Seymour Topping
Seymour Topping | |
---|---|
University of Missouri School of Journalism | |
Notable works | On the Front Lines of the Cold War Journey Between Two Chinas |
Spouse |
Audrey Ronning (m. 1948) |
Children | 5 |
Seymour Topping (December 11, 1921 – November 8, 2020) was an American journalist best known for his work as a foreign correspondent covering wars in
Early life
Topping was born as Seymour Topolsky on December 11, 1921, in
Career
Topping was a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and served as a United States Army infantry officer in the Philippines during World War II.[2] After this stint with the army, he joined the International News Service in Manila, and was assigned to China to cover the civil war in that region. He went on to join the Associated Press in 1948 as a foreign correspondent in China and Southeast Asia.[3] In 1949, while covering the civil war, he was taken a prisoner by the advancing communist forces in Nanjing and was released when the nationalist forces surrendered.[2][4] In the 1950s, he reported on the Korean War, and also was the first U.S. correspondent in Vietnam since World War II, where he covered the French colonial war against the communist forces led by Ho Chi Minh.[2]
He joined The New York Times in 1959. Over the next 34 years, he held a variety of positions, including metropolitan reporter, Moscow and Southeast Asia bureau chief, foreign editor, assistant managing editor (1969–1976), deputy managing editor (1976), and managing editor (1977–1986). From 1969 onward, he was noted for being second only to executive editor A. M. Rosenthal.[4] His partnership with Rosenthal was credited with many innovations at the newspaper, including the introduction of feature sections and magazine supplements, facilitating unprecedented commercial success.[2] Following a reorganization of the company by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger in 1985, Topping became director of editorial development for The New York Times Company in 1987. In this position, his mandate was to focus on improving the journalistic quality of the then 32 regional associate newspapers owned by the Times Company.[4][5]
During Topping's time as the Moscow bureau chief, he covered the
In 1993, he left The New York Times to join the Pulitzer Prize Board as its secretary and administrator. He held this position until his retirement in 2002.[5] He also taught at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism as the San Paolo Professor of International Journalism from 1994 to 2002.[6]
Topping served as the president of Emeritus Professors at Columbia,
Personal life
He was married to photojournalist, documentary filmmaker, and author Audrey Ronning Topping (the daughter of Canadian diplomat Chester Ronning) on November 10, 1948; they had five children. From 1967 until his death, they lived in Scarsdale, New York. One of their daughters, Susan, died of cancer in October 2015.[14][15]
Topping died on November 8, 2020, in White Plains, New York, at age 98, from a stroke.[2]
Works
- On the Front Lines of the Cold War: An American Correspondent's Journal from the Chinese Civil War to the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam (2010). Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 9780807137307[16]
- Journey Between Two Chinas (1972). New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 9780060143299[17]
- The Peking Letter: A Novel of the Chinese Civil War (1999). New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781891620355[18]
- Fatal Crossroads: A Novel of Vietnam 1945 (based partly on the experiences of ISBN 978-1891936692[19]
Articles by Topping and his wife were included in The New York Times Report from Red China (New York: Quadrangle Books, 1971).[20]
References
- ^ "Renowned world correspondent Seymour Topping dead at 98". ABC News. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j McFadden, Robert (November 8, 2020). "Seymour Topping, Former Times Journalist and Eyewitness to History, Dies at 98". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Seymour Topping". Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c "archives.nypl.org – New York Times Company records. Seymour Topping papers". archives.nypl.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Renowned world correspondent Seymour Topping dead at 98". ABC News. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Glaberson, William (February 10, 1993). "Topping Leaving Times Co. To Administer the Pulitzers (Published 1993)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ "Columbia Journalism – Seymour Topping". Archived from the original on December 23, 2019.
- ^ "School of Journalism and Communication's Founds International Advisory Board-Tsinghua University News". news.tsinghua.edu.cn. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "National Committee on US China Relations – Annual Report 2004–05" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2020.
- ^ "archives.nypl.org – New York Times Company records. Seymour Topping papers". archives.nypl.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "NYT journalist Ellen Barry wins Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia". The American Bazaar. May 9, 2017. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Daniszewski, John (November 7, 2020). "Renowned world correspondent Seymour Topping dead at 98". Associated Press. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Wilson, David McKay. "Scarsdale mansion battles: Property owners fight tax levies". The Journal News. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Mail, Arlene Shovald, Special to The (October 13, 2015). "Susan Topping, 64, dies following long battle with cancer". TheMountainMail.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "On the front lines of the Cold War: an American correspondent's journal from the Chinese Civil War to the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Journey between two Chinas". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "The Peking letter: a novel of the Chinese civil war". Library of Congress. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- OCLC 56599576.
- ^ Durdin, Tillman; Reston, James; Topping, Seymour (1971). The New York Times Report from Red China. Avon. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
External links
- Missouri School of Journalism – Seymour Topping Archived November 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Appearances on C-SPAN