Remembering the 'Keeper of the Oscars'

I have always been hesitant about using this forum to post the passing of famous people that have won awards. Because of the wide range of awards and the life/death continuum known as the circle of life, I wanted to avoid having a blog that reminded readers of the In Memorium segments of most awards shows.

While I remain torn, I've decided to take it on a case by case basis. And here is one case where I felt it was more than appropriate to report an important passing in the awards show genre. According to the Associated Press, Steve Meissner died of a heart attack at his home on Wednesday at the very young age of 48.

Known as "the keeper of the Oscars", Meissner gave each statuette the white glove treatment, before handing them off to be manhandled by a celebrity. Each Oscar was carefully catelogued by Meissner, who maintained impeccable records and worked with award winners to ensure their names were properly engraved on their award.

As part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences staff, Meissner kept track of every

Oscar ever awarded, documenting its whereabouts and refurbishing vintage awards. He also served as an executive assistant to academy president Sid Ganis.

Academy's 'Keeper of the Oscars' Dead at 48 [AP]