Fess Parker, best known for his role as Davy Crockett -- and for making coonskin caps wildly popular with kids of the Baby Boom era -- died today at age 85. In the 1950s, Parker helped create a lucrative movie, TV and music franchise based on the life of the "king of the wild frontier." I was a huge fan -- I think I still have a coonskin cap tucked away in a closet. And to this day, my parents love to recount the story of young Dave getting lost at a Connecticut beach while wearing the distinctive cap (and probably toting a toy rifle). When a crowd gathered and someone asked my name, I simply said, "Davy Crockett." Rest in Peace, Fess.