Apple, R.W., Jr. 1934-2006
(Raymond Walter Apple, Jr.)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born November 20, 1934, in Akron, OH; died of thoracic cancer, October 4, 2006, in Washington, DC. Journalist and author. An award-winning reporter for the New York Times, Apple was especially applauded for his writings on politics, food, and travel. The son of a grocery store chain owner in a Midwest town, he decided to pursue journalism to experience the world. Apple attended Princeton University but earned poor grades because he devoted too much time to the student newspaper. Serving in the army in the late 1950s, he wrote speeches for generals. Apple then returned to his studies, completing a B.A. at Columbia University in 1961. Having already gained some experience as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal while in school, Apple was hired by NBC News as a correspondent in 1961. He wrote for the Huntley-Brinkley Report news program and earned an Emmy Award in 1962 for his work there. In 1964, Apple moved on to a paper that would become his permanent home, the New York Times, where he was readily recognized for his abilities. He was named Albany bureau chief for a year and then served in the same position in Saigon from 1965 to 1968. Apple became a thorn in American generals' sides when he reported frankly that the Vietnam War was not going well for the United States. After his time in Saigon, he was a bureau chief in Africa for a year before becoming a national political correspondent from 1970 to 1976. He developed a keen eye for presidential contenders and was noted as being one of the first journalists to view the Iowa caucus as an indicator of election success among presidential candidates. With the exception of a year in Moscow from 1980 to 1981, Apple spent the late 1970s and early 1980s as London bureau chief. He was the chief Washington correspondent from 1985 to 1997, as well as bureau chief from 1992 to 1998. Apple spent his final years as chief correspondent for the New York Times and continued to submit articles even on the day he passed away. Having spent much of his career reporting on international conflicts such as Vietnam, the Falkland Islands, and Iraq, Apple garnered such prestigious prizes as the Overseas Press Club award and the George Polk Memorial award. In his last two decades, he focused increasingly on travel and food writing, once saying that his main reason for traveling was to experience local foods. He was recognized for this side of his reporting career with a Lowell Thomas award for travel writing in 1999. Apple wrote two travel books: Apple's Europe: An Uncommon Guide (1986) and Apple's America: The Discriminating Traveler's Guide to 40 Great Cities in the United States and Canada (2005).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, October 5, 2006, section 3, p. 8.

New York Times, October 5, 2006, p. A29.

Washington Post, October 5, 2006, p. B7.