2003 deaths

Joaquín Bustoz Jr. (1939–2003) was an American mathematician who worked as a professor of mathematics at Arizona State University. His mathematical research concerned functional analysis, including orthogonal polynomials and special functions, but he was primarily known as a mentor to underrepresented minorities in mathematics.Bustoz was born in Tempe, Arizona; his parents worked on the local farms and also for the Tempe Elementary School District, which eventually named the Joaquin and Ramona Bustoz Elementary School after them. He graduated from Arizona State University in 1962 with a degree in mathematics, and after two years in California working for Univac returned to ASU, where he completed a doctorate in 1967 under the supervision of Walter Tandy Scott. After teaching at the University of Cincinnati from 1969 to 1976, during which he also spent a year at the National University of Colombia as a Fulbright Scholar, he returned to ASU again as an associate professor in 1976, and was promoted to full professor in 1978. He chaired the ASU mathematics department from 1982 to 1985.In 1985, Bustoz founded the Summer Math–Science Honors program for high school students, which continues at ASU as the Joaquin Bustoz Math–Science Honors Program. Bustoz also worked on mathematics education on the Navajo Nation and the Pima reservations. For his efforts, president Bill Clinton honored him in 1996 with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.He was killed by a car accident on August 13, 2003. As well as the Math–Science Honors program, the Joaquin Bustoz Jr. Professorship at ASU, held by Carlos Castillo-Chavez, is named after Bustoz.

Delwyn Dean Stromer (April 22, 1930 – September 7, 2003) was an American politician who served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1967 to 1991. He served as Speaker of the Iowa House for two years, from 1981 to 1982. Stromer was a member of the United States Army Reserve from 1951 to 1959, and served on active duty from 1953 to 1955. He died in 2003 at Mercy Medical Center in West Des Moines of cardiovascular disease complications.

Blean Anson Calkins (August 11, 1921 in Marshalltown, Iowa - March 16, 2003 in Muscatine, Iowa) was a sports radio broadcaster for over 30 years. He was President of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA) 1978-1981, and served on the NSSA Board with such contemporaries as Curt Gowdy, Chris Schenkel, Keith Jackson and Ray Scott.
His birth was a difficult one, the attending doctor was credited with saving his life, so he was named in honor of Dr. Blean.Calkins broadcast Iowa Hawkeyes basketball and football home games along with Iowa high school athletics on KWPC out of Muscatine for over 30 years. Calkins also did morning drive sports on album rock 99 Plus through most of the 1980s. Morning show host Andy Hammer dubbed it "Radio's biggest two minutes".

Nicholas Monroe Smith Jr. (1914 – 2003) was a nuclear physicist and research consultant. Smith was an expert on reactor physics, a developer of operations research/computer modeling, and a computer applications consultant. He had ties to the Manhattan Project at Chicago and Oak Ridge, and worked with Samuel Allison and James Van Allen. Smith was a pioneer in the field of operations research.

John Benjamin Hightower (December 5, 1918 – January 1, 2003) was an American football player.
Hightower was born in Beaumont, Texas, in 1918. He attended Beaumont High School and played college football at Sam Houston State from 1938 to 1941. He was also a champion hurdler for the Sam Houston track team.He was selected by the Cleveland Rams with the 92nd pick of the 1942 NFL Draft. He played as an end for the Rams, on both offense and defense, during the 1942 season. He appeared in 10 games for the Rams, two as a starter, caught 19 passes for 317 yards and scored three touchdowns.In 1943, he was a starting end for the Detroit Lions. He appeared in eight games for the Lions, seven as a starter, and caught 10 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. His 1943 season ended early when he was had a recurrence with malaria from which he was first stricken in high school.Hightower missed the 1944 and 1946 seasons while serving in the United States Navy during World War II. He played for the Camp Peary football team in 1944 and was selected as a first-team end on the Associated Press Mid-Atlantic Service team.After the war, he coached football at Sam Houston. He also played during the 1946 season in the Pacific Coast Football League for the Los Angeles Bulldogs and Hollywood Bears.Hightower was married for 62 years. He lived in Austin, Texas, from 1960 until his death 2003 at age 84. He worked as a real estate professional working with ranch and far properties. He was inducted into the Sam Houston Bearkat Hall off Fame in 1989.

Datus C. Proper (1934-2003) was a political analyst with the U.S. State Department Foreign Service, an outdoors writer, and a fly fisherman.

Robert Helmick (March 5, 1937 – April 15, 2003) was the president of FINA and United States Olympic Committee. He also served as a Secretary of FINA and vice-president of the International Olympic Committee.

Hal Gordon Gausman (November 13, 1917 - June 10, 2003) was an American set decorator. He was nominated for five Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.

Fenton G. "Jonesy" Jones (June 2, 1907 – June 30, 2003) was an American musician, best known as a square dance caller. He was widely described as a "nationally-known [dance] caller".Jones was born in 1907 in Los Angeles, California. His mother, who died when Jones was seven years old, was a pianist and guitarist. Jones began calling dances in 1940, touring the United States and calling at various square dancing events. He also called dances regularly at his home state of California. He was known for dressing up in a Western-style at his events he worked, once stating that "short sleeves have been eliminated" while describing what he saw as a "rigid" dress code for square dance callers in a 1952 article. Jones also released records of his calls under the C. P. MacGregor Records label, including "My Little Girl", "Down Yonder" and "Oh Johnny". He had previously recorded his calls, first in 1946 on the Black and White then on Imperial, Capitol, MGM and Mastertone labels. Jones also appeared in many films television series in the 1970s and 1980s, most often uncredited, as a square dance caller.Jones was married to Florence. He is a member of the Square Dance Hall of Fame. He died in 2003. He had resided in Glendale, California for majority of his life.

Howard Kelly "Jack" Fincher (December 6, 1930 – April 10, 2003) was an American screenwriter and journalist who had written for various magazines and periodicals, notably as San Francisco bureau chief of Life magazine. He is the father of film director David Fincher.