Notable deaths in 2005

READY -- SJNewport-Mesa lost a number of its own in 2005, including a former assemblyman and a beloved judge and columnist. Here’s a look at some of those who are no longer with us.

TERRY ALBRITTON

Sept. 1, age 50

Many considered Albritton, a former football and track and field standout at Newport Harbor High School, the most gifted athlete in school history. At the age of 21, he set a world shot put record. Later, he was named to the Stanford University Hall of Fame.

GEORGE ARCHER

Sept. 25, age 65

In 1995, he won the inaugural Toshiba Senior Classic at Costa Mesa’s Mesa Verde Country Club. Archer battled a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He managed to win 12 PGA Tour events, including the 1969 Masters. Archer won more than $10 million over a 40-year career.

ROBERT BADHAM

Oct. 21, age 76

A former Newport Beach state and federal representative, Badham was a longtime Balboa Island resident. He served in the state assembly from 1963 to 1977 and in Congress from 1977 to 1989. Badham was known for being environmentally conscious and for writing bills that defended and protected natural resources and marine life. He died of a heart attack.

JASON BALDWIN AND DAN NEUMAN

Baldwin: Nov. 19, age 35; Neuman: Nov. 19, age 51

Baldwin, a Newport Beach real estate developer, was one of four men who died in a plane crash near San Clemente. The Laguna Beach resident was an avid off-road racer.

Neuman, an Orange Coast College aviation instructor, was flying the single-engine plane on his way back from the Baja 1000 off-road race in Mexico. Jeff TenEyck and Rick Olavson also died in the crash.

PAUL BERGER

Jan. 29, age 82

The 18-year Coast Community College District trustee was known as an advocate of student causes, including greater access to the arts and lower activity fees. Berger had been reelected to serve a fourth term as a district trustee in November 2004. He died of complications of lung cancer.

GERALD CLAUSEN

April 8, age 71

A former Daily Pilot reporter and a Costa Mesa resident, Clausen also was editor at the San Clemente Sun-Post and a reporter at the Orange County Register. He died of cancer.

STEVE DENAUT

Feb. 23, age 68

DeNaut acted in at least 15 South Coast Repertory productions over a 20-year period. He was also a conservatory instructor and theater spokesman. DeNaut died of cancer.

DON DRAKE JR.

June 27, age 69

He was instrumental in the founding of the Share Our Selves free medical and dental clinic and was a former Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian chief of staff. Drake, a longtime Costa Mesa resident, served as a liaison between the medical clinic and Hoag. Drake also founded Greater Newport Physicians, a medical group that sends clients to the hospital and other Orange County institutions.

ROBERT GARDNER

Aug. 27, age 93

Known by many as the “mayor of the beach,” Gardner spent most of his judicial career in the Orange County Superior Court and Fourth District Court of Appeal. He was an avid surfer and a regular Daily Pilot columnist known for his straightforward writing style. He wrote “The Art of Body Surfing” and “Bawdy Balboa.” Gardner served as deputy district attorney and was appointed as the city of Newport Beach’s town judge from 1938 to 1941 and from 1945 to 1947.

JACQUELINE GILLIS

June 27, age 82

She was named Woman of the Year by the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce for her work in the real estate industry. Gillis lived in Costa Mesa for more than 50 years and was a member of the Newport-Mesa Assn. of Realtors. She died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

ANDREW GLASSELL

Aug. 16, age 88

He was a fixture on Balboa Island, and the owner of one of the last single-level homes on the bay front. Glassell built and sold boats and boating accessories at his store. His family had a long history of boating in Newport Beach.

BRIAN ‘BUBBA’ KAPKO

Aug. 28, age 19