PASSINGS

Cornelia Wallace

Former first lady of Ala.

Cornelia Wallace, 69, who as first lady of Alabama threw herself over Gov. George C. Wallace after he was shot in an assassination attempt during the 1972 presidential campaign, died Thursday of cancer in Sebring, Fla.

The niece of former Alabama Gov. James E. “Big Jim” Folsom, Cornelia Austin married Wallace on Jan. 4, 1971 -- just days before he began his second term as governor.

As first lady, Wallace was socially active and a magnet for the press. She once drove the Indianapolis 500 pace car around the track at 100 mph. On another occasion, she took a supersonic ride in an Alabama Air National Guard Phantom Jet.

However, she was far less popular than Wallace’s first wife, Lurleen, who succeeded him as governor in 1967 but served only 14 months, dying of cancer.

Born Jan. 28, 1939, Cornelia Wallace is probably best remembered for throwing herself over her husband’s body to shield him as he lay bleeding in a Laurel, Md., parking lot after being shot four times by Arthur Bremer.

The Wallaces divorced in 1978 amid claims that she had bugged his phone in the governor’s mansion. She entered the Democratic primary for governor that same year but finished last among the 13 candidates.

She eventually moved to Florida to be near family and worked in real estate for a time.

Dave Roberts

World Series champion pitcher

Dave Roberts, 64, a left-handed pitcher who played for the 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates during a 13-year career in the major leagues, died Friday of lung cancer at his home in Short Gap, W.Va.

A native of Gallipolis, Ohio, Roberts was born Sept. 11, 1944. After graduating from high school, he was approached by several major league teams and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played for Phillies farm teams and in the then-Kansas City A’s and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations before being taken by the San Diego Padres in the October 1968 expansion draft.

He made his debut with the Padres on July 6, 1969, and played with them through the 1971 season. In addition to the Pirates, he played for Houston, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and the New York Mets.

In 1971, he won 14 games for the Padres and finished second in the National League with a 2.10 ERA. In 1973, he won 17 games and pitched six shutouts for Houston. During his career, he won 103 games and lost 125.

Family members said he developed lung cancer from asbestos exposure as a young man.

He played at a time when baseball contracts were far less lucrative. In the off-season, he worked as a boilermaker.

Edward D. Cartier

Science fiction, mystery artist

Edward D. Cartier, 94, whose illustrations graced “The Shadow” and numerous other science fiction and mystery publications in a career that spanned several decades, died Dec. 25 at his home in Ramsey, N.J., said his son, Dean Cartier. The elder Cartier had Parkinson’s disease.

Cartier’s art appeared in works by such authors as Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov, but he is perhaps best known for the hundreds of illustrations he did for “The Shadow” in the 1930s and ‘40s.

Written by Walter B. Gibson, “The Shadow” novels appeared in pulp magazines and detailed the exploits of a mysterious black-attired crime fighter.

Cartier began doing illustrations for the novels in 1936. In addition to more than 800 illustrations for “The Shadow,” he drew hundreds of illustrations for numerous science fiction magazines.

He was also the premier artist for the Fantasy Press and Gnome Press book publishing houses in the 1950s.

A native of North Bergen, N.J., Cartier graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. One of his first jobs was as an illustrator of detective, western and romance stories published by Street & Smith, a pulp publishing house.

Cartier served in the Army during World War II and was seriously injured during the Battle of the Bulge. After his discharge, he began working on the Street & Smith pulps Astounding Stories and Doc Savage.

-- times staff and wire reports