SEEKING DIVORCE. Patti McGuire Connors, 31, Playboy's 1977 Playmate of the Year; from Jimmy Connors, 30, comeback king of tennis who last year won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open for the first time since 1974; after four years of marriage, one child; in Miami. Patti's suit asks for custody of Son Brett David, 3, use of the couple's pricey North Miami Beach condominium, and abrogation of a prenuptial agreement limiting any divorce settlement to $250,000.

SENTENCED. Juan Maria Fernandez y Krohn, 33, Spanish priest of an archtraditionahst Roman Catholic faction who last May attempted to kill Pope John Paul II with a bayonet at Portugal's Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima; to seven years and one month in prison; in Vila Nova de Ourem, Portugal. The term includes seven months for contempt of court for disrupting his trial. At his sentencing he shouted, "Puppets! Assassins! Communists!" at his judges.

DIED. Norm Van Brocklin, 57, combative quarterback who during his twelve-year (1949-60) pro career led the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles to National Football League championships; of a heart attack; in Monroe, Ga. A cool playmaker despite his hot temper, the "Dutchman" in a 1957 game completed 27 passes for 554 yds., a record that still stands. After his final playing season, he became the coach of the newly formed Minnesota Vikings, and later of the Atlanta Falcons, compiling respectable if losing records.

DIED. Ernesto de la Guardia, 78, President of Panama from 1956 to 1960; in Panama City. The target of the first liberation campaign sponsored by Cuba's Fidel Castro, De la Guardia in 1959 invoked the Rio Treaty, calling on his neighbors to help repel the threat. The "invaders" turned out to be a comic-opera troupe of adventurers who had been recruited by De la Guardia's chief political rival, Roberto Arias, and his wife Ballerina Margot Fonteyn. As the coup fizzled, Arias fled, Fonteyn was arrested, and the Cubans, repudiated by Castro, were induced to surrender by a delegation from the Organization of American States.

DIED. Joel Hildebrand, 101, distinguished chemist and faculty member of the University of California at Berkeley for 69 years, where some 40,000 students took his first-year chemistry courses; in Kensington, Calif. His scientific research included discoveries about the absorption of gas into liquids under pressure that led to ways of protecting deep-sea divers from the bends. Hildebrand officially retired in 1952, but continued to teach graduate students, conduct research and write until a few months ago. "Brains are not such a drag on the market," he said, "that they should be deactivated prematurely." This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.