Those We Lost — October 20

Honoring those we lost on October 20 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

Lightfoot Solomon Michaux

Born c. 1885 — died October 20, 1968

Evangelist, radio and television preacher, church founder, and businessman

Known as the ‘Happy Am I Preacher,’ Michaux founded a Church of God movement in Newport News, Virginia, and later moved his headquarters to Washington, D.C. He broadcast weekdays on WJSV and Saturdays on the CBS radio network, reaching listeners across the country. In 1922 he was arrested for holding racially integrated baptisms and was acquitted. He was one of the first Black preachers to reach a national audience through radio and later television.

Julian Mayfield

Born June 6, 1928 — died October 20, 1984

Actor, novelist, screenwriter, lecturer, and activist

Mayfield first drew attention on Broadway in Lost in the Stars and wrote the novels The Hit and The Long Night. In the early 1960s he lived in Ghana, where he was a leader of the African American expatriate community and had direct access to President Kwame Nkrumah. He co-wrote and starred in Jules Dassin’s film Uptight (1968). His work linked Black American arts, the civil rights era, and the Pan-African movement. He later taught at Cornell, the University of Maryland, and Howard University.

Budd Johnson

Born December 14, 1910 — died October 20, 1984

Jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, and educator

Born in Dallas, Johnson played with Louis Armstrong in Chicago and then spent about nine years with Earl Hines. In New York he helped organize early bebop combos with Coleman Hawkins and Dizzy Gillespie. He later played with Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Quincy Jones and served as music director for Atlantic Records. His career connected swing and bebop, and in his later years he taught at Queens College and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Shirley Horn

Born May 1, 1934 — died October 20, 2005

Jazz vocalist, pianist, arranger, and bandleader

Horn developed an unmistakable style built on slow tempos, spacious phrasing, harmonic control, and the intimate integration of her piano and voice. Her artistry influenced singers and instrumentalists, earned a Grammy Award, and brought Washington, D.C.’s jazz tradition to international audiences.

Jerry Pinkney

Born December 22, 1939 — died October 20, 2021

Illustrator, author, designer, and educator

Pinkney illustrated more than one hundred books, often reimagining folktales, history, family, and Black life through luminous watercolor storytelling. His Caldecott Medal, Coretta Scott King honors, and decades of mentoring made him one of the most influential American children’s-book artists.