In The News

Journalist and historian Stanley Karnow passes away

Journalist and historian Stanley Karnow passes away

THE journalist and historian Stanley Karnow has passed away. He was 87.

Mr. Karnow will be best remembered for his book Vietnam: A History, which was published 1983. The book reflected the journalist’s long association with the conflict. He had reported from Vietnam in the late 1950s when America’s involvement in the south of the country was still confined to a small number of advisers.

His book remains the definitive work on the conflict which was to cost many thousands of lives. Mr. Karnow was also closely involved in bringing the highly successful Vietnam: A Television History to fruition. The documentary series was first broadcast in 1983 to critical acclaim.

During his career, Mr. Karnow had worked as a correspondent for a number prestigious publications including Time and the Washington Post.

After Vietnam, he turned to America’s involvement in the Philippines for his next book project. His history, In Our Image: America’s Empire in the Philippines also spawned a documentary TV series.

Recognition for his work came in 1990 when Mr. Karnow won the Pulitzer Prize for history.

His great interest in Asia had been engendered during his service in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He had spent a long period during his service living in the mountains between Asia and India where he worked as weather observer and cryptographer.

After graduating from Harvard in 1947, the young Karnow moved to Paris where he studied at the Sorbonne. Only intending to stay in the city for a few months he ended up living there for ten years, during which he got married, although the relationship was to end in divorce in 1955. He wrote about his experiences in the French capital in the book Paris in the Fifties. During his time there he worked for Time and interviewed such personalities as Ernest Hemingway (see below), Audrey Hepburn and Christian Dior.

Mr. Karnow passed away at his home in Potomac, Maryland. His second wife, Annette, passed away in 2009. He is survived by three children.

To view an interview in which Mr. Karnow talks about meeting Ernest Hemingway in Paris, click here.

View previous In the News items: Funeral takes place of Una Finnegan, Funeral takes place of veteran campaigner Inez McCormack, Film director and restaurant critic Michael Winner passes away, American civil rights pioneer James Hood passes away, Tributes are paid to actress Sophiya Haque, Actor Conrad Bain passes away, Tributes are paid to teacher saved by Oskar Schindler, Crossword setter uses puzzle to reveal he is dying, Broadcaster and historian Robert Kee passes away, Tributes are paid to former fast food executive Fred Turner, Oldest man in Britain Reg Dean passes away, Listen with Mother presenter Daphne Oxenford passes away, Former British prisoner of war passes away, Singer Patti Page passes away, Actor Harry Carey Jnr passes away, Tributes are paid to soul singer Fontella Bass, Former England cricket captain Tony Greig passes away, Gulf War general Norman Schwarzkopf passes away, Tributes are paid to the creator of Thunderbirds, Record holding woman dies aged 115, Tributes are paid to former newsreader Kenneth Kendall, Inventor of the barcode passes away, Indian musician Ravi Shankar passes away, Tributes are paid to the inspirational engineer Alex Moulton, Astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore passes away, Tributes are paid to former Hawkwind guitarist Huw Lloyd Langton, People pay last respects to hero of the Blitz, Jazz great Dave Brubeck passes away, Former Liverpool manager and player passes away, Death rate continues to fall in Northern Ireland, Tributes are paid to the man who put colour into digital photography, Organ transplant pioneer Joseph Murray passes away, Tributes are paid to TV star Larry Hagman, Australian author Bryce Courtenay passes away, Westminster Abbey honour announced for writer C S Lewis, Influential church musician Sir Philip Ledger passes away, Tributes are paid to the painter and sculptor William Turnbull, Retailer who helped Elvis with fashion advice passes away, Tributes are paid to photographer Alf Kumalo, Widow of poet TS Eliot passes away, Former governor of the Falkland Islands Sir Rex Hunt passes away, Former Coronation Street star Bill Tarmey passes away, Headstone is erected 94 years after burial of Portadown soldier, Tributes are paid to actor Clive Dunn, Funeral of Comber soldier Channing Day to take place, Funeral of murdered prison officer David Black takes place, Former racing driver John Fitch passes away, Tributes are paid to songwriter Bill Dees, Tributes are paid to musician Jo Dunne, Composer Hans Werner Henze passes away or Battle of Britain pilot William Walker passes away

 

If you have a relative or a friend who has passed away and feel they should be mentioned in our In the News section, then please email us.