Robert C. Benchley, September 15, 1889 -- November 21, 1945

Read his obituary HERE.

Arte Johnson, 1929-2019

The Robert Benchley Society is saddened by the death of friend and supporter, Arte Johnson. Johnson was an American comic actor who was a regular on television's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. His best-remembered characters on the sketch show were a German soldier with the catchphrase "Verrrry interesting...", and an old man who habitually propositioned Ruth Buzzi's spinster character.

In 2012 he was the celebrity judge of the Robert Benchley Award for Humor and was the after dinner speaker at the Society's October 13, 2012, Annual Gathering, in Los Angeles.

Johnson with 2012 RBS First Place winner, Tim French.

Johnson with competition runner-up, Jesse Levy.

Joseph Daggy ("Horace J. Digby") 1950-2019

Joseph Daggy, a Kelso, Washington attorney known for his many creative undertakings and sharp sense of humor, died March 7 at home after a 12-year battle with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. He was 68.

Daggy, whose articles under the penname “Horace J. Digby” earned him the Robert Benchley Society Award for humor writing, in 2005, the first winner of this award, was remembered by his friends for his diverse range of interests, sense of humor and selfless dedication to his friends.

Fellow attorney Kurt Anagnostou was Daggy’s partner at Daggy & Anagnostou for 35 years. One word came up frequently in his description of his former legal partner: talented.

Qhether it was his bass playing in the 1960s Woodland band “The Brougham Closet,” his humor column as Horace Digby for the Columbia River Reader, or his dedication to practicing law, Anagnostou said Daggy excelled at his passions. Daggy operated a film company, “Lexington Film,” and ran unsuccessfully in 2010 and 2012 for judicial positions on the state Court of Appeals and Cowlitz County Superior Court bench.

“It’s a big loss in my life,” Anagnostou said. “He was extremely intelligent, talented (and) had a lot of different interests that he pursued. He had a great, quirky sense of humor; that’s why he was part of the Sandbaggers. I’m gonna miss him a lot.”

In the Sandbaggers, a loose affiliation of Longview community promoters, pranksters and mischief-makers, Daggy played an all-important role: the voice of reason.

“He always kept us on the legal side,” Sandbagger and Longview City Councilman Ken Botero said. “We pushed the limits a lot. ... Joe is one of the most inspirational guys for sandbaggers.”

Daggy was one of a kind and cared deeply about Longview and the county, Botero said.

“He’s gonna be missed terribly, especially some of his humor. Joe Daggy was one of a kind. He always had something positive for everybody to work with,” Botero said.

Whether it was with local residents or people he met on the plane, “Joe was everybody’s friend,” his wife Sharon Daggy said. She continues to work part-time as a bookkeeper at Daggy & Anagnostou.

“Many people have said that he changed their life,” she said. “I remember people from high school saying high school had cliques, but he wasn’t a part of a clique.”

Daggy’s decades of legal experience included some time as a District Court judge pro tem and as a public defender, and he argued cases before the state Court of Appeals. Later in his career, he focused on civil law. Daggy received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Washington and earned his law degree from Willamette University in 1974. He was a past president of the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Bar Association.

Daggy was friends with Pulitzer Prize-winning American columnist Dave Barry, one of many guests he interviewed on his online radio show “The Horace J. Digby Report.”

Dwain Buck, one of Daggy’s closest friends, recalled Daggy having the ability to crack jokes that were funny but didn’t punch down, and added that his wife and son, Adam, were a huge part of Daggy’s life and success.

“He always had something very uplifting,” Buck said. “It’s the most difficult type of humor to be able to pull off, because it doesn’t insult or make fun of anybody.”

When Buck first learned Daggy was fighting cancer, he rushed to see him at the hospital and ask how he could help.

“He looked at me and said, very seriously, ‘don’t worry,’ “ Buck said. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, not to worry.” The We Only Came to See if There Really is an Award is the third, or gamma, chapter of the RBS. Members are in southwest Washington and northwest Oregon.

David Trumbull, Chairman of the RBS said, "It Labor Day weekend, 2005 at the Benchley in Boston 2005 celebration at which Joe Daggy (aka Horace Digby), of Kelso, Washington, was presented with the first annual Robert Benchley Society Humor Award that I first met this funny and caring man. Horace with the founder of the "We Only Came to See if There Really is an Award" chapter of the RBS, with members in southwest Washington and northwest Oregon. He was also West Coast Vice-Chairman of the Society.

Paul O'Day, 1935 - 2017

With sadness we note the death, June 1, 2017, at age 82, of Paul O'Day. Paul was a Director of the Robert Benchley Society and active in the Washington, D.C., "Lost Locomotive" Chapter of the Society. Many members will recall meeting Paul and his wife Nancy at RBS Annual Gatherings in Washington, Los Angles, and Boston. In the photograph above, Paul is giving "Laugh-In" comedian Arte Johnson the RBS Medal at the 2012 RBS Annual Awards dinner at the Jonathan Beach Club, Santa Monica, California.

His obituary can be found here HERE.

Thomas Saunders, 1952-2016

Saunders, Thomas 3/25/1952 - 11/15/2016 Whitmore Lake, Michigan.

Tom was a great fan of books, telling stories, playing and enjoying music and a great corned beef sandwich; as well as all of the people who shared those things with him. Tom's battle against metastatic cancer ended peacefully, Tuesday November 15, in the presence of family. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, November 20 at 1pm at Phillips Funeral Home, 122 W. Lake Street, South Lyon, MI 48178. Visitation for family and friends will take place from 11am-1pm, followed by a memorial service. A wake will be held after, to laugh, cry, tell stories and toast Tom, 3pm-7pm at the Dexter Knights of Columbus, 8265 Dexter-Chelsea Rd, #1, Dexter, MI 48130. In lieu of flowers, please direct any donations to Lost Voices.org, a group that brings music therapy to at-risk and incarcerated youth, of which Tom was a proud supporter. www.phillipsfuneral.com.

Tom was the President of the Ann Arbor, Michigan, "Moderate State of Preservation" Chapter of the RBS and the publisher of The Athletic Benchley.

Remembering Gordon Ernst

As fans of Robert Benchley and classic movies, we were saddened today to learn the news of the passing of our good friend Gordon Ernst. He was just 52. Gordon’s day job may have been as a research librarian at West Virginia University, but to many others he was a fountain of knowledge about classic films of the 1930s and 1940s.

Gordon had a dry sense of humor and an incredibly warm personality. I first met him in Manhattan several years ago, when the Robert Benchley Society and the Dorothy Parker Society had the first joint gathering at a former speakeasy. Gordon was matching jokes with us, as well as soaking up the atmosphere of being surrounded by friends who had the same passions as he did. Gordon resided in West Virginia, and he lived for making the trips to Boston and New York City for parties with the Benchley friends.

I was impressed by Gordon’s scholarship.  His book Robert Benchley: An Annotated Bibliography (Greenwood, 1995) remains the definitive comprehensive bibliography on the humorist, and is the only detailed book about Benchley’s writing and performing career. Gordon loved sharing his knowledge with others; he took to social media to broadcast little known trivia and inform us of late-night airings of Benchley films.

But it is the in-the-flesh Gordon I’ll miss the most. Sipping cocktails with us in humid Boston, on a walking tour of Manhattan, and chatting about films and directors. My most vivid, and lasting, memory of Gordon was the last time we were together. It was July 2010 and we were on a luxury boat, chartered by David and Mary Trumbull in Boston. The Robert Benchley Society was gathered for a fine meal and delicious drinks as the sun sank over the horizon. We were in perfect company and Gordon wrote later it was the highlight of his year.

For most of this year, he was battling his illness. He still wrote often online about classic films and appearances of his favorite stars on TV. Now that he is gone, it is rather easy to say he’s now having a highball with Robert Benchley and Humphrey Bogart. But I prefer to think of him still with us, having a laugh and smile.

Here’s a clip of one of Gordon’s favorite Benchley movies, How to Start the Day, from 1937. Watch this and think of our friend Gordon. We’ll miss you.

Robert Benchley Society Shocked by Death of Gordon Ernst

I regret to inform you that Gordon Ernst died unexpectedly this past weekend, Mother's Day weekend. Gordon was Authories/Cataloging Librarian at West Virginia University and the notice to the Robert Benchley Society of his death was made in an email from the Head of the Cataloging Department received a few minutes ago.

In addition to his professional duties at the University, Gordon was the world's leading scholar on Robert Benchley. He was the author of Robert Benchley: An Annotated Bibliography and at the time his death was serving as a Director of the Robert Benchley Society. He was a long-time, well-beloved member of the Society and we all shall miss him terribly.

I'll post more information as soon as it becomes available.

-- David Trumbull

Diane Lynne Naegel, 1980-2011

Diane Lynne Naegel, August 31, 1980 - September 25, 2011

Diane Lynne Naegel was born August 31, 1980 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the first and only daughter of Sarita Diane Naegel and Mark Robert Naegel. Diane attended pre-school and grade school at Concordia Lutheran School and high school at St. Ursula Academy, graduating with Honors, both in Cincinnati. Diane studied and worked at the University of Cincinnati (parent's alma mater), in the co-op program of the College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning and graduated with Honors with a degree in Fashion Design in 2003. She was proprietress of the internet scarf business Lulette.com for a year before coming to New York to work in the fashion industry, first at the Gap and most recently at Osh Kosh Corp., designing children's accessories.

Diane met the love of her life, Don Spiro, in New York, and together they operated Wit's End live vintage jazz club, the only monthly jazz age club in New York. In 2009, Diane began to publish Zelda Magazine, first issue Fall/Winter 2009, and most recent issue, Spring/Summer 2011.

Diane was stricken with breast cancer in late September, 2010 and succumbed to the disease and its complications on the morning of September 25, 2011 in the presence of her betrothed, Don Spiro, her mother and father, brother, Mark Naegel, Jr., sister in law, Brittany Naegel, and several close friends. Diane leaves Diane leaves a legacy of beauty, kindness, grace, love and faith with her departure, and she touched the lives of her many friends and admirers. Her Christian faith has made her whole and gave her the strength and courage 'til the very end.