(Los Angeles, Calif.)—Venerated music industry titan Dick Griffey died Sept. 24, in Los Angeles from complications of quadruple bypass surgery. Griffey founded SOLAR Records in the late 1970s and went on to become one of the preeminent Black music pioneers of the 20th century, breaking records and recording artists that ushered in the era of contemporary crossover Black music. A music mogul before the term entered popular culture, Griffey’s talent for picking hit songs and superstars defined the music business for more than two decades. Griffey spent the last 10 years of his life in West Africa involved in commodities and international trade.

ENTERTAINMENT ICON—SOLAR Records founder Dick Griffey was one of the most successful independent Black recording moguls of the post-Motown era.

Week of October 1-7

October 1

1841—Fannie M. Richards is born. She became one of the nation’s early civil rights advocates as well as a prominent educator.

1868—John Mercer Langston (1829-1897) organized the nation’s first Black law school at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Largely forgotten today, Langston was a major Black political figure during his day. He was one of the nation’s first African-American lawyers and was a major influence on Black education throughout the country. The town of Langston, Okla., is named in his honor.

JOHN  MERCER LANGSTON, JOHNNY COCHRAN, CHARLES EVERS

by Ben Feller
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP)—Admonishing his own party, President Barack Obama says it would be “inexcusable” and “irresponsible” for unenthusiastic Democratic voters to sit out the mid­term elections, warning that the consequences could be a squandered agenda for years.

“People need to shake off this lethargy. People need to buck up,” Obama told Rolling Stone in an interview to be published Friday. The president told Demo­crats that making change happen is hard and “if people now want to take their ball and go home, that tells me folks weren’t serious in the first place.”

SMALL BUSINESS ACT—President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sept. 27, before signing the Small Business Jobs Act. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

ST. LOUIS (AP)—The odds of winning $1 million in a lottery are astronomical, but one Missouri man has beaten them—twice.

Fifty-seven-year-old Ernest Pullen of Bonne Terre won $1 million with a “100 Million Dollar Blockbuster” Scratchers ticket in June. This month, he won another $2 million with a “Mega MONO­POLY” Scratchers ticket.

Pullen says he considers himself a “lucky guy.”

He’s opted to take the cash payment instead of the annuity for both wins so he received $700,000 for the first one and about $1.3 million for the second. That’s before taxes.

Pullen says he’ll use the money to fix up his new house.