Juanita Smallwood Osborne, 88, who became one of the first living organ donors when she gave a kidney to her ailing son in the mid-1960s, died Thursday in Ashland, Ky., of complications from aspiration pneumonia, said her son, Burl Osborne, a former managing editor and chairman of The Associated Press.
Juanita Osborne donated one of her kidneys in 1966, when most successful organ transplants had been performed primarily between identical twins, her son said. The risks of unsuccessful surgery were high, but he was in end-stage renal disease.
Osborne’s remaining kidney continued to function until her death, he said.
James E. Swett, 88, a Marine Corps pilot who received the Medal of Honor for shooting down seven Japanese bombers, died Jan. 18 in Redding, Calif., after a long illness, his son, John Swett, said Saturday.
Swett was a 22-year-old first lieutenant leading his first combat mission on April 4, 1943, when he earned the Medal of Honor.
He brought down a Japanese Val dive bomber and then two more. One of the wings of his plane was damaged by anti-aircraft flak, but he shot down four more bombers. He engaged with another bomber but was hit and had to ditch his plane. He was rescued by a Coast Guard boat.
During his service in World War II, Swett was credited with downing more than 15 enemy planes and won a number of other awards including six Distinguished Flying Cross medals.
