Mary Louise Smith, 82, a moderating force within the GOP who was the only woman to have chaired the Republican National Committee, died Friday in Des Moines, Iowa. She had lung cancer.
Ms. Smith, known for her support of abortion rights, chaired the RNC from 1974 to 1977. In 1976, she became the first woman to organize and call to order the National Convention of a major American political party.
Rolf Knie, 75, a master elephant trainer who led Switzerland's foremost circus family for half a century, died of heart failure Monday. Billed as the man who spoke to elephants, Mr. Knie headed the family-owned Swiss National Circus from the death of his father in 1941 to his retirement in 1991.
Richard Friedman, 49, a renowned stress expert, died Aug. 16 in Chicago after giving a talk at an American Psychological Association meeting. Mr. Friedman, who lived in Setauket, N.Y., and was director of research at the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard Medical School, suffered from an undetected viral infection that attacked his heart.
Mary E. Pauley, 82, the mother of "Dateline NBC" co-anchor Jane Pauley, died last Sunday in Indianapolis. She was a homemaker and had been a member of Eastminster United Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, where she was an organist for many years.
Misael Pastrana, 73, a former Colombian president who remained a leading figure of the Conservative Party after he left office, died Thursday in Bogota of stomach cancer.
Jean M. Westwood, 73, the first chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, died Monday in American Fork, Utah. Mrs. Westwood was named to the post after the presidential nomination of Sen. George McGovern in 1972. She served about six months.
Pub Date: 8/24/97
