Pleas by the U. S. State Department to the Ugandan government to have my father declared dead so his estate could be settled and life insurance benefits paid were met with denials by Idi Amin that my father was dead.

FORBES: Social Security Benefits: A Personal Story, Speech at Institutional Capitol Investing Forum. (September 1, 1999)

"I won't declare my father dead because I want them to tell me what they did with him, " said Ms Pizarro, president of the organisation that represents relatives of Chile's disappeared.

BBC: Chile's military rule 'disappeared' on electoral roll

In a dream last night, my father, dead since 1997, was scraping the NRA sticker off the back window of his SUV.

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However, absent proof and without bodies, under Uganda law my father would not be presumed to be dead for seven years.

FORBES: Social Security Benefits: A Personal Story, Speech at Institutional Capitol Investing Forum. (September 1, 1999)

One Saturday night almost exactly 22 years ago, my father had a massive heart attack and was dead before he hit the floor.

FORBES: The 25 Biggest Regrets In Life. What Are Yours?