Jaime Escalante dies; inspirational educator had PBS show

Famed educator Jaime Escalante, of PBS’s Futures with Jaime Escalante, died early yesterday morning, reports the Associated Press. He was 79. Escalante also appeared in two PBS specials, “Math…Who Needs It?!” and “Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun.” He received more than 50 awards for his PBS work, including a Peabody. Escalante was portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the 1988 hit film “Stand and Deliver.” In a statement, Olmos said: “The best way to honor the life and work of this great man is to keep it going and I, along with others whose lives he touched, intend to do that.”