Obituary

Akin had been fighting cancer for several years.

Under Givens' stewardship, the school added 13 academic degrees, including criminal justice, business administration and urban studies.

Thompson began political life after winning a seat on the city council that had denied her a building permit.

Griffin was speaker for 15 years and was forced to resign by a federal criminal investigation.

Jonathan Smith, the vice president for diversity and community engagement at St. Louis University, has died. Smith, 61, served as an assistant professor of American Studies and African American Studies, and would later become the university’s first chief diversity officer.

He was mayor for 20 years after serving as an alderman and was active in many civic organizations.

Johnetta Haley touched hundreds of students as a music teacher. She also helped thousands more by founding one of the largest Head Start programs in the country.

The longtime St. Louis Cardinals ace, whose historic 1968 season prompted changes in baseball, helped lead the team to three pennants and two World Series titles.

William H. Danforth II, who took the reins of Washington University during a period of financial uncertainty and cultural strife and helped defuse animosities by reading bedtime stories to students, has died. He was 94.

Legendary Cardinal and Hall of Famer Lou Brock died Sunday afternoon at age 81. During his tenure with the team, he gained stardom with a 12-year stretch when he averaged 65 steals and 99 runs a year.