WILL GEER, American actor died (b. 1902); In addition to his acting, for which he is best known as the iconic “Grandpa Walton” Geer was a ardent social activist, touring government work camps in the 1930s with folk singers like Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie, and participating in the 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike. In his biography, fellow organizer and Gay rights pioneer Harry Hay details Geer’s involvement in these strikes, and their intimate relationship while organizing for the strike. Geer is credited with introducing Guthrie to Pete Seeger at the Grapes of Wrath benefit Geer organized in 1940 for migrant farm workers.