Andrew Porter alerts us to the fact that actor Conard Fowkes died of pancreatic cancer on 14 December 2009. Fowkes was born in Washington, DC, on 4 January 1933. He was the secretary/treasurer of Actors’ Equity from 1988 to 2009, after first being elected to the board in 1973. He was also the co-founder of the organization’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. IN 2009, the organization gave him its Patrick Quinn Award for Distinguished Service to Actors.
Fowkes graduated from New York’s High School of Performing Arts (he was a member of the second graduating class), and won a four-year Navy scholarship to Yale, where he majored in history and the arts and letters. After graduation, he served in the Navy for three years, as a communications officer and cryptographer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. After his service, he debuted on Broadway in Howie in 1958. He later appeared on radio, in film, and on television, with roles in eight different soap operas.
His genre roles include playing Frank Garner in 20 episodes of Dark Shadows (1966-67), as well as parts in Way Out (1961), and Return to Earth (1976).
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jacqueline Hernly, three daughters, and one grandson.