Milestones

DIED

Emile Griffith, 75, Boxing Hall of Fame inductee and five-time welterweight and middleweight champion. He gained unwanted fame for the fatal beating he gave Benny Paret in their 1962 title bout.

DIED

Dennis Farina, 69, Chicago cop turned actor who switched careers permanently in 1986 and was best known for his hard-edged roles in Midnight Run, Get Shorty and TV’s Law & Order.

APPOINTED

Kate O’Brian, former senior vice president at ABC News, as president of Al-Jazeera America. The Qatari-owned cable network will launch on August 20 from its headquarters in New York City.

DIED

Elmer T. Lee, 93, master distiller who helped save the wilting bourbon industry when his Buffalo Trace Distillery released Blanton’s Single Barrel, a premium brand, in 1984.

WON

Phil Mickelson, the Open Championship at Muirfield in Gullane, Scotland. The victory marked the pro golfer’s fifth major title and first British Open championship in 20 tries.

DIED

Page Morton Black, 97, singer of the famous midcentury jingle for Chock Full o’ Nuts coffee. The company, now under new ownership, recently revived Black’s “Heavenly” song in its ads.