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The Mordecais were among the first Jewish families to settle in the South after the Revolutionary War. A new book tells the story of how they struggled to assimilate into American society while retaining their identity as Jews, a story that still resonates in today's America, author Emily Bingham says. Read an excerpt from the book.

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States, talks with NPR's Nina Totenberg about her new memoir and her long road to the nation's highest court.

ChevronTexaco announces it will stop sponsoring the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday radio programs in 2004. The move ends the longest-running commercial sponsorship in American broadcasting, which began in 1940. Hear Will Berger, author of The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Opera.

On Bob Hope's 100th birthday, NPR's Susan Stamberg looks back at the man who entertained audiences for nearly every decade of the 20th century in a career spanning stage, radio, movies and television. See historic photos of Hope and hear samples of his comedy and music.

Actor Buddy Ebsen, best known for his role as Jed Clampett on the TV series The Beverly Hillbillies, dies at age 95. Ebsen, who started his career as a dancer on Broadway shows and MGM musicals in the 1930s, also starred as a private investigator in the 1970s TV show Barnaby Jones. NPR's Bob Edwards has a remembrance.

Barry White, the honey-voiced baritone known for his sultry, romantic songs, dies at a hospital in Los Angeles. White, 58, had been in poor health for several years and died while awaiting a kidney transplant. The soul singer became a star during the disco era, but had a resurgence in popularity in recent years. He won two Grammies for his 1999 album, "Staying Power." NPR's Scott Simon has a remembrance.

Gregory Peck, one of the enduring stars of Hollywood's golden age, dies at his home in Los Angeles. He was 87. More often than not, Peck played the hero. He won an Oscar for his 1963 role as the quietly courageous defense lawyer Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. Pat Dowell offers a remembrance. (Please note this correction: "Listeners to the first feed of our program last Thursday may have heard an error in our obituary for Gregory Peck. Pat Dowell placed the story of To Kill a Mockingbird in Mississippi. That led Chuck Bearman, chief of staff in the office of Mississippi's secretary of state, to write. As he pointed out -- It was not set in Mississippi, but in Alabama.")

A new reality TV show aims to promote fashion and understanding between gay men and their straight counterparts. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy features a group of five gay men, experts in food, fashion and culture, who come to the rescue of straight men in need of a makeover. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with David Collins, the show's executive producer.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is presenting a two-play cycle called Continental Divide. The David Edgar production portrays a governor's race from the separate perspectives of the Republican and Democratic parties. Dmae Roberts reports.

College baseball players and fans head to Omaha, Neb., for the NCAA 2003 Men's College World Series. Organizers expect to sell more than 250,000 tickets as the country's top eight college baseball teams compete for the national championship. Hear Deborah Van Fleet.