Milestones, Mar. 21, 1977

Divorced. Diana Ross, 32, slinky ex-Supreme who became a Motown superstar and Oscar-nominated actress (Lady Sings the Blues); and Robert Silberstein, 31, a manager for several rock stars though never for Ross; after six years of marriage, three children; in Santa Monica, Calif.

Died. E. (for Edward) Power Biggs, 70, organ virtuoso who led a revival of interest in his instrument and delighted millions on radio, records and in concerts for 40 years; after an operation for bleeding ulcers; in Boston. Born in England and first trained as an electrical engineer, Biggs “instinctively” moved to the U.S. in 1929. He disapproved of florid romanticism and played modern U.S. composers as well as Bach, Handel and Mozart in his reserved baroque style. An expert on the classic organs built centuries ago, he traveled throughout Europe to find instruments on which to play the music originally written for them.

Died. Bernard W. (Bernie) Bierman, 82, University of Minnesota football coach from 1932 to ’50, who led the school to three Associated Press national championships and five undisputed Big Ten titles; of a heart attack; in Laguna Beach, Calif. The “Silver Fox” of football, shy, soft-spoken Bierman preferred reading notes aloud to his players rather than giving them pep talks, and emphasized blocking and tackling rather than passing. His advice to his teams: “Base your plays on standards most likely to defeat the champions,” instead of their actual opponents.

Died. Henry Hull, 86, character actor who appeared in 46 movies and created the role of Tobacco Road’s Jeeter Lester on Broadway; of a heart attack; in Cornwall, England. Though the critics panned the Erskine Caldwell play when it opened in 1933, Hull believed it to be an honest, if disturbing, portrait of rural poverty. He refused to be paid until word of mouth made the play a hit; it was performed 3,182 times, the third longest run in Broadway history.

Died. Frances P. Bolton, 91, for nearly 29 years a member of Congress from Ohio; in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Bolton was named to succeed her husband Chester in the House when he died suddenly in 1939 because, presumably, “I knew his thinking. Actually, I didn’t have the slightest idea what he thought.” Deemed the “Congressman’s Congressman” by Eleanor Roosevelt, Bolton was the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee when she was defeated for re-election at the age of 83. An internationalist, she was fascinated by Africa, often paying her own expenses to visit the continent.