Obit

Krishna Vattam, 82

VETERAN JOURNALIST Krishna Vattam, who served in various English and Kannada dailies, died Wednesday, August 12, due to cardiac arrest. He was 82.

Vattam was known as an authority on wildlife reporting who had a deep compassion for wildlife and its protection, and was also a convener of the Mysore chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) (“Veteran journalist Krishna Vattam no more,” Media World, Aug. 12, 2015). He also worked for the Deccan Herald as a district correspondent in Mysore for over four decades, beginning in 1959.

In a career spanning over six decades, Vattam received various awards including the Kannada Rajyotsava Award in 1983, the Karnataka Patrika Award in 1992, (“Senior journalist Krishna Vattam passed away,” NewsKarnataka.com, Aug. 12, 2015), the Karnataka Media Academy Award in 1994, the Environment Award in 1998 (“Journalist Krishna Vattam passes away,” Indian24News, August 13, 2015), and other distinctions for his environmental activism.

Vattam is survived by his wife Kamala, his son Shyam Sundar, and daughters Sarashwathi and Parvati.

Ray F. Herndon, 77

 A journalist who covered the early days of the Vietnam War and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, Ray F. Herndon, died Sunday, August 16 due to cancer. He was 77.

Herndon’s career in journalism began during his time with the US Army “where he learned the newspaper trade,” becoming an editor at the armed forces’ newspaper, the Pacific Stars and Stripes in Tokyo. (“Ray F. Herndon dies at 77; journalist who covered Vietnam War later worked for L.A. Times,” Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2015)

After his service with the army, Herndon joined United Press International (UPI) in early 1962. He covered the final days of the war in Laos before moving on to Vietnam in 1963. There, he was part of the so-called “Boys of Saigon,” a small group of journalists who covered the rebellion of Buddhist clergy against the authoritarian South Vietnamese regime. (“Ray F. Herndon, UPI reporter who covered Vietnam, dies at 77,” United Press International, Aug. 18, 2015)

After his stay with UPI, Herndon worked for the St. Petersburg Times, the Miami Herald, the Dallas Times Herald and the Los Angeles Times, where he was a reporter and later, an editor. While with the Dallas Times Herald, Herndon was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his investigative stories on Michael Anthony Woten who was convicted of robbery. Herndon’s reports helped prove Woten’s alibi, resulting in the man’s regaining his freedom.

Colleagues remember Herndon as a “tough Texan,” and a “splendid journalist” who believed “in using journalism to stand up for the underdog and as a force for doing good.”

“He achieved a tremendous record of using daily journalism to hold elected officials accountable for their actions,” Los Angeles Times editor Davan Maharaj said. “He imparted many of those values on journalists across the country.”

Herndon is survived by his wife Annie, their two sons Paul and Philippe, and a grandson.