1.   He was too good at games for that, too central a figure among us to retreat into himself.

2.   This, however, did not prevent him from becoming a cult figure among some of the Jacobins and other revolutionaries.

3.   An influential figure among Brooklyn Jews of Syrian ancestry, he avoided the limelight.

4.   Andre Dubus, whose gritty short stories of Merrimack Valley life made him a much-admired figure among American writers, died Wednesday night in Haverhill, Mass.

5.   Besides the bond of ethnicity that made him a revered figure among Italian-Americans, there was the renown of the team he played for.

6.   Blending gay and Democratic party activism with professional fund-raising expertise and volunteerism, Collings has emerged over years as a leading figure among both gay and non-gay Bostonians.

7.   Bin Laden is the foremost figure among thousands of Arabs who now make Afghanistan their home.

8.   A pale, slender figure among the Latin Americans, he sat alone in the back yard of a Tecun Uman shack.

9.   A significant warning shot came from Kenneth Clarke, the former Treasury head and a popular figure among Conservatives across the country.

10.   But his success in designing teaching software has made him a much sought after figure among businesses, military clients and universities.