s International Center Living Legacy Award, and in 1992, she was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.

Lee died Jan. 21, 2002, at the age of 81.

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Chuck Jones wasn’t just familiar with the famous cartoon characters Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner and Pepe Le Pew — he created them.

Jones started his career as a cell washer and moved his way up to an animator position. He eventually became a director at Warner Brothers Cartoons in the late 1930s.

After Warner Brothers’ animation studio closed in 1962, Jones moved to MGM Studios. There he directed a new series of Tom and Jerry cartoons and the Oscar winning “The Dot and the Line.”

Over his lifetime, Jones helped to create over 300 cartoons. Most of his time was spent creating half-hour TV specials, including his adaptation and direction of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” His witty characters were aimed at adults as much as children.

Two of his cartoons, “What’s Opera Doc?” and “Duck Amuck,” were accepted into the U.S. National Film Registry. Jones was nominated for nine Oscar nominations, winning three. In 1996, Jones received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in the field of animation.

Jones died of congestive heart failure Feb. 22, 2002, at the age of 89.