Milestones
DIED As scenes of impending doom flash onscreen, his gravelly voice cuts through the explosive effects and thundering music with the familiar words "In a world where ..." Known as "Thunder Throat," "The Trailer King" or, more generally, "that movie voice-over guy," self-dubbed voice actor Don LaFontaine narrated more than 5,000 movie trailers and other promotions in his nearly 50-year career. Originally an audio engineer and editor, LaFontaine got his start behind the mike because of a scheduling mix-up. Soon he was recording voice-overs full time--as many as 60 a week--and narrating teasers for films from The Godfather to Home Alone to Terminator 2. LaFontaine died of complications from a long-term illness at age 68.
o An investigative journalist who invoked the ire of the Nixon Administration for his reporting on Watergate in the 1970s, Edwin Guthman was never afraid to pursue a story. In the era of McCarthyism, he made his mark while working for the Seattle Times, where he uncovered evidence that a professor targeted by the state's Committee on Un-American Activities had been wrongly accused. His investigation not only salvaged the academic's career but also earned Guthman a Pulitzer Prize in 1950. He was 89.
o A pioneering author in the genre of young-adult fiction, Jeannette Eyerly boldly tackled challenging topics in her work. She delved into issues such as unwanted pregnancy and divorce in a way that her young readers could relate to. Among her nearly 20 books were Bonnie Jo, Go Home (which dealt with abortion) and The Girl Inside, a story about coping with death. Her candid presentation was unprecedented in girls' fiction in the 1960s and helped pave the way for generations of writers to follow her. She was 100.